Just Zoo It!

Our local zoo had free admission every Monday in February. I didn't know this until halfway through the month, but luckily we were able to take advantage of the deal once or twice.

On Valentine's day, our friend called and asked if we could join her at the zoo. I told her no because Jared had a check-up (and an ear infection, we later found out). She called back a few minutes later and asked if Andrew could come along anyway. What an angel! She was willing to take my crazy little man along with her and her two boys. Andrew was thrilled to go to the zoo with his best buddy, Brody. They had a fun day just being boys. And, my sweet Emma was the happiest little girl. At one point in the day, she turned to me and said, "MOMMY! It's just me, and baby Jared, and you today!"

These two guys have been friends from the start. We go to church together, and they are only 2 months apart in age. Andrew is always so excited to see Brody at church and I can usually even get him to wear his tie when I remind him that Brody wears his tie too.

Andrew really loved the goats. I don't get it, but I love it anyway.



So, this week I decided we needed to use up that last Monday of the month. We went with: Andrew's best buddy, his mom, and their little baby, and another friend, and her cute crazy boy. Poor Emma was the only little girl, but she enjoyed herself anyway. I think we only saw 2 or 3 different kinds of animals because the kids had so much fun playing in the playground areas! It gave them so much joy to just be free in the outdoors.

These three boys all have very strong personalities, so there were a lot of disagreements! When it's all said and done, they still love each other... and they wouldn't be boys without a little competition, right?

Brayden, Brody, Andrew, and Emma. We packed our lunch in Emma's lunch bag she uses for pre-school, so she wanted to carry it around ALL DAY long.

Our two little baby boys bundled up together - Brody's little brother is just a few weeks older than Jared, so these guys can be friends too.

The kids got to ride a baby elephant. They didn't seem to notice that it was bronze. They really weren't that picky.

Happy kiddos! We didn't have any quarters with us (Hello! Free zoo day, remember?) But, a nice family nearby used their money and gave the kids a ride.

Picture of the Week

Andrew playing in the dirt with his McDonald's monster truck

Magical Number

80 rays of sunshine

80 fingers and toes wiggling


80 bouts of laughter


80 shades of green grass


80 soft breezes blowing

80 smiles shared


80 spots of dirt on our clothes


80 degrees in February!

Heart Breakers

A friend of mine did a post on her blog about these adorable homemade Valentine's.


I love homemade Valentines, but I don't like that most of them require more work for the mom and not the child. These were different. They were simple, cute, and great for the kids to help with.


If you like them, save the idea for next year... it's originally from here.

This year I really wanted the kids to have a fun and memorable Valentine's Day.

It was a:

Heart shapes in the girls' hair...


Eating heart-shaped donuts for breakfast...


School Valentine parties...

Playing outside in the afternoon sun...

Watching movies together...

Kind of Day.

Sick, sick, sick...

The sick bug hit our house.

Jared got pinkeye, then a stuffy/runny nose, then a nasty cough.

Emma got a cough that kept her up at night.

Andrew got the same cough that kept him up, which kept me up at night.

This is how we've all felt.


Jared's face says it all.

Child Labor

I found a new way to occupy the kids when I'm busy myself doing laundry, making dinner, or any other number of daily tasks.

I just put them to work!

And... they loved it.


I didn't get around to dusting the day I wanted to do it, and you could tell it had been a while.

So, I sprayed some rags with oil and let Sarah, Emma, and Andrew go hog wild.


It was a win-win-win situation.

I got to make dinner in peace. (win #1)

The dusting got done. (win #2)

The kids were all smiles. (win #3)

Then, they went to work on our dining room chairs.


Sarah even asked for more jobs to do afterwards.

That resulted in the Windex bottle ending up about an inch lower, and half the roll of paper towels sopping wet.

On the bright side, the TV is completely CLEAR of fingerprints.

Happy Birthday???

We had a snow day yesterday... it was declared a state of emergency in something like 77 counties in Oklahoma.
The airport was closed.
School was closed.
The mail didn't even get delivered.
I think Dennis was the only person in the neighborhood who went to work this morning!

All of this for 7 inches of snow... but that's a whole other subject all together.
I have to keep reminding myself this is Oklahoma - they don't have the means to clear the snow and ice.
So, things stop...

Well, things stop outside the house. Everything just keeps on trucking inside! Kids need to be bathed, and fed, and played with.

During dinnertime, Dennis ventured out again to help someone nearby. I fed the kids their own dinner and started cleaning the kitchen. I was in my own little world, blocking out the noise, when I heard what I thought was the "Happy Birthday" song coming from all the kids.

I turned around and saw this:


Andrew put candles (a.k.a. pretzels) in his cake (a.k.a. grilled cheese sandwich) and declared it to be his birthday.

The girls were happy to pretend with him.

It is so great my little people have some very active imaginations.