Out of Hand: April 2019

Wind Resistance & Other Discoveries

Friday, April 26, 2019

Some of what we did during spring break:

We braved the Discovery Museum now that we seem to be done with flu season. All of these items were meant to be touched. They added a wind machine:

We were the only ones on Floor 3 for the first time. So, the Engineer built whatever he wanted, which was a track for a ball.

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Still one of my favorite places! The kids have been waking up early and playing before school.

"She wanted to be a princess. So I put these flowers in her hair."

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

The kids had a wonderful time with Pop Pop during Holy Week. They played outside with their balloons, flew kites, dyed Easter eggs, and ate Asian food. Love this spicy crew!

Grandma's angel:

Easter Egg Hunt

We've been meaning to do this for several years. It was well received and was very little effort on my part. We will do it again!

We were unable to take a photo at church this year. However, below is St. Peter's in Harper's Ferry. The Engineer requested we go to "the grey mountains, not the brown mountains." After further rounds of questioning, we established that he wanted to see the view of Harper's Ferry from Maryland. I have to admit, it's one of my favorite outlooks within 70 minutes! This is the Maryland Heights Trail.

White House Easter Egg Roll

We won the lottery this year and joined six-thousand others (30K all day) for our timed-entry slot on the White House South lawn. The event was likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us. I've applied in the past and not been accepted; and have heard the same from friends and neighbors.

However, if the kids want to volunteer at it when they're older, it appears that is relatively easy to do...

DH wasn't able to join us because he was called to a work meeting. Here they are eating hard-boiled eggs, which was really a great idea. Protein prevented some meltdowns. They also received Honest juice. On the way out, each child was given a commemorative egg, yellow Peeps packs, and jelly beans, all containing the President's signature.

They had fun overall. In hindsight, we would send no more than two kids per adult; but also didn't want to miss this simply because DH couldn't join us after all.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Praise God for a clear 20-week sonogram, which revealed a healthy baby boy! Each of the kids said they wanted a boy, including Sweet Pea, who changed her mind halfway through the first trimester. We are so grateful for some good news! It took the sonographer a long time to get all his measurements because he would not hold still. Updated due date: August 25th.

New Writer

For two years the Engineer has said he doesn't know his letters. He's actually just a perfectionist who hates making mistakes. His teachers have said they have zero concerns about his academics. This note marks a milestone for him. He held his crayon correctly for this as well.

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

"We get doughnuts, Mom?" he asked while approaching a not-yet-visible Dunkin' Donuts we rarely frequent (and rarely even pass). I turned around at the stop light to ask him how long he remembered the way and called him a "smartypants." Some of our kids fake bad memory for the shock value of their genius gems.

Spring Break with Boys

"Mom, Mr. Serious has only a few words but not a lot. So, today I'm going to teach him more words like 'nuke,' and 'fighter,' and 'combat.'"

-The Firstborn

Feb. '19 photo.

Monday, April 15, 2019

Current sentences:

"I love you."

"No. I don't want to."

"Go faster, Mom!"

"What are you eating?"

"Where's Dad?"

He may have a tongue-tie, which apparently doesn't always require a "clip." Two symptoms: 1) He gained a TON of weight when we stopped breastfeeding, and 2) He has fewer (and less clear) words than his siblings did at his age (but appears to understand everything). And, I could throw in a 3) when he does lift his tongue, it looks like the lingual frenulum is tethering. More rounds of early-intervention will let us know for sure. That part is relatively painless. They come to your home if you need assistance. Treatment is routine. Nothing about this is life-altering.