Jim's Bday, and a visit from Kelly and Carter!

This weekend we had a fun last minute visit from Aunt Kelly and Cousin Carter! Jim turned 32 on Saturday and we packed a lot of fun into the time they were here and had a great time together! On Saturday morning, we went to Pullen Park- a 20 min drive- that has an awesome playground as well as some amusement rides that cost $1 each. This beautiful indoor carousel was thrilling for the kids, it was so cute! Michael was barely tall enough to ride by himself.

Nicole said when she saw this picture "I was laughing it was so fun!"

Jacob was just happy to sit on the horse and had no idea it would actually move. He loved it!

The park has an old train car to play in. Because Nicole is reading the Boxcar Children, it was fun for her to see a real train car.

A favorite of the day was the train ride! The park has 66 acres and the train went around a lake and through some woods as well as some "train crossings" where they blew the train whistle. The joy and excitement on the kids faces was so much fun to see.

The first crossing! They are on the far left.

Coming to the woods! The train was so fun and perfect for this age. Not too long or fancy, but still a "train" and cheap too :-)

There were climbing toys for all ages and Nicole and Carter were like Spiderman all over the park.

Michael made it partially through this one before realizing he didn't want to go face down (and didn't realize he could turn around). Jim rescued him and he ran off to the next adventure!

Jacob trying out his own Spiderman moves.

There were three big sandboxes and we spent a lot of time in that area!

The coolest climbing toy! It was constructed so well that you really can't climb to the top unless you are tall enough and strong enough. Michael REALLY wanted to climb but just couldn't get high enough. Nicole couldn't either but they had fun trying!

After naptime we drove the 20 minutes to Marbles, a children's museum/play place. They've changed it a lot since I was last there and it was fun to see the kids have such a blast! Michael is bringing a bucket of balls up the stairs to drop in the chute you see circling everything...

And when there are enough balls in the pig they fall down on the kids below! Michael especially was intent on filling his bucket and taking it up again and again. When he is set on something he really goes for it!

Nicole and Carter played in the hockey rink for a while, sliding around in their socks and trying to make a goal!

Jacob is forever and always the ball man. He was fixated on the soccer and basketball areas. Michael couldn't get enough of the racecars they had (you put together your own car and then race it down tracks much like the scouts do; the cars are made of plastic attachements, not wood, though). Michael LOVED racing it so much that he and Jim stayed there until Jim got bored and made Michael come find us, so I didn't get any pictures of that.

Jacob was determined to make a basket, but was unfortunately shooting at a hoop too high for him. Eventually I saw him make a shot at the smaller hoop on the left.

Nicole tried flips on the gymnastic rings.

Jacob learning the art of dunking from a friend with an awesome fro.

There is an old mini-schoolbus and Jacob had to try the steering wheel out!

The splash area was a big hit, Nicole and Carter are standing by some mini replicas of NC lighthouses. They had a lot of fun exploring the place together and were great friends.

Jacob in the submarine! The buttons make loud noises and really surprised him at first!

Probably my favorite part, this pirate ship has a hammock, anchor, telescope, plank, along with dressup clothes and other fun. Nicole got all of the kids playing a game and at one point had a kid tied up by the mast and was running all over completely immersed in their pretend play. A kids dream ship!

Jim and Kelly went kayaking (and Jim paddled around on his surfboard) at Jordan Lake for some good time together. It was such a treat to have her and Carter here! On Sunday we took some pictures at the temple.

Carter is a lot of fun, and the kids really loved having him to play with!

Our family at the temple, baby #4 soon to be here! She's due June 21st, so were less than two months from meeting her!

Nicole playing the piano

Nicole is about to finish her primer level piano series this next week and is pretty excited about her prize: a stuffed chihuahua dog she has named "Spot-watch." She really wanted to show Grandma some of her songs. So, without further adeiu, may I present "Indian Dance" and "Baby Skunk." http://delbifamily.blogspot.com

Some Costa Rica and Tadpole

Jim is in Costa Rica this week surfing with his brother Luke and some associates. He has sent some pics from his iPhone, and I'm not sure of names of flowers and everything but here they are.

