One of Those Days

Today has been one of those days when I wonder if anyone would actually purchase my children if I listed them on Ebay! M just thought she didn't need to listen to anything I said all day long and drove me crazy. J just needed a nap and the poor kid didn't have 2 seconds to rest all day. We went to Target first thing this morning to get a refill on J's medicine (which of course they had to call the doctor for a refill so I couldn't get it anyway) and then we went to the park with some friends. The kids had a great time at the park and they always love eating outside so a picnic at the park was perfect. They got to play in sand and get as dirty as they wanted. We came home to make daddy lunch and they played in their rooms for about an hour and I hauled them both to the gym with me. After a 2 hour workout I wasn't feeling great but didn't think too much about it. I didn't push myself any harder than normal or anything but as I finished up I was feeling a bit off. We came home and I had BBQ beef in the crockpot and that smell just made me so miserable. The husband and kids ate while I did dishes and then we headed outside to play with the neighbors. Even when I'm not feeling well there's certainly no time for rest around here! We then had to go back to Target to pick up the medicine that I went to get this morning. On the way home I got them (and myself) some frozen yogurt from Braum's to bribe them to stay awake just a bit longer. Mine counted as dinner so I didn't have to worry as much about calories and got a mix with oreos that was delish! Now J is passed out in bed, M is driving her daddy crazy about something and I think I'll lay down and watch Knocked Up for the 12,000th time. Hopefully my daughter will lose her attitude before tomorrow morning. I'd like to take them swimming since it will be so warm but I can't take a kid who won't listen to the pool. They already go 2 different directions and I don't have enough hands!

My Big Kids

M decided that she's too big to ride with training wheels so we took them off Monday night for her! She rode like a pro! This is when she first started and daddy was helping. I loaded J up in the bike trailer and took him to Braums for a special dinner with just mommy. He had his first shake and as soon as he got back in the trailer he passed out and slept the whole way home. When we got home M was riding around on her bike like she'd been doing it forever. She's getting too big!

Today we went to the art museum for a special class for 3-5 year olds. We got there a bit early and the kids had a good time exploring the outside flowers and statues.

I was a little nervous about taking J into an art museum and for good reason! When we got in the teacher went over all the rules which included no running, no jumping, using inside voices, listening ears had to be on, no touching anything and you had to raise your hand to have a turn talking. They read a story, looked at some paintings and then went to the studio to paint gardens using shapes. M was having a wonderful time. She loves art and this was really her element. I wasn't sure I was going to get her out of there. J did one picture and was ready to leave but M couldn't do just one picture. She made 2 pictures and then insisted we play in the kids area for a while so they could dry. These are their creations. 

Tonight we went to get gas and I decided to get a carwash. J usually loves the carwash but the one at the gas station was a lot louder than the one we usually go to. He didn't like it much.

They already had pajamas on since they played in the sprinkler this afternoon for a bit. Now it's bedtime! Yay!

A Day At the Zoo

We headed to the zoo with some friends this morning and boy was it an adventure! The kids were super excited to be out on summer break and having fun with our friends again! 

They love their friends and M takes it upon herself to keep track of all of them. They all hold hands so nicely! 

M found a horse to ride at the children's farm. 

Then J had to ride the cow just to be different. He's trying so hard to look like a tough guy but I know better. What kind of tough guy rides a cow? A bull, yes. A cow, not so much.

Then it was lunch time! The kids were starving so we stopped at the Beastro to have lunch. M shared her Skittles with all her friends. J said no way. He wasn't handing over any Skittles to anyone.

Next stop was the new tiger exhibit! The kids were really interested in the tigers. There were tons of people in there so it was hard to enjoy but I think it's going to be a favorite. The kiddos enjoyed watching the tigers and mommy enjoyed the air-conditioned building.

M was growling at the tigers. It's very unlike her. She is usually not this silly in front of her friends. She has an image to protect after all. I guess all the boys must have gotten to her today. She was outnumbered 5 to 1.

I keep telling them they aren't tall enough to use these little things that suck quarters from my wallet. I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to get away with that. Now they're tall enough to see in them and they know it takes quarters. I'm doomed.

This is when M realized that our friend Mandy was dressed in black and white. We were at the zebras and she thought it was hilarious that Mandy looked like a zebra. We'll see if she wears that shirt to the zoo again to get picked on by 4 year olds. :)

It was a really hot day today and I think we ended up going through 4 bottles of water. This was right before we left and the kiddos were very hot and tired. We didn't make it far before they were both passed out in the car.

