Grandparents

Why, oh, why does time seem to speed up when loved ones visit?  I feel like the week that my parents were here just flew. We always take advantage of the time we have with them and pack in a ton of fun things! Not only did we visit Ft. McHenry and the zoo and do the other fun things I blogged about but we just enjoyed being together.
Noah's birthday fell on Passover so we spent our evening eating a traditional Passover meal and talking about the Savior. We watched some of the beautiful Bible videos put out by the LDS church and read from the scriptures.

Of course my kids love to snuggle up with their grandparents any chance they get. It's always important to show off our video game skills as well.

Savannah spent some time with Grandma learning how to knit.

Not too bad!

One day we headed to Chick-fil-A for lunch and then enjoyed the highly entertaining movie Rio 2.

After Xander's soccer tournament on Saturday we took everyone to dinner at Red Robin for a late birthday dinner celebration for Noah. He was thrilled when all the servers sang Happy Birthday to him.

A yummy birthday treat!

Not only do we love our own electronics but we get Grandma to share hers!

Zoo Fun!

We spent a lovely last day with Grandma and Grandpa at the Baltimore Zoo. I love Xander's piggy face!

Catching a ride with a big ole' tortoise.

Noah being Noah.

This grumpy rooster would have liked nothing better than to peck Grandpa's finger off!

Petting the goats...

and brushing them too.

The carousel is always a big hit with my kids.

Noah would make a great ape!

I swear there is nothing cuter to see at the zoo than zoo babies!

A very friendly giraffe.

I would definitely NOT want to meet that polar bear in the wild. He was huge!

Noah decided to take us for a spin in the arctic tundra vehicle.

What a wild bunch!

It is always such fun to run into friends. Roaring with the Maxwell kids!

Soccer Tournament Time!

Last fall my parents had made plans to come visit us specifically so they could see the kids play soccer. Unfortunately my dad got really sick and they were unable to come. Thank goodness Xander had a soccer tournament the Saturday of their visit and they could at least see one of the grand kids play. As soon as we finished with the Easter egg hunt, we quickly got everyone ready and headed out the door since the tournament was over an hour away.  An early start for a beautiful spring day but for soccer it's worth it.
Ready to cheer on the Boca!

Xander' team played three games total.  The first two games were tough and they ended up losing them both. 

Funny moment from right before the second game - the boys were gathered in a group watching the players from the team they were about to play warm up. They noticed there was a girl on the team but their coach told them to treat her like any other boy player. One of our players, Nick, who is apparently quite the little Casanova, said that he was going to kiss her instead. She ended up being one tough little player out there!

This is how Noah passes the time at tournaments - with his head under his sweatshirt playing his DS.

Xander's four-leaf clover that he found and insisted would bring them luck in their next game.

And it did, at least a little. They all played much better in the third game and it didn't hurt that we played a team that was more our level of skill.  The game ended in a tie!

Easter Bunny Day 2014

Dyeing Easter eggs is always fun but it's much more fun doing it with Grandpa!

Showing off our traditional dragon eggs.

Fun gifts from the Easter Bunny - Chima Legos for the boys and another Monster High doll for Savannah.

Let's get this egg hunt started! The excitement is all over their faces.

And it quickly dissolved. Could Savannah look any more thrilled?

The boys maintained it throughout the hunt!

Sorting through all the goodies.

And they even got some money! Not too shabby!

Ft. McHenry - Finally!

In the past nine years, whenever my parents return home after a visit with us in Baltimore, one of their friends asks them, "Did you visit Ft. McHenry?" and their answer has always been no. When my parents came out in April to see us we determined that THIS time we would head to Ft. McHenry so they could finally tell their friend that they had been there.
We started in the visitor's center and watched the great short film they have that tells the story of how "The Star Spangled Banner" came into existence. It was moving to watch as actors reenacted the Battle of Baltimore when British ships bombarded our men at the fort throughout the night of September 13-14, 1812. And then the thrilling scene where, through the fog, Francis Scott Key saw that it was OUR glorious flag waving in the dawn's early light.  It was wonderful and I might have gotten a little teary-eyed!

I swear that every time I have been to Ft. McHenry it has been on a cold day and this visit was no exception. Thank goodness there were plenty of chances to go in the buildings and get warmed up. We had fun wandering all over the fort, checking out the cannons and all the different displays.

Francis Scott Key's inspiration, albeit with a few more stars.

A cute little prisoner!

The original cross brace that helped excavators know exactly where the flag once stood.

It was a wonderful way to spend a morning with my parents!