Springing into the Forest

Monday we kicked off spring break 2014. We pondered going to the Lake (aka Lake of the Ozarks) with my parents, but I did not have a plan as to what we would do there. So the kids opted to stay here.

Day one: The forest. It was a beautiful, dare I say, SPRING, day in the mid 70s! The first NICE day of the year! What a perfect way to kick off spring break. We went to the forest, played on the indoor playset, had an outdoor picnic, walked the boardwalk seeing cardinals and deer on our walk, and then played at the acorn acres.

After all the nice fresh air, we met up with friends at the Ralston park. Alivia played with her friend Katy while Addi and Asher played with their friends Kaitlyn and Will. It was so nice we stayed for at least 2 hours!

Back at home, we ate dinner before taking Pippa on her first walk of the year. It was beautiful! Wish it could have continued, but we live in Nebraska.

Day one down...and what a fun day it was!

Spring Break...Day 2

Yesterday was the beginning of Alivia's spring break from school. However, Addison is still in school...which complicates things a bit.

Sunday night the kids spent the night at Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Bob's house. Although a little hesitant at first, it sounds like the all had fun. So, yesterday afternoon was spent watching movies and just chilling since they all seemed a little tired without naps.

So, what to do today? After taking Addison to preschool, Alivia, Asher and I met friends at the Omaha Children's Museum. We arrived for member's hour and let the kids decide what to do. They made interesting art, played out a short play, played in the play room before moving to the ball room. It became quite busy as it was time for us to go. And, lucky for me, we arrived to pick up Addison right on time.

What a fun morning! We can't wait to see what else we will do during spring break.

April at the OCM and Slide Time

There are not too many mornings that we get to go to members hour at the Omaha Children's Museum. Addison is in preschool, and I don't always remember to take Asher on Tuesday mornings. But today, I remembered.

Leah, Asher and I arrived right at 9. We love members hour for the simple fact as I can always see the kids (there is not a crowd with wall to wall people...so nice!). We started in the Big Backyard first. I wanted to be sure to hit that one more time, at least, before they take it down. That will be a sad day as the kids love the big backyard.

We made our way down to do a watercolor project before going into the big room to play a bit. Then, I had an idea...

...let's go down the slides in the Gene Leahy Mall!

Leah and Asher just had a blast going down the slides. Leah had on a little skirt that must have made the slides faster. The first time she went down, I was at the bottom taking pictures when she flew down. I went to stop her and my camera bumped her in the forehead as she bumped to the ground. She did not mind, as she got up, giggled and ran back up the stairs to go down again. Asher, on the other hand, went down the slide to a sudden stop. So, I guess pants are slower than Leah's little skirt. After sliding and sliding and sliding, we went to see the water and water foul. It is so pretty and peaceful there. The kids liked to see the ducks and geese.

Then, oh, look at the time. We had to go so we could pick up Addison from preschool. Leah and Asher looked wiped as I buckled them in the car with a snack.

What a fun morning. What a beautiful day!

Back to the Big Backyard

Yesterday we decided to visit the Omaha Children's Museum after taking January off. I guess someone (and a whole lot of child care centers) had the same idea!

We met some friends and then saw Addison's friend Lauren from preschool there. Addison and Lauren played quite a bit. Asher was a little hesitant because the place was just nuts. I have to say, there is a time when the OCM is not safe, and yesterday it was not safe. I actually saw a little boy, maybe not even 2 years old, with a phone number taped to the back of his shirt. Seriously? That is just crazy!

The kids got out of the house and released some trapped winter energy, and that is all the is important. As for me, my excruciating headache was fixed after nap time and some much needed Motrin.

Dentist, Dr, Bounce, & Grandparents!

Jumping at Bounce U!

Yes, the kids visited the Dentist, made an unplanned visit to the doctor, bounce house and then ended the day by spending the afternoon at Chris' parents! What a day!

Alivia had her 4th and final day off of school. We had a big day planned. First, the dentist. Alivia has a permanent tooth coming in behind her baby teeth on the bottom. Well, two baby teeth are going to be "encouraged" to come out with a little help from the dentist so the permanent tooth can move into place. Gees! That sounds like fun. So, Mommy has to schedule another fun trip to the dentist.

We had a play date scheduled for 10 after our 9am dental check up, but we had a little time to kill between. So, we made a quick stop at the bread store. On our way out, Asher slipped on the rug and hit the metal door frame. Asher, who typically cries when injured, did not cry immediately, making me question a concussion. And, his head got HUGE immediately. Luckily, he hit ABOVE his eye making it a lucky incident really. But, I raced him to see the doctor to make sure he was okay. I was a wreck. I may be a nurse, but I can't see our kids get hurt. The doctor gave him a clean bill of health and we were on our way, bruised, but not broken.

We eventually made it to the jump house of Bounce U where I hoped our little boy would take it easy. Nope. He ran all over like he did not have a huge egg on his head. All the kids had fun playing with their friends Keegan and Nyah until lunch.

Then, they were off to see their Grandparents for the afternoon where they decorated (and ate) cupcakes, visited the park and played (Thank you Grandma & Grandpa!).

By tonight, they were more than ready to go to bed. Alivia summed it up by saying, "We had a fun weekend Mommy! We went to Coco Keys, we went to see both Grandma's and went to the bounce house!"

