Where did the weekend go?

Our weekend got away from us. It was our last weekend at home before the big Spring Break cross country trek, so we had a long list of things we wanted to get done. Knowing how nutty our weeks tend to get, I had even at one point entertained the idea of starting to pack. (Rigghhhtttt.)

But an end-of-week cold snap meant that it was freezing and gray and uninviting out, and I was averse to a weekend of cabin fever. So back to the Children's Museum we went, this time with the Ryans in tow. Finley was beside herself- she adores Tommy and Mikayla, and she asks to hang out with them constantly. 

Plus there's a fire truck.

Ford is crawling everywhere and pulling himself up on everything these days, and the world is basically his jungle gym. He especially loves stairs, and has little regard for his own safety. He has a blast anywhere we can set him down and let him go. 

Afterwards, we went out for German food and giant beers...

which devolved into at least one of us (guess who?) napping on the couch, and an impromptu dinner party, during which I made my first-ever meatloaf. Which was absurdly large, since I used a recipe from the Food Network that called for 5 lbs. of meat and since I'm a novice in the "loaf" realm, I thought maybe it cooked down...?

I also somehow found myself giving pedicures to small children in my living room.

and, after everyone else had gone home/ to bed, scrubbing red nail polish out of the carpet.

So Sunday wound up being recovery day. Not packing day. Or cooking day. Or cleaning day. (Luckily, I had had a late-night cleaning binge and we had tons of turkey meatloaf leftover. Literally. Tons.)

We took turns working out, failed twice to show up when the drycleaners were actually open, and decamped to the "Meet the Animals" program at the nature museum for the afternoon. Where Finley, out of nowhere, warned the naturalist that "snake bite you!!!" and responded to the question "what do snakes eat?" with a loud and gleeful "Finley!"

Luckily we both love science and nature museums as much as the kids- especially Seth, who does not like them getting their grubby fingers in his creations.

But is always happy to hoist them up for a view. (Here, he is trying valiantly to prevent Ford from climbing into the fish tank.)

And that was that. In the blink of an eye, and with the help of a little German beer, our weekend was over in a flash and we were on the downward slide to Spring Break! We've survived the Monday-Tuesday chaos, which scheduling-wise is currently our roughest stretch, so it's looking like we may actually make it.

Which is crazy. Even now, the Japan Walters are on a wild space-A adventure to Seattle to meet us, having split into two groups, one without luggage. I can't decide whether I'm insanely jealous or thrilled to have confirmed, nonstop tickets. (Knock. On. Wood.)

Until then, this was one of my favorites from the week. Finley's new favorite thing is "driving." It makes us late basically every time we go anywhere, but she loves to sit in the driver's seat and demands that the music be turned on so she can car dance. It's hilarious. (And I'm afraid her moves are better than mine!)

And I think this video, from weekend hangout time with the new travel bed, is priceless. Both kids loved it- and Finley informed me she was "crazy!" I couldn't stop laughing. 

And seriously, $35 at WalMart. I highly recommend this purchase.