The Little Nemeceks

Our semi-annual trip to Steed's Dairy was today, and as usual, Nathan just wanted to play in the sand, while David loved to see the animals.  Today's field trip was pretty laid back and not as scheduled as our trips in the fall.  The cow milking and the hayride were announced, but other than that the kids were free to run around and play as they wished.  I am still getting sand out of everything they wore today...

Peek-a-boo!

Inside the castle

Nathan plays on the wooden tractor

Tractor!

David on the jumping pillow

Getting ready to milk

milking the cow named Donut

Nathan pets the one week old baby goat

Dump truck + sand = fun!

making a slide out of sand

David on the hayride

Nathan's silliness on the hayride

The kids enjoyed making an Art Station, aka chalkboard, at Lowe's this past week.  This series of pictures is called:  Brother See, Brother Do ;)

Yes, Mommy made me pose

David is quite good at hammering!

Nathan poses with art station in his mouth, David does also

David gets distracted

Oh wait, now the chalkboard is under the chin

Ok, I got it now!

I finally took some pictures of David in his tumbling class.  I have put him in a mom and tot class because he wanted to be like Nathan so badly.  He loves every minute of it :)  The first picture is of the class playing with a parachute and the second is David with a hula hoop, which he loves and is quite good at for a 2 year old!

As most of you know already, Josh is deployed again for four months.  He spent a week training in DC, and then shipped out last Thursday.  We dropped him off at the airport for one last hug and picture, and after we got home I put the picture into the "face" of the "daddy dolls" we were given for the kids.  Nathan also has two books that he reads all the time, Over There and Coming Home.  Nathan is having a hard time adjusting, but I am hoping after a few weeks he will settle into a routine.  We are praying for the time to go quickly.

What possessed me to drive all by myself with both kids two hours to the Macon Cherry Blossom Festival?  Not sure, but I still think it was a good idea :)  I really miss going to the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC and wanted to recreate some of that down here.  It wasn't really the same - no kite festival after all, and we didn't go to the parade on Sunday, but the kids still had fun in the fair-like atmosphere.  And it was hot!  nearly 90 degrees in March!  I sprayed us all with sunblock, but apparently I am not good at spraying my own back because I have strange shaped sunburned patches....oh well.  On to the pictures.

Nathan on the rides

David blinks for his picture on the merry go round

Nathan really wanted a picture with the peacock

David pets the zebu

Very cute :)

 Playing in the display train, painted pink for cherry blossoms, of course.





Both kids decorated paper Japanese lanterns:

 Kachunga, the alligator show, was very interesting, if only for me.  By this time Nathan was hot and tired and just wanted to get home, so I only got to see the beginning of the show.

The kids had lots of fun building a toy basketball hoop this past Saturday at Lowe's.  Nathan read all the instructions and told me what to do, but would not do any hammering.  David did lots of hammering ;)  They have not enjoyed the finished project as much as they did the race cars, but it was still a good experience and fun for both kids. Nathan decided to turn his into a boat, ah imagination.

How do I get this ball out?

Nathan holds up the directions

Hammering away

Finished project

David playing with his hoop

For his birthday, Josh decided to get a balloon mapping kit.  This is a huge weather balloon that you attach a camera to, send it up, and let the camera take pictures of the ground below.  Looks pretty awesome.  We did have a bit of trouble getting enough helium into the balloon to make it stay up - it ended up taking 4 tanks!  Then we walked down to the pond, or we tried to, because of course the balloon string got caught up in a tree.  After that, Josh took some more pictures while I put the kids to bed.  He got nearly the entire development in the pictures :)

Setting up the balloon

Fill 'er up!

Beginning to float

Crash!

Fun with balloons

Finally it works

This is me, trying to get the balloon unstuck

Aerial view of the development

Aerial view of Josh

The pond, with focus on the balloon string

The art museum has added a little more fun to their toddler time:  a surprise box!  This month, there was a camera in the box!  The kids looked at some old photographs, then got to dress up and take pictures.  They decorated frames while a helper went upstairs and printed the pictures, and then we attached the pics to the frames.  The kids' pictures both turned out absolutely adorable.

Old pictures

What's in the box?

Nathan frames himself

Nathan and his project

David and his project

All of us!