Pig Pile!

Thursday I got to sub at Riverviews, which was my elementary school! After school Jack and Lucy came to Mao's house to play with Declan and me. We had a great afternoon. The kids played pig pile and Declan did some couch diving.

Train day at the science center

Saturday was train day at the Pacific Science Center! We knew Declan would love it so we went down for the morning. First we checked out several of the model trains.

Then we went to see the IMAX movie Rocky Mountain Express. It was a great movie about creating the train tracks all the was across Canada. It reminded me of summer days spent in Spokane at Riverfront Park with Nana Hope and Papa Glen. Papa loved watching the IMAX movies and always was genuinely amazed at each  documentary. I couldn't help but think of how much he would have enjoyed seeing Declan amazed by an IMAX movie. I've thought of him a lot this week as it was the anniversary of his death on the 12th.

Anyway, back to our day. After the movie we went to see more model trains. Declan got a conductor hat. He also got to go for a ride on a model train! Declan rode in the red caboose and loved it!

We decided to get a season pass to the science center, since it pays for itself in two visits and we got a AAA discount! We're excited to take Declan back to see the dinosaurs,  butterflies and tide pool exhibits.

Stomp Rocket

Today was a beautiful, warm day to try out Declan's Christmas present from Elias: a stomp rocket! I got it assembled, which took a bit longer thanks to my assistant and his excitement to help.

Once he got it set up, he quickly figured out how to get the rocket on the launcher. We would count to three and stomp together. The rocket shot into the air. Declan chased it, brought it back, sticking it back on the launcher. He looked in the box and realized there were more rockets.

We would launch all 4 and he would dash off to collect them. I was delighted to see that he wouldn't return until he had all 4 rockets.  I have a feeling we will be doing lots of rocket stomping in the future. I know Declan will look forward to stomping rockets with cousin Elias!

Big boy bed!

Tonight is Declan's first night in his big boy bed! I took down the side of his crib today and Brad put up the toddler rail. Declan was excited. He jumped on his bed and told us "no monkeys jump bed." Haha! All through dinner he kept saying night, night and hardly ate a bite.
Brad and I tucked him in and he went right  to sleep. We just checked him and he's all snuggled sound asleep.
I'm hoping he doesn't get up to early and bounce into our room!

Happy New Year!

Brad and Declan wanted to watch the Buckeyes game on New Years Day. I went shopping with my mom and came home in the afternoon to run a couple of errands with the guys. We came home and played with Declan's train set, ate dinner together and relaxed. Brad and I watched Return of the Jedi. It was a great first day of 2016.

Snow shoe

Today we took Declan and Brody on their first snowshoeing trip! We went down by Snoqualmie to Gold Creek. It was a beautiful and very chilly day, about 20 degrees. 

Here are the guys getting ready to start walking! 

Here they are walking on the pond! 

Brody is so tiny, you can barely see his little body near Brad in the distance!

Declan loved playing in the snow! 

Declan is attempting to make a snow angel. 

Sampling the snow 

Brad and Brody modeling how to make a snow angel 

On the way back Brody and Declan both rode in the toboggan. We were both so impressed with how far Brody was able to walk in the snow! He's so tiny and gets cold so easily we didn't think he would love it as much as he did. 

Declan was asleep before we got turned around to leave the parking spot. He was even snoring!