New Years Eve and more trains

I am always on the lookout for indoor things with trains in the wintertime. This train display was in a conservatory in Silver Spring, MD. It was sort of like the Botanical Gardens, in that it was warm, indoors, and is a giant greenhouse. But this one was less crowded, and we were able to stay longer and just watch the trains. Oh, and there was PLENTY of parking!:)

A little stream in the conservatory
I took the picture of the waterfall for my Dad

Nicholas and Matthew

Watching trains

Ethan was captivated

They did such a great job with this. The detail was amazing, and all the plants are real, just dwarf-sized.

On New Years Eve we went to Falls Church City Center and played on all their inflatable toys. This was a race that Ethan did with his friends. I went through with him the first time, and it was a blast!

Ethan with his friend Lucy. We were trying to get them to hold hands.

Matthew is so great to help carry Nicko around.

Ethan having a ball in the moon bounce

Things finally feel manageable with two children. The 3-4 month mark is really amazing. I went to the grocery store with both of them by myself for the first time on Monday. It is amazing, now I feel like I can do anything!:) Nicholas has a regular bedtime and nap schedule, and can entertain himself for 15-20 minutes at a time, and is so happy to just watch Ethan play. Ethan is even starting to play by himself, isn't throwing as many fits, and is finally sleeping in! We decided to give the "ok to wake" clock another try. We set it to turn green at 6am, and if Ethan stayed in his room until then, he got a sticker on his chart. After 5 stickers, he gets a little dollar toy. We were super sneaky and moved the clock 5 minutes later every couple of days until is was 6:30. For the past 2 weeks, he stays in his room until then. It has been great! It didn't work this morning, but overall, it has been a success!