FIN.

(my test is over that is)

Thanks to everyone that prayed, fasted, helped me study, watched Caleb, taught me chemistry over the phone. I'm glad it's over. I think I did fine.

Ohio 2

These next two posts really should be one...but somehow I couldn't figure out how to get all the pictures onto one post.

So, this might be an overload of pictures and fun, but here's the run down: The previous post is the drive to Kentucky with the beginnings of Gwen, Caleb and COSI.

This post is the rest of COSI, the zoo, and an awesome video!

We'll start with this picture: At COSI, they had this special section for kids under 5: just perfect my little 9 month old! He LOVES water and got a kick out of this water station where he could bang things together and see the water fly all around him. They even had a rain coat he could wear (it didn't help much). Aunt Elisa is also pictured helping him enjoy the cool water.

So, here's the zoo. It's a really good zoo in Columbus, like in the top 2 in the country. Very cool. And to add to the fun, it was raining! yay! It really wasn't that bad, and overall we had a lot of fun! Caleb decided he wanted to eat like a horse that day, so we were stopping all the time to eat. He ate ALL the snacks I had brought him! I even bought him a hot dog...and he ate that too! This is all after eating the leftovers of rice, chicken, and broccoli...and before eating half of my pizza slice at dinner!

As you can see, he made a friend while at the zoo. Oh, this also show how excited he gets about fish (this is important). If you look at the top left picture, he's looking the aquarium at Elisa's apartment. Then the top right is him smiling because he's so excited by them.

Will he be a swimmer? I don't know...


And this is why it's important that Caleb likes fish: while at the zoo, we went to the aquarium. A warm, dark place. Perfect. He went crazy!! He wanted to get as close to the fish as he could: that's why his face disappears in some of the pictures: because of how dark it was, the flash made him become part of the glass. It was really neat.

And I loved hearing him jabber, so I took a video of it. Enjoy!

Ohio 1: Picture Overload!

On our way to Ohio, we drove through Pennsylvania and stayed at a hotel: our first one, as I mentioned before. And the drive was VERY pretty.

Gwen and Caleb sure had fun together. Gwen was a bit faster and more advanced than Caleb, but he sure had fun chasing after her.

Okay, so this is the first bit of COSI (Center of Science and Industry). It was AWESOME! so cool. Here we've got a picture of this drum, that when you hold the handle it bangs the drum in beat to your own heart beat. Caleb's was really fast and it got faster when it started going. And this was even before we paid and got INTO the actual building. way cool!

Also, the DO-RE-MI thing is a musical pad (again, with the music) that plays the tones when you jump on them. Caleb wasn't heavy enough, so I held him and danced and he got a kick out of that.
Then, there's this water spitting thing that he had fun with. He kept trying to catch the water (again, he likes water).

And this is a collection of more of the KidSpace in COSI. Caleb had fun with the mirror, and these purple balls that balanced over blowing air thoroughly entertained him. You can see it blowing his hair. He would have stayed here all day, but I wanted him to try out some of the other things...so we found a color wheel, and then he didn't care for the color blocks at all.

And that was the first part of our trip (second half is the post above this).

Playing at the Park

Before we went to Kentucky/Ohio, Caleb and I took a trip to the park. It's a short walk and so much for him to explore and play with. Plus, it's a nice little break out of the house with a destination...and it's free!


He loves to play the piano at home, and he loves music in general. We sing to him every night and when ever he's helping me clean in my room, I always put on a CD for us to listen to. We even dance sometimes! So, these musically inclined pipes at the park were a sure hit with him! He loved to clang them and hear them vibrate. And then I went to the other side and he got a kick out of seeing me over there! haha

It was his first time in a swing (sorry I did it without you, Justin.). He enjoyed swinging out and swinging towards me..I think seeing my face get huge like that would be entertaining to anybody! He looks really funny in this picture...

"I'm from Kentucky...and You ain't!"

Okay, so neither one of us is from Kentucky, but it's a song someone sang at a Christmas talent show years ago when we were single. And it stuck.

This post is to catch ya up on what we've been doing, with particular high lights about dental school visits.

Last Thursday we started our drive out to Ohio/Kentucky. We stayed in a hotel Thursday night because we wanted to ease Caleb into the driving...plus it was fun! It was Caleb's first hotel night...first night away from home, really. And he was GREAT! He slept nearly all day (he'd been sleep-deprived) and then slept all night. It was so wonderful to sleep in! Friday we resumed driving and got to Elisa and Eric's around 7p.m. It's only a 12 hour drive, but with lots of stop for the baby, it makes for a very long day.

So. Saturday and Sunday were recoup days (Elisa, Gwen, Caleb and I went to COSI on Saturday and the zoo on Tuesday...but those'll be another post).

On Monday, we got up super early and drove down to Louisville, KY (3 1/2 hours). We didn't count on a) traffic in Cincinnati and b) car accident, so we were really stressed for time. Luckily, after verbal and non-verbal prayers, we accomplished an almost 2 hour leg of the journey in 45 minutes. Yeah. Go Justin! haha...and we found the school with no problem, accomplished diaper changes and potty trips without any hassle, made it to the room only to find---- we weren't the last ones! We were only about 10 minutes late and the Louisville school was so welcoming, understanding, and just overall inviting. They loved Caleb and we think we scored points with them by bringing him (and me?).

So, Louisville.
It's our top choice. We just feel so good about the school, the people, the area is beautiful...and being there made me feel so hopeful and confident about what we'll be presenting in our application. I feel so giddy when I think about going here for 4 years! (or more?)

Next. We had to book it out of Louisville because 1 1/2 hours away we had another meeting at University of Kentucky in Lexington. The drive was also stressful...and we ended up being about 30 minutes late but they TOO were very understanding. We got a tour of the school and relaxed and ate lunch.

We drove around a bit to get a feel for the city, then headed back to Columbus. I think we got in about 8:30. Again, a long day of driving.

Wednesday we drove home. All day. 15 hours in the car, including stops. It was long, but it was so good to be home. And Caleb slept so well. Overall, it was a very successful, if not hurried, trip.

Now, what, you ask? Well, Justin takes the DAT this Saturday. Pray for him. We are nervous, but excited. Justin's been studying VERY hard and has improved on his scores. So, we hope things go well this weekend.

Pictures and FUN stuff with Caleb and Gwen to come!