Taking on DC (Part 1)

Walking to the Washinton Monument

My backpack buddy

 



Almost there



Getting closer...

 

We made it!

 



Cute little tourist
 



We found our state

 

The fascinating Lincoln Memorial


Natasha was quite impressed too.


Not as impressed with the White House
 

And Nikolaus was definitely not impressed with the White House

 



The National Archives



Waiting in line at the Archives 

 

The butterfly exhibit at the Museum of Natural History

 

 

We would pass the Children's Museum

on the way to the bus stop. 

Yes, I did take them there (more in part 2)

 

 

 

Two little travelers and their electronics

 Visiting the National Zoo

 

We saw lots of animals, but how fun is it to

climb all over statues!





 

 

One of many Natasha selfies.  At the nightly water show at our hotel

 

 

 

I thought I would get this out last month, but I guess life got in the way of that.  Here are some pictures from our trip to DC last October.  We had an awesome time and most importantly, we CAN travel with our kids!  Natasha and Nikolaus did great.  Thanks to a couple of ipod touches the kids were occupied on three flights and a cab ride to the hotel.  They both slept well in the hotel and were easy to travel with into the city.  Since we were there for Zac's conference, our hotel was actually in National Harbor in Maryland.  That meant in order to get into Washington DC with two little ones (an no carseats), we had to take the bus to the train station and then take the train into the city.  But the kids loved it.  We spent the first three days traveling into DC each day to see as much as possible.  Then the last three days, the kids and I explored National Harbor while Zac was at his conference.  The first day was spent at the National Mall.  We really packed it in and was glad Nikolaus napped well in the stroller.  The second day we visited the National Archives (mailnly for Zac) and also the Museum of Natural History.  The kids loved seeing all the animal bone structures and there was a butterfly exhibit too.  And on the third day we visited the National Zoo.  We saw gorillas, lions, tigers, panda bears and so much more.  The male lion was extremely vocal while we were there.  You could hear him as you walked around the exhibit.  It is amazing to just walk into a zoo without paying.  There are so many free activities in DC which makes it a great affordable family vacation destination... Do I sound like a travel agent?  Ha!  Stay tuned for Part 2...        

New Year and a New Larson

Wow, it is already February and I have neglected this blog for quite a while.  Hopefully, with this new laptop, I will be on top of it now... ha!  I have a lot of ground to cover so I will start with the exciting news then go back to where I left off.  It is a new year and we have a new Larson that joined our family.  Don't worry, you didn't miss any pregnancy/birth announcement. Two and a half weeks ago we got a puppy, which pretty much is like having a third child.  His name is Hershey and he is a chocolate lab.  He is a sweet pup and we are all having lots of fun with him.

This is the one we chose

 



 

 

 Natasha loves to hold Hershey.

 Having fun in the backyard

 He loves to snuggle at night

Cooper is a great cousin and leader for Hershey. 

These two will have lots of fun when Hershey gets bigger.

 

 

Stay tuned for highlights from our Washington D.C. trip that we took in October!



22 Months

Found the only mud puddle at the park 

 

Yes, you are a mess. 

 First day of Mommy and Me... so big!!

 Loved the cars, race tracks and dinosaurs, but he

 really enjoyed the kitchen and feeding the baby.

This past weekend, Zac was away for a boy's trip and Natasha had a sleepover at grandma's, so that left Nikolaus and I with a lot of one on one time.  We went out to dinner and had a trip to Target for last minute stuff for our trip.  The next morning we went to breakfast and then headed to Zoomars to feed the animals.  I enjoyed every minute of it!

Mommy-son date at Daphne's...

he devoured a plate of hummus and pita in no time. 

 

Mommy-son date continued at Ruby's for breakfast...

ate my eggs and bacon and left me with most

of the blueberry pancakes (seems like a fair trade)

 

Running to Zoomars

 

 Nikolaus LOVED feeding the animals

 



I had to buy two baskets of food.  At one point Nikolaus tried to fit

 his head through there just to pet the sheep and goats.

 

 Train ride

 

 Following the big kids on the hay bales... monkey see monkey do

 

Look the hair on this one... Nikolaus loved the guinea pigs.

 

 

Me and my little man

 

A beautiful day in San Juan Capistrano



Nikolaus is 22 months and that means only 2 months until he is 2!  Lately he seems like such a big boy to me (despite the grunting and no words).   Most of the time he thinks he is four and can do pretty much whatever his big sister can do.  Nikolaus is quite the thrill seeker at the park these days.  He has learned to climb up ladders and he is starting to walk up and down steps without holding on to anything.  Even though he likes to explore, it melts my heart when he turns to find me and reaches for my hand to hold his, so we can walk together.   Nikolaus is still a great eater and sleeper and might have a gift for picking football teams.  He currently is in 5th place in Zac's office pool.  Although, we are not close to potty training him yet, Nikolaus does let us know when he has gone potty in his diaper.  He has gotten so big so fast that it was time to sign him up for Mommy and Me preschool.  I did this same program with Natasha when she was 18 months old and loved it.  They do a wonderful job helping kids (and moms) transition to regular preschool.    I just hope he enjoys it as much as Natasha did!  We head to Washington DC on Thursday for a week.  We are very excited to be visiting our nation's capital, since we have never been before.  Wish us luck... we are taking the kids with us!  

Likes: mud puddles, feeding animals, hummus, rocking with mommy or daddy

Dislikes: time-outs and not using real words to talk

Tasha Tells It All

 Someone is so excited to be 4 1/2... Just like

 her "older" friends, Noe and Kyra.

 First Day of 4's Preschool

 

Nikolaus enjoyed Meet and Greet Day too! 

 

Our little student

 

Natasha is so excited to be 4 1/2 and has been counting down to this day for awhile.  Natasha also started Pre-K a couple of weeks ago and is now in school three days a week.  Of course, she loves it and wishes she could go everyday!  Her new teacher is great and we are happy that some of her good friends are in her class again this year.  We are looking forward to another great year at her preschool and can't believe she will be in Kindergarten next year.

 

Now for her infamous sayings:

 

Tasha: Mommy, why do you like to play with my hair?

Me: Because it is beautiful.

Tasha: But, it is hooked to my head!  I'm not your doll.

 

After what seems like the 375th question in a matter of 2 minutes:

Me: What is up with all the questions?

Tasha: I don't know.  They just drool out of my mouth

 

Tasha: When I grow up, I'm going to marry Nikolaus... (pointing at Nik) You are going to be my wife!

Zac (to me): We are going to have to move to a different state for that to happen.

Pink Diamonds

 

 Bright and early for 8am practice

 

 Pretty professional looking banner

 

 Trying to knock over the cones

 

 Best way to keep the little brother out of the game...

give him his own ball.  "Put me in Coach!"

 Water break... is she the cutest, or what!

 

Teamwork

 

 Photo day

 

 

 

AYSO has begun and we are now that family.  Natasha is excited to play for the Pink Diamonds, plus she has two friends on the team.  And Zac is a proud coach.  Even though, the Pink Diamonds lost their first game, they truly did play well together.  Natasha even scored a goal for her team.  Of course, I was too excited that I didn't snap any photos of the play.  It was pretty cute to watch these 4-year old girls run around on the field (in a very non-aggressive way).  We can't wait for the next game and Natasha can't wait to get a trophy at the end of the season.