Spring Break - Days 3 & 4

Yesterday & today, I earned my "Mommy Gold Star" for Spring Break.

Yesterday, I went to my most-loathed children's place... Chuck E. Cheese.

Today, I went to an equally loud & obnoxious place... Airhead's.

Both places were PACKED.

Both places smelled really bad.

My kids really love both places... as do their friends.

Day 1: Chuck E. Cheese

 They love the crappy pizza.

 

 They love the rides and games.

 

 Here's Parker up to his old Skee Ball shenanigans...

And they love trading in their tickets for more junk.

Like candy. As if we needed more energy in this place.

Day 2: Airheads

I don't have any pictures of the actual location. Maybe because I was using ever bit of my strength and energy keeping Parker away from the trampoline area, while attempting to keep Payton hydrated after 45 minutes of continuous jumping.

It wore me out to say the least.

On the way home we drove through McDonald's.

This is what I saw in the back seat:

Payton was cooling off french fries and handing them to an ever-willing 13-month old who was very happy to eat them!

Then we had blanket wrestle time in the play room.

Payton with his blanket (which used to be Brian's when he was a little one).

And Parker with his blankie (which used to be Payton's).

 

Peek-a-boo brother!

We're capping this night off with a sleepover and then one more crazy day of fun.

Oh wait, St. Patrick's Day is Saturday... guess we have a couple more days of crazy fun!

Spring Break - Days 1 & 2

I decided long before this week arrived that I needed to have a plan. A plan to keep one 7-year old very busy during his Spring Break. Because if he's not kept busy, I hear a lot of "Can I play on the computer? Can I play the Wii? Can I watch a show on TV?" I have learned from my past mistakes and decided to have a plan this week.

Sunday, was a laid-back family day. You can read more about it here.

Then on Monday, the fun began!

After a fun 2-mile jog/bike ride with some neighbors, and a good nap for the little guy, we headed out to MOSI, our local Museum Of Science & Industry.

It's a wonderful museum, and SO much for the little ones to do!

 We were fortunate to take our sweet neighbor with us, whom Payton adores!

And Parker played with the "big kid" exhibits...

As well as the "little kid" ones. (He loved this lady bug sticker - it was adorable how he kept going over to it and making this super excited sound like it was his long-lost friend).

 

The kids experimented with light, sound, motion, optical illusions and so many other fun things.

  Yes, this is a picture of my kid's head on a platter. Gotta love optical illusions!

One of their favorite exhibits was the real airplane cockpit, with a simulated screen in front of it that made it look like you were taking off, flying and landing. Even Parker enjoyed switching all of the buttons and things.

We spotted this huge LEGO display on the ground floor before exploring all of the weather, and human body exhibits upstairs.

 Then on our way out, we stopped at the butterfly garden and Koi pond. They were both quite beautiful.

As if a fun-filled day at MOSI wasn't enough, after a quick stop at home and switching Parker off with a babysitter, we headed back out to see the new Dr. Seuss movie, "The Lorax."

 What a great movie it was. Lots of good lessons weaved throughout.

DAY 2

We had a quiet morning at home today. Parker took a good, long nap and Payton chilled around the house while I packed up the car.

Where were we headed, you ask? To meet some friends at...

Busch Gardens!

Apparently, so was 3/4 of the Tampa Bay population. 

It was very crowded!

Fortunately for us, our kids didn't really care about any of the rides. They were happy to play in the Sesame Street play/water area and then walk through the park visiting areas that didn't require standing in line.

 Parker loved the water area in the Sesame Street Safari of Fun.

 So did the big kids! :)

I took a lot of other funny pictures, but nothing really blog-worthy. I was really trying to just have fun with the boys and not worry about capturing a good photo.

And I tell ya what... I really had a good time. Both today and yesterday. I really enjoyed watching the boys have pure, kid-focused fun! That's what Spring Break is all about, right?

Of course I'm exhausted, so I'll be hitting the sack early tonight in preparation for another exciting adventure tomorrow!

Think this kid can handle tagging along...

 Oh yes, I think he'll be just fine!

Weekending

We did a lot of "chill-axing" this weekend.

 In fact, on Saturday Brian said (and I'm paraphrasing here) "This is the best day I've had in a long time and we really didn't do anything."

Yes, it was one of those weekends.

I snuck away to the mall for a bit and when I came home, Payton was at a neighbor's house and Brian and Parker were playing in the driveway.

  

It doesn't take much to make this boy happy... just a hose, a bucket, a few sponges and of course his Bears jersey. :)

"DA BEARS!"

  

After playing in the water for quite some time, Parker was tuckered out and took a nice, long nap. During which time I was able to get lots done around the house, and even managed to relax for a bit myself!

Then, since it was so beautiful outside, we went for a family bike ride. Parker loves riding on the back of my bike in his little baby seat. Something about feeling the breeze in your face, smelling the fresh, Spring air, and checking out all the sites in the community... it just puts everyone in a good mood.

Then of course when we arrived in the Village area, we had to stop for ice cream.

This was Parker's first taste of ice cream.

