I'd like to be

The snow hung out for a while and may be returning this week. I warmed up a bit and we got an extremely kind gift from our neighbor who came by and used his snowblower on our driveway then he left it for David to do the parking pad. So we are parking in the right spots and not on top of the hill.

We've spent some time indoors and not all playing angry birds and Minecraft.

Kiernan took his Tiger Safe and Smart achievement very seriously and put together this detailed map of the whole house with 2 escape routes from each area. Megan helpfully played the fire and chased us around the building menacingly. She was wearing a tutu and decided to abandon us once we ran outside.

Work is continuing to be novel and exciting.

We went out to Sushi in a big group. I haven't been out with co-workers in quite a while and not to sushi for years. The week was not an unalloyed joy as one of my new group was let go (rather unexpectedly to me at any rate) and now the work load has picked up. Plus of course I liked her and that was sad.

Over the later part of the week we began watching the Chronicles of Narnia movies. We have been reading these to Kiernan at bedtime and he was very pleased to discover them in movie form. We also watched some more Kung Fu Panda. As you can see there has been some serious father son bonding happening of late. I love it so much!

Megan finally recovered from her virus and David came down with it.

This was David from Thursday evening till Sunday morning.

He had a fever and chills and was miserable.

I didn't go to work on Friday because he was completely incapable of looking after the kids.

On Friday for Mommy Megan day we tried something we have not done in more than a year. We had a day of consumerism and gluttony. 

We went to a mall and rode the merry-go-round and we got fancy bath products and then we got food from the cheesecake factory for lunch.

It was pretty great.

Megan loved her bath bomb and Kiernan didn't love his because Megan's was cooler (Megan also loved this ha).

Kiernan came home from school ready to build a volcano. This was a good engrossing quiet thing to do while daddy slept so we made lots of volcanoes on Friday night. Here is our first not so spectacular attempt. Once they got spectacular I had to put the phone down and run for towels.

We had a pretty quiet Saturday with a short hike and lots of movies and some waffles etc. to graze on. It was too cold to enjoy the out of doors much and we got tired of movies pretty quickly. We played Candyland and looked forward to our big day Sunday.

Sunday morning David got up and drove us into Baltimore to use our excellent Christmas present (from Uncle Chris and Aunt Pammy) of tickets to the Baltimore Aquarium.

What a great gift!

The kids had never been to any aquarium and this one is spectacular even among good examples internationally.

I hadn't been since Uncle Chris and Aunt Pammy's wedding when it was David standing in the Megaladon jaws as a pirate-y groomsman.

If we were made of money we would go to this place so often. It is ridiculously expensive and that is of course why the kids have never been. I love all the exhibits and all the transition rooms.

I love this blue bubble room that gives you the underwater noises and lights and atmospherics in the perfect way, just as you are entering.

As an added treat the kids got to spend time with Kaleb who is more and more little boy and less and less baby each time we see him.

The highlight for Megan was screwing up her courage in order to pet a "jellyfish with a flower on it". Once we got home it was this feat that she recounted with the most glee.

They were very soft and not a stinging variety.

I petted a horseshoe crab and a skate and a starfish. The skate was surprisingly prickly. I love the exhibits that let you touch or taste or smell instead of just look. At the aquarium just looking would have been enough, everything was so beautiful but this added bit really was the cherry on top.

I am not sure what the highlight for Kiernan was. He got a wave from a scuba diver.

He got to ogle sharks.

He got to hang out with Kaleb.

He got to name a jellyfish (cauliflower).

After we left (post dolphin show and just pre Megan nap-time meltdown) we ran into one of those city gifts of tight population serendipity, a great sculpture garden playground.

I am happy to not live in a city but stuff like this reminds me of how cool they can be.

There were slidish things and musical whacking things and spinning things.

I even got transfixed by thoughtful pavement.

Once we got home we put Megan down for a much needed nap and prepared for the Super Bowl.

We ate spicy foods and pizza and welcomed mom home from a full 24 hour shift at work and watched the Broncos beat the panthers.

It was a good weekend.