Eggstravaganza Fun!

Yesterday, we went out in the rain and cold to Blank Park Zoo's Eggstravaganza event.  Aunt Lisa and Emily came with us as well to enjoy the good times!  We arrived early and waited in line as to beat the crowd.  Even with the gross weather there were still a fair number of people out there waiting in line with us!

Once we got into the event it was really cool how many activities they had for kids and families to do.  The first thing we did was the egg hunt.  Here are some pictures of Jackson (my little model) searching for eggs...

After the hunt, we got our candy and went into the Ice Age traveling exhibit and made some crafts at the craft station.  However, it was so cold that dad and I were ready to go about an hour after we got there.  So we all went to brunch at Perkins and then went home and everyone took naps!

This morning Jackson was up at 7 a.m. looking for what the Easter Bunny left...  after we detained him until 8 we all got up and had breakfast and then the boys got to open their baskets.  Afterwards, Jackson and I were opening the blinds to the living room and E.B. left a ton of eggs scattered all over the front deck!  So the boys got their baskets and went out to collect some more eggs...

Later today we are heading to a family event for more egg hunting and lots of food!  I'm glad we are going to be on a break from all these "candy" holidays for a few months at least!!

Tis The Season for Bike Riding!

This weekend was all about the bike rides.  The weather was awesome (again) and we went on a family ride Saturday night.  Below are some pictures from our outing. 

Yesterday, Dad and I went for a bike ride without the kids and made it 22 miles.  Boy, were we both dead tired after that!!  I love spring/summer!  ;-)

Field Trip Chaperon

Today, I went with Jackson's class on a field trip to the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines to see Treasured Stories by Eric Carle (see description of the show at the bottom of this post).  Each Kindergarten class at Jackson's school could bring along one parent chaperon and I was the lucky parent from Jackson's class!  When I got to the school the kids were lining up in pairs and getting ready to walk outside to get on the bus.  Jackson and most of his friends were very excited because this was their first time on an actual school bus.  However, you would have thought all of the kids had never been in a car before because when it started moving they were like, "Oh wow, look it's McDonalds, look it's Taco Johns!"  It cracked me up!!

When we got to the Civic Center we had to park 4 blocks away and walk.  You would think they could figure out an easier way to drop the kids off at the door so we weren't walking through downtown but alas that was not the case.  When we got there and found our seats the kids were so cute and so very excited.  None of them had ever been to a theater like this one before and the excitement was certainly in the air.  It brought back a lot of memories for me as a kid going to the movie theatre and playing in the seats...  you know how the seats fold down and when you are small it's fun to make the seat shut on you.  LOL.  Anyway, there was a lot of that going on before the show started. 

My only heart attack moment was as we were leaving and one of Jackson's classmates let go of her partners hand and turned and walked into the street.  I grabbed her before she got too far and put her right back in line but my heart dropped!  Finally, we made it back to school all in one piece and the trip was certainly a fun experience for all of the kids!  Here are a few pictures that I took...

Jackson and his classmates riding on the bus to the Civic Center

We had to walk about 4 blocks from the bus to the Civic Center...  BLAH!

Jackson with his buddy Alexis

My favorite picture - some kids loved the show so much it put them to sleep!  LOL.

More information about the show we saw today:

TREASURED STORIES BY ERIC CARLE Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia GRADES preK-2 • CAPACITY 1,500 CIVIC CENTER MAIN HALL Performance length: 60 minutes Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia’s much-anticipated new production, Treasured Stories by Eric Carle, brings together old favorites and new friends. Featuring evocative music, stunning visual effects and innovative puppetry, the triple-bill highlights three of Eric Carle’s most beloved tales. The Very Hungry Caterpillar (veteran of more than 2000 performances), is joined by a whimsical cast of adventurous animals drawn from the pages of Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? and the story of a young girls’ unusual request from Papa Please Get the Moon For Me.

