A walk in the woods

When a rhythm and routine has been established, life tends to flow.  Yes, there are still the crazy moments, the piles of laundry, the nightly bed migration, but - there is room to breathe.  The last several weeks have had no rhythm, no routine.  We've been away quite a bit and I've had a number of interviews and it seems as though the organization I am trying to start may be, well, starting.  Don't get me wrong, all of the craziness had been good craziness, but it has meant that our rhythm has become more of a precarious balancing act.

The weekend before last I was supposed to run a 5 K. However, when we awoke to a warm sunny day I shuddered at the idea of running - not because of the run itself, but because it was just going to be another thing - the run loomed like a hamster wheel.  Davis declared the day was mine so I decided we needed to head to the woods.  A walk in the woods, a picnic, a familiar weekend adventure was what I needed in order to grab a breath before jumping in to the week ahead.

Thankfully my little family were like bees to honey at the idea and ate up the day.  The smiles in the pictures confirm - sometimes one must head to the woods.

 

Oliver was very interested in the trees and took about a million pictures of them

Just silly

Oliver alternates between loving Henni to pieces and wanting her to be involved in everything he does and doting on her to, well, the polar opposite.

One of the loving times...

Party pants

Henni wears party pants, not some of the time, but all the time. Seriously, at the time of the royal wedding Davis and I were Googling Lady Gaga to see where she fit in the royal family, today we have LMFAO on repeat - all because of Miss Party Pants. Ah yes, Henni screams in the car, at top volume, if one puts on anything other than top 40. Once she has her music on she bobs her head and, no joke, does some car dancing. This morning Davis and I joined in, arms bopping, heads weaving...Oliver rolled his eyes and looked out the window, Henni shrieked with pure joy (and danced her little heart out).

In addition to loving a good party (and ensuring everything becomes a party), Henni has decided walking might be an ok means of transportation. For about a month now Henni has been talking about 5- 10 steps and then getting down on all fours and doing her lightening speed crawl. For the past week, however, Henni has given walking a chance. She looks like a cross between Frankenstein and a cowgirl (after a long long ride), but the girl does get to where she wants to go.

Apples and pumpkins

A growing brood

Last weekend we went to Virgina to meet Alex, Oliver and Henni's new cousin. Although our trip was quick, it was wonderful to see the four cousins together and to spent time with family.




Our quick trip also included a visit to the zoo and the Air and Space Museum. While the kids enjoyed the zoo, the museum was preferred. I was actually a bit worried that we might be asked to leave the museum because Henni was so in love with the Hubble Telescope and a particular rocket -- she was so enamored by both that she kept sneaking (with lightening speed) under the barriers so she could try and climb them. (Seriously, I spent a good amount of time on my hands and knees dragging her, by her little feet out from where she should not have been).



Oliver and Davis (and Jordan the snake) could have spent days looking at each and every plane, rocket, and other amazing things. I was shocked by what Oliver already knew about these things and I was also impressed with the questions he asked as he examined the different types of planes.