March 2019

The biggest excitement of March was Milton's 2nd birthday. He got a lot of birthday presents that Owen seems to be claiming. Owen did have to teach Milton how to blow out the birthday candles.  Milton is doing so wonderfully and is becoming much happier than his earlier months. He had his checkup appointment and is growing well and is all-around healthy.  Milton will occasionally need a nap sometimes even falling asleep in the middle of a pile of his toys when playing down in the basement.  His giggle is such a delight. We spend most mornings at my moms house while Owen is in school and Milton loves being my little helper.  Tape measures and flashlights are his favored tools. His speech is beginning to blossom and his speech therapy lady is impressed at the progress he makes each week.  He will repeat most of what we would say to him.  I finally discovered the true trick with getting Milton to talk is to ask Owen to say the word.  Milton thinks Owen is the coolest person ever and will do whatever Owen wants to do. Owen is continuing to excel in his class and this month they had their performance where they danced to the song "You're welcome" from Moana.  Owen was an all-star dancer.  He is doing better on his blue bike.  Still timid when going down hills which is a surprise to me since he will go blasting down the hills on his red balance bike.  Damon went to Monterrey for a week for his EMBA which yielded not the finest of weeks for me, but we were able to still do fun things like meeting up with our friends from down the street at the Air & Space Museum in Virginia. We also went to a concert for kids at the Strathmore mansion with Otto, Rory and Abby to see jazz musicians.  Owen volunteered to try "scatting".  Owen loves music.  If we would have stayed in Maryland, Owen and Ethan would be in kindergarten together. Otto and Rory spent the weekend with my mom since Colton and Adrienne went on a weekend away with Abigail.  We all went on a nature hike where all the boys had a blast wandering around in the woods with their adorable backpacks. The boys all play so well together.  Owen, Milton, and I like to go to Wendy's after playing at the playground at Owen's school.  The drive through guy recognizes us and always says hi.

Oxon Hill Farm, Maryland

The Oxon Hill Farm includes the Mount Welby home, Farm Museum, barns, a stable, feed building, livestock buildings and a visitor activity barn. Farm animals include cows, horses, sheep and chickens. Also the occasional herd of deer. The 2-story Mount Welby home was built between 1807 and 1811. We were able to go inside the house and Owen’s favorite part was the big hat he could wear. Milton’s favorite part was all the puddles.  The three rangers at the farm tend all the animals as well as tend the bookstore and house. From the 1890s to 1950s, under the ownership of St. Elizabeth's Hospital, the site was used as a therapeutic treatment center for the mentally ill. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. The farm is right next to 495 and almost hard to get to with all the highway ramps. We went to lunch at the National Harbor just a few minutes south of the farm. Owen had fun photographing his meal.

Strasburg, Pennsylvania

This weekend we drove up to Strasburg, Pennsylvania. The heart of Amish country and trains. We were able to go on a real steam train ride and then go to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. We had lunch in a caboose that was turned into a restaurant. The best part of the weekend was meeting up with Kory and the girls for the train ride. We rode on the train line by the Strasburg Railroad and around the train tracks are some awesome toy stores. For our boys’ interest, this was the best toy store we have visited. It took a lot of time to just pick out one toy! We got a few more pieces of track for our wood train set too. Our steam train was built in 1910 for the Canadian National Railway and then the Green Mountain Railroad in New Hampshire. In 1972 the train moved over to the Strasburg Rail Road. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania houses one of the most significant collections of historic railroad artifacts in the world. There are over 100 locomotives and cars from the mid-19th and 20th centuries. Several of the cars and locomotives you can go inside and play with the levers. Owen was in heaven. Milton liked walking around all the platforms. We tried to go to an Amish quilt store on Monday, but they were all closed. I am very intrigued to know how much they sell their quilts for. From my experience, just the fabric and batting is several hundred dollars!

Massanutten Resort, Virginia - 2019

Damon got another long PRT leave weekend and we went to the Massanutten water park again.  Last time we went was in 2017 when I was pregnant with Milton.  Owen was so happy to be playing at the water park again.  This time he did all the big slides totally by himself.  Milton's spot was floating with his life jacket in the warm pool.  We were offered a hot deal for getting free waterpark tickets if we listened to some speaker.  That ended up being a full-court press to buy a timeshare at Massanutten.  The 'amazing' deal they were offering was a property that costs $35,000 they would offer to us for a mere $10,000.  We did end up getting our breakfast and 4 waterpark tickets so it ended up being worthwhile.  The park didn't open until 10 anyway so we had the morning to pass somehow.  We played all morning, got lunch at the yummy diner nearby, and then went back for a couple more hours at the park. The next day we went to the regular pool so the kids got a lot of water time! Damon took the kids to see the farm animals that they could buy food pellets to feed the animals.  The kids liked seeing the animals. Milton did not do well sleeping so we ended up driving back Sunday night taking the scenic route up Skyline Drive. It was a fun trip and then Owen didn't have to miss a day of school.

February 2019

This month we went to the Masanutten water park and the Lancaster train museum.  Both were very exciting.  The mom excitement for the Lancaster trip was that it was the final straw for me getting Milton to sleep on his own instead of having me sit in there with him forever and then wake up many times in the night.  I am very happy to say that he is now happily sleeping through the night, but after stories he will lay down in his bed and let me put the blanket over him.  Huge gold star for mom. Milton can now say ball, car, apple, bus, arm, and shake his head yes and no. His favorite words are apple and car.  Going through a parking lot takes a while. When we go to Fuddruckers, Milton loves the milkshakes.  Owen went to a birthday party for one of his classmates. Ian and Owen have been in the same class since they were 2. We went to the Natural History museum where Owen got to see the dinosaur bones. Milton liked climbing around the exhibits. At the end of the month Owen had his first piano lesson at Ayrlawn. He loves his “pino” at home and likes to play the demo song which he calls “J song”.  He has also started swim lessons at the YMCA that Damon takes him to on Tuesday evenings.  They don't have any daytime classes.  His class is only him and one other girl and he really is enjoying the class.  I was worried he wouldn't go in the pool, but he never ceases to surprise me.