Back in the Groove

First, we made it back safely last Friday from our spring break vacation!  We ended up not stopped at the House On The Rock after I looked a little closer at their website and determined that some areas would not be good for a stroller.  So let's be honest, I was not about to carry a 30 lb. toddler everywhere!  LOL.  ;-)

This past weekend we had our first family bike ride!  Jackson did not feel comfortable enough to ride without his training wheels, so we put them back on.  The weather was so nice and Water Works Park and Gray's Lake were packed with people.  I think Peyton liked being in the trailer behind my bike all by himself (last year we typically put both boys in the trailer).  We kept running into people we knew at the park and that was fun.  Sometimes I forget how small the southside of Des Moines really is!

Yesterday was my very first day as a working daddy (or working girl as dad keeps calling me).  LOL.  The day was fun as we all tried out our new Monday, Thursday and Friday (the days I'm working) routine with my mom coming over to watch Peyton, Jackson and I leaving for school, and me heading to work.  The day went by fast and I met a lot of new people!  They even took me out to lunch for my first day - very nice!  At the end of the day it felt good to stop what I was doing and pass it along to someone else and leave.  After working in some many jobs where I wore so many different hats and had the responsibility to get it all done...  I'm really gonna like this part-time gig!!  ;-)

Water Park Fun!

Today we went to a water park at a local resort that Aunt Heather and Judah were staying at.  Yes, while we were off on vacation here in the Dells, our friend Aunt Heather just happened to be here in the same area for spring break as well!  Too funny!  At her resort, they had a fun pool area with a water slide and lots of fun inter-actives for the kiddies.  They even had a HUGE outdoor hot tub that was like 5 hot tubs in one!  Here are some pictures we took this morning...

Look at Daddy and Jackson posing for the camera - Notice Jackson little hip!  LOL.  ;-)

Dad and Peyton watching as Daddy and Jackson went down the water slide.

Daddy and Jackson jumping up out of the water after coming down the slide.

Later tonight, we are heading back to Buffalo Phil's for dinner with toy train delivery with Aunt Heather, her mom, aunt, and Judah.  And then we head back home tomorrow.  This week sure went by very quickly!  I think we are going to try to see House On The Rock on our way back to Iowa.  ;-)

The Madison Children's Museum

Yesterday we drove to Madison, WI and visited the Madison Children's Museum.  Most of you will remember that I worked at a Children's Museum for 6 years in North Carolina, so I love to go check out what other places have done for their local communities. If you have not been to this Museum before, you really should check it out.  VERY fun building (it's on a triangle shaped block) and I LOVED what they did with this old historic building.  The best part was the rooftop outdoor garden exhibit.  Here are some pictures that we took of Peyton and Jackson playing in their water exhibit. 

Peyton threw the biggest fit when we decided to move on to another exhibit area!  He LOVED the water!  But then we found the building area, the large hamster wheel that Jackson and I ran inside, the art studio, and the rooftop garden. 

We had a great time and look forward to visiting the Madison Children's Museum again in the future!

Just because this made me laugh... the other day when we stopped at Wal-mart here in the Dells, we found these wonderful cheese hats.  LOL.  So when in Wisconsin, do as they do...

Look Dad, No Training Wheels!

Dad and I had talked prior to our spring break trip that this would be a great time for Jackson to practice riding his bike.  Last year we didn't get as much practice in as we would have liked.  So the day before we left for the Dells, I pulled Jackson's bike from the shed to take with us and it was all dirty with spider webs and such on it. So I gave Jackson a wet rag and asked him to go clean it. Seconds later he comes running in the house crying because there is a spider on his bike. So I go outside with him, kill the spider, but still when I go to hand him the rag he goes hysterical. After a few deep breaths and a drink of water he cleaned the bike. For a little boy who loves to be outside I hope he gets over this fear of ALL bugs soon!

Today we took his training wheels off of his bike and he's doing really good with riding his bike.  Here is a video I took of him and Dad in the yard behind our vacation condo.