An Afternoon at the Fort Worth Zoo

The company that Justin works for had a family activity at the Fort Worth Zoo a month or so ago.  Sadly we weren't there for very long so I don't have any animal pictures! However, we had a great time just being together. And as you can see below, the kids loved getting their faces painted.

Kevin decided to do half incredible hulk and half Dr. David Banner. :)  Thank you Netflix for introducing our children to cheesy '70's and '80's TV shows.

I can't tell you how happy it makes me that Kenzie is still a very girlie-girl! 

Kate, who used to be completely girlie-girl decided this year she didn't want to have anything to do with pink, or ruffles, or sparkles of any kind. *Sniff, Sniff.*  So, keeping up with her brother she went with the full Incredible Hulk face. She was so proud!

It also makes me really happy to see Kelly not too grown up to get her face painted. Tigers have always been her favorite, so it's no surprise that's what she chose.

Nothing says "Hello to Summer!" like a Rainbow Sherbet ice cream cone.  Especially one that's as big as your head!! :)

In case you were wondering about the little train ride at the zoo--so not worth it. We waited in line longer than the ride itself and didn't see any animals. Thankfully, we had been given tickets as part of the company picnic so we didn't pay for it. Next year we will definitely get to the zoo earlier. All in all, it was a great afternoon just being together!

An afternoon at the Arboretum

Some of the spring beauty at the Arboretum. It's amazing!  I always feel like I've traveled to somewhere else when we visit the Arboretum.

This year they're showcasing different artists through replica "houses." This one is Picasso's.

This one is Georges Seurat's.  Amazing!  The afternoon we went the Arboretum was packed, so I only have pictures of these two. But I'm hoping to get the others on another trip.

We decided to split up because we were running out of time and Kevin & Kate wanted to see a different part of the gardens.  So Kenzie and I had a great time hanging out.

These aren't the best pictures, but I like the idea of them. There is a big grassy area where Kenzie and I kicked off our shoes and played. She wanted me to give her an "airplane ride." So this was my view. :)

It was a beautiful day! I'm so glad we were able to go.

Enjoying Spring

What do you do when it's Spring Break and Kelly is on Trek?  With as beautiful weather as we've been having I took the three younger kids to the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary.

One of the beautiful Red Bud trees. At least that's what I think it's called. This picture doesn't do it justice. It is so beautiful with it's purple blossoms.

"Mom! Take a picture of me by this tree!"

I have no idea what kind of flowers these are--but just looking at them make me happy.

On one of the trails we walked, we came across a snake sunning himself.  He stayed so still and the kids were really good about not getting too close. It was tempting for Kenzie to get close, but thankfully she didn't.

Water Break! What a great group. (A note about Kate's clothing choice: She thinks that if she wears shorts with her low-top converse shoes it looks dumb so she insists on wearing jeans rolled up.  I can't figure it out. Hopefully I think she will wear shorts with flip flops so summer should be o.k. With Kate--who knows!)

One of the new trails we visited went through a wetland/swamp.  My favorite part of the whole day was hearing Kate say, "This is just the best day ever because we are exploring a swamp people! A swamp! Because swamps have mushrooms and beavers and turtles!"  She went on and on about mushrooms for a while and was ecstatic about seeing them, exclaiming that she'd been wanting mushrooms for the longest time.  Really?! That would have made Christmas a lot easier. ;)

We looked and looked for beavers, but didn't see any. Thankfully we saw plenty of turtles. 

It was a beautiful, wonderful day. The only thing that would have made it better? Having Kelly & Justin with us.

This week's Top 5

1). Kate lost her first tooth!  She has been on cloud nine ever since.  It was very wiggly and while she was at school she just grabbed it with a tissue and pulled it out herself! Pretty awesome stuff.

2). Kevin called to tell me that he was performing with the 5th graders in an assembly. Of course I enjoyed watching them and listening to his part as a narrator, but the best for me was that he thought to call me and let me know so that I could be there.

3). Here's a glimpse of one of the "popcorn" trees. They are blooming everywhere and are just beautiful!  I love it when Kenzie points them out as we drive around.

4). Most of you have probably already seen this; but I had to post it here as well. I am totally loving being a Texas Fit Chicks trainer. It is so much fun! This video came out this week and has been a highlight for me.

5). And last but not least, we've enjoyed having Justin's sister, Emily, stay with us while she attended a class to become a Certified Lactation Consultant. She was so patient with all of the kids and we enjoyed getting to spend some time with her.

That's our week. How was yours?

Pictures from 2011 I meant to share

These are bits and pieces that I meant to share and just ran out of time.  Enjoy!

Kenzie playing with her Halloween candy like it was little toy figurines.

She did this for a good 10-15 minutes and hardly ate any of it. :)

Kelly and her friend Olivia dressed up to see "The Phantom of the Opera" at the high school. 

During our week off for Thanksgiving I took the kids to the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science.  This is in the area for kids 6 and under, (which happens to be everyone's favorite part--even Kelly).

One of the traveling exhibits.  It was fun, but definitely geared for younger patrons.

We had a special visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. (They are the wonderful couple that had been babysitting Kenzie for us while I was working full time). 

Kate and her green machine she got from Santa--she loves it!  What's cool is that it has a weight limit of 200lbs so just about all of us can ride it (if she let's us). :)

Kelly and her camera she got from Santa.  At this point I should also mention that if you're not shopping on Amazon I highly recommend it.  You can find just about anything and get great deals along with free shipping.  It made our Christmas shopping so much easier this year!  They also have Amazon for mom's that I haven't tried yet but I understand that you get incredible deals on everyday items like toilet paper, peanut butter, and diapers.  You can set up automatic payments and regular delivery dates so you never run out!  That is one of the new things I'm going to try this year.

Moving On.

We were so lucky to have a few days of great weather while Grandma T was visiting.  We spent one day at the Heard Museum which has a cool dinosaur exhibit right now until the end of January.  All of the dinosaurs are animatronic and fun to find while you're walking on the hiking trails.

Kevin with his remote control truck from Santa.  I should know all the details, but sadly I don't. I just know that it's not like any other RC vehicle we've ever had.  He really loves it and enjoys working on it as well.

It is a beautiful day here so Kenzie and I are heading to the park.  I hope you have a wonderful day!

Things that I loved about today

Kenzie wasn't afraid to talk to Snow White--She was thrilled and gave her a big hug.

That these sisters actually wanted to have their picture taken together, (or at least they were willing to humor me).

That Kevin loves this fedora Kelly gave him so much he's been wearing it ever since.

I always knew where Kenzie was.  I just had to look for the shiny pink coat.

That I caught Justin laughing at something that Kevin did.  Such a handsome guy!

Daffodils beginning to bloom!

That it took at least 5 takes to get this one great shot. And that Grandma T was here to enjoy this holiday time and beautiful day with us.

"Momma, my legs are tired of walking."

This golden hair.

That my teenager wasn't too cool to sit on a bench, enjoying the sun and talking with me all about her video ideas.

That Kevin can jump from the ground onto a waist-high picnic table.

Every so often Kate would just lay down somewhere and talk about how she was too tired to walk.