Last night Chad and Alden went on a father son camp out together up at This Is The Place Heritage Park with our church stake. Meanwhile I was hoping to have a fun girl’s night with Eden.
Eden’s friend, Mackaila was at our house when the boys left so we invited her along. Eden picked McDonalds for dinner after a recent revelation that they have a play place inside. Then we stopped by a nail salon and got our fingers painted. We dropped Mackaila off, got home, changed into jammies and talked. We talked about the new baby coming and how to be a good helper and big sister. We talked about how special Eden is to Chad and I. We talked about all the attention the new baby will need and that she might need to ask us for some just-Eden time. Then she came and snuggled right up next to me in bed and we had a sleep over.
We have been trying to have some one on one dates lately with the kids and give then a lot of individual attention. I ordered a bunch of beginner chapter books off Amazon. Both Chad and I have been impressed at the comprehension and interest Eden has in these longer stories. Alden is also taking a greater interest in books and we are trying to encourage some reading time with him too.
Chad and Eden recently purchased season tickets to Lagoon, an amusement park. With an adult, little Eden can actually enjoy quite a few of the rides. I went last summer with her and my parents and it was a blast. I can only imagine the great fun Chad and she have on their dates to Lagoon together. Although some hint is the pure elation she adopts when talking about it and eagerly anticipated and planning the next time they can go together.
Perhaps it is just my pregnancy or perhaps I am just way more boring than Chad when it comes to outings. Last weekend I took Alden out early in the morning to go to garage sales with me and pick up donuts. My special time with them tends to include errands, food and perhaps a balloon from the party store. I am hoping that I can get to know each of my kids in a way that we can find something special to do that is just ours. Either way I love the time one-on-one with them and hope we keep it up after baby #3 comes and things settle down.
The last days or weeks (we aren’t sure) of pregnancy have left me both tired and wired. I have been consistently waking up, not able to go back asleep around 5 am. I figure it is good practice. Yesterday I hung around a still sleeping household looking up garage sales online. Then I kidnapped Alden (because I knew it was the least likely to sleep in), left a ransom note and took him with me to look for treasures and get donuts. I like having my little friends to keep me company.
The night before Chad and I had stayed up late to whitewash our yellow brick fireplace while the kids were in bed. I love how it turned out. It was so nice to do a project together too.
Earlier I had picked up a side table someone was selling. I primed it, painted it green and then glazed it with a black paint. It turned out pretty great and I am excited to try my hand at some more furniture makeovers.
A day or so earlier I had prepped all the materials I needed to install a wrapping paper station in one of our closets. It turned out so well! No more wrapping paper rolls tumbling all over the place and unraveling.
Eden helped pick out some material for me to make her a twin size flannel tied quilt. She is really looking forward to it. I have been researching sewing machines trying to decide how much to spend and what to get. I finally made a decision, put in the order and my new sewing machine was delivered Friday. So I finish piecing the flannel, tying and sewing the binding on. Now I just have to hand stitch the rest of the binding and it will be finished.
Between going through closets, organizing new baby / post natal stuff and chocking up a huge list of to-do’s, it is clear that I am indeed nesting.
Chad and I were lucky to take a trip, just the two of us, to New Orleans in May. My Dad and Grandma graciously flew down from Seattle to take care of Eden and Alden.
I haven’t slept so well in years. We had a relaxing, culture filled time. Before we even saw our hotel room we were off to Mardi Gras World. It is a working warehouse used to design and build all the floats used in their many parades. Walking in was just happy. It was so lively, colorful and gigantic. It made Mardi Gras seem much less about drunken frivolity and sex. There is a lot of history, culture and artistic craftsmanship that forms the foundation of the celebration.
Most of our weekend was spent just walking around the French Quarter, people watching and listening to the musical ensembles that were perched all over the area. We also got some reservations at some tasty restaurants. I couldn’t seem to go a meal with out having oysters or some other local seafood.
On our first night we went and saw a movie, which apparently breaks all vacation rules. It was well worth it. The next day, Chad had arranged for us to do a swamp tour. The swamp was so serene and beautiful. I do not know how anyone can brave swimming down there though. Between the alligators and snakes, etc. Yikes. The driver on our way out to the swamp pointed out a lot of the damage from Hurricane Katrina. Most everything looks just fine on the surface but so many places are condemned, abandoned or have squatters. The historic districts had much less damage than the real residential areas did, it seemed.
We went to a fun bug museum together to escape the heat. It was so well done and the kids would have loved it. Later we poked around the outdoor market for little souvenirs for the kids and we found Chad a couple of great stylish hats. One evening we walked to a far corner of the French Quarter to Frenchmen’s Street, famed for their great local music. We stumbled on a group that played music exceptionally well. The style was upbeat and a little like blue grass and jazz and folky like the music in O Brother Where Art Thou. We loved it. We walked back through Bourbon Street on the way back to the hotel and were entertained by the multiple venues with live music packed into each block. You could stand in the middle of the crowded street and hear at least 3 types of music blaring.
We went to the Garden District and wandered the streets looking at all the Southern mansions. We poked into Lafayette cemetery and found one family tomb filled with ‘Aldens’. Then we went to a Live Jazz Brunch. There was a trio of older gentlemen playing all the really classic Jazz ballads and songs. With pressure from a class assignment to break a social norm I volunteered to lead one of their songs when they came around to our table. It was a really fun, though embarrassing, time.
Chad and I had such a great time together. The kids did just fine with out us, for better or worse. We were happy to be back at home and spend some time with the kids again. We also got to spend a couple of days with Gramma and Dad before they flew back to Seattle. The kids loved having them here and we had fun just hanging out and making a trip to the zoo and a wagon ride at Wheeler farm.
