We are a family of four, including two young children. We decided to sell our house and move into an RV to travel the country, visit friends and family, and take a step back from our consumerist lifestyle. This is all new territory to us, so undoubtedly many laughs, mishaps, and adventures await us!
We had a really great time in Virginia. For some reason, I found it really difficult to make time for blogging, but I'm hoping to turn over a new leaf here and get back to regular posting.
One of the highlights of our time in Virginia was a train trip to Charlottesville. We took the Amtrak for a short ride, just over an hour, into Charlottesville. We got there around 11:15, and then walked to a park to have lunch. The park turned out to have a huge playground that was fun for the grownups and the kids both. We played there for quite awhile, enjoying the beautiful weather that day. Then we had a picnic lunch next to the playground.
After lunch, we walked to the Discovery Museum. It turned out to be a really nice walk through the downtown mall in Charlottesville-all sorts of street vendors and interesting shops to look at along the way. The museum was a big hit with the kids.
This part of the museum was really nice-a big open room with lots to play with, and we could just sit down in the middle and keep an eye on the kids. It was a good break for the adults who'd been pushing the strollers all over!
After the museum we had a nice dinner outside, by a fountain in the downtown mall area, and then headed back to the train. It was such a great day! We'd had some concerns, since none of us are especially punctual people (it's hard with little kids), and we clearly needed to be on time for the Amtrak. But it worked out beautifully! We had just the right amount of time everywhere, never feeling rushed but never having to wait more than a few minutes either. The weather was perfect too. And the kids held up amazingly well for a day with no real naptime. It was such a fabulous day with great friends!
That was about a week ago. This past weekend, we said goodbye to Virginia and headed to Columbus, Ohio. We arrived on Sunday with enough time to do a short visit at the COSI science museum, and that was great. We only saw a small part of the museum but enough to see that it's a really fabulous place! We'll definitely be going back there a few more times this week before we head to Cleveland on Sunday.
Rinnah has taken to saying "thank you" for just about everything these days, and since Ian loves to copy her, good manners are spreading! They like to play where Rinnah pushes something across the table to Ian, and he returns it. She says, "thank you!" and he says, "you're welcome!" And then they both giggle. It's so precious, and makes us think maybe we're doing at least something right around here!
12-28-09
Sept 09 Lately, if he doesn't want to do something, Ian tells us he can't figure it out. For example, we ask him to pick up his books. "I no figure out pick up my books." I don't know where he got it but it's kind of amusing. 8-10-09 Ian loves to eat pepperoni, and has his own name for it-"bump bump bump ONI!"
7-21-09 I was washing some dishes when I heard Ian behind me say, "I all ready go. Ma push Ian please?" There he was standing crouched in his little plastic dump truck with the cutest look on his face. I couldn't resist pushing him for a lap around the kitchen.
7-14-09 Ian bumped his head, and Jeremy said "I'm sorry". Ian replied, "No, I bumped my head all by myself."
7-10-09 I was opening up my tub of coupons to file and Ian spotted the small scissors I use in the store. He said, "Ma cut Ian's hair off with these?" I told him no, and he started pleading for me to cut his hair off! Maybe it's time to try a buzz cut.
6-27-09 We went to a deli to pick up some sandwiches-a special treat since we rarely eat out. I was in the car with the kids while Jeremy went in to pick up the food.
"Daddy go?" Ian asked.
"He went inside to get some food," I explained.
"I want burger may-naisse and pickle" he said very clearly.
Where did he get that? Who knows, but it cracked us up!
6-10-09While walking to the park, we saw a white car drive by.
"White car go?" Ian asked. "Where do you think they're going?" I asked him back.
"Store" he said, after thinking for a minute.
"What are they going to buy at the store?"
"Food" he said. And then added, "With coupons"
Ah, what a proud mommy moment that was for me!
6-5-09 Ian's favorite game lately is "Ian go?" which is "Where did Ian go?" He'll 'hide' by putting his face behind a sheet or simply looking another direction. If you don't suggest places Ian could be hiding, he'll suggest them for you. Then he'll say "no!" and laugh at each place. Now he's started coming out from his hiding place and saying "there you are!" when he appears. :)
6-2-09 Ian doesn't like to go to bed, and usually after we go into his room three times we'll close the door. Tonight we did, and then we heard a tiny little wail, "Door open! I want see yooooooooooooouuuu!" It was so adorable, I wound up giving in.
5-27-09 I was nursing Rinnah today, and when she finished I was burping her. Then she started to crawl away and almost slipped, so I was catching her fall. During this time I hadn't fixed my shirt yet. Ian ran over saying, "Close milk! Close milk!" and tried to pull my shirt down for me.
5-26-09I had practiced with Ian saying "Happy Birthday Uncle David". It's a big sentence for him, and he had to concentrate really hard to get it out. When the time came, I asked him to say what we had practiced. "Uncle David" he carefully said. "Do you remember what else?" I prompted. He paused. I whispered, "Happy Birthday". And Ian very carefully whispered "Happy Birthday". Can't fault him for that!
5-17-09Completely out of the blue today, Ian decided he wanted to do my hair. He got out his detangler spray and comb and went to work. He actually was doing a very meticulous job, and kept saying, "People look all nice momma hair" which I'm pretty sure translates into, "People are going to see momma's hair all nice."
5-16-09 Ian was driving his tractor with the farmer and animals today. He told us they were going shopping, which is what he usually says people are doing when he drives his cars or trucks. We asked him where they were going. "Red store", he said, which is what he called Target when we were there the other day. (He identifies stores by the color of shopping carts.) He then informed us that the farmer was going to the store to buy socks for Rinnah. :)
5-15-09 Ian likes to play where he 'hides' and we look for him. He doesn't quite have the idea of hiding down yet. As long as he can't see you, he's hiding in his mind. So he'll often pull the curtains over his face, and yell "Ian go?" which is short for "Where did Ian go?" If you don't start looking right away, he'll offer suggestions for you. "On couch?" "By door?" "In box?" He'll also answer "No!" when you ask if he's in any certain place. Here's a picture of him "hiding" during the game.
5-14-09 I was showing Ian some kissing bears that we are putting in the garage sale. They're the kind that have magnets in the snouts so they kiss. We've had one floating around for about a week that Ian found, but we just found the mate today. I showed him how they kissed, and he was very excited.
"Daddy!" he proudly said, holding up the boy bear.
"Good!" I told him. "What about this one?" I asked, holding up the girl bear and waiting for the proud moment when he said my name.
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