Easter Madness!

The Easter Bunny visited Rowen Friday night, so that he had an Easter basket Saturday morning (yes, I know he has no idea what an Easter basket is, or that a large rabbit delivers it to him). After rifling through the basket and trying to eat everything in it, we took off to grandma and grandpa's house.
We went to the lodge that is part of their retirement community where the Easter festivities were in full swing. We started off at the petting zoo (I seem to find myself around goats quite often lately). Then, it was on the egg hunt, where Row found only one egg, but got a kick out of tasting it, opening it, and tasting it again. Then, he found the toy inside, tasted it, and had a great time pulling it in and out of his basket.
Next, it was on to the Easter Bunny. I was a bit worried about this, but Rowen handled it like and old pro. He LOVED the Easter Bunny and was fascinated by the whiskers and the rabbit clothes of that manlike bunny. I could tell that Row wanted a good long time to really explore the strange rabbit creature, but it was time for the bunny to move onto the next kid, and time for all of us to eat lunch.
(sidenote) Our visit to the Easter Bunny got me thinking about the tradition itself. Why does a huge rabbit deliver eggs to the children of the world on Easter? Why isn't it a chicken? Why does an animal deliver baskets to children in the first place on Easter? It's all very strange, isn't it? I guess I could google these questions, but I'd rather ponder the mystery a little longer.
Row finally fell asleep near the end of lunch, so we headed back to grandma's where Row finished his nap and then spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the backyard, picking flowers and eating dirt.

A fabulous day and a fantastic memory :-) Happy Easter!!

Need I say more?

A truly perfect Disney day.

After being chained to our computers for the last six weeks, we finally took the day off and went to Disneyland on Thursday. Grandma and Grandpa were able to come too, so there were four of us available to help wrangle Row. The weather was absolutely beautiful. It was the kind of day that you always imagine on your way to Disneyland, before your dreams are shattered by the crowds, the heat, and the outrageous prices. We visited "Toon Town", an area of Disneyland that I had almost forgotten even existed, and Rowie was granted an audience with Mickey Mouse. Has anyone else waited in line at Mickey's house to meet the Mouse? It's actually a very cool experience. Everyone gets their special moment with Mickey (without all of the kids and parents jockeying for his attention) and the Disney workers are there to take pictures of the moment. Row LOVED Mickey... and of course Row tried to eat Mickey's nose.

Bridge to Terabithia

When I was a kid, I loved to read "Bridge to Terabithia", (see a previous post). Anyway, one of the great parts about being a teacher is that I get to remain connected to some of these books that I would have probably forgotten long ago. This weekend one of my students invited me to see her in the stage version of this book. This book was recently made into a movie, but I had no idea that it was made not only into a play, but a MUSICAL. ANYWAY, I took my dad to the show, since I knew he had also read the book and enjoyed the movie, and we were both expecting to see a rather amateuristic (is that a word?) show. How pleasantly surprised we were to arrive at a great little performing arts center and see an amazingly well-done musical by a children's theater company.
I have some experience with middle-schoolers and musicals, and I really have never heard a 13-year-old, pubescent boy sing remotely in tune or with rhythm, so it was with awe that I watched the the leads in this play sing like little American Idols. They were really, really fantastic.
I'm so glad I went; and so disappointed in myself for crying in a play where I was fully aware of the ending. That "Terabithia" gets me everytime!

Maybe a little attention detail is necessary....

So, for the past few months I have been receiving Real Simple magazine. I love this magazine and thought that somehow I had subscribed to it and didn't know it. Then, one day, as I flipped through the new issue, I noticed that Steph had actually sent this magazine to me as a gift! I feel like such an idiot; I can't believe I didn't notice this a little sooner. THANK YOU, STEPH!!!!

Rowen the Herbivore

Last Saturday, after being camped behind our computers for the last month, the Baynes family, including grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, and little cousin Soren headed to the San Diego Zoo. It just may have been the most beautiful day ever with the clear blue sky and perfect 75 degree weather (gotta love California in the winter). The gorillas, or course, were my favorite attration, and that baby gorilla looked an awful lot like Row (he acted like Row too).
Row, however, has a different love at the zoo.... the plants. He LOVES any kind of plant: real, fake, flower, shrub, ivy, it doesn't matter to him. He rips up the fake plants at church, and loves to pick flowers at grandmas, and at the zoo he was in botanical heaven. At one point I was holding him while I tried to spot a bear, when he reached behind me, pulled the leaves off of a fern and promtly stuck the little, needly leaves in his mouth. By the time I was done searching for what was eventually the smallest bear I have ever seen, Row had stuck several fern leaves in his mouth (without me knowing), and he was none too happy about spitting them out and having them fished out of his chipmunk cheeks.

We really did have a fun, relaxing day at the zoo, and the zoo had a great deal going on yearly passes, so now we can go to the zoo over and over again.

The picture above is the only digital picture we have from the zoo because of all of the people there NO ONE BROUGHT A CAMERA!!

Indeed, I am the worst blogger in the world

I don't know why I used the word "indeed", I just kinda like it today.

So, I talked to Steph on the phone today, which is the opposite of blogging, and she asked me (with much sarcasm) if I ever use the internet:-) The answer was, "yes" but unfortunatly, I rarely get to use it for anything fun. So, here is my latest update and a pledge to be better blogger:

1. I work... a lot.... on the computer.

2. Jon works.... a lot....on the computer

3. Grandma Alice and Grandpa Ed are visiting us from Missouri this week :)

4. Row took his first steps about a week ago.

5. Jade went to the groomer yesterday and got a much needed bath and tooth brushing.

6. Row has four teeth.

7. I need new black boots.

8. I still haven't seen a movie since Harry Potter last summer.

9. Baseball season is coming :)

10. Rowen went to the gym "kids club" for the first time last week and loved it. I
now have no excuse to skip the gym.