Science Project...

I made a fun new "toy" for Gavin to play with while I did some things for dinner tonight (and thankfully Dane slept through it in the swing, awesome)! I was reminded of how much fun this particular mixture can be when we were watching a PBS show called Sid the Science Kid. We mixed water and cornstarch (and a little food coloring to make it more fun) and I let Gavin mix it up and touch it and use a scoop to play.

He wasn't interested in touching it at first but he enjoyed mixing and scooping it. When Scott got home from work he played with it too. He thought it was cool because it looks like a liquid but when you scoop or touch it, it is more solid and then turns back into a goopy/slimey liquid. Since he had never seen it before it was fun to watch him play with it as well! I need to find more science projects now because Gavin was really interested and loved it. This (and other things) will be so much fun to pass the time when we are stuck inside due to bad weather this winter!

Dane at 1 Month Old!

What an amazing and crazy month it has been!
 

Dane is so very different from Gavin. While they still look similar to me, it is starting to look more like they are just brothers instead of like they could be twins born two years apart. Although I am clearly biased, Dane is one seriously adorable little boy!

Now let's see how Dane is doing...

•11 pounds and 6 ounces (clearly following after Gavin's growth curve by sticking in the mid to high 90th percentiles for weight and height)
•22.5 inches tall
•Dane is already starting to interact with us. It seems to change and increase every day.
•Dane is already starting to smile at us! While the smiles are not super frequent yet, he gives more each day.
•Dane is starting to coo and talk to us and will interact with us by cooing back and forth (and smiling as well). It is such an amazing and sweet sound and I love when I hear him talking from the swing or rocker or wherever he was laid down to sleep, when I thought he was still asleep. It is even more fun when Gavin mimics the noises back to Dane because he hears us doing it. I really enjoy watching them interact, as I protect Dane from being squashed.
•Dane is now wearing cloth diapers and quickly growing out of the smallest pre fold size. We started at about two weeks old when everything was healed. We decided to use disposables (on both boys) to make our life a bit easier during the transition and while I am glad we did for a couple days. I would have had no problem starting sooner because my recovery was so easy, but since we had some disposables on hand, we didn't want to waste them because he was growing so fast.
•Dane does well with all the things Gavin hated (thankfully) and it makes our life so much easier! He will take a pacifier, doesn't demand to be held all the time, will stay asleep when you lay him down (assuming Gavin doesn't come over and wake him), does fine in the car (often sleeping but not always, sometimes he is looking around), he doesn't mind and even likes being swaddled, and he has even fallen asleep on his own when laid down. I have no idea how long any of these will continue but for now in am grateful because they have all helped to make the transition easier on everyone!

I am sure before we even realize what is happening Dane will be walking and talking. It is so sad how fast it all goes by and how much faster it seems to go the second time because you are twice as busy. I try my best to enjoy every day and moment but it is a constant battle between enjoying Dane (and Gavin) and taking care of things that need to be done. I look forward to all the wonderful changes in Dane over the next month as he grows and learns even more!

Introducing Dane Oliver McClements!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at 9:49 pm Dane Oliver McClements joined our family! He weighed in at 8 pounds 12 ounces and 21.5 inches long. He looks a lot like Gavin but is already showing how different he is!

 

We are all doing well. I am enjoying the rest and snuggle time with Dane during my short hospital stay (we go home tomorrow (Friday) morning) but I am looking forward to getting home and having time with Gavin. This is the longest I have ever been away from him so that makes it a bit harder. He is very well taken care of between Scott being home and my Mom taking care of him when Scott needs to be at the hospital with me. That makes it a bit easier to be away, even though it is still hard.

Gavin's first meeting with Dane went far better than I ever could have hoped. I didn't really know what to expect but I had done some reading on tips when introducing a new baby to try to make the transition a bit easier so I was hoping that trying a few things like not holding the baby when your older child(ren) come in (so they don't think they have been replaced), making sure to actively involve your older child(ren) with helping out where possible (get diapers and wipes, bring over toys/books, helping pick out clothes and blankets, etc.), and still giving as much one on one time as possible. A lot of those we won't test out until I go home but the first time Gavin saw Dane he had a huge smile on his face! It was the cutest and sweetest smile I have ever seen. I don't know if he fully understands what this all means yet but for now he has zero problems with Dane. He was giving Dane hugs and kisses and helping to hold him.
He was even pretty good in the room in general. He explored everything (including all the outlets and buttons available) but I was expecting it to be much worse. I was expecting his visit to only last a few minutes and him having to be carried to the car throwing a tantrum. I was very happy to be wrong about that!

