Lots of snow!

So far, February has been a very, very cold month, so we haven't gotten out to do too much and we're getting a little stir crazy!  A couple of weeks ago, Julie and I did brave the cold to take the kids to the Natural History museum (my third time going lol)  We took them to the mammal exhibit and they had a great time.  Hayden got to walk on his own this time and explore whatever he wanted.  He really loved pushing the buttons on the exhibits and raising the flaps that show information.  He also loves the tvs that are built into the floor.  He was so good and thought he was such a big boy walking by himself with his friends!  They shared a snack at the museum and afterwards we took them to Pentagon City to have lunch and get a treat from the candy shop.  I accidentally parked Hayden's stroller too close to the register and he pulled down a box of candy hearts!

The weekend of the Super Bowl, Rob and Julie helped us get our entertainment center and then we all had lunch at Friday's.  You should have seen the look on the hostesses face when we asked for 2 highchairs and she saw we had 3 kids.  Yikes!  It was fairly calm, though, considering the kids were all really tired.  They all came over the next day to watch the Super Bowl.  The kids get along pretty well.  Hayden just loves Addie and she loves him.  She calls him "my Hayden" and acts like a little mama to "the boys."  Its so cute!

For Valentine's day on Just Mommies, we paired the babies up so they could have Vday Sweethearts.  Hayden was paired with this precious little girl Lauren, who lives in Texas.  He got some really yummy cookies from them and an Elmo Valentine book.   We sent them a chocolate sucker, Elmo book, little backpack, sippy cup and a kissing monkey.  It was such a cute little idea.  We all had graphics in our forum signatures of the babies together, it was so cute!

Hayden is becoming so grown up and does so many cute things.  Now when he gets snacks, I can give them to him in a little bowl and he'll sit in the living room and watch tv while he eats them.  He doesn't really spill unless he tries to walk around with them.  He watches tv a lot more intently now, but only if I put one of his shows on.  He only gets to watch a few times a week and in the car.  He really loves Blues Clues, Backyardigans, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Little Einsteins.  In the car he watches Blues Clues and Baby Einstein's Baby Wordsworth, which he really likes.  He'll sometimes say the words before they say them on the DVD.

He's getting a little better with getting into things and we are trying hard to stay consistent.  I got him some new plastic dishes and stuff to put in his cabinet and he loves it.  He'll pretend to stir things with the spoon and likes to put things in containers and put the top on.  He also likes to watch us cook and make things in the kitchen.  He'll stand on his little step stool and can barely see over the counter, but really enjoys it.

We had a little bit of snow a couple of weeks ago and Julie invited us to come over and try to take the kids sledding.  There wasn't much snow and by the time we got out there it was mostly melted, but we tried anyway.  We got some little kiddie sleds for really cheap at Target and Hayden loved it.  He cried when it was time to go inside and likes to just sit in the sled inside the house!  It snowed another few inches in the last couple of days so we went out sledding a couple more times.  He really is starting to enjoy going outside when it snows. 

For Valentine's Day my Aunt Debbie sent him this little stuffed lion.  He hugged it the whole time he was in the car when I gave it to him and carried it around the house when we got home.  He loves to snuggle it and give it kisses and we keep it in his crib with him.  He also got a gift card to Toys R Us from Grammy and has a couple of other things coming from Nanny and Kelly, but we haven't gotten them yet.  We can't wait to go spend the gift card, but haven't really been able to get out b/c of the weather.

Today Julie and I took the kids to a nature center in Maryland (my first time visiting that state and the furthest north I've ever been, woohoo!)  Hayden really liked it.  It was so cold that we just did the inside part, but it was neat.  They had a pond with a turtle in it that Hayden really liked.  He would have stayed there the whole time watching it.  There was also a big rabbit in a cage that he loved.  He would laugh and make funny noises every time it moved.  They had a few other animals (owls, snakes, spiders, etc) but he didn't really care about those b/c they didnt' move much.  Afterwards we had lunch and now he's in his crib (going on 2 hours) and still hasn't fallen asleep, but he isn't crying at all.  He just makes little noises occasionally.

We've got a busy few weeks coming up.  Hayden's Pawpaw is coming to visit tomorrow and will be staying until next Tuesday.  The day after he leaves, Hayden and I are flying to New Orleans to visit Grammy and Grandpa and I'm sure we'll stay very busy during that visit.  Then, 3 days after we get back from New Orleans, Kelly, Brian and Eleni are coming to visit for a few days, and of course, we'll be very busy while they are here!  I'm sure we'll have plenty to write about after all of that!