More Thomas Pictures

Here are a few more pictures from our recent trip to see Thomas.

Taking a ride on Thomas.

Sir Topham Hatt was there too!

Thomas Comes to Town

This weekend we went to see Thomas the Tank Engine. He came through Blowing Rock, NC and we made the trip to see him. It was very exciting to see a real life Thomas and we even got to ride on him. Ben and Elise got to play with trains, get Thomas tattoos, ride a merry-go-round and even met Sir Topham Hatt! It was quite an eventful day. We then grabbed some lunch and ice cream in Blowing Rock and headed home with two very tired little ones.

While I remembered to charge the video camera's battery, I neglected to notice that our regular camera's battery was dead. So, here are a few pictures that we purchased and I hope to add more that Michael and Jeanine took. So, stay tuned...

Erica, Jeff, Ben, Michael (aka Cockles), Elise (aka Ehweees) & Jeanine (aka Nini)

Two More Weeks

I'm scheduled to have baby #2 two weeks from today. I don't feel like we're quite prepared since moving into our new house has been quite time consuming! However, we're excited about her arrival. I went to the doctor yesterday and found out that between last week and this one she has completely turned herself around and is now breech. I don't see how there is room in there for her to have done that, but she still managed it. Here are a few pictures from our 4D ultrasound that we did back in late April.

That's a hand up by her face. Umbilical cord down by her chin.

The dark spot on her head isn't hair, it's where she was pressed against my uterus.

In other news, once we get things in our new house organized I will post some pictures of it. We've had some requests to do so, but it's in no shape for photographs quite yet!

OBX

We headed to the Outer Banks for a week with the Wilsons and Wenstrups. It was nice to get away for a while and it was our first vacation with friends and their children. Ben had a great time with Elise, Courtney and Reagan. I have to admit, it was hard work chasing after four kiddos (especially being 33 weeks pregnant), but it was nice to be doing it with friends!

Here are some pictures from our trip. We stayed in a house in Duck, NC, which was a great vacation spot. Hopefully we can do it again next year.

Jeanine, Elise & Ben checking out the hammock.

Enjoying some oatmeal together.

Ben, Elise, Jeff, Courtney, Brian & Reagan awake earlier than they should have been on vacation!

Quality time in the Barney-viewing room.

Taking a nature stroll. Ben was hoping to see monkeys and elephants, but he had to settle for some birds and a snake.

Mommy & Ben

Field trip to the Wright Brothers memorial.

At the aquarium waiting for the divers to enter the shark tank.

Celebrating Reagan's 2nd birthday.

Chicago

This past weekend we flew to Chicago so Ben could visit his Aunt Anne. We figured we better get a trip in before his sister arrives in June. We got lots of "Oh woahs" in the airport because of the airplanes, escalators and other random things that toddlers find fascinating. He was a wonderful traveler and on the flight home slept from runway to runway, which was very relaxing for daddy and me.

We had a great trip and nice weather for most of the trip. When we arrived we went to brunch and then to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Ben loved the zoo, especially the monkey house. I guess we've never been to a zoo that has a big monkey exhibit and he was crazy about them.

The low point of the weekend was our trip to the Rainforest Cafe. We thought he would enjoy the ambience there, but instead he was terrified. He kept crying and saying "out, out." So, I took him outside and everyone else had to shovel in their food and get out as fast as possible. He much preferred sitting outside on a bench watching buses and cabs go by. He and I finished our lunch outside. We laughed all weekend about the fact we went there specifically for him and he hated it, as well as the fact there was a table full of adults eating there with no child! We said he owed us a decent lunch somewhere!

On Sunday we went to the Children's Museum and he enjoyed that quite a bit as well. There was a train display that he gravitated toward, but he also enjoyed a maze and a grocery store exhibit. He put about 100 milk jugs in his cart, which wasn't too surprising since he lives on milk.

Here are a few pics from the zoo. I didn't take my camera so these are from Anne's camera. I wasn't able to download any more while we were up there so these will have to do!

I forgot to mention the carousel at the zoo was a big hit as well!

Springtime

Despite the many rainy days and allergies, spring has been quite enjoyable. We've had lots of visits from family, several birthday parties and some easter egg hunts. Ben is starting to say more and more words (or "mo" words as he would say), which is fun for us. He mixes using words with signs and is usually able to get his point across. For example, when he wakes up at 5 a.m. (an unfortunate habit lately) and immediately signs "train" and says "please" I know he wants to go downstairs and play with trains - a request that is denied.

His favorite activities these days are 1) playing with his Thomas train set; 2) asking for new trains (something that he is usually granted when grandparents are in town); 3) playing with Elise; 4) watching Thomas on t.v. and 5) rough-housing with Daddy.

Here are some recent pictures. I begrudgingly added a picture of my very pregnant self. I know someday I'll be happy to look back on this and see what I looked like. At the moment happiness is not the primary feeling I have while looking at pictures of myself! :) The others are misc. pics of things that have been going on around here.

Enjoying some swinging before the Easter egg hunt begins.

Ben and Elise getting to stay up late and play. They are quite proud of themselves for climbing on top of the bookshelf of toys. Surely Ben learned this from Elise since she is such an accomplished climber.

Kissing (biting?) Elise on her tummy.

Ben & Mommy - I think I'm 27 weeks pregnant in this photo.

Easter Egg Hunt #2

Clapping after a successful hunt!

Winter Fun

After the big birthday party we haven't had too much going. This winter Ben and Elise took a Music Together class on Saturday mornings. Otherwise we've been in our usual routine and just waiting for spring to arrive. We've also been working on a new project - Ben's new bedroom. Pictures of that coming soon! Until then, here are a few pictures of recent happenings in the Fritsche household.

Dancing with scarves at Music Together.

Ben and Elise selecting the perfect instrument.

Listening to Miss Reeve sing a lullaby. This is usually the part of the class where Ben breaks into tears. For some reason the lullaby and good-bye songs really had an effect on him. On this particular day he managed his emotions a little better.

Chris Stormer and Josh Habegger came to town for business and paid us a visit. Chris even read a Thomas book to Ben and they became fast friends.

Jackson came for the Academy Awards and Amy came to play trains. Oops, I got that mixed up - it was the other way around.

On March 1st Charlotte got around 6" of snow, which was quite a surprise! It didn't last very long, but it was really pretty coming down. We continued with our grilling plans even though the conditions weren't the best. Jeff braved the snow for us.

The next morning Ben did some "sledding" on our makeshift sled - a plastic Crate & Barrel bag.

Reading some books with Grandpa.