Fun weekend, check!

Asher, real "upset" about his owie...:)

Showing the swelling of Asher's little head from his Boo Boo...

Sliding Alivia & Nyah!

Wee...Asher

Addison's turn...Weeee!

October at the Fontenelle Forest

Yesterday, the kids, along with our friend Kassi, went to visit the Fontenelle Forest. It was a cooler morning, so we began our visit in the basement exploring the things down there. The kids colored, read fall themed books, and put together a couple puzzles before they were ready to get dirty outdoors.

As usual, they raced to the Acorn Acres. We were disappointed to find that many of the items for kids were not there...the bowls at the dirt, the big colored scarves, the stuffed animals, etc. Addison could not get over it that there were not any bowls to mix up her pretend food! They quickly lost interest and refused to take a walk on the boardwalk.

On our last visit, the smell of fall was in the air. On this visit, you could see the changing trees and leaves were all over the ground. It was beautiful!

Another month, another visit to the Forest. I think we may have to go twice this month!

Pinkalicious!

Today the girls and I rode along with our friends Kim and Nyah for a girls afternoon show to see Pinkalicious! at the Rose. We arrived in time to wait in the line to enter the theater. The girls received pink necklaces while we waited. Once inside, we turned our vouchers in for our actual tickets. Then, we had a decision to make - wait in line downstairs or go to the balcony. Addison selected the balcony. We waited a few minutes again upstairs before they let us in to find a seat. We selected a front row seat (or I selected one). Now, maybe the second row would have been better because the bar was right in front of us. But, the view was beautiful.


We then waited about a half hour for the performance to begin. Addison was in awe of the moving clouds on the ceiling and all of the statues (that were naked). She is very observant. Alivia did not say much but eat her candy that Ms. Kim provided. (Thanks Kim!). 


Shortly after 2, the show began. The show followed the book, more or less. Addison liked it when Pinkalicious' brother turned pink and when the Mom said, "You get what you get and you don't get upset." I say it similar but I say, "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit." Too cute that Addison noticed that. Alivia just said she liked it. She is so opinionated these days.


It was a fun afternoon. Asher had fun at home with Grandma Bet waiting for Daddy to return from his airplane trip (he arrived home after 5). We should do more girl days and give Asher some time for Daddy bonding. We will shoot for that next time. 


Going to the Rose?
* Arrive early. It is general admission. With that said, there were some reserved spots for large groups and birthday parties.
* Bring a still camera, no video of course.
* Bring something for kids to do while they wait.
* Snacks if needed...no food is allowed inside the theater though.
* Have fun!

Alivia & Nyah

Alivia & Nyah

The girls at the show (Addi eating her candy!).

The MIDLANDS PIRATE FESTIVAL

Pirates Addison and Alivia

I won tickets to the The "third annual" MIDLANDS PIRATE FESTIVAL at the Bellevue Berry & Pumpkin Ranch from Momaha.com. Since we live so close, I thought it would be fun to check it out. So, this afternoon after there was FINALLY a break in the rain, the kids and I packed up to go to Pirate Festival.

Weird.

That pretty much sums it up. I had never been to the Bellevue Berry and Pumpkin Ranch before, and I do not think I will be returning. I was disappointed. Mind you, anyone that goes expecting anything like Vala's will be disappointed. I was not expecting much, and I was still disappointed. The Pirate Festival was just plain weird. We missed the only show for kids in the children's area. We sat down just as the show was over. Nice. We walked around to see a bunch of vendors selling pirate stuff. We sat in on the end of a magic show and the man performing was asking for money donations in his pirate hat. Seriously, the price of admission should cover that! It is $10 for adults and $6 for kids! Gees!

Alivia just wanted to play on the play set we saw on the way in. After bugging me forever, we walked over to the playground area. It was weird, too. The equipment did not appear safe. No really, I am not being a paranoid parent here. I saw lawsuit written all over this stuff. It all appeared to be falling apart. The kids had fun in the house with slides coming out of it. There were many holes in that house where kids could fall. I just saw the whole thing as poorly thought out.

The kids wanted an ice cream cone before we left. But, after seeing everything, I thought it was best to go to McDonald's for that.

All in all, it was an outing. It was an experience. And, I learned something. Stick with what I know. At least it was free.

The Magic Show

Pirate Music Anyone?

The Playground Area

The Omaha Children's Museum...August Visit

Yes, somehow I convinced myself to return to the OCM after our 2 weeks of sickness following our last visit. This time, there was no putting things in our mouths and we washed our hands often!

Asher and I visited the OCM yesterday morning at 9 until 10:25 or so, during the time Addison was in her second day of preschool. We met some friends there, Keegan and Ms. Kim. We started upstairs playing in the Clifford display. We were the only ones up there for like the first 10 minutes. Even the lights were out.  Asher loved it! He liked the bone area best, but also enjoyed playing with the mail and cutting in the drawing area. He is getting really, shockingly good at using the scissors. Then we went downstairs where Asher just ran around everywhere.

We had fun...until about 10 when the doors opened for non members. It was like the flood gates had opened. It was more than time for us to go. When I can not easily keep my eye on Asher, I want out (not to mention the noise level).

Asher had fun! He had so much fun that he went right to sleep at nap time. And, so far...we are not sick. So far...

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