Now I get to enjoy/endure one more night in the hospital. It is nice to relax but I do look forward to my bed and not being woken up every hour or so by various nurses and other hospital staff coming in for me or to take care of something in the room. Although, at least I have my own room, it would be much harder if I had to share a room and then we both had people coming and going. Yay for private rooms!

Soaking Up Fall!

Gavin and I have been spending time outside at home again. Although I hate the thought of finding a tick on him, with the weather being so nice and getting closer to my due date (which will mean significantly less time outside for him), we have been outside as much as possible. We still occasionally go to the park for the playground, we haven't been doing that as often because there were fewer and fewer other kids there with school being back in session. That meant Gavin quickly was bored and wandering off looking for trouble.

So, Gavin and I have been going for walks through the neighborhood and over to Valkill. I let him pick what direction we go and he almost always chooses to go the long way to Valkill and then wants to go through Valkill. We always stop at the bridge so he can throw rocks in the water (saying that is a favorite activity is an understatement, he asks to do it all the time). Gavin has also taken to wandering the woods behind our house. He frequently asks for the leaf blower to be pulled out and started. He used to run screaming (even after he kept insisting he wanted it started) but now he likes to help clear off the deck and driveway or blow leaves back into the woods.

We have been having a lot of fun and it has been great that the weather has been so nice. It has been awesome to watch the leaves change and fall. Gavin loves running through the yard when it is covered in leaves and it is fun to show him all the different shapes and colors they come in. I will be sad when it is too cold to be outside and after the baby is born because we will be stuck inside for most of the next few months until it starts to warm up in the spring. Until then, we continue to make the most of the beautiful weather!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snow!

We got some snow today! Although it didn't really amount to much, it did accumulate a bit on the ground so Gavin and I went out to play in it after we got home from our weekly grocery store trip.
 

Gavin was so excited and loved being out in the snow. It had just started to snow while we were at the store so he loved walking to the car in it and couldn't wait to get home and get outside. Unfortunately, I haven't picked out snow pants or boots yet but his coat and hat from last year still fit perfectly and I had already picked out mittens for him. So I bundled him up and just put him in his sneakers since it wasn't that much snow. He seemed to be plenty warm while he drove his truck through the snow and then stomped and ran through the snow in the yard and on the deck. It was so much fun to watch.

It started getting too dark and we had to head in to make dinner but it was a lot of fun while we were out there, I was so glad to have a little snow before the baby is born so I could be outside with Gavin because after the baby is born it is unlikely that I will be able to be out with him. I can't wait to get more snow and watch Gavin enjoy it. He loved the little bit we just got so I imagine he will love when (if) we get enough to really play outside making snowmen and sledding!

 

 

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Gavin and I had a fun day at home and outside driving his truck around the yard. I was so excited to get him dressed up and out trick or treating! We made dinner, ate, and (impatiently) waited for Scott to get home from work so we could head out to a few houses in the neighborhood. Gavin and I watched out the window as some kids started gathering and walking around. We only had one trick or treater before Scott got home, Gavin was really excited. When Scott got home, we bundled up (Gavin was already dressed and since his costume was a warm fuzzy monkey, we didn't need to put his coat on, we just put some mittens on and headed out to our friends house so they could see Gavin.

 

 

Gavin loved walking around, seeing the other kids walking around (he got lots of oh, look how cute, comments), and going up to doors to ask for candy. We only went to 5 houses but those houses all gave Gavin several pieces, he was so excited!

When we got home, Gavin dumped out his pumpkin to check out what he had gotten. He was even more excited because we let him eat a few pieces as we handed out candy to trick or treaters. 

 

He kept raiding the bucket of candy we were handing out to trick or treaters.

 

Gavin loved helping to hand out the candy.

He was really upset when we were done for the night because we were nearing bedtime. I think he wants every day to be Halloween now. It was a really fun day and evening!

JUMP!!

Ever since Gavin "discovered" jumping a few months ago, he hasn't stopped looking for new ways to jump on, over, and off of everything. He started by just jumping in the air from the ground. This was so much fun he thought jumping off things would be fun. He started jumping off of the footstools, the bay window (to us), steps, and the bed. He loves when we are either making beds or changing sheets and there is a pile of sheets and blankets for him to jump into.

