The Wildlife Experience

Sunday brought us to Parker, Colorado for a day at the museum and then some shopping nearby.

We went to The Wildlife Experience. Had been once before, 2 years ago. Carter was 5 and Jack, 5 months. After our first visit, the boys came down with awful viruses, so just thinking of going conjured up those memories and we always found something else to do. Having recently worked through our Christmas bugs, I figured our immunities were up and so we braved it again.

It's a fun, interactive museum, which means lots and lots of kids sliming all over the exhibits, which I'm sure caused our illnesses last time. A whole slew of schools were there for a field trip just before we arrived that day. We were the first ones there this morning, so hopefully we were the ones sliming everything instead.

First stop, The Discovery Den. Learning how an avalanche is created.

3 kids dancing on stage....they loved it.

Lainey more than anyone....tapping her boots all over the place.

Lots of insects to look at and some live reptiles, too.

Time for coloring, one of Jack's new favorite things to do.

Big brother helping the little ones.



After lunch in the cafe, we ventured into the Cubs Corner, specifically designed for the little ones. Here is Jack dressing up like a ladybug, which made me smile.

Jack showing Lainey how to maneuver through the cave.

Now, onto the Robot Zoo. Each animal moved and changed positions per the commands the kids gave them.

And, into Wild Colorado to see the animatronic wildlife. Jack and Lainey were scared of this bear who looks like he's sleeping here, but moved occasionally and growled. They were mesmerized.

So fun having a kid who can read and really appreciate all parts of a museum. Here he is in Wild Colorado working on the computer.

And, finally.....we entered the most anticipated exhibit of the day, Grossology. Lots of details on bathroom behavior, the digestive system, tapeworms, slime and more. Carter was in heaven.

Jack and Lainey liked pushing the buttons, no matter what they did.

Who doesn't want to learn about the life of a hairball?

And, we definitely needed to know that cows are one of the gassiest animals.

All of our kids have grown up in museums, so they are not shy around the exhibits. Jack is really getting into it all.

There was a great play structure, but the kids had to remove their shoes first. For the third time that day. Lainey drops to the floor 5 feet away and then scoots towards me.

Then, she tries to remove them herself. Not happening....they have to be unzipped first. Check out her bloomers, though......they have "Little Sister" embroidered on them. One of my favorite things for little girls......monogrammed bloomers.

Outside and on our way to shop. It was a cold day, but the snow was melting and it was beautiful.

Park Downtown

The kids and I drove to Denver yesterday for a walk near the water and some shopping at the huge REI store downtown.

The trolley isn't running during the winter months, but Jack loved seeing it, regardless.



So much to see.

Funny what can become a tunnel when you're this little.



Carter climbed the huge rock wall outside.

I love this picture.....Jack headed towards me with plans for a hug. He is so affectionate right now and I'm loving every minute of it. Dozens of hugs and kisses each day.

Turmoil

Due to travel, illness, holidays and all around being off schedule, the little ones have had a hard time sleeping at both naptime and bedtime. They're accustomed to sleeping about 2-3 hours during the day and 12 at night.

You read that right. And, no, I'm not crazy. According to the books and websites, babies and toddlers need between 12 and 15 hours of sleep each day, so we're right on track when things are going smoothly.

Blake and I have always valued sleep for these kids and have consistently worked at keeping them on schedule. I credit their good health to their sleep routine. (disregard their recent illnesses when reading the previous sentence) I also credit my near-sane disposition during this challenging time of relocation to them getting plenty of sleep.

babies sleeping = free time for Mama

By 7:00 each evening, both little ones are asleep and Carter is reading or watching TV on his own. And, then I get time to relax and unwind.

Since we've been out of routine and not sleeping in sync, we've had grouchy kids and that equates to a grouchy mom. Luckily, I think we've turned a corner. Everyone is healthy again after our 2 week Christmas bug and things are starting to slow down a bit.

Now, for completely unknown reasons, Jack is horrified by the bath right now. I've tried everything from running the water out of his sight, using bath crayons and paints to grab his interest, and tub toys. I remember a child I babysat for once was scared of the bath, so I had to run it before she even knew it was time. The sound scared her.

But, nothing seems to ease his anxiety. Anyone dealt with this before? Any ideas?

New Design

Nie Nie's house was recently featured in Cookie magazine for its design and functionality for children. See it here. Absolutely darling.

When we get to Missouri (or Kansas, wherever we end up!), I am hoping to give our house a makeover. I'm anxious to do a few things differently and it's not totally unlike her house. Tired of the decor we started with in our first house in Keller and brought with us here to Colorado. I want less rustic, heavy, dark design and instead a fresh, airy, whimsical feel with items found in shops like Anthropologie and the like. Our powder bath here got a taste of this new direction and I'm hoping to continue it throughout the house.

We buy simple, classic pieces of furniture that will transition easily into this move, but lots of artwork will be going.

I'll be starting with a new piece of artwork, ordered a week or so ago and arriving here shortly. I'll post about it soon. So very cute!

A couple of pictures from her house that caught my eye.

Love this.

And, this. Those fishies are actually Christmas ornaments from Anthropologie. We have a few on our kids' tree. Like this nursery, ours never held a traditional, working baby mobile. Always simple figures like this, attached to a canopy of sorts. For Jack, we had baby birds hanging.

And, after 2.5 years of being boxed up due to our moves, I'm going to re-hang our picture collage as we had it in our hallways of our first house. Such great memories arranged in one focal point. Love what she did below.

Black Eyed Pea Salsa

Being from the south, it was drilled into our heads that we had to eat black eyed peas on New Years Day, OR ELSE.

Or else, what?

A year of bad luck.

Well, I'm cooking less and less these days since the husband doesn't share the same zip code as us. So get this. We didn't eat them and everyone seems fine today. Really! But, my southern nature will have me worrying for the next 363 days.

Holding onto this recipe from The Pioneer Woman (pictured above) for next year's New Year's Day feast.