66 Degrees in February

Following quite a few brutal winters, we have lucked out with the weather so far this year.  We have only had snow twice, and neither time did it really stick.  Overall the weather has been great, especially this month.  It is hard to believe it is February when most days we have been hovering in the fifties.

Since it has been so nice out, I've tried to get the kids outside as much as I can.  The other day it hit 66 degrees, so we headed out for an hour to burn off some energy.  The kids went crazy and had a blast on the jungle gym in our backyard.  It was fun to be able to not only be outside but to be kind of warm in the middle of winter.

Our little daredevil Anna will climb right up the swing set behind Charlie with no fear.  She gives me a heart attack every time because there are so many different exits up there that it is hard to stay on top of her from the ground.  (No way I am stuffing my pregnant self up there to watch her!)  Anna does great though and just follows around Charlie.  The slide is pretty steep, but Anna just flies down it.  We have to try to be there to slow her down or she just catapults right off it.  It's funny to see how adventurous our little girl is already.  

Since last week the weather has stayed pretty good but cooled down a little.  We have actually been having a lot of wind, which makes even the fifties feel pretty chilly.  I'm not going to complain though because I am so glad we aren't having snow!

Back to the Lake

We had not been to the lake since New Years and decided it was time to check on the place, so we headed out there the weekend before last.  It was the perfect time to be down there.  The weather was fantastic all weekend.  Although it is obviously too cold to go out in the water or on the boat, it was still great for being outside.  We bundled the kids up and let them burn off energy running, hiking, kicking, etc.

The kids love to "hike" up the hill across from our place

Our neighbors were down there with their little boy Ryan, too.  It was fun for the kids to play together on Sat and Sun.  Although we spent most of the time outside, the kids had fun being indoors too since they got to play with all their toys they hadn't seen in the last six weeks.

It was kind of a short visit, but it was good to get out there.  Unfortunately we have such a busy upcoming schedule that we won't be out there again for a while.  Fortunately for Zach, the next trip will be guys only while my mom comes up to visit me in KC and help prepare for the new baby.

Getting Milk in a Limo??

Zach's parents outside the limo.  Hard to get good pics in the dark on the iPhone

Zach's dad, Howard, had a birthday the other week.  We decided to go out to a nice dinner with Zach's parents, his sister Kelsey and her husband Adam.  Unfortunately Zach's other sister Erin lives in Virginia with her family, so she was unable to make it.  We did get a sitter, though, so it was a fun adult evening.

Charlie showing how looooong the limo was

Everyone met at our house so we could all ride down to dinner on the Plaza together instead of taking three separate cars.  As a surprise, we decided to hire limo to take us all there.  Zach's parents were really surprised.  It was a lot of fun to be able to talk and hang out and no one had to drive in the rush hour traffic.

Charlie on GiGi's lap on our way to McD's

After a delicious dinner we headed back home and picked up Charlie.  He didn't know about the limo, so he was really excited to see it pull into the driveway.  We actually took him to McDonald's drive through to order a milk because that was what he wanted to do!  He loved being in the huge car and getting to change seats to sit by everyone.  I think it was the highlight of the night seeing his joy at riding to McD's with everyone in the long car! 

Charlie beaming because he got to walk down the limo to sit by Daddy

Grocery Shopping

Excited to go to the grocery store

Like most moms, I find going to the grocery store easiest without kids.  However, it rarely happens that I go by myself.  Usually after picking Charlie up from his afternoon school I figure we will just swing by and hope for the best.

Overall I cannot complain about the kids.  They really do a great job for all the food, drink, toy and book temptations spread throughout the store.  However, at our closest grocery store they really like to ride in the carts with the car in the front.  I don't mind driving this behemoth around despite knocking into shelves (or an occasional person!) The problem is that with the car being ground level at the front, it is way to easy for the kids to get in and out themselves.  Since the space in there is awfully tight, the kids just keep hopping out anytime I stop to grab something.

Stuffed in the cart.  At least they were up high and could not escape

This week we ended up trying a different grocery store a little farther away.  The first time we went I found that the kid friendly carts had the sitting area back by where you push.  Excellent!  It was high up and near me.  There was no getting out!  It worked out so well that we decided to go again to that one later in the week.

Anna is obsessed with Mickey Mouse.  One of the characters goes everywhere with us

Big mistake!  All the kid friendly riding carts were in use.  I guess it was a bad idea to go right after school left out.  While walking over to where they store the regular carts the kids found the jackpot of all carts for them. This store has mini grocery carts with "customer in training" flags on the them.  Charlie and Anna could not have been more excited.

Charlie making sure Anna was keeping up

Each picked out on of the mini ones (thank goodness there were two or it would have been total meltdown) and off we went.  The kids tried so hard to stay together and follow me, but it was awfully difficult not to bump into everything and everyone that came within five feet of them.  They just careened up and down the rows.  They had so much fun and were so proud of themselves for "helping" that I couldn't get upset.