His most recent discovery of jumping fun is from a bookcase in our bedroom onto the bed. 

As you can see, he is crazy and gets some serious air jumping onto the bed. He is really good about waiting for us to be there next to the bed to avoid him bouncing off, which he has almost done a few times when he does flips as he lands. He loves it and is always smiling and laughing as he jumps and then climbs back up to jump again. It is a great way for him to burn off some energy on days we are stuck inside as well! We run around and chase each other, "rum" (pretend we are cars/trucks and run around the house), play hide and seek, and run Lightning McQueen or other cars around the house, but jumping is Gavin's favorite!

New Ride!

Gavin has a fancy new truck to cruise around the yard in!

After much debating about what to do for Gavin for his birthday, I took him to Toys R Us to see if there was anything that caught my eye and Gavin's interest that would be worth considering as his present. We didn't actually stop in the Power Wheels section, but Gavin freaked out as we went by and desperately wanted to stop and get out of the cart to play. I was able to distract him with looking at some other toys in the next section but I knew that I needed to reconsider my position on Power Wheels and at least look into what our options were.

We decided to go back together to look at what Toys R Us had and let Gavin try a few out to see if it was even possible to find something in a reasonable price range and size. I was pleasantly surprised by the variety available. I thought the only options were the small "starter" ones that are far too small for Gavin or the large, $400 plus, size that seated two kids. I didn't know there was an in between size that would fit Gavin! Toys R Us didn't have many of the in between size so we took to the internet to see what was available from different brands in that size to get an idea of the price to decide if it was worth it. Scott found the perfect vehicle! A truck that was the perfect size and a very reasonable price! So, after a little bit of research to be sure that was our best option and we were getting the best price, we ordered it from Amazon. Unfortunately, although it qualifies for Amazon prime shipping (we are so spoiled by this), it took about 4 extra days of "processing" before they ship it out. That meant there was no way it would be here by his birthday. Huge bummer.

It came last night and it was totally worth the wait! Scott met the UPS delivery guy outside to have him bring it to the garage. We didn't want Gavin to see it so I distracted him and he didn't even notice Scott was gone for a few minutes and that something was delivered. Scott took care of putting it together and getting the battery on the charger after Gavin went to bed. Scott had planned to come home from work a little early so that we could unveil the truck to Gavin. We knew it would be a nightmare if Gavin had access to the truck before it was ready. He wouldn't understand he had to wait so it was much better to have him see it for the first time when it was all ready to be used. It didn't take Scott very long to put it together but the battery has to fully charge before it can be used for the first time (18 hours), so coming home a little early from work put us at a perfect time to try it out for the first time!

Scott went downstairs to take the truck outside before I brought Gavin down. Gavin just thought we were going outside to play so he was excited and headed straight for the garage door where Scott was waiting with the video camera (I had the Canon to take pictures of his reaction).

He was really excited! He saw it and he immediately climbed in to check it out. We tried to show him what to do but he pretty much figured it out what it does on his own right away. He still needs to figure out the whole steering concept, so we had to help direct him and keep him from running into trees, the house, and walls. He did really well and would often stop to just check out his truck. He could decide whether he wanted to drive or check it out more. It was really cute. We didn't know how long the battery would last, especially with driving through the grass, but he had a good 45 minutes of pretty much constant driving. It probably would have gone even longer if it had only been driven on pavement because while it was perfectly capable of driving through the yard, it was clearly using more power to do so.

The truck was absolutely a huge hit! I am so glad that I caved and gave Scott's idea some real consideration. I can't wait to go back outside for Gavin to spend more time enjoying his truck!

Happy Birthday Gavin!

It is absolutely unbelievable that Gavin is 2 years old today! Although Gavin is constantly testing and pushing his limits, he is a lot of fun and can be so sweet. It has been amazing to watch him learn and grow. I really enjoy being able to communicate more with him each day (even though he frequently chooses not to listen). He makes life crazy but still fun for us.

Some things that Gavin loves:
·Tractors, trucks, cars (pretty much any vehicle)
·Climbing, jumping and running (everywhere)
·Helping with anything we are doing
·Lightening McQueen
·Being outside and exploring
·Being around other kids

We had a somewhat typical day today. It was raining (and it rained all day long) and I knew the forecast was for a really rainy day so I had planned that we would go to the museum after his nap. We did what few things needed to be done around the house in the morning and played with various toys before his nap. Once he was down for his nap I quickly did everything I could for dinner so we could maximize our time at the museum and not have to rush home. Then I took a quick shower so I could get ready to go. Unfortunately, Gavin woke up early and quite unhappy. Nothing could shake the scream fest. Although this does happen from time to time it is pretty rare and I never know how long it will last or what will snap him out of it.

