Brotherly Love

Last weekend we took a quick trip to one of our favorite cities, Philadelphia, for a multipurpose mission.  And when I say it was a "mission" I mean it-- I am not a fan of sitting in traffic on I-95 in the snow.  The car was packed and ready to go on Friday night, and we left before the sun came up on Saturday morning.  It was a true "Mangosing Express".  I squeezed my chubby ass into the back seat so I could read, feed, and entertain the little monsters.

 

Our first stop was the Please Touch Museum, where the boys got a gift certificate from Farmor this past Christmas. We lack a decent childrens in the DC area, and for all the museums we have here, there aren't many where touching is actually encouraged.  The boys probably spent most of their time in the transportation themed section.

 Now that Magnus is full on walking, he got to enjoy all the attractions in his own way.  Sitting in the stroller is so last month.

 

 The museum had a beautifully restored antique carousel, which we rode twice.  After lunch I took Magnus on a walk outside so that he could nap while Linus continued to rip around.  We stayed as long as we could, but alas we had to leave so we could check into our rental apartment then head over to the big event of the day: Fiona's 2nd birthday party.

After settling into our apartment we strolled down South Street on our way to the Philly Kids Gym, where the party was.  Philly really is one of our favorite cities in this country.  Yeah the parking situation is ridiculous, and yes it is kinda dirty, but it is also funky and hip and full of art.  Here's a good picture of me hauling ass (3 total, in fact) and a couple examples of the tile mosaics we love so much.

 

Don't you dare block the box! If Mattias were a politician, this would be his mantra.  Forget about all the arguments about flat taxes and bailouts...

We got to the kids gym in good time and the kids didn't waste any time.  The entire place was padded and filled with things Linus could jump on, and you know how much I love to show off my trampoline skills.

After burning off a lot of energy we all stopped to honor sweet little Fiona.  Linus loved sitting next to her and eating cake, but ran off quickly thereafter for more ripping around.  They should rename that place the "Philly Kids Insane Asylum" because the kids get sooooo crazy.

We went over to Fiona's house after wards for a little quality time with the Wohlgemuth family.  Given our action packed day we were lucky the kids didn't simultaneously melt down when the clock struck 8.  We walked around the corner to our cozy apartment, put the kids to bed, and then Mattias and I watched a movie on his computer with headphones.  So romantic. 

Both kids slept well and genuinely enjoyed spending the night in a different place.  Linus was fascinated by the idea of us "borrowing" an apartment from someone, and he asked "Is he going to sleep in our house tonight?" like it was a swap.  After getting packed up we went back to Fiona's for brunch, before making the drive home.

If you ever think you're having a bad day, think of the dude who was driving this Lexus.  We caught a glimpse of this accident on the way home in DC.  Sucks to be that guy.

It took us all of last week to recover from that trip, but the abscence of winter weather drove us to more activity this weekend.  We dusted off our bikes, loaded up the childrens, and biked 7 miles around Arlington.

That's 55lbs of Karlsson boys in that carriage!  Mattias said "I'm too old for this $h*t!" at the halfway point.  Linus screamed "Faster pappa!" and "He's touching me!" the entire way home.  Not sure if we have more cycling in our immediate future...

Believe it or not, life is remarkably easier with 2 kids versus just one.  We do have to do more laundry/dishes/refereeing, but for the most part the boys hang out together.  And now that Magnus is mobile and communicating, we are getting a better idea of what the Linus-Magnus dynamic will look like in the future.  And here's our prediction: 1) Linus will be fiercely protective of his lillebror,  2) Magnus will thoroughly enjoy annoying/tormenting storbror, 3) Linus will be incredibly sensitive to lillebror's torture tactics, but 4) in the end they will be very, very close friends.

Retreat

A couple of weeks ago, after our bout with stomach flu and a few rough days at home with a willful know-it-all toddler, I became a flight risk.  I daydreamed of exotic beach vacations in Central America, even going so far as to browse travel sites.  Did it have something to do with my (self diagnosed) seasonal affective disorder?   I was antsy and restless, and literally at my breaking point.  Cue my Fairy Godmother (a.k.a Kerstin), who graciously offered to take the kids overnight for the weekend so that Mattias and I could do something just for us.

We felt kinda guilty.  I mean, the boys did sleep over at their place the weekend before.  I didn't feel like I even had the right to feel antsy, given my time away from home while at work, and all the additional support we get.  After some thought, we realized that (almost) everything we do is for the kids.  They are constantly at museums, playgrounds, cultural (and not-so-cultural) events, making crafts, and playing make believe.  When we are with them, we are really with them and being present in the moment.  And all that being "present" can drive you a bit crazy.  When you wage the war of parenthood, sometimes you win, but a lot of times you lose your sanity.  We didn't need to surrender, but we needed to retreat.

After some quick research we decided on a trip Gettysburg, PA.  We wanted to do something that the kids wouldn't appreciate, something that we wouldn't be able to enjoy fully if they were with us.  So we found a quaint little cottage right outside of town and travelled 2 hours north in the first serious snow this winter.

After resting a little bit we head out to the Gettysburg Visitor Center, which houses an impressive collection of artifacts, and a fantastic exhibit that covered the Civil War and exacting details of the Battle of Gettysburg.  Upstairs there is a cylindrical mural set above a diorama, aptly named the Cyclorama, depicting Pickett's Charge.

Before heading inside I payed my respects to President Lincoln.

My favorite part of the museum was the section on Civil War medicine.  For all you folks complaining about our current health care situation, just be happy we live in a time of antibiotics, sterile surgical instruments, and fast acting pain killers.  Just looking at the instruments they used for amputations made me gag.

After getting a nice overview of the importance and events of the famous battle, we went for a sunset drive around the battlefile.  Below are the Penssylvania Monument, and the areas near the "High Water Mark" (the northernmost position of the Confederate Army on Union soil). 

There were so many monuments, it's amazing to thing that each represented just a few of the 50,000 people that died in those 3 days of battle.  I was especially touched by the soldier below, with a single icesicle at the tip of his musket. 

We then went into the historic downtown area.  Mattias is standing in front of where President Lincoln put the finishing touches on his Gettysburg Address.

There were a couple of cute business that could only survive in a place where Civil War reenactments took place.

The following morning was spent watching a rom-com (romantic comedy) in bed, after being served breakfast by our wonderful innkeeper.  There were a few stops left on our battlefield tour, so we stopped at the spot where Pickett's Charge began, on the Confederate side of the battlefield.  We took a few moments to contemplate the bravery of all of those men marching across an open field in heavy fire.  It made me think of people everywhere, who believe in a cause so much they are willing to die for it.  It made me think, in the long run, who's to say who's "right"?  We feel like the country is divided now, think of how divided it was then.

In my everyday life, my internal dialogue revolves around feeding & wrangling the kids, maintaining my personal hygiene at minimally acceptable standards, and convincing myself to exercise more often.  It was nice to contemplate such a big moment in our country's history, and just goof off with my favorite partner in crime.