My little shoppers!

Let's just say that next time we are going around 10 am when the store is less busy because there is no way they are shopping without their personal carts again.

Little Monkey Bizness

Trying to kill time before we leave

The one day of the week that neither of the kids goes to school is Friday.  We try to get together with friends every Friday so I can wear them out!  Usually we get together with my friend Meredith and her three kids that are about the ages of mine.  We have some other friends that come and join us on occasion too.

Big slide for Charlie

Anna deciding to follow Charlie right down the big slide

Most weeks we head to the local rec center to play but the other week we headed to Little Monkey Bizness.  It is about 20 min away, and is a giant room for the kids to play in.  There are tons of slides, bounce houses, climbing areas, etc.  The kids keep really busy, and there is plenty for both Charlie and Anna to do on their own.

They get so thirsty

One of the best parts is the cafe!  It is one of the few play places that allows eating and drinking in the play room.  Moms can get coffee and kids can have juice, in addition to all the snack options.  It is great being able to have a drink or some food while the kids are playing and not have to leave the room.

Anna loves the slides

Charlie went sprawling

The kids had a great time the other week, and we are planning on heading back this Friday to meet some more friends with kids the same ages.  It's a great break for me and the kiddos. 

Anna drinks a LOT during the day!

Valentine's Day Party

Happiest kid ever

Last week Charlie had a Valentine's Day party at his afternoon school.  Parents and siblings are invited to attend all the parties there, which is really great because that means I can take Anna with me.  She absolutely loves going to Charlie's other school and feels like she is part of the class there.

Hugs

When we got there the room moms were passing out fruit, goldfish, and drinks to all the kids.  Charlie was patiently waiting to get food but got so excited to see Anna and me walk in.  His whole face lit up, and he immediately gave Anna a hug.  It was really sweet.  

What are we eating??  Anna about to dive in

The kids kept eating, and Anna helped herself to Charlie's plate, until it was game time.  Then the kids did the "Freeze Dance" dancing until the music stopped when they had to freeze.  Both Charlie and Anna thought it was a lot of fun.  I wish I had gotten video of their moves!

Dance time

Anna was shaking her hips

And Freeze!  It was so hard for them to stand still

They did some crafts after that, and then it was time to go.  Anna was so sad to leave.  She really thinks she is as big as Charlie!

But I don't want to go!

This Past Month

Here is some of the stuff we have been up to lately.

Charlie and Anna love their new Lego table.  They will build on it all day, especially if Zach or I will help them make tall towers.  Anna's other obsession right now is anything to do with Mickey Mouse characters.  One of the stuffed animals will accompany her anywhere she goes. 

We also have been going to Open Gym a lot again.  It is in the same facility where Zach takes Charlie to swim in the indoor pools.  We meet up with friends there, especially our good friends the Lemons.  The kids all play so well together since their ages are all within a year of each other.  They have such a blast running after each other and playing on all the equipment.  It is a big gym that holds gymnastics classes most of the time but is open for play for all kids during certain hours.  We try to go most weeks.

Fritz's is a favorite restaurant on weekends.  Since the theme is trains, Charlie has always really liked it.  Anna is now getting into it too and thinks she is so cool when she wears one of the hats.

Here is another picture of Anna.  She let me do little pigtails in her hair.  Normally she hates bows or bands of any kind.  (Although I cannot complain too much because she loves having it brushed, even when it is really tangled.)  Since she has gotten into Mickey Mouse, though, she is starting to let me do her hair a little more because I tell her she looks like Minnie.  Anna won't wear her hair done all day, but she will at least leave the stuff in for a little bit before ripping it out.  

A few weeks ago we had our good friends the Abplanalps and the Riggins over for dinner.  The Riggins have two little boys about Charlie's age and the Abplanalps have a little boy right between Charlie and Anna.  The kids all get along great since they spend so much time together at the lake.  We pulled Charlie's red table out to the kitchen for dinner so all the kids could eat together and have their own little dinner party.  They thought they were hot stuff!

We also tried out the new Kauffman Performing Arts Center recently.  We took the kids to see a live performance of Aladdin.  It was fantastic!  The Kauffman Center was amazingly beautiful.  The performance was also spectacular.  We cannot wait to do more there.  We lucked out too because we ended up with these seats on the side of the theater in a private box.  There were a total of 10 people up there, but overall it was pretty private.  It was great because there was room for Anna to walk around a little without disturbing anybody since 90 minutes is a long time for her to sit still.

Finally, my favorite recent picture of the kids.  These are the new bath towels they got for Christmas from Uncle Jeff.  Anna is a frog and Charlie is a shark.  They run around with the towels on after baths and think they are so funny.  They look adorable!