 
Once he calmed down (about an hour later), I was able to get him dressed and we headed to the museum. I thought since the weather was bad and he likes it there it would be a good place to spend a few hours playing for his birthday. It was also fun for me because his birthday last year was the first time we had gone.

We had a lot of fun playing and Gavin enjoyed the few other kids that were there as well. Since Gavin's present wasn't here yet, he didn't have anything to really open but we did have a dinner with things he likes, chicken salad sandwiches, pasta salad, and peas. It was a fun and relaxing evening together! Now we just need his present to arrive!

Live from a new phone!

I am hoping to play some more catch up with older posts and pictures but also make more use of the ability to blog from my phone. I just got a new fancy and awesome one today so we shall see how that goes. Until then, a cute picture of Gavin from today!

It's Party Time!

We had Gavin's second birthday "party" today. We decided that there wasn't any reason to do anything different than we planned last year in terms of size. We don't know many people with young children and with me being 36 weeks pregnant, we didn't know ahead of time how I would be feeling. We also didn't want to wait another week and have me be 37 weeks pregnant and start risking that I could potentially go into labor that would not be stopped because I would be full term.

It was a bit smaller than we intended when we started planning but it was still nice and a lot of fun. My mom was the only one that was able to make it (my dad was in church meetings and Scott's dad decided to make a trip up after the baby was born). I never really did much with decorations because I just ran out of time and energy (and it didn't help that my computer was refusing to connect to the printer for me to print things out). I had found some really cute ideas so I was really bummed I didn't get a chance to put them into action. Oh well, next time!

Gavin had fun opening his present from Grandma and Grandpa. He absolutely loves his new race car track and color wonder markers!

We planned fairly simple but really yummy food. We had vegetables, ranch dip, chips, and buffalo chicken dip. For dinner we had cheeseburgers, seasoned potato fries, and steamed broccoli (no pictures because we were too busy eating to remember). For dessert, I attempted to duplicate Gavin's tractor that he loves and that spends a lot of timing playing with even a year after we gave it to him! While it is certainly not professional quality at all, I think for my first attempt at a more complicated cake, it turned out great. Gavin recognized it was his tractor so it couldn't have been that bad!

We had a fun afternoon playing. We blew up balloons, played with Gavin's toys, and visited. Gavin loved having Grandma here and having new toys to play with! He did not like when we were going to cut into his tractor cake. He loved lighting and blowing out his candle but as soon as I tried to cut his cake he started crying and didn't want us to cut and eat it. We brought in his tractor toy because we thought maybe he didn't realize we were not cutting his actual tractor. He eventually let us cut it but not before several crying fits when we asked if we could cut and eat his cake. It was really cute, I never thought he would have a reaction like that!

Once we had cake (it was delicious, a marble butter cake with lots of butter cream frosting), it was time for the party to end. It was a lot of fun and the food was great, Gavin had a wonderful time so I think it was a success!

Afternoon at Ikea!

We rarely go to IKEA, even though we really like it, because the closest one is about an hour and a half away (and it often takes longer because of traffic getting to the area). As we have been trying to decide what we want to do with the room situation as we prepare for baby number 2's arrival, we decided to leave the nursery intact and move Gavin into what is currently our guest bedroom (even though at least one of us is often sleeping in there). We decided there was no reason to break down the crib to the toddler bed or convert it to a full size bed for Gavin (even though that was the original plan when we picked out the nursery furniture) and then have to get a new crib (a new convertible crib) to have to do the same thing down the road. On top of that we have a bed in the master bedroom that is awesome but only a full, which is not big enough for us. So we decided to give that bed to Gavin and move the queen that is in what will be Gavin's room into the master bedroom. Now all we needed to find was a good dresser and a bookcase for his new room. I had spent some time browsing various stores online but I hadn't really seen anything I was impressed enough with that I wanted to go look at it in person. Then I remembered to check IKEA and I found a few great things for Gavin's new room. I found a dresser I wanted to look at, I decided we should get a smaller version of the bookcase we have in the dining room, and found what looked like a great deal on a comforter to go in the duvet cover we just picked out and ordered.

