Busy, Busy, Happy

So we flew to Michigan for my sisters wedding, and spent lots of time hanging out with family. I would say the kids learned a fair amount about dogs and taking care of pets. That was fun, and so cute. We returned home the end of January, which I was so happy about. I missed Nick, and our home, a great deal. Nova, however, had a bit more trouble adjusting. In fact, last week she had a day long tantrum because she'd somehow gotten it into her head that we were going to the airport to take a plane to Michigan. :-( I felt so bad for her. She asked again, today, if we were going to the airport (we were driving past), but didn't freak out when I told her no. She just calmly stated she wanted to go see Nana and Papa. Then she asked why Lady had to die. So sad for my sweet sensitive girl.

So for the first few days after we came home, we mostly laid low, did laundry, and tried to get the house back in order. However, last week I was brave and decided that I would begin taking the kids on regular outings (aka field trips). So I took the kids on the train and walked from the train station to the California Academy of Sciences to check out the Aquarium and see the penguins. The good news is that the kids had a fabulous time. The bad news is that it was raining when we arrived in San Francisco. The good news is there was a Walgreen's right across the street. The bad news is that the delay meant that the cafe in the Academy which we planned to eat lunch in was closed when we arrived. Thankfully, I had brought a few snacks with us. Yah me! I survived, and I'm even willing to do it again, though maybe not TOO soon. It was pretty tiring, but a huge success. The kids had fun, and I didn't lose it on them. Next time I think we'll consider taking a lighter diaper bag, coats, and riding the bus from the train station.

This week (today) we checked out the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum. The kids had an absolute blast! Seriously, it was the most fun. They had all kinds of cool toys and experiments, things to do and play with. Lunch was kind of expensive ($20), but the food was good, and abundant. Next time we'll go after nap time, so that we'll have had naps and lunch, and so there will be fewer people- lots of school groups come during the mornings. When I asked Jade what her favorite part was, she answered, "EVERYTHING!" Nova's favorite was the sand table, though there were lots of cool things she really enjoyed. Elliott mostly stayed in the pack (so I wouldn't have to chase hims and worry about watching the big kids too). However, upstairs I let him down and he had a blast too, running around, playing with blockas and balls, and going in and out of tunnels. Great fun! We bought a family membership, and will go again very soon (probably after I recover from my surgery nexy week).