My Big Backyard

What a beautiful day we had!  Warm sunshine, cool breeze, bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds!  It was gorgeous, and, to top it off, we got to spend the whole afternoon outside with our Daddy at My Big Backyard!  He had a lighter surgery day today just in case Kyndall had decided to come.  It’s one thing to cancel office visits… canceling surgery is a much bigger deal!  Anyway, Kyndall obviously isn’t here yet, and, being the smart man he is, Murray decided I needed a fun distraction.  My Big Backyard did the trick!

2 of my cute little chicks!

Hayes was so proud/nervous to be up so high!

They had a blast in this swing!  Especially with crazy Daddy pushing it.  I really think that they could have stayed in it all day.  We almost lost Hayes by the end of it.  I think he was feeling a little too good.  Those eyes were getting heavy!

 

My sister sent me this the other day, and it is so true.  Haha.  And I can’t even tell you how many of those days is in the last week.  I will be 40 weeks on Saturday, and I am READY to meet this sweet little girl even if she is happy staying inside.

Patience has never been my strongsuit, and I am still hoping she comes sooner than Friday when I’m induced.  But today I am focusing on being grateful that I didn’t miss this action!

Weekend Fun!

We had such a nice weekend!  After last weekend with everyone feeling puny and needing to stay separated, this weekend had nowhere to go but up!  Besides the fact that we all got to be together having fun, we also had the treat of spending time with extended family too!

On Friday, Mimi, PopPop, and Easton came to visit.  We ate yummy Japanese food and then came home to have a dance party!  The kids were a little excited about their company!

Saturday morning, Cole had a t-ball game and a large fan section to cheer for him!

On deck…

 

Cole was 2 for 2 at bat!  Showing off for his big cousin!

  

It kills Hayes not to be out there playing with his big brother!  Thankfully he was satisfied to sit with PopPop in the dugout for a while.

After the game, we spent a lot of time outside riding bikes, “driving” cars, and just playing!  There was also an epic wrestling match between Peppermint, Rock, Rock Scorpion, and The Big Show.  Big Show tragically lost after a long, hard-fought match.  We were so glad that everyone could come and spend some time with us this weekend!

Saturday night Kelsey, Smith, Annie, and Neesha all came over for dinner.  The kids were really into Tarzan… for about 5 min.  :) 

 

Cole and Jordan both took naps on Saturday.  This was not intentional on our part, but they were so exhausted they both passed out at different points.  Needless to say, they were not ready for bed at bedtime.  We heard them talking and playing upstairs, but they were being good and having fun so we let it go on for a little while.  We started a movie, and Murray made some popcorn.  A few minutes later, we had a couple of visitors downstairs who smelled “a funny smell in their room.  Actually it is coming from down here.”  Jordan added “It smells like popcorn!”  We paused our movie, turned on Tom and Jerry, and enjoyed a rare bedtime exception…

 

Sunday afternoon was so pretty that Jordan and I decided to go on a walk and get some exercise.  She was pumped to have workout clothes that reminded her of mine.  She said that it was “important to look cute when you exercise and get really sweaty.”  Haha.  Not sure we had a very strenuous workout, but she sure had a good time finding treasures for her collection.  And I enjoyed watching her.

Sunday night we surprised the kids with a trip to the circus!  They were so excited.  We gave them clues to help them figure it out.  Murray told them it was a place with cotton candy and popcorn.  I added that there were animals there.  Cole guessed the zoo.  Jordan guessed Africa.  :)  Once I added that there were also acrobats, they both guessed “Circus!”"  We went with Nonny, Neesha, Kelsey, and Annie which made it even more fun! 

Especially since Nonny thought ahead and brought glow in the dark necklaces and light-up toys from Dollar Tree… so smart!

 

The kids loved it and were so entertained.  The popcorn and cotton candy didn’t hurt either. 

 

Hayes got a little restless towards the end, but his big brother and sister helped entertain him!

Everyone had their different favorite parts.  Cole loved the motorcycles in the sphere and the guys who ran around in the moving circle thingy.  Jordan loved the clowns.  I think Hayes was most mesmerized by the dog show.  We all loved the elephants though!

As ready as I am to meet sweet Kyndall, I was really, really grateful that I didn’t miss out on the circus with my kids.  I loved watching their faces light up with excitement. 

We were all pooped after such a fun-filled weekend, but I would say it was the perfect last weekend as a family of 5! 

Zoo Date with Daddy

The kids have been so excited to go to the zoo with Murray.  We have been a few times this spring without him, but it’s always better when daddy is around!  Especially since he does extra special things that mean old mommy doesn’t agree to when she is on her own… like popcorn and camel rides!  The kids have wanted to ride a camel so badly, but it was worth the wait to do it with Dad!

 

Cole got off the camel and (with arms in a touchdown position) said excitedly, “That was AWESOME!  Mom, it was SO amazing!” 

We also saw a lot of animals out and about.  We even watched the elephants during their training and feeding time.  They can do some pretty cool tricks!  The rhinos were finally back out, and Cole and Jordan were pretty pumped to see them again.  We made it to the sea lion show which Hayes especially thought was great!  He clapped and laughed the whole time! 

Cole and Daddy got in some good snuggle time.  Jordan took advantage of the popcorn bag nobody else was paying attention to.  ;)

The kids loved running around together too.  Hayes of course thought he was just as big and tried to keep up.  Sweet Cole stayed right with him… most of the time.  :)  (Random note- Cole also picked out all the boys’ outfits so they could match… white t-shirts and jeans.  Love that kid!)

 

The coolest part of the day though may have been the “Take Flight” bird show!  None of us had experienced it before, and those birds are pretty impressive!  At the start of the show, the trainer asked for a child volunteer.  At this point, Cole and Jordan were still pretty hesitant about what was going to happen so they didn’t get their hands up.

This of course was quickly regretted- especially by Jordan, our major animal lover.  They were bummed that no more kids were needed during the show.  Daddy (of course) saved the day though because he became the adult volunteer which allowed a big bird to fly right over Cole and Jordan’s heads.  Scared Murray a little I think… Haha.

 

 

At the end of the show, you can donate money to help the animals, and this kind bird volunteer collects it.  Thee kids thought it was so cool to hand the bird a dollar!

 

What a fun day!  It wasn’t really sunny, but I think that kept the crowds down.  It felt great to us, and we couldn’t have enjoyed our zoo date more!