Showing posts with label Fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fun. Show all posts

2017/03/30

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.

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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.
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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.
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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.
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Spring break activities also included sleepovers.
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First night at Nenny's.
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It's hard to be the babies and get left out of the big kid activities
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If it's any consolation Nenny used the kids to help clean the next morning so it wasn't ALL fun & games ;)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!"
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This guy was loving every minute of it and the girls really seemed to enjoy themselves too.
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The little girls were fascinated by the seals.
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They could have stood & watched this one swim past them for hours. Until Emmie remembered her job of guarding the snack bag.
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Speaking of jobs this guy apparently felt like it was his job to get a picture with every animal statue he found.
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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.
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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.
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Life on easy street
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A day at Nenny's is always enjoyed by all
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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.

2016/08/18

Summer Daze

No that's not a misspelling...having been on maternity leave & having a newborn has made the days of this summer kinda blend together (much like this post) into one big mosaic of fun.
(Dressed for the Little Britches rodeo).
While I have thoroughly enjoyed this special time being at home I will admit it has been challenging learning how to manage & keep three kids realitively content day in & out.
I've also had to keep up with some patient needs while being off & with a newborn that hasn't been the easiest task.
But luckily I've had this girl around to help me out
Seriously if I hadn't had Annie around to hold, calm, & in general watch over Lily throughout the day our house would've fallen down around our ears, we'd have never eaten or had clean clothes.
She's been a lifesaver, and has never once complained.
This guy on the other hand...
well, he tries.
We've had lots of day trips with Jenny & her girls
Which means we've taken a mini van with a 6 year-old, 4 year-old, 2 year-old, & 2 infants out & about.
Sometimes it didn't seem like the best idea but in retrospect we've got some funny memories.
We've splash padded, we've parked
Gone to movies & out to lunch
We celebrated Independence Day with family, friends, & fireworks
We also participated in the church's Kingdom Kids program & the kids really enjoyed those activities weekly
Cousin Seanna got married so we went & celebrated that fun event with family.  The kids had a blast & danced the night away.
(Late night means pull out the baby carrier & let Lily sleep).
Nana came up every week when I started working part-time to ease back into things & we were all so very thankful to have her around to help.  Lily spent many hours napping in her arms.
We've summer-ed hard this year - we swam a lot at Nenny's house, ate Popsicles, ice cream, & snow cones (as much as I would allow)
Visited Frontier City with cousins & took on all the amusements height & safety standards would allow
(this girl snoozed in her carrier most of the time or slept while Nana held her)
Annie even rode her first roller coaster with a loop & loved it.
There have been days that old Halloween costumes & pjs were worn all day
The kiddos have played to the point of exhaustion 
But refreshed themselves with a nap & started it all again.
It was like pulling teeth to get Annie's school summer packet done
(She actually lost 2 teeth this summer, one the day Lily was born & another mid-August)
But she persevered 
and finally finished
Looking back on the last couple of months makes me realize what a gift these gems are & how precious the time I have with them is.
Sure we've been cranky & fussed at each other some but overall we've had a great time together & we're all sad to see summer break come to a close.
So long summer - we are forever grateful for the joy you gave us.






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