At the end of May, Mimi came up to visit before heading off to Norway. The girls loved being showered with attention and Mimi got to meet Derek for the first time.
The girls received some radio controlled cars in the mail as a gift. The novelty of driving around their Audi TTs lasted a couple days.
Derek is a spoiled little guy who thinks he needs to be held all day every day. This Peek-A-Who book was a huge favorite with both Karina and Lydia, so we'll see if Derek ends up liking it as much as them. It has been repaired with tape all over, as it has been so well-loved.
On Memorial Day, we went to Kilgore Falls, the second highest waterfall in Maryland, at a whopping 19-feet. The short hike and waterfall were pretty, but unfortunately Karina wasn't feeling well and a mean dog scared the girls (and Snoopy) at the beginning of the hike, leaving the girls paranoid about dogs the entire trip. I think we will do the hike another time when everyone is healthy.
Lydia frequently likes to play in Derek's crib and pretend she is a baby:
Mimi was great at getting Derek to giggle and smile for him. Derek had endless laughs for him and thought he was hilarious.
We took out the kiddie pool one afternoon, which provided some entertainment. I suspect we will get lots of use out of this pool this summer.
Two Rapunzels and one prince in the house!
After Mimi had been here a week, my brother, Uncle Thomas, arrived for a couple of days. He had met Karina once, and had never met Lydia or Derek before. On Saturday, we headed down to Washington, DC to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. By coincidence it was 'Space Day' at the museum and there were stations set up throughout the museum with activities for young children. For example, they got to design and build their own parachute, design mission badges, plant space lettuce (and take it home), design and build a rocket ship, etc.
Little guy and Mimi had fun exploring:
Karina asked Uncle Thomas to help her create a rocket ship. They had random building items and decorations available.
Ready to blast off:
Karina's illness from the week before had spread to Lydia by this time. Karina had had ear infections in both ears, but was feeling good by the time Thomas arrived, as she was on antibiotics. Lydia, on the other hand, uncharacteristically just wanted to sit in the stroller at the museum. It was the start of a week-long virus for her. Thomas pushed her around in the stroller and told her about each exhibit and helped her push the buttons.
By a little Cesna plane they got to board and pretend to fly:
Karina and Thomas played some frisbee outside. Karina was apparently pretty good and managed to catch the frisbee some of the time.
Reading a fairy tale before bed:
As shown by the next two pictures, Mimi reported that he read the same exact books to Lydia each night. "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" was the winner, along with "Henny Penny".
Since Lydia's 3rd birthday was only a week away, we had a mini-celebration for her with Mimi and Uncle Thomas, so they could celebrate a little with her too. Of course, after getting cake and blowing out candles, Lydia was adamant that she was already 3 for the next week, while she was actually still 2. Makes sense to me.
Watching some YouTube videos about the movie Frozen (I think):
Family group shots:
Derek quietly turned 3 months old. He is a joy to be around, and very demanding, rarely letting anyone put him down as he prefers to be part of the action.
Thomas and Mimi then left for Germany where Thomas picked up his new BMW and they drove it up to Bodø (Norway) and my parents' house. Unfortunately, they both picked up on the virus that must have passed though Karina and then Lydia with their high fevers and lack of appetite. No fun to start a cross-European drive sick. We took Lydia to the doctor a few days after Mimi and Thomas left, but the doctor didn't find anything she could treat. I picked up on the chills and sweats a week after Lydia, and Derek had a fever then too and sore throat. I believe everyone is finally healthy again now.
Thanks for visiting, Uncle Thomas and Mimi!
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