Kite Festival and A Sweet Escape

This past weekend, I packed up and headed to Hershey, PA with some girlfriends for a sweet escape. In case you are wondering, Hershey, PA is home to Hershey chocolate. And I would like to report that you can have too much of a good thing, even when that good thing is chocolate. Sad but true. Anyway, we spent the night at the historic Hotel Hershey, which reminded me a little of the resort in the movie Dirty Dancing, only without Patrick Swayze and his merry band of dancers. We had the best time doing all things girls like to do . . . reading gossip magazines, chit-chatting, getting massages and pedicures and eating chocolate. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures to share because that would have required me to actually take some and that wasn't on my to-do list for the weekend. "Nothing" was the only thing on my list! I'm a very lucky girl, because if you are keeping count, and I am, this was the second time I have been away for some R & R. This was possible because I have a great hubby who loves spending time with the Finnster. Which brings me to . . .

The Kite Festival! Mark had big plans for his weekend with Finn. They hit the Kite Festival on the National Mall, the Air & Space Museum and the carousel. With a lot of other stuff scattered in between. Before I left I asked Mark to promise to do one thing, and before I could respond he was all, "yes, I'll change his diaper" and then I said may I request two things . . . take pictures! Well, this is what I got. When I got back I asked Finn what he did while I was gone and he said, "I run away." Which is about right--he spends a majority of his time running, usually away from any adult pushing a stroller.

Cherry Blossom Preview

This Two Shall Pass

Finn is 2. In EVERY sense of the word, he is two. And those of you who have kids know exactly what this means: saying NO to everything, temper tantrums, picky eaters, poor listening skills, poor "following directions" skills, more temper tantrums, independence and testing limits in a big way. We are in the throes of all of this and more. Most days I just have to laugh at him when he's "being 2." There are also days when I want to throw a tantrum with him. But along with all of this, there is also "I love you mommy" and and "look what I can do all by myself" and hugs and kisses and new friends and newfound confidence. I'm sharing this because I haven't really posted much lately. Because while I love documenting the fun adventures, sights, trips and play dates, there is also the life we live in between.

So here is my little slice of life for you. While I think he is the most wonderful, adorable child on the planet, the truth is . . . sometimes he isn't. This is the result of my little 2-year old taking off his diaper and using the bathroom (#'s 1 AND 2, thank you) on the kitchen floor. And to his credit he did offer to help clean up, but I thought of a better idea hence the reason he is 'behind bars.' But he thought of an even better idea because why play with toys in your room while mom is cleaning up your mess when you can throw them out of your room and then holler for mom to come get you because you are bored and have NO TOYS TO PLAY WITH.

Notice the potty sitting there, unused!

Someone Call the Fire Department?

From now on, if your cat gets stuck up in a tree, the fire department will be sending in its "B" team to respond. Pants are not required.

Hitting the Slopes and Hoping They Don't Hit Back

Because I haven't had enough snow this winter, I bundled up and headed west to Colorado for some REAL snow. Actually, I was on vacation and what a wonderful vacation it was! Aileen Crowley invited the girls out to her place in Beaver Creek for some skiing, spa--ing, relaxing, shopping and eating! I have never been skiing in my life and most of you know that I'm not exactly "sporty." Needless to say, I was nervous about skiing but decided it's either now or never.

I enrolled in ski school for 3 days and I would be lying if I said I didn't want to quit after day uno. My legs hurt, my knees hurt, my feet really hurt, and my head hurt from the altitude. But I was determined to learn to ski (upright, for the most part). Plus, I wasn't about to let these 4-5 year olds continue to whiz past me while I wobbled down the mountain. Ski school proved to be a wise decision on my part and by day 3 I can honestly say I was skiing down the green trails. I had a blast and was so happy that I had decided to stick with it. Aileen, Heidi and Nadia were such good sports--they would ski over to me to take pictures, visit, have lunch and then they would blow past me down the mountain. And much to my surprise, the cold didn't even bother me . . . most likely the sheer fear I felt at all times was keeping me numb from the cold.

Day 3= Success

When we weren't skiing, we were shopping, relaxing in the spa, watching bad movies and generally having a great time. We had awesome weather the entire time. The last night we took a sleigh ride up one of the mountains to Beano's cabin to have dinner. It was so cold, but the sky was lit up with stars. It was one of the most beautiful sights. A perfect way to end a great week.

Thanks for such a great trip, ladies. I can't wait until our next adventure.

I have to thanks my parents for keeping Finn and taking such good care of him. They rolled out the red carpet for him and of course he got the royal treatment.

Good Times

I got a little ahead of myself here. Before we made it to my parent's house, we spent a few fun hours with our friends Kriya and Wade. They picked us up at the airport and then we got to spend the day together and the Benich house. It was short, but it was sweet.

March 2009

The boys exhibit some unconditional guy-love

March 2010

Conditional guy-love, brought to you by mini-m&ms

"whatchu talkin' bout Willis?"

Seriously, it was an afternoon of Thomas-the-training, toy-stealing, head-whacking, "mine", and chicken-nugget eating for the boys. But we had a great time and are so thankful for even the little time we got to spend with the Benich bunch. These pictures aren't the greatest, I'm sure Kriya got better ones, but our photo shoots with these two don't last like they used to! Of course, we will still put them in matching shirts . . . cause we're calling the shots (for now). Wade was such a good sport to share his toys. Because at this age, it is really hard to do. Ask Finn.

Real Men Ride Pink Barbie Jeeps

My mom and dad graciously kept Finn this past week while I went skiing in Vail, CO. I know, rough life I have, right? Before I get to my awesome ski adventure, Finn wants to share some pictures from his trip. We went down a few days early to hang out and visit with the family. As usual, it was too short and we weren't able to see everyone we wanted to see. I loved seeing everyone and especially getting some cuddle time with Lily. Here are some pictures from our weekend in Piedmont.

Eat my dust!

Finn: Lily, I've missed you so much

Lily: Not so fast kiddo,

Hmmm, Lily eats sticks and leaves,

maybe I should see what the fuss is about

Not too bad

John Deere needs to hire him

My Lily girl. Still smiling. Probably because

she doesn't have to put up with Finn on a regular basis.

But, boy, we sure do miss her!

Bag lady

"Thanks for shopping!"

Lindsey doesn't seem to sure of the groceries Finn has picked out

Which one of these is not like the other?

Port Discovery Museum and Curious George

On Friday, we headed up to Baltimore to check out the Curious George exhibit and to visit our friends Alisha and Samantha. Finn loved seeing Samantha and of course, seeing what that silly monkey, George, was up to. After the museum, our visit was cut short because of some rowdy middle-schoolers, we had lunch and then retired to Sam's house for a fun afternoon playdate. As always, we had a blast with two of our favorite girls.

A favorite spot--the ball pit

Uh, little help here

Drum roll please . . .

Finn and Samantha make a beeline for Curious George

Samantha keeps order in the joint by swinging her golf club

at anyone who steps out of line

Elevator buttons, firemen and Curious George

What more could a kid want?

Well, maybe if these doors would stay OPEN!

This picture of both kids sitting down is made possible by snacks

and brought to you by two exhausted moms.