So, Scott took a half day and we set off for IKEA after Gavin's nap. Thankfully, Gavin travels much better now and we had a very pleasant and easy ride to IKEA. We took Scott's truck because there was no way to fit everything we wanted and needed to get in the Terrain. Gavin loves riding in the truck so he was really chatty and really enjoyed seeing everything on our drive down.

We had a great time while at IKEA as well. It was a bit difficult because Gavin really wanted to be down and exploring everything. The way IKEA is set up, it is fun as an adult, as a kid it is like a huge playhouse. Going from room to room checking out the furniture and accessories, there are a million things that caught Gavin's eye. We kept him in the cart a fair amount of time, carried him some, and let him explore as long as he was being good. It is hard not to get too carried away though. He was so excited to try all the couches, chairs, beds, and closets out. He loved sitting on the couches and laying on the beds. He loved climbing into wardrobes and closing himself in even more. It was a bit difficult at times as I chased him around but it was also great watching his face light up as he saw something new to check out. At the end are the kids rooms and we enjoyed checking out the kids furniture and toys even though we were not there for any of it. Gavin loved the play area they had set up with a rocking horse, slide, and tents.

After we had walked through everything, we stopped and ate some dinner before we went downstairs to pick up everything from the warehouse and head home. I always look forward to some delicious Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes when we plan a trip to IKEA. I have made Swedish meatballs a few times and while they are good, I really enjoy the ones from IKEA!

After eating we found everything we needed in the warehouse and waited in line to pay, exhausted and ready to head home. The drive home was a bit quieter, we were all tired and looking forward to going home to bed. We didn't even unload when we got.home because we just wanted to lay down. Gavin and Scott passed out almost immediately on the couch so I changed Gavin and got him ready for bed while he slept there. I then put away a few things because apparently even exhausted I am unable to just leave things until the next day. Then I headed to bed.

We now have the big job of getting everything unloaded, put together (well, some of it will be put together immediately, the bookcases for Scott's room will not be put together yet), and rearranging bedrooms to set up Gavin's big boy room! It is a big job but I am looking forward to it all being done and getting Gavin settled into his new room. Hopefully he loves it because we have spent a lot of time deciding what we what to do and picking out new furniture and sheets!

Pictures and reactions to follow once we are able to get his new room together!

Big Boy Room!

After a lot of time looking around, planning, a trip to IKEA and a long weekend of moving, reorganizing, decorating, and building a few pieces of furniture, Gavin has officially been moved into his big boy room!

He loves his new room! Now I just need to finish reverting the nursery back to being ready for a newborn and decorate with the new pieces we picked up for the baby!

Urgent Care...

We had our first visit to Urgent Care in a bit of a rush last night. Thankfully, it turned out to be unnecessary but I am still glad we went in.

During Gavin's bath he slipped when he was trying to have his face wiped after having splashed water in it and bumped his face. He was obviously upset but not seemingly more than he would normally be from getting hurt. I got him to stop burying his face in Scott's shoulder so I could take a quick look and try to figure out what he hit and see if he would have yet another bump and bruise (frequent occurrences around here). That's when I saw the blood and seemingly lots of it. I grabbed a damp wash cloth to try to get the bleeding under control to figure out where it was coming from. I knew that head and mouth cuts often bleed a lot even if they are tiny and no big deal. We have had a few bleeding cuts from Gavin's mouth and face and there was a lot of blood but we were able to quickly determine where the blood came from and that a doctor visit was not needed. 

Once we figured out where the blood was coming from (below his lip), we then had to try to figure out how deeply it was cut. That was the hard part. There was so much blood, it was hard to tell how deep it was and it seriously looked like he had bitten through his lip. I quickly looked up the number for our doctor's office to find out when their urgent care closed. They were closing in about 20 minutes, at 8pm. We decided to quickly grab a diaper and clothes for Gavin and get in the car and visit urgent care. We are about 10 minutes away so it was worth the drive in, just in case stitches were needed. If nothing else, it was worth it to avoid a potential trip to the ER. We arrived with about two minutes to spare. There was no one else there so we were taken right back to have Gavin looked at. He was so good about it. By this time the bleeding had basically stopped and he was probably wondering what in the world we were doing visiting a doctor.

Thankfully our visit was unnecessary because stitches were not needed. The doctor cleaned up the cut, put some antibacterial ointment on it and said to keep it as clean and covered as we could given the location. It was even in a location that would aid in the healing because it forced the cut closed so that worked in our favor for quicker healing.

