Rest Stop Realization

On our way home from Amarillo we stopped at our usual rest area to play.  Thank goodness it was the perfect day - what are they thinking not putting a canopy above these playsets?  There isn't a real tree around for miles and the slides are dark green, a combination that equals *ouch* for little legs when the temperature gets above 80 or so.  Anyhow, it was hot on the playset, but not burn your legs hot, so everyone was able to have a blast!

Mike headed off to the playset with Gracie & JM first.  Here are a few snaps of the fun they had together:

Then watch out, here comes Clara!

Gracie headed off to play on her own while Clara took over hanging out with the little man.  They had a blast going down the biggest slide time and time again.   Here they are on their way up:

And my fave picture of the day:

I only wish John Michael would have gotten in it, but he had more important things to do, like go "drive" the fire engine on the other side of the playset.

So why did I title this the rest stop realization?  Take a look again at the first picture.  Notice all three children in one shot and no adult hovering nearby.  Mike and I both had the same "aha" moment at the rest stop, realizing that this was really the first time we had been out with all the kids and were able to just sit back, watch and enjoy.

What a treat to see them all growing up, especially John Michael, on the day before his second birthday!

Amarillo Again - My Wordless Wednesday!

Our trip to Amarillo

aka - visiting the animals.  At least when we were at Susie & Dave's.  Looking through the pictures was pretty amusing.  I didn't really filter out too many.  Most of them featured Maggie.  And then there was Sarah's hamster and then JM right below the other hamster (in its cage) in Katie's room.  So, here they are:

And just a note, JM didn't want to leave Katie's side.  We still get to hear about "Ka-ee . .. bye,bye."  He was very sad when we had to leave. 

Dinnertime madness

Or what happens when Mommy & Daddy decide they should just keep eating dinner regardless of what's happening at the other end of the table ...

I'm not sure what actually ended up in the salad bowl, but definitely some things that we didn't originally intend to be in there.  And it would be great if JM had really been interested in *eating* salad, but alas, he was only interested in the mechanics of it all.

Easter Festivities!

This post is *full* of pictures! The kids managed to get in lots and lots of Easter fun.  It started with a visit with Mimi the week before Easter.  She brought some fun Easter bags and got to read all of the kids a book (check out which one - appropriate, eh?).

What is in there????

Oh - it's a floppy bunny.  What fun (and what great entertainment in the car on the way to Amarillo!)

Mom told me after her visit that at the end of the story (Peter Rabbit, if you can't see it), Clara had pointed at Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail at the end of the book and said "they got deserts because they were good little bunnies" - and then she sighed deeply.   Yes, she's our little bunny that struggles to obey the rules - I can't count the number of times I heard the dreaded "no!" today.

Our next stop on the Easter train of fun (yes, it's getting late as I write this), was at the Amarillo zoo.  On Saturday, they had all sorts of special activities at the zoo, so we decided to check it out.  Well, I hadn't counted on it being 45 degrees until midday.  And I guess I forgot about the wind.  So the kiddos look a little cold, but we had them dressed in the warmest things I had packed ....

As you can see from Gracie's face, one of the fun things was face painting.   The girls also got to plant carrots seeds in a little pot, make Easter bags, pet a bunny and see the Easter Bunny himself.  It was a fun trip and the zoo is just the perfect size for all of them to enjoy.

 The girls & Daddy with the sleeping bear.  We hoped he would move, but not so.  JM was too fascinated with running up and down the ramp to the bear exhibit to be bothered with looking at the actual bears!






But he did like the donkeys:

Saturday continued with more festivities - egg dyeing with the Stebbins clan:

Then it was time for the Easter egg hunt.  Sarah decided not to hunt - instead she got to hide the eggs.  Susie & I were supposed to be helping, but I think there was more chatting (at least on my part) than hiding.  Sarah did a great job!  I think we had over a 100 eggs to hide, so it was no small task . .  .

And they're off!  Gracie was collecting those eggs pretty fast. I think was being a sweet older cousin and taking her time to make sure our kids found enough!

Check out that hiding spot!  And sharp eyes (Clara) found it.

Some were better egg hunters than others ....

Yes, that's grass he's putting in his basket ...

The Egg Hunt Crew

And finally, getting a snack ready for the Easter bunny.  Thank goodness Grandma had some lettuce tucked away in the fridge, since all the carrots were gone.  Then the girls decided some grapes and walnuts would be good, too.  Yummy, right?

Look at those late night, goofy with excitement kids!

Checking out the loot on Easter morning, before church.  And those bunny whiskers just wouldn't wash off...

Happy Easter!

More pictures of  JM to come - I've still got his birthday post(s) to do!

The Week before Easter - Spring is Coming!

Who can ask for more than a Barbie kite, a great breeze, and one of your dogs lounging nearby?  This was a fun day!

Spring Break, Part 2

On Monday of spring break, we had a fun-filled day.  First, cousin Alex (and Aunt J) came to play for a little

while.  I can't remember everything they managed to do in the few hours they had together, but here are some pictures: 

Chillin' in front of the tv

Finally got them off the couch and back out to the sunshine! 

Next, it was time to bring out the Barbies.  The babies had to go see Dr. Barbie and one of them had to go to the hospital to get a cast on her broken foot (the cast was a big white Barbie boot) - oh my!

Gracie got bored with this before the other two did - they would have played for hours, but it was almost time for Alex & Aunt J to leave.  But first, the kids got to enjoy the treat Alex brought - Ring Pops!

This picture doesn't even really begin to sum up the madness that ensued a few minutes into the ring pops.  There were lasers (ring pop bases) firing and all sorts of things going on - lots of shrieking and giggling! 

And then, all too quickly, the visit was over.  But the kids didn't have to despair for long because Aunt Susie, Uncle Dave, Sarah and Katie were on their way.  They arrived an hour or so later and we got to have dinner with them.  But apparently, our family lost the camera mojo, because we only got one picture during their visit. 

And no, you're not imagining things, Susie, Dave, Sarah & Katie are not in that picture.  I don't know how we managed it, but we didn't get a single picture of their visit here.  They'll just have to come again so we can be sure and get some pictures! 

We did have a great time with them on Tuesday, hanging out at the museum and going to lunch.  We didn't end up at the Science & History Museum as planned (which is really the kid's museum) because the line was 45 minutes long just to pay!  So, we headed a few blocks over and went to the Amon Carter museum.  I didn't know how long my kids would last, but we were there enjoying ourselves for about an hour.  The museum had a "postcard tour" for the girls to do and it really kept them engaged.  There were about 20 postcards of different paintings and sculptures that they had to find throughout the museum.  We only had to ask for help in finding one of the sculptures.  And at the end, the girls got a free postcard (they are holding them in the picture).  I really enjoyed the museum, too.  I had been there for special exhibits but hadn't really taken time to look at the rest of the museum.  After seeing how the girls enjoyed it, I'm hoping we can go to some of the other museums (like the Kimball and the Modern) and have a good time, too.