Now we're headed out to swim in the backyard. I filled up the pool as soon as we got home and after dinner we'll play outside until bedtime. This is going to be a great summer. The kids are at such a good age right now. We only had to make 1 potty break at the zoo and we were there 4 hours! I packed our lunch, threw it in a backpack with my wallet and we were out the door this morning. No diapers, no bottles, no nap times to worry about and best of all no sunburns! They wore hats and had on lots of sunscreen so everyone came home without being the least bit red. Yay us!

There's Something Sexy About the Rain

First of all, Kenny Chesney was somewhat right when he sang those words but the rain we got on May 2nd was not sexy and was barely tolerable. We stood outside in wind, rain, hail, lightning and thunder to see this wonderful man. Even in the pouring rain it was an awesome concert. It's an experience we'll never forget. We were soaked to the bone and freezing cold but that didn't stop us from having a good time!

This was after the first round of rain (which the ponchos managed to mostly save us from).

And this is what happened when Kenny came on. He got through about 4 or 5 songs before it got too bad but when it rained it poured!

He stayed out there and gave us all he had. We had sandbar tickets so we were right up there with him.

But then the lightning started and the band left. Just Kenny was out there singing his heart out. 
A few minutes later he told us it was best if he leave and we all just stood there in pouring rain having no idea what to do. We found out a bit later that the weight of the water was causing the stage to collapse and we were right under it. As amazing as it was I think everyone left really unhappy that night. We didn't get a real Kenny fix. It was pretty much the opposite of what a Kenny concert is supposed to be like. So this is round 2 on May 17th.

We got in line at 9 AM and waited for the gates to open. We took our cooler and lawn chairs and made the best of it. Kenny came out to the parking lot (which he NEVER does anymore) right before the doors opened and then we were all READY! The doors opened at 5:30 and we got an awesome spot in the sandbar. Thank God I've lost all that weight because this is serious business. First you stand out in the heat all day, then you get pushed around getting in the gates, then you get to take your shoes off and run as fast as you possibly can down the stairs and across the field.  After you do all that you get shoved around in line trying to get into the sandbar and stake out an awesome spot. I would do it (and do) over and over again to see Kenny.

He sang 41 songs that night and special guest Mac McAnally joined him for a lot of it. It was amazing. He still has his boots on in these pictures but at one point he just sat down on the stage and took them off. He ran around that stage for hours. We all had such an amazing night and there's nothing that could ever top this concert. I've seen Kenny a lot of times and this was a once in a lifetime experience. I just hope this feeling can last me until September when we see him in Indy!
And here's one of me and the best security guy in the whole world. This is after the concert so you'll have to excuse how awful we both look. We had a great time though!

Oh and did I mention that I got an autograph??? Yep! Finally after all these concerts I got Kenny to sign something for me. I also bought one of the awesome commemorative shirts from that night so I got 2 great souvenirs. He didn't sign much that night so I'm very thankful and feel very lucky! Yay Kenny! Now summer is officially here!

It's So Hard Playing Mommy!

M loves playing mommy and this is her at her best. She was rocking her (not so little) little brother to sleep. Yeah right. But at least nobody was screaming, bleeding or crying. Some days that's all I ask for.

And on that farm he had...

A whole lot of kids who thought the farm smelled pretty bad! Most of the kids were ready to leave as soon as the doors on the cars opened, but not my son! J was all about the farm. He loved feeding the cows...

Seeing how they get milked...

Where the babies are kept...

and especially the goats...

My son really loved that goat. I wasn't sure we were going to get out of there without buying a goat. This little one was only a few days old and he and J were best friends for a little while. My daughter on the other hand, well let's just say she didn't love this experience. She was willing to pet one cow (and only one...) but had this look of disgust pretty much the entire morning.

Her day seemed to improve slightly when they brought out ice cream. The wind was blowing her hair in her face though so she still wasn't completely happy.

We had a lot of fun and it makes me look forward to having my kiddos all summer long. They're getting so big and this field trip was proof of it. It's so nice to have no bottles, diapers or baby supplies to haul around anymore but I'm still not sure when we made that transition from having 2 babies to having 2 preschoolers. Time flies I suppose.