They are renting a little house at the beach with a pretty garden and pool.

Jim: "Most amazing wave ever. Wraps around the big bluff point into a bay. It's called boca barranca. It is a point that the waves wrap around. This the one with the crocodile river you swim across
I caught the best waves of my entire life. They were about as big as the place we have been going to but they are big and slow moving so you don't get pounded if you make a mistake or get caught inside the impact area. I rode several waves a 100 yards or more. This is a world class wave!  You can ride it a half mile on a good day. I kicked out of a couple so I would not have the monster paddle back to the line up. The other great thing is after a wave comes you paddle straight and you don't have to fight any waves. The waves wrap around the point so you avoid getting pounded like a beach break. It only works with no wind and the tide from low to high. It was incredible and made the whole trip worth it."

Jim wrote "I have been eyeing these"

Jim's been after the huge iguana by the pool. See it just below the chair?

Wild toucan

Jim and Luke

Crocodile river crossing.

At home we're having lots of adventures too. Nicole and Michael found some tadpoles in the muddy water that collects in the rock-filled water drain-type area (it's safe for them) in a corner of our backyard. That muddy place is their favorite place to play, of course!

Coloring Eggs and Paradise

The kids had a blast coloring their eggs! Mom got us a "mess-free" set where the kids put gloves on and smooth the gel on the eggs. Worked fairly well (for those who kept the gloves on: Nicole) and the kids really enjoyed the experience!

We were all set to go to the beach on Saturday, but decided to go to a different beach so I wouldn't have to endure the 2 hours of driving each way.

At the beach! The lake beach, that is. The kids didn't even notice the difference beyond Nicole correcting us that it was the lake not the ocean. Shovels, trucks, and pails with sand and water are such a magic combination. Best part of all is the 10 minute drive!

Michael was in total heaven running in and out of the water to bring buckets of water to Nicole as she dug a hole. That grin was permanently on his face the whole time we were at the beach. Definitely a Del Bianco!

 The lake water is still chilly, but Nicole was swimming around having a ball! All of the kids were completely happy the whole time. I think the beach is the ideal family spot for us- especially since I could just sit my big prego self in a lawn chair and relax.

 Loading the dump truck together! My favorite is way in the distance you can see the cloud from the nuclear power plant. Lovely :-)

All my sweethearts playing happily for hours. Paradise!

Frogfest

 At a nearby park they had a Frogfest! We drove down in between General Conference sessions and they got a lot of wiggles out! Michael really loved this frog and tried putting his hand in the "mouth," I hope he didn't poke the guy's eye!

 They had week-old ducks to look at and Nicole really liked watching them drink water. Michael, on the other hand, wanted a more tactile experience so he had to go somewhere else.

 The kids made seed necklaces (a moist cotton ball with seeds on it and then put in a plastic bag that has a yarn necklace through it). Quite a hit, although we found Jacob chewing his on the way home, yuck!

 Albino black rat snake. The guy said it took a long time to tame this snake. And then Michael puts his hand right in front of the mouth hoping to get a lick like a dog would give. He got a nice slithery tongue, and I was glad the snake didn't go for a bite. We tried watching him more closely after that. They had some poisionous snakes too in fairly flimsy aquariums, and the lids were held down with duct tape and a handwritten "venemous" sign, so I was sure Michael needed to be kept far from those!

 They had a frog dig at one of the booths and the kids spent a LONG time digging for plastic frogs until we saw a yellow jacket that was obsessed with the dirt pile too. Michael wanted to cover it with dirt despite our warnings, so we moved on :-)

 The frog throw! We had to stay fairly point blank range, except for Nicole, but it was still a big hit.

 The end of the obstacle course had a frog hop! It took a few tries, but both Nicole and Michael enjoyed that part.

 Starting the obstacle course!

 Petting a turtle, although the kids really wanted to hold the turtle instead!

 Corn snake! The kids weren't afraid at all and the handler was really nice to show them how to handle the snake.

 Nicole was eager to touch the snake!

 Tadpoles, frogs and toads were at this exhibit. They also had different materials the kids could use to make various frog sounds.

Displaying their fine rabbit ears from Grandma! They've kept these headbands with them for days!