Cromwell Valley Park Field Trip

On Monday, Ben had his first official "field trip." His class visited Cromwell Valley Park and learned how to harvest pumpkins, apples, black walnuts and corn. He got to pick his own pumpkin, make and taste apple cider, crack a black walnut, grind corn into cornmeal and eat cornbread. It turned out to be a beautiful fall day. It was fun to watch Ben socialize with his classmates and see firsthand that he really has become everyone's, "best friend."







This last picture is one of Ben and his friend RJ. Ben loves RJ. I love to watch them together. RJ is the biggest kid in the class and Ben is one of the smallest, but they don't seem to care or even notice.

B&O Railroad Museum!

Anyone know what the B in B&O railroad stands for? You guessed it...Baltimore! I ventured to the railroad's museum last week with my friend Kristen and some of her kids. Kate insisted on wearing Ben's railroad hat the entire time and chanted "Choo Choo" the ENTIRE time we were there. We had a good time.

Go Stingrays!

We made the sad transition from the Tigers Soccer team to the Stingrays. Now that the season is nearly over, I am finally beginning to accept the fact and post some pictures. Sometimes Ben and I find ourselves accidentally cheering "Go Tigers" at the end of the games. Whenever Ben scores he tells me he did it for his Tiger friends. Ben has really picked up on playing defense this season. He has learned how to get back quick and get between the other team and the goal. The head coach tells us every game he is a natural born sweeper. David has continued to help coach whenever he gets the free time to do so. I hope Ben continues to enjoy playing soccer as much as I enjoy watching him.

Where Have I Been?

For the past 7 weeks, I have been looking into one of these...



Today, it all became worth it when I saw these...




Our little miracle is expected to arrive in April!

Packing His Bags!

Ben disappeared for a few minutes, when I heard him yell for help in his room. He had his little suitcase filled and needed help shutting it. I asked, "Where are you going Ben?" His reply: "I'm moving back to Oklahoma!" If only I could fit in his bags!

An Eventful Week!

David had this past week off so we took advantage and explored. On Tuesday (David's 30th birthday) we rode the light rail train to Baltimore's inner harbor and visited the National Aquarium. Although it took longer to ride the train Ben and Kate loved every minute of it. Kate said "choo choo" the whole way. At the aquarium, Ben and Kate especially loved the Dolphin show and all of the sharks. Ben thought it was so funny when the dolphins splashed the crowd. When Ben grows up, he now wants to be a "fish doctor". That evening David and I were able to go out to dinner for David's birthday, while my new friend Kristen (I do have 2 friends!) watched the kids. I don't think I will ever take for granted a meal without little kids around!




On Wednesday, we decided to drive to the nearest beach in Delaware. It took us about 3 hours, but it was a very pretty drive. Kate was terrified of the tide, but loved playing in the sand. Ben had a great time burying David in the sand and building a sand castle. On the way to the beach, Ben informed us that we needed to review the beach rules which according to him were: #1. Don't wander off. #2. Don't go into the water without mom or dad. #3. No coconuts on the beach. #4. Have fun! Apparently, he learned these on the television show, "Little Bill." Ben remembers everything. While we were there we even saw a group of dolphins swimming very near to the shore. It was pretty cool to see them in the wild, just a day after we had seen some at the aquarium.



On Friday, we went to the Baltimore Zoo. We had planned on going to the National Zoo in D.C., but the weather called for rain so we stayed close. We had a good time. Ben's favorite animals were the polar bears, penguins, a baby elephant and the camel that he got to ride with David. After about 3 hours it started to downpour...quickly ending our trip.






Sunday was our 8th wedding anniversary. We had a pretty relaxing day. David let me take a nice long nap and I made him lasagna for dinner. It's crazy how time has flown by. We decided to buy an area rug we really liked for our family room as a gift to each other. I had been eyeing it for quite some time.
It's monday and it's back to the grind...working...bills...laundry...errands...cleaning and of course blogging!

Bullets fly in Baltimore!

Last Sunday alone, there were 18 shootings in Baltimore! At least it made for some pretty interesting radiology films on a sunday afternoon! Not surprisingly, it also ranks #1 in homicides among large cities over 500,000 people.

I think it's WONDERFUL that David commutes.....don't you?