Tulsa Overnight

We woke up bright and early yesterday to head to Tulsa. Isaac needed to see some commercial real estate up there, so we tagged along for the ride. 

We let the kids take turns paying the toll. Charlie missed the bucket a time or two, 

but it was still a highlight of the trip to the kids.

Annette said, "I like this new land" when we asked her if she liked Oklahoma : )

We ate lunch at a restaurant on the Riverwalk and then went to the nearby Oklahoma Aquarium.

Charlie was ready to jump in with the sting rays. 

Annette was afraid to touch them. Like her momma.

This is what I had been most excited about. The sharks were being fed while we were there!!!

 Oh, how I love a field trip:)

There were about 15 sharks for us to watch. I am quite afraid of sharks, but I I loved, loved observing them through 5 inches of plexiglass. 

Annette touched and held a starfish. 

I got to show Annette what a fossil looks like. 

An important vocabulary word when she enters first grade Science in a few years :)

After the aquarium, we went to Utica Square to walk around and eat dinner.

Annette did not want to leave this doll section at PB kids. To say that she enjoys playing with dolls is a major understatement. I could foresee leaving being an issue, so I set my phone timer for 5 minutes when I told her it was about time to leave. However, when the timer went off she screamed and threw a fit because she didn't want to leave. I had to carry her out. Arms flailing, yelling at the top of her lungs, you get the ugly picture. So she got to spend a lengthy time out in the car. I record that incident here to give an accurate picture of our trip. Like it or not, her big fit was a pretty memorable part of it.

We ate on the square and then headed to our hotel room. Would have been nice if they had both laid here and fallen asleep just like that. I was pooped after entertaining them for 4 hours in a car (Have I mentioned that my kids won't watch TV for longer than about 20 minutes?!?!) and after the aquarium, the fit, two restaurant experiences, and no naps. 

So I 'let' Isaac deal with the bedtime deal while I watched from my comfortable bed. Am I mean?

Annette finally fell asleep on a floor pallet around 10:20 pm. About the same time I did :)

And here they are this morning as we were about to hop on the elevator to our car.

The trip home was actually pretty nice and uneventful.

It was a great trip, filled with (mostly) fun memories :)

Thanks, Isaac, for turning the ordinary things in life into fun. 

Spontaneous Mommas

Need motivation to get into a coldish May pool for the first time of the year?

Spend a couple hours at a sunny park on a 90 degree spring day. Oh, and walk there and back pushing a weighted-down-toddler-toting double stroller.

That's all it took for me.

While at the park, the boys found a muddy hole to play in.

Charlie stripped his own shorts and diaper off. 

The other kiddos found a cleaner puddle to stomp in.

Then, Us Moms got spontaneous and earned cool points when we hosed them down.

After the hot hilly walk home, I was sweatyyy.  So, we hurried inside and dug into our swim drawers and put on last year's swim gear. Found new sunscreen I had bought on clearance at the end of last summer! I was so pumped (and surprised) I found it, instead of forgetting and buying more :) And then we eased down the stairs into the pool. I was very happily surprised that it wasn't unbearably cold.

I expect that Annette will remember from last summer how to swim in the next month or so. Well, that's me just 'hoping' more likely. And maybe even Charlie will figure out the real swimming deal by the end of the summer? Annette was just 2.5 when she figured it out.

As of now, the floaties make my job a lot easier.

I can already tell this summer is going to be so so so nice for keeping my kids entertained. Watching these two play in and by the pool together is won. der. ful. As they say, siblings are fabulous built in playmates.

Wonderful Summer, I mean Spring, day.

There is nothing like coming inside from a good dose of sunshine and smelling like sunscreen :)

Happy FRIDAY!!

Funland

A sweet friend had their birthday at Funland at Burns Park.

We went last year, too, so we knew it would be a hit with our kids.

I love the place. It has a vintage type feel and it brings back memories from when I was little and had fun there. I remember getting tummy aches after the Tilt-A-Whirl and everything.

Lots of the rides are small and just the right size for my 2 and 3 year old. 

Charlie was just barely tall enough to reach the measured hand for this one :)

I might take this back.... but I think this age is my favorite so far.

I have so much fun playing with them. And enjoy watching them play together. 

They are getting less 'hard' in my opinion. 

They can communicate with me pretty easily.  And say the cutest things.

They feel like they are more and more on the same schedule, enjoy the same things, etc. 

They can play outside for hours and hours.

They can entertain themselves for bits of time.

They love to draw and do crafts and read and do all kinds of 'teachery' stuff that is way fun to me:)

They still throw fits, argue/fight with each other, and are unkind sometimes. 

BUT, it's still fun being their mom right now.

The beautiful birthday girl!

Charlie loves to be at the wheel. I may do a post on just that topic itself.

It was a super fun way to spend our Saturday.

Here is one more cute picture of them on a ride. Charlie's face is priceless!!

Gallery: Gabriella Taylor's 4th Birthday Party