Lewis & Clark Monument & Big Lake Park

Today Alivia had off school because of Kindergarten Round up. I had intended planned on going swimming somewhere inside, but with temperatures in the 70's, we had to be outside! So, we visited the Lewis & Clark Monument Park and Big Lake Park in Council Bluffs before visiting great grandparents.

We first visited the Lewis & Clark Monument Park (19962 Monument Road, Council Bluffs). I had never been there, so I was unsure what to expect. We found amazing views of the Omaha skyline. It was breathtaking, if you appreciate that kind of thing. The park is located on top of a hill, so you are able to see the Missouri River, the airport, the Omaha skyline, and beyond. After appreciating the view, reading a bit about Lewis and Clark and the monument, we took to some dirt trails. They were pretty, but they were also a bit treacherous in spots for little kids. The kids actually enjoyed walking the trails in the forest. We then walked back to the monument for another peak, before heading to the car for the next adventure.

The next stop was just down the road at Big Lake Park. We had visited this park last summer when we looked a house on top of the bluff near this park (I so wanted to visit the house we looked at but decided against it. The home was beautiful with a fabulous view, but was in Council Bluffs and not in NE where we wanted to stay living if possible). The park had been redone, I thought, since our last visit. We played at the playground before walking around the Lake and feeding the geese. There were these big things in the water that appeared to be rocks until we walked closer to the Lake. They were big, dead fish! Yuck! It was very peaceful there. We had a picnic, played some more, before deciding to leave for our next stop.

After a quick phone call, we decided to drop in on Great Grandma and Grandpa Austin. The kiddos were still loud and wild there (embarrassing enough). Alivia played telephone with Grandpa Harold which I found a little funny. We even got to see wild turkeys and deer in their backyard! That was a nice treat.

After arriving at home, we walked, ran and biked around the lake. I walked and ran, Addison rode and ran, Asher just rode, while Alivia rode her bike. We went probably 3/4 the way around the lake, walking through the neighborhood back home. With all of the wind, I was exhausted after we got home. But, I was not so tired that I did not find the energy to spray weeds, turn on the sprinkler system, and begin mowing the lawn (without the playset up yet, I had to finish once Chris got home and could watch the kids).

What a day off!  Like every day, the verdict was, "This was the best day ever!" At least until tomorrow...

Want to visit these parks and need to know what to bring? Well, the Lewis and Clark park is not really stroller friendly. Well, at least their trails are not. There are nice picnic tables to have a lunch at. Big Lake Park: bring a stroller, food for the geese, hand wipes, and a picnic and lots of free time to play. The kids LOVED Big Lake Park!

Kiddos with Grandma and Grandpa Austin

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Before & After: SHUTTERS!!

Finally, the shutters have arrived. They arrived in 4 vans!! The neighbor even commented on the number of people at our home to put in the window treatments! I love them! Just when I thought I was getting buyers remorse, they arrived and I fell in love with them all over again. :) They are made of composite, so they will not warp in our home without trees shading us yet. And, Chris and I can finally take a shower with the lights on. Yes, we were taking showers in the dark. If the light was on, windows not covered, the entire neighborhood could watch us shower. Um, no thank you. Now we just have to get used to the new, darker look. Here are the before and after pictures.

Before:

After:

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Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Birthday Daddy

Today is Chris' birthday! Instead of a cake, we got chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting (Daddy's Favorite!). He was happily surprised. All the kids excitedly sang Happy Birthday to Daddy, but they were most excited about the cupcakes. They were oh so good, too. Chris and I are holding off for dinner so we can share his favorite meal together after the kids go to bed, pizza, during his favorite show, LOST. Daddy opened his presents of the New Moon DVD & LOST season 4 (and his parents got him LOST season 5!).

Happy Birthday Daddy...& Many More!

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April Visit to the OCM & Gene Leahy Mall

I love Tuesdays at the Omaha Children's Museum (OCM) for members that is. On Tuesdays, the museum opens at 9am for members only. It is so less busy and we love that! We arrived right at opening and started downstairs playing in the grocery store. The kids have so much fun in there, but keeping up with them putting everything away is exhausting. We went to the Preschool Pals type program on bugs at 9:30. That was fun. They worked on bug identification and counting. We played upstairs at the construction zone a bit, back to the big room to get wet and play around for a while before ending with a craft and dress up time. We left around 11:30.

I decided, with the picnic bag packed, we would picnic at the Gene Leahy Mall. Well, Addison has jumped out of my playbook the last couple of days and wants to do things her way or she just cries. Well, she wanted to eat in the car. So, they ate in the car while the meter ran in our parking slot. We then jumped out of the car to take a walk (forgot the stroller!), hit the slides, and see the swan families and waterfowl. Well, again, Addison was still playing out of her book. We went down the slide once. She got wet. So, she wanted to go home and change her clothes. Asher did go down twice, we me only. Next we tried to see the swan families and water fowl, but Addi really wanted to take off her clothes. Maybe next time to the Mall will be better. It is a beautiful park on a beautiful morning.

So, what to visit the OCM: Pack the camera, extra clothes in case they get wet at the water play area, snacks, hand wipes, drinks. There is not really anything to eat or drink there unless you visit on Tuesdays and they have bunch a lunch.

Want to visit the Gene Leahy Mall? Pack the camera, a stroller, picnic, hand wipes, food to feed the swan families and waterfowl, towels in case the slide is wet, extra clothes for the kiddos and bring in the nice weather and you will be good to go.

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Just a quiet day off...

Today was what we called...as an added bonus. Alivia was really excited to get to stay home. Being completely worn out from staying up all night working Saturday night and then staying awake all day Sunday enjoying Easter, I did not feel like going anywhere. Alivia did not mind at all. We played inside a bit so I could get the laundry going and clean up the house a bit. We went outside for a little walk around the lake. I am clearly out of shape because I can not keep up with the girls for the life of me. Alivia rides her bike and Addison runs (seriously, she sprints!). I, pushing Asher in the stroller, can not keep up with them. They always "beat" me and love it! Once at home, we played outside for a bit until Addison got into her bad girl streak, coloring chalk on the garage and then on Daddy's motorcycle. So, inside we went (where her antics continued unfortunately. Addison is our little challenge).

Alivia enjoyed reading her new books and watching a movie while Addison napped (and Asher just talked in his room for 2 hours). I think Alivia will be ready to return to school tomorrow. At least she only has 3 days to go this week (she gets Friday off too!).

Now, the countdown to summer has really started!

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