Time with Grandma May

Grandma May got to come stay with us in North Carolina for a week! Grandpa Ned bought her a plane ticket for Christmas. We missed Grandpa, though. She helped me so much with taking care of the boys. We had a great time.

Hoola hooping at the Children's Museum

We drove our car onto a ferry to get to the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher.

Thanks for the good times, Grandma!!

Beach Birthday

Two weeks on the beaches of North Carolina:

-a 3rd birthday with Lightning McQueen cake
-lots of time with Grandma
-a great trip to the aquarium
-a children's museum
-eating out lots
-walks on the beach (some were warm, some were very windy and cold)
-a train museum

(It's spinach pasta)

Birthday dinner and beginning of Charlie's love for spinach.

Charlie did very well this birthday. A big tool kit...an o-bento box (on the table)...


and a Superman cape!!

He sure had fun with this one. Very nicely made by his Grammy. Everyone at the hotel recognized him as Superman.

National Aquarium

Last Friday we took a trip to Baltimore to the National Aquarium.

Charlie and the gaping Megalon jaw.

Snapshot just before the Dolphin show started.

Showing our excitement!!

This baby dolphin was too wiggly (like other toddlers I know) and I just couldn't get a good picture. But he DOES blow bubbles on command!

Look closely and you'll see that even Pete got a good splash!

The USS Constellation
A little snip-it from the website:
"USS Constellation, the last all sail warship built by the US Navy, is open to the public as a museum in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The USS Constellation Museum invites guests to discover life on board the only Civil War era vessel still afloat and explore the ship's maritime history."

Oh man, oh man, the Jellyfish exhibit was super cool. I could have stayed in there forever! Very mysterious and weird. Watch this neat video.

Full circle

Dave and I spent our honeymoon in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, FL almost 3 years ago. Can you guess which pictures is from 3 years ago and which one is from last week?

(a)

(b)

Week in Daytona Beach

Dave had a business conference in Daytona Beach and since the hotel and car rental were already paid for, Charlie and I decided to buy a cheap ticket and spend a week down in sunny Florida. We stayed at the Hilton right on the beach. It was a different lifestyle than what I know but it was fun to try it out for a few days. It was in the "off-season" so there wasn't many people there. There were also a lot of empty arcades, souvenir shops, and tattoo parlors. We kind of had the place to ourselves and the locals. The weather was perfect! These pictures are in reverse order but you probably don't really care about the sequence of events.

Dave having fun with the go karts. He still considers himself a race car driver from his experience with the solar car race in Taiwan. I humor him. We stayed just down the street from the Daytona International Speedway where they have the famous Daytona 500 race. That place is HUGE!!

This one's for you, Ned! An excessively big truck parked in the valet parking driveway at our hotel. This picture almost doesn't do it justice.

This is at the top of an observation tower on our nature walk at the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet, FL. We look a little more freckled than usual.

Tickle attack!

We had a hard time prying Charlie away from the turtles.

Swimming at the very nice pool at our hotel.

We are just the typical tourists, doing the tourist thing.

Charlie, enjoying the high life.

A $1 merry-go-round ride at one of those deserted arcades.

Sometimes the slides were too hot to play on.

Isn't that just the cutest little Lycra butt you've ever seen?!

Charlie LOVED the ocean.

More Denver pics

Easter Sunday:

Beep beep:


Bath time with Cousin Lily:


Our little Easter Eggs: