Easter Weekend

This past weekend was Easter, and even though we haven't been church going folks it was still a busy one for us.

On Friday I took the day off of work (Jonathan had Good Friday off, but I didn't) and we took the boys to the zoo.  Biggest. Mistake. Ever.

I completely wasn't thinking about the fact that it was Spring Break (although I still find it odd that grade schoolers get Spring Break) AND it was a holiday for some people. Due to that, the zoo was a nightmare.  So crowded.

We got in there around 11:30 and made the trek down through the botanical gardens (since we parked at the wrong entrance).  We headed over to the giraffes since they let you feed them between 10:30 and 1:00.  I paid $4 for two rations of lettuce and was given this total ripoff of one:

Last year when we went there was hardly anyone there so we got a lot more for our money. I guess they rationed it out since it was so crowded.  Next time I'm sneaking in my own lettuce.

Anyway, we got in there among the crowd and Andrew got to feed him (there was only one giraffe at the platform interested in the food):

After that we headed over to look at the ostriches and zebras:

I was trying to stick to the shade as much as possible, but it was still pretty warm.  Elliot wasn't amused:

Andrew amused himself by climbing on statues of animals:

My sisters and nieces were supposed to meet us there, but they got stuck in an awful traffic jam and ended up abandoning the plan because the girls were getting hungry and cranky. So it ended up just being the four of us.  We spent about 4.5 hours there before we headed back up through the botanical gardens to the car.

We also hit a bunch of traffic on the way home, so it made for a somewhat long day.

Saturday I got up and got the boys ready and we headed to Myrtle Beach for the day for an Easter party and to celebrate with my family.  The Easter party was at the Moose Lodge where my parents are members.  At the beginning there was an egg hunt:

We had lunch and then attempted a visit with the Easter bunny.  Elliot was not having it:

After the party we headed back to my parents house to color some eggs and have an Easter dinner:

We left for home around 5:15 and got home at 7:00.  Andrew wanted to dye some more eggs when we got home:

Elliot amused himself with a bucket on his head:

That night I hid some eggs before going to bed and assembled the baskets for the boys. Sunday morning we got them up and let them discover their goodies:

We made some breakfast, including Jonathan attempting to heat up some of the dyed eggs in the microwave - leading to exploding eggs and a need to clean the ceiling:

After breakfast we played outside some on the deck. Andrew was very excited about his butterfly net and wanted to go catch some bugs:

We spent some time in the backyard and decided to work on the garden. I helped out until I pulled a weed and this guy popped out:

That ended my helping with the weeding. I hate snakes.  Elliot, on the other hand, was very interested in it:

After the snake adventure it was time to put him down for a nap and figure out dinner.  We had a honeybaked ham and I whipped up some mashed potatoes and a green bean casserole.  It wasn't a huge fancy dinner, but it was a perfect evening to wrap up the whirlwind weekend before getting back to the grind on Monday.  Another great couple days with my three favorite guys.  <3

Andrew's 4 Year Well Check

I still can't believe my first little baby is four years old. It doesn't seem possible, but he is.

With turning four came another well check at the pediatrician.  I had it scheduled for 3:30 on Monday do it would be late in the afternoon and we could head home afterward.  I picked him up at school during snack time, gathered up all of the artwork he's been drawing, and we headed over. The whole way there he kept saying "I don't want any shots!".  I kept saying, "We'll see what they say." since I knew he would be getting a whole mess of vaccines.

We got checked in and waited in the well visit waiting room while we waited to be called back. He watched some Toy Story:

and showed off his favorite picture:

He's very proud of his boy riding a monster  :)

After five or ten minutes we got called back. As soon as he saw the nurse he said "I don't want any shots!".  Oh boy.

On the way to the exam room we stopped at the scale so he could get weighed and measured. His stats were:

Weight - 39 lbs 8 oz (78th percentile)
Height - 42.25 inches (88th percentile)
BMI - 15.6 (49th percentile)

Holy smokes!  That means he grew four inches over the past year (he was 38.25" and 36 lbs 4 oz at three years).  No wonder all of his pants that were too long last spring were way too short for him in the fall.  My little stringbean.

Anyway, we got into the exam room and the nurse went to work taking his temperature, O2 sats and then his blood pressure:

He was very cooperative and I was so proud of my little dude.  When she was done she left and we waited for Dr. Graham. In the couple minutes where it was just us he watched people out in the parking lot and kept asking if they were coming to the doctor to get shots.  The kid was not gonna let the shot thing go.  After maybe ten  minutes Dr. Graham came in and started the exam. He asked Andrew questions about school and his friends and what he likes to do. I was impressed with how well he did answering questions and interacting. He can be really shy sometimes so it's nice to see him be more outgoing.  Dr. Graham said he is doing great, he's very engaging and we have nothing at all to worry about developmentally. He was impressed that Andrew never gets out of his bed at night and remains dry all night (which he's been doing for quite some time now).  We chatted a bit more and then he was off and we had to wait for the nurse. Andrew asked if we could go and I had to tell him we weren't done yet. Then the nurse came back in with the shots and he instantly said "I don't want any shots!".  I apologized to him and told him he needed to get a few shots, but it would be quick and he would get a surprise when we got home.  I held his hands while she went to work.  With the first one he just seemed shocked, but then he quickly started to cry and say "Owie! Owie! Owie!".  I tried to keep him as calm as possible and to relax him since I know he tensed up, which makes it worse.  When she was done I got him up and hugged him and tried to calm him down. He was pretty upset, and the nurse kept offering him a Popsicle, but all he wanted was a lollipop.  We headed out front to check out and he picked out a sticker and a sucker.  As we walked out to the car he told me again, "I don't want any more shots!".  The good news is it'll be another 7 years before he needs any more. Hopefully by then he's forgotten about these ones...

Birthday Celebration and Bridge Run 2015

The past few days have been busy in the Walker household.  Last Thursday was Andrew's 4th birthday (still can't believe it), Friday we had some outings to celebrate, Saturday I ran in the 38th annual Cooper River Bridge Run 10K and we had a little more fun to celebrate.  Yesterday Jonathan did a 103 mile bike ride - the After the Bridge Run Ride - and we just relaxed at home.

First up - Andrew's birthday.  I ended up having to work from home that day since I had gotten a call at 9:00 the night before letting us know that Andrea was sick (I felt guilty for passing it on).  I got Andrew up for breakfast and gave him his birthday balloons. He was pretty excited:

I dropped him off at school with some oreos to share with his class for his birthday.  I spent the day working and entertaining Elliot.  We played in the back yard a bit:

When Andrew got home we decided to do presents:

Elliot was busy messing with the walkie talkies my sister sent for him and Andrew was making sure no one touched his boxes.  He was pretty excited about his dinosaurs:

Afterward it was time for cake:

It was a lowkey day, but he didn't seem to mind.

Friday we got up and he helped me make pancakes for breakfast:

We had been planning on going to the zoo, but the weather in Columbia was not cooperating. Instead we headed to Monkey Joe's in North Charleston, mainly so I could swing by the Bridge Run Expo to pick up my race packet.  Elliot wasn't a fan of the jump castles, so he spent most of the time playing in the toddler room:

Andrew, on the other hand, loved the jump castles.  We played for a little over an hour and he had a blast on this slide:

After that we headed downtown to the Wonder Fest thing they had going on for kids for the bridge run.  I was shocked when Andrew agreed to ride the pony:

He had a blast in the jump castle:

Played by the fountain:

Climbed up in a tree:

And built some stuff with his daddy:

We had told him that he could take part in the kid's race, but it wasn't until 5:00 and a storm rolled in at 4:00.  He was upset when we had to leave, but cheered up when we reminded him that his grandparents were on the way to visit.  We got home and made a spaghetti dinner so I could carb load for the bridge run in the morning.

Saturday morning I got up and got ready for my 10K:

It was a little cooler than normal for the race so I was wearing long sleeves and running tights.  At 7:30 I left the house to jog down to the start line since it's only a mile from our house.  I took my place in corral C and weaved my way up towards the front to hopefully avoid some of the crowd.  At 8:11 it was time for us to start.  The first mile was probably my best first mile ever in this race since it wasn't super crowded.  At 1.7 miles we hit the hill and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't tough.  Once we reached the top of the hill I felt ok and I pushed as hard as I could running down the hill.  Once we got down off the bridge and hit 4.5 miles I hit a bit of a wall and was so tempted to let  up.  When I got to 5 miles I noticed I had a pretty good time going so I pushed as hard as I could to the end. I stopped my watch as I crossed the finish line and looked down to see this:

I was really pleased and thought maybe this was a PR (I thought my previous best was 51:50), but when I looked it up I realized I had a 51:20 in 2010. 11 seconds from a PR. Damn!  I guess I need to try harder next year.

Jonathan was there to meet me at the end and we hung out at the after party for a little bit until I got too cold and we headed home.  I showered and got Elliot down for a nap. While he was sleeping we took Andrew to Blackbeard's Cove for a little more birthday fun.

First up was go-kart rides.  Andrew loved it:

The whole time he was chanting and laughing.

Then we went and played some mini-golf:

Andrew's form needs a little work  ;)
Jonathan beat me by four strokes - I guess we'll have to have a rematch.

On the way out they played a little basketball:

Then it was time to head home so we could go grab some dinner.

Yesterday was a relaxing day at home. We hung out and played outside in the sun and enjoyed the last of the weekend before it was back to the grind today.

It was a busy and fun weekend and I loved doing some celebrating with Andrew.  This coming weekend we'll be heading to Myrtle Beach for an Easter celebration and a little more birthday fun with my family.  Hopefully all of this makes up for the fact that we didn't do a party for him this year.  He seems to enjoy the prolonged celebration  :)