Waiting...just waiting

So, turns out it's a bit tricky to catch up on all the blogging that I have to do with a newborn, a toddler, and a lot of guests running around.  However, people have been requesting pictures, so onward with the updating!

As I said, my parents arrived in to town a week before the baby's due date.  Before the action started all we had to do was wait, and we had a great time adventuring around town while we did.

We made our first stop on our way home from the airport, before Mom and Dad even had time to put down their suitcases.  Evan absolutely loves the airport observation deck, so we stopped by to watch the planes for a little while.  Evan had a great time showing Grandpa how the planes took off and landed.  Mom and I had a great time sitting in the shade watching the boys.

(Evan and Grandpa watch the planes.)

(The large pregnant lady watches the planes from the shade.)

On Friday, continuing with one of our weekly traditions we had over our friends Abby, Quinn, and Jonas as well as Abby's mom for our Friday breakfast.  This time Mom and Dad made pancakes to which we added bacon and eggs and it was delicious.  The boys had a great time playing and occasionally munching on their yummy treats.

(The boys play before breakfast--They look a little guilty, don't you think?)

Over the weekend we headed down to the Durham Farmers Market for a little adventuring.  This outing was a little hot for the large, pregnant lady, but everyone had fun picking out fresh strawberries and strawberry cider as well as browsing through the foods, plants, and crafts.  While we were downtown we also stopped by a park with some neat animal sculptures.  Evan loved these, except for the fact that had had to share them with others.

(At the Farmers Market)

(Evan and Daddy and a red "daddy" cardinal)

We also stopped by a store near the market called The Scrap Exchange.  Audra and I would have had a field day in here when we were younger.  There were containers full of every sort of scrap and junk imaginable from bottle caps and puzzle pieces to computer mouses and keyboards.  We took Evan and let him pick out some scraps to play with.  He came home with three strings of Mardi Gras beads and a purple plastic tube which we have gotten quite a bit of mileage out of.

We finished out our weekend by spending a little time at home and getting out Evan's pool.  Grandma and Grandpa and Mom sat in the yard and relaxed while Daddy Evan-wrangled.  Evan loved playing in the water, especially with the sprayer, and Rip even got in on the fun too, fetching balls from the water.

(Ripple enjoys his soak in the pool.)

(Evan has discovered the sprayer.  All bystanders beware!)

The day that I went into labor, Monday, we decided to head down to the Museum of Life and Science where Mom and Dad had bought us a membership for Christmas.  We had a great time.  Evan showed Grandma and Grandpa all of his favorite parts of the museum like the ball tubes, the tornado maker, the drums, the dinosaurs, and of course, the bugs and butterflies.  The butterflies always seem to be his favorite, and he always comments before we go in that he wants one to land on his finger.  Well, when one actually decided to land on his shirt this time, he was a bit taken aback.  He whimpered a little bit and was pretty glad when the butterfly finally decided to fly away.  I guess having a butterfly land on you is great in theory, but a little scary in reality.

(Ball tubes at the museum)

(Evan thinks the butterfly is a bit too close for comfort.)

Our special treat when we went to the museum this time was riding on the train.  We normally don't go through the trouble of buying the tickets and making it to the station at the appointed time.  However, this time we went all out, and he loved it.  He was a bit nervous when we first got on the train, but when it started chugging around the track he was entranced, watching the scenery chug by and smiling.  Now, whenever we talk about the museum, the train has actually displaced the butterflies as our favorite part.

(Grandma and Grandpa enjoy a train ride with Evan.)

That night, Mom and I went for a walk while Dad was making dinner and things suddenly got very interesting.  That, however, is a story for another day.