After a bit of a stressful evening, we snuggled together on the couch and watched a little of Cars 2 before Gavin passed out for the night. Although our visit to urgent care wasn't really needed, I am still glad we went to be sure that it wasn't more serious and avoided a trip to the ER. The urgent care at our doctors office is far more convenient because they have all of our records already, so no paperwork. It also is much faster and 100% covered by insurance. Although I hope we don't need to go in again anytime soon, I am glad we have the option there for us!

Creepy, Gross, and Just Plain Disturbing!

Maybe a bit dramatic, but this is what Gavin and I came across while playing outside this afternoon. Gavin was amused and hissed at it and repeated my constant ramblings of how gross and nasty it was. Needless to say I was freaked out but happy I saw it go next door as I watched from the deck (all while hoping it couldn't get to us).

On a good note, with Gavin's help of course, was able to fix an issue with one of the wheels on his truck. Gavin was excited to have tools to "fix" his truck with. He had a great time!

Toddlers are Fun!

I really do enjoy having a toddler most days. Gavin is a lot of fun and can be so sweet when he asks for hugs and kisses. However he is often quite a challenge these days. As he learns and grows he becomes more fun and more opinionated on everything. There are some areas this isn't much of a surprise since he has always been one to defy what most people believe is normal baby and toddler behavior but a few have caught me by surprise because they happened earlier than I thought.

Gavin certainly enjoys playing with his toys more and wants you to sit and play with him. This is somewhat recent because he often didn't care whether you were playing or just sitting there with him before. This makes setting up and playing with his trains a lot more fun. He even puts tracks together himself now. He still asks for help or for us to fix something if it comes apart but his interest level has certainly changed drastically. 

He now likes to "pretend" things happen more. He has used anything and everything as a phone and had conversations for quite a while but he now likes to make things crash. For the most part this isn't a problem, they are his toys so if he wants to crash them, fine. This usually ends up with a toy (or several) being taken away and a massive tantrum on Gavin's part (and depending on the day an adult "tantrum" as well) when he gets too carried away. I figured tantrums would become more frequent but man, Gavin is an expert tantrum-er and he makes tantrums I have seen other kids throw look like amateur hour. I am afraid for what the next few years hold because supposedly it gets worse before it gets better. Gavin has a lot of freedom around the house. The few areas (bathroom, downstairs, and Scott's radio room) are gated or otherwise blocked. His toys (except for those taken away) he has easy access to, he is allowed to climb on a lot of things (couch, bay window, and beds), and we are always looking for new fun ways to enjoy his toys.

It can certainly be tough as he explores his world and tries things out and has to learn what is ok and not, but he is such a curious little boy, it makes it fun to watch him learn and grow! Even though we can't have fun conversations with Gavin yet, it is nice (and fun) to be able to communicate with him more than before. He understands so much and has for a long time, it is nice that he is able to speak more and make it easier to help him when needed and help him understand his limits and boundaries. It should be interesting to see where this all leads as he grows and especially when he has a sibling in just a couple short months!

Kids Kingdom!

Gavin and I visited a new play place today. I have heard from several people that it was a nice big place and a lot of fun do I thought I was time for us to check it out. I am working on formulating our possible strategies for this winter since we will not be able to spend the same time outside due to colder weather, possible snow (maybe we will actually have snow this year), and a newborn to work around. I want to have as many get out of the house before we go crazy options as possible.

Gavin wasn't interested in getting into either of the ball pits until he saw some other kids playing. He loved watching them and finally wanted in and started to really get into and enjoy it! (Sorry for the crappy pictures, I only had my phone with me to take pictures and it really wasn't able to capture anything without making a mostly blurry mess... I will need to bring the Canon to get some good pictures sometime when Scott can come as well.)








Gavin loved the sand box area. It was huge and had a ton of great toys in it! This was the most interest I have seen him take in sand and not throw it and dump it out of the play area, which is what he mostly tries to do at the museum's sand box.






This will definitely be added to our list. Gavin had a blast. We were there for 2 hours and if we hadn't needed to leave I'm sure he would have gladly stayed for 2 more hours, or even more! I was really glad I had done all the prep work (and even had part of it in the oven set up to start baking before we got home) for dinner that morning while Gavin played and napped so we could stay as long as possible. I can't wait to go when Scott can go so we can get some better pictures and have even more time to play!