Whirlwind...part 2

**Long post. But long because there are lots of pictures - so it's all good.**
I'm not sure how people with little babies find time to blog. I've been meaning to do this post for several days now, but there is always something more pressing. I just finished putting Josie down for the night which means I should be in bed. So if this post feels rushed, it is - sorry.

First, I meant to show this in the part 1 post. Anisha made these cute letters for Josie's room. I love them. Thanks Nish, they're perfect!

So, after Ashley and Anisha left (sad), Kerstin the kids and I spent the next four days hanging out and playing. It was kind of a bummer that the weather wasn't cooperating (I had these hopes of going to the beach and doing other outdoor activities - it rained almost every day) but we had fun just being together. The kids had a blast. I wish we lived closer.

Our one big activity that we were able to do was going to the aquarium. Again, we got a lot of stares for being out with so many little kids - but they were all really well behaved and we had such a good time.
Noah looking at the fish. He and Landon were really the only two who seemed interested in the aquatic life. The other kids just wanted to do something else.
I love this aquarium because it's very hands-on and lets the kids learn through experimentation and discovery. They currently have an exhibit all about flight and wind. The kids got to make paper rockets and then launch them using a machine provided by the aquarium. This is Clayton with his rocket.
Here he is launching it.
His rocket was SO aerodynamic that it launched into the ceiling and got stuck there. Me and several of the adults around felt really bad for Clayton until we realized that he thought it was cool that his rocket was good enough to go so high.
There was also a station where you could make paper airplanes and shoot them. There were 'targets' set up and you had to try to aim your airplane to make it go through the targets. I'm not sure the boys cared about aiming the airplanes, they just thought it was cool to put them in the machine and watch them fly.


They had a hurricane simulator there that Landon loved. He kept trying to get people to go in it with him.
Tori and Landon before:
Tori after:
Clayton and Landon before:
Clayton after (anyone who knows Clayton could see this coming):
We also had to visit our favorite exhibit - the water station:


There is always a tank that you can reach in and touch the sea creatures, but usually the boys don't want anything to do with it. This time however, Noah was brave. He was the only one brave enough to reach in and pet the starfish. He loved it and probably would have stayed there all day petting that thing!

We also had fun seeing how mountains are created (this is one of Clayton's favorite things - what boy doesn't love a good crash).
Finally, we got the kids outside to see the Lake Champlain. We tried to get a good group shot of all the kids. Here's what we ended up with:
So we tried again:

We also attended church while Kerstin and the kids were here. I have to say that I am so glad I'm not the mom of six kids under 5. I think that I'd be an hour late every week if I even went at all. We were on time though (it's all Kerstin, I'm not as fast as her - she rocks). After church we decided, again, to try to take pictures of all six kids. Apparently we either don't learn from previous mistakes or we are gluttons for punishment. Either way, the kids weren't as bad as I was expecting and we did end up with a few decent shots (although you can totally tell that Noah is 2 - grrr):



Kerstin also took some shots of my gang:
This is sweet.
Noah's face is hilarious.
Clayton really wanted lunch. He is pouting because he's I'm not feeding him right away.
My new favorite picture.
The next morning, Kerstin and the kids left (sad). I don't think the boys processed this until I was rolling up the sleeping bags that Tori and Landon had slept in. That's when the crying started. Clayton still periodically says to me, 'Remember when my cousins Landon and Tori and Ella came and had a sleepover...'. I know the boys miss their cousins (hey - they aren't the only ones)! Hopefully we will be seeing a lot more of them in about a year (we want to rank a program in Indiana for residency - keep your fingers crossed for us).

Anyway, the point is, we had a great time with them and we are sad that they aren't still here. It was certainly a crazy week, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Kerstin, anytime you feel like making that drive we are here with open arms!!! We love you guys and miss you tons!

So I realize that this post didn't really give a lot of information, but at least the pictures are good! Maybe Kerstin will do a post about their time in Vermont. If she does, you should read that, it will probably be more detailed. On that note, I'm off to bed!!!