The Fun We Have

I like to think we're a family that knows how to have fun. Whether it's building large forts out of bed sheets, taking trips to a nearby park, coloring on the walls in coloring books or any number of other things, we have fun. My boys have proven recently that they're perfectly capable of having fun without their toys. Don't get me wrong, they love their toys and have fun with those too but sometimes emptying Mommy's pantry is far more entertaining....

 

 

We're also lucky to live in an area that has a really fun and free thing for families to do! We love taking the boys to the Deanna Rose Farmstead. Watching them get excited about the cows, goats, sheep and ducks is just too much fun! Oh yeah.... and the swings. They get mighty excited about the swings!

L-R: Jackson, Chase & Tyler

 

 

Fun With Grandparents - Pt 2

We sure know how to pack the fun in around here! Monday afternoon my parents arrived back in town (they had been visiting my brother and his family in west Texas) and that evening we took the boys out to dinner, where they got buzzed on lemonade (see those videos here).

Tuesday morning we headed to one of the boys' favorite places, Deanna Rose Farmstead! Chase was excited to see Grandma had a whole bag of quarters for animal feed. Chase has no fear of the animals while Tyler flat out refuses to feed the big goats (he's ok with the baby sized ones).

Chase in stripes, Jackson in green and wearing a hat, Tyler in brown

Towards the end of our time there Pop Pop treated the boys to popsicles. What a mess that turned into! It was a full day before the green stain on their face, hands, arms and legs wore off.



Last night we all (Nick was home!) went out to dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse. Tyler was observant and all on his own signed "tree" while he was looking at broccoli. I always thought they looked like little trees too! Just for you, my loyal summer readers, here is a bonus video this week!



This afternoon I will take my parents to the airport. It's been a fun trip and the boys have had a ball! Thankfully they won't be bored for long as Saturday morning Nick's parents, brother and youngest sister fly in for 5 days of fun!

A Day of Family Fun

Friday was a full day of fun for our family! We started the day by meeting up with some other moms from Building Better Moms at Deanna Rose Farmstead. Nick was a bit self-conscience attending a moms group playdate, but he got over it quickly. The boys had a ball as always! (For reference, Jackson is in blue, Tyler is in green and Chase is in stripes.)







We then came home where the boys crashed for some nice long naps. When they woke up we had the pool in the backyard filled for them! As the boys were playing in the water and eating their popsicles I threw an idea out to Nick... "Let's take some of that birthday money from my grandparents and go out to eat as a family tonight!" He was all for it, and I was pumped at the thought of not having to cook or clean up! (Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!)

Bob Evans has become our restaurant of choice when venturing out with the boys. They're laid back, always have plenty of high chairs, have cheap food and it didn't hurt that I had a free kids meal coupon. This particular dining out experience was a liberating one for me! Normally I bring bibs, sippy cups, anti-bacterial wipes and a huge diaper bag when we eat out (we've eaten out with the boys a whopping 4 times now). This time I thought "you know what, my boys are almost two (*gasp!*) and they are capable of eating without bibs as long as we don't give them too much ketchup. And really the boys are great at using cups with straws now, so we don't really need the sippy cups... and they're old enough now that I don't need to go crazy with wiping the table and chairs."

I walked out of the house with a diaper bag with just diapers in it, which I left in the car at the restaurant. That means I was able to walk into the restaurant with nothing but my purse! WOW! What a feeling :)

Anyway, we bought the boys each a cup of chocolate milk. They've had chocolate milk here at home but I suspect Bob Evans uses a bit more chocolate in theirs. The boys were literally trembling while drinking it!









All in all it was a wonderful day! The boys were well behaved throughout the whole day (but really, I expect nothing less from them) and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely.