There's no place like home

Well last week Andre had to go to Columbia, SC all week, so this time we went with him! He was driving down there anyway so we figured we'd tag along. It was really fun, and a nice change. The first day (Monday) I figured the kids and I would go swimming in the heated pool and hang out at the hotel since we got there so late Sunday night. Well that was a really dumb idea. First of all, the "heated pool" was not heated at all. So it was way too cold to swim in. In order to avoid major tantrums I put the kids in the bathing suits and they "swam" in the bathtub. Even so that lasted a grand old 20 minutes which brings me to my second point: they are horrible in a hotel! I don't know what it was, but any down time at the hotel, even just 20 minutes, and they were like different children! They just would not leave each other alone, and they were utterly hopeless. Well Andre finally got done around 6 (it felt like forever) and he came home in pretty bad shape. He went to an Army Combatives course which basically means he has to stand there while his superiors knock him around so he can get a taste for it.

Tuesday got better because we went to the state museum. It only cost $7 for all 3 of us to go and it was awesome! I was a little worried because they did have some fun things like this room:












But the rest of it really had a lot to do with the history of the state which I LOVE, but I wasn't sure how the kiddos would like it, being so young. Well they loved it, almost as much as I did. Ava thoroughly enjoyed looking at civil war swords with me, and I could not have been more proud! Kael passed out pretty quickly in the stroller, but it was so much fun. We spent the entire day there. On Wednesday we went to the Riverbanks zoo which was also really fun. It wasn't that hot, but it was so bloody humid that my shirt was sticking to my back. Gross, I know. Ava & Kael both got to feed the giraffes some romaine lettuce (provided by the zoo, I'm not trying to endanger any species here) and they thought it was so funny. Kael, who is usually very hesitant of everything walked right up to the baby giraffe and held out his little fistful of lettuce and the little giraffe wrapped its entire tongue around Kael's hand. Kael just was laughing and thought it was so great. Then he tried feeding it rocks, and I knew we had to go. We got to eat lunch in the company of a live alligator which was kind of weird, not gonna lie. Overall it was very fun.

On Thursday we went to the children's museum EdVenture which is famous for the giant kid "Eddie." You can climb in Eddie and explore his heart, and stomach, and frankly, I thought it was really gross. But the kids had fun jumping on his liver, heart, and digested food.










One of the saddest things is that I busted out the ol camera when we went to the state museum and I realized I had no batteries. Well I wasn't going to pay $24 just for two batteries from their gift shop, so I decided I'd grab some from the store. Of course I forgot and we went to the zoo and I didn't have any again! The kids were so busy and I try to avoid gift shops as much as possible to avoid having to say, "Nope, we're not getting that" a million times. So the next day when we went to EdVenture I borrowed the batteries out of the remote in our hotel room and when we got to the childrens museum and I inserted them into my camera, my camera turned on, and then turned off because those batteries were already dead (and yes grandma if you're reading this, I did replace the batteries in the hotel room.) So no luck with pictures. Oh well. The kids actually were more interested in the state museum; they lost interest with all the toys and things very quickly. I was very bummed since it was the most expensive place to get into. I think it was sensory overload for them, and they were probably very tired.

Friday Andre got done pretty early so we drove on home. Andre was so exhausted he pretty much slept the whole way home, and Kael did too. So Ava and I sang songs the whole time, and conversed. She got a new pillow dog (one to wrap around her neck in her carseat) and I asked her what his name was. She usually needs help coming up with a name for her animals but this one she confidently claimed, "His name is Yobert!" So we chatted about Yobert for a while.

It was good to be home, although, Andre was driving somewhere last night and our car finally kicked the bucket. I am pretty certain is is beyond repair now. So this next week we will be car hunting. Until then I am relying heavily on Andre's bike, public transportation, and some VERY good friends who have been very generous with their extra car. Thank you Natalie and Chad!

I was very excited to be going to church today because honestly, I love church. I always have. It soothes my soul. Then Ava threw up this morning and that went out the window. Andre came home for a few minutes (he has his military drill this weekend) and gave her a priesthood blessing. Not to sound cliche, or dramtical, but she was healed, in my opinion. Being a mom of two little ones I know what it's like when they get sick. It's horrible, all I can think is that I wish I could be sick for them, and it seems to last forever and ever. Well within half an hour of her blessing her fever had left, and she is keeping down crackers, sprite, and even a pb&j. This was such a testifying moment for me, and it helped me to realize, even if I do miss church I can still find gratifying and uplifting moments in the little things (and sometimes very big things) in my own life.