Planes, Trains and Automobiles!

What to do with two rambunctious toddlers on a nice Saturday morning? Head to the North Carolina Transportation Museum (NCTM), of course!

Located in Spencer, just next to Salisbury, North Carolina, the NCTM was absolutely worth the drive. Aside from the train ride, it is completely free and has tons of room for the kiddos to run around and expend lots of energy! We saw all sorts of trains, old cars and even planes!

Waiting for the train:

It's here Daddy!

We've chosen our seats and are ready to go:

One excited little boy:

Waving to the people:

Enjoying the train ride:

Ella and Aidan were quite tired after such an exciting morning - so tired that they were zonked within minutes of getting in the car to head home. The truest sign of a successful outing - silence and peace in the backseat.

Where Were We?

A glimpse into our Saturday adventure. Can you tell where we went?

Surprise - It's Opa!

Last night at about 7 PM we heard the doorbell ring and were totally surprised to find Opa with a huge smile on his face!

He was here for the night and to spend the day with us today! Needless to say, Ella and Aidan were overjoyed and full of excitement!

Mike had to work today, and Aidan is still struck with a very runny nose. So, I kept them out of preschool for the morning and we had quite a good time!

Oatmeal & raisin cookies for breakfast:

While Ella enjoyed cheese "soup" and guacamole for lunch, Aidan just wanted to hug his Opa:

Plenty of playtime and hugs at our neighborhood park, and even the discovery of a resident lizard:

Opa headed back to Highlands once Ella and Aidan went down for their (very late) nap...it was NOT pretty when they woke up and wanted to know where he was!

Fun at Sams Club!

This afternoon we were graced with one of the best compliments that any Mother can receive.

We met our friends Ginny, Lizzy and Preston (and Mom, Sara, of course) for some shopping and lunch at Sam's Club. The kids all had a total blast with each other, and had even more fun at the picnic-style tables during lunch.

While we were eating an employee approached us and asked if we were with a school group. Thinking that was just due to the sheer number of kids at our two tables, Sara and I chuckled and said "Nope, just two Moms and our kids!"

The employee went on to tell us that she had never seen such well-behaved little ones all sitting so nicely together at the tables. She laughed and we should be proud and that it was truly a Kodak moment.

After Sara and I looked at each other with the gleam of a small tear of pride in our eyes for our little ones, I decided that the employee was exactly right - it WAS a Kodak moment!

All the kids (minus Ginny):

Ginny decided to eat at the big kid table with Sara and I - I just love the look on her face and the size of that slice of pizza!