Last Minute Fun

The final day (day five) with the Lopez's was spent cramming as many activities in as possible. In the morning, we visited the Natural History Museum. Claire's favorite part was looking at the butterflies and the wolf (behind the glass of course) as well as playing with the sand, which was a favorite among the other kids as well. Ethan on the other hand, saw this as an opportunity to practice his walking skills. He had Erik and I running after him the entire time.
 

The photo below is my favorite picture of him. It was a moment of stillness, which is probably why I like it. He seems to be pondering what might be the solution to all of the smog. (You can see it in the photo below the clouds - yuck!)

 

 

Once we finished at the museum, we went sledding one more time. I failed to mention in the last sledding post if I went down the hill at all; and the answer is 'no'. Since having my surgery just a month prior, I was instructed to be very cautious with activities that might injure my one remaining kidney. I'm sure nothing would have happened, but I was nervous of falling and getting hurt so I sat opted not to.

 

This second sledding excursion was a lot of fun (just not for me or Ethan). At this point, Ethan was so tired (he had missed many naps and gone to bed late almost every night) that all he did was cry if I wasn't holding him. I tried my best to keep him happy so that Claire could enjoy spending the last few hours with her cousins. She went down the hill as many times as she could before I told her it was time to go.

 

 

 

While Claire was having some last minute fun, I immediately put Ethan down for a nap. She enjoyed one more time in the hot tub and a game of Sorry with Kayla. A couple of hours later, we finally called it a night and said our dreaded goodbyes. Claire was so sad that everyone was leaving (as was I). Family time is the best! As we drove away, we made a quick stop at a neighbors house that had an amazing show of Christmas lights put to music. It was the perfect way to end the holiday season.