Spring Break 2017

This winter has not really been much of a winter at all.  It hasn't really gotten very cold & we've had very little snow & ice.

That doesn't mean we weren't ready for spring break though. I took off the first 3 days of the week.  Which meant Jenny & I were back at finding day trips to occupy 5 kids under the age of 7.  Day 1 we decided to take the kids to Pawhuska to the Pioneer Woman's Mercantile.

We naively thought we would get there, meander through the store, run up to the bakery/deli & grab some food & head on our merry way.

Shows what we know - we got there & it was a 1 1/2 hour wait to get in the store & a 4 hour wait for the restaraunt.  On top of that the Oklahoma weather had decided to dress up as winter that day so it was blowing cold.  We'd come so far though so we decided we'd take turns waiting in line while the other one stayed in the car with the kids.

Thus a little over an hour and half & about 40 petty small child arguments in the car later we made it to the door.

Yay! Until we get inside & realize it's another hour wait to get into the deli/bakery & then come to the knowledge that we have brought 3 antsy children & 2 babies into a crowded store full of breakables.

We meandered around for a little while & knew there was no way we'd be able to wait to go up to the bakery/deli with our crew so we loaded everyone up in the car & pulled into Sonic before we ventured home.

Spring break activities also included sleepovers.

First night at Nenny's.

It's hard to be the babies and get left out of the big kid activities

If it's any consolation Nenny used the kids to help clean the next morning so it wasn't ALL fun & games ;)

Night 2 was at our house & by this time you'd hope exhaustion was setting in & we'd have early bedtime but you'd be wrong.

It was after 11 before every one was down for the night & everyone was up for the next day's fun by 7.

Day 2 took us to the zoo.

While we have had an unseasonably warm winter per the norm for spring break it was cold the first few days. Of course this just so happened to be the days I took off to be with the kids. Hence the winter coats & hats for everyone on zoo day.

Apparently this girl wasn't a fan of the hippos or maybe it was just being inside the muggy pachyderm exhibit.  There also is a strong possibility that this is her true feelings when her mom tells her "you're having fun!"

This guy was loving every minute of it and the girls really seemed to enjoy themselves too.

The little girls were fascinated by the seals.

They could have stood & watched this one swim past them for hours. Until Emmie remembered her job of guarding the snack bag.

Speaking of jobs this guy apparently felt like it was his job to get a picture with every animal statue he found.

By mid-afternoon we had lots of complaints of tired feet & only a small wagon to pull a couple of our crew in at a time so we packed up & headed home.

Wednesday we stayed at home and enjoyed not having to follow any type of schedule.  In all honesty this is probably an accurate description of that day.

Yeah I try to be that laid-back-cool-as-a-cucumber-mom but unfortunately that is not me.  

Thursday the kids spent the day at Nenny's where they were able to create their own parade.

Life on easy street

A day at Nenny's is always enjoyed by all

Friday was my half day and another day of play & celebrating the fact no school lunch had to be scrounged together.

As is generally the case Spring Break was a good time & made us all so ready for the relaxed pace of summer.

Besties

So when you are born 3 1/2 months apart,

you live within walking distance of each other,

your moms are sisters,

and you spend your days together at the babysitter,

you become best friends

without any effort at all. 

Like all best friends

you know your pal isn't perfect

and you are okay with that knowing neither are you,

because having a sweet bestie to share your adventures with

makes everything better.

'Merica

Philip participated in Annie's school Veteran's Day Program & she couldn't have been prouder.

Additionally in the month of November we elected a new president in what ended up being a shocking win.  These two got a front row seat watching the actual voting process - & they had the stickers to prove it.

Some of our choices won that day, some did not but what a privilege to be able to put our 2 cents in because of the people like Philip who were willing to serve. 

God Bless the USA.

End of school, life before Lily

Annie wrapped up Kindergarten this year.  She did well & mastered all the tasks she was suppose to & most importantly she had a great year.

I went with her to her end of year zoo field trip - it was fun & a good way to spend some time together before Lily came.

We walked around with her little pal Taylor & they laughed & posed a lot.

The amount of walking at 8 1/2 months pregnant when it's hot was a little tiring but she was sweet & took breaks with me.

This guy missed the trip but we didn't come home empty handed

The end of school brought with it warm weather & the fun associated with being outside more

We had a visit to Sayre where Denver worked on his driving skills

Annie had her end of year recital.  She did tap this year & she was awesome.

Then there was the last day of school that was so welcome but also brought that feeling of where did the time go with it.

Philip's birthday was celebrated during the time too with an ice cream cake the kids picked out

Denver is a big fan of cake 

May was full of activities & flew by pretty quickly like it always does. It didn't matter though, we were ready for summer & the break from so much structure & routine that we were overjoyed when June came calling.