He was so into it, he wouldn't look - let alone smile - for the camera.

 Today we had an amazing church service, I left feeling so inspired, refreshed, renewed, and ready to take my faith to a new level!

Of course with the time change, and 3 hours at church, the baby took a looooong nap when we got home (which was awesome for me!).

And Payton & Brian had some guy time. They went out to lunch at Burger 21 and then both got hair cuts.

Now Payton looks like he's 16.

Note to self: don't let Brian take Payton to get a haircut.

Great weekend. But now I'm ready for bed.

Tomorrow start Spring Break... I better get some sleep! :)

 

Some Bad Photos... That Mean A Lot

I'm definitely not winning any awards on this blog for my photography. I realize that, and I've come to accept it. But I hope you enjoy my "bad" photos just as much as the beautiful professional-looking ones that my other friends have taken that I occasionally post on here as well.

So, with that disclaimer out of the way, here are some recent photos that won't be entered into any photography contests this year, but will probably make it into a family scrapbook or two!

We went to Airheads last week with some friends and since Parker isn't old enough to jump on the trampoline areas yet, he found another way to occupy himself...

Yes, I realize that the management might not have been very happy with me. But man, he had so much funny playing on that skee-ball machine!

Another favorite moment caught on film recently was Payton and my Dad making "Paca-corn" - or popcorn as most people call it - together. Payton gets his stool out and helps my Dad shake the pot, and then they both get so excited when the popped kernels start overflowing from the top!

 I sure hope Payton is taking good notes, because some day - when he can be trusted near an open flame - I'd sure love it if he could whip up a batch of my Dad's popcorn!!!

The boys have been having a lot of fun with the Elephant Ball Popper that Parker got for his birthday. They both like to stick their head's over the hole where the air blows out. This produces lots of laughter on both of their parts (and mine too, or course).

 

One more random photo. Don't you just love babies in pajamas when they first wake up? They're so snugly and...confused. They don't really understand why the rest of the world is bustling about when they just recently decided to open their eyes to the day. 

It's so darn cute. 

I just love it.

A Pre-Spring Break, Break

Okay, not the best planning on my part (considering next week is Spring Break), but I bought a Groupon last year for a 2-night stay at the Nickelodeon Resort in Orlando. When I finally went to book it, this was the only week they had available (apparently they sold 10,000 of them! - Lesson learned, book immediately when you buy a Groupon vacation). Anyhow... we decided we would use the little getaway as a birthday present for Payton. We haven't gone anywhere alone with him since Parker was born, so we arranged for my parents to watch the baby (and the dog) for a couple nights while we spent some awesome one-on-one time with our first born. It was so, so, so much fun!

 (thanks Kristen for the awesome pictures - again!!)

We were also really thrilled that our neighbors came and stayed for one night as well. Payton adores their kids and we had so much fun having another couple to hang out with. It worked out so perfectly.

We drove over on Saturday after baseball and this is what our backseat looked like:

 

Hello... can you say "crowded?" We only have 2 kids, but I swear we need a minivan... or maybe I just need to learn how to pack less. 

Anyhow... once we arrived, the kids quickly jumped in the hot tub!

 The boys had such a good time. And I got to enjoy a glass of wine with my bestie Jenny. Then before you knew it... we were off again to the Nick Resort.

Here's a picture of the water slide at the main pool area:

  It's insane. 

It's huge. 

It's got a gajillon slides, waterfalls, and every other sort of kid-type fun you could imagine!

Of course we did lots of swimming:

 And the first day, we also rented a cabana. There was a freak cold front that moved through that morning, so the high was 65! The cabana provided some much-needed shelter from the wind. Plus, the kids thought it was really cool!

  The kids also loved the Nickelodeon-themed bedroom. But Payton was most excited about the bunk beds. He's never slept in bunk beds before, but now he wants them in his room at home.

The second day started off quite cool, so we opted for a morning inside. The kids played in the huge arcade while the adults drank Starbucks on the couches right outside the entrance (I'm telling you this place is perfectly laid out for families!).

 And then the kids put together Spongebob crafts (thanks Kristen!!!) at one of the tables in the "Mall" area of the hotel. Oh, and did I mention they also have a miniature golf area, a 3-D movie theater, and several live shows at the resort? I mean, there was not one dull moment, let me tell you!

Once the sun peeked out, the temps warmed up dramatically. It was a beautiful, sunny day that provided hours of poolside fun.

 Just look at these faces...

 I'd say everyone had a great time, wouldn't you?

Of course a trip to the Nickelodeon Resort would not be complete without participating in one of the daily "Mass Slimings." Payton & Avery went for it the first day, and then Brian and the rest of the boys joined in on the second day. I'm talking 1,000's of gallons of green slime being monsoon-ed onto their heads. Not really my cup of tea, but boy did they have fun!

Here's a video of the second day. It's hard to see Brian & Payton, but the are in the middle of the huge crowd:

 Sad that the vacation had to come to an end, but man did I miss my little guy. He was quite attached to me all day, but I didn't really mind one bit.

Good thing we have a whole week off of school next week to party some more!