Jellystone Park

Ok, Ok, I have been horrendous about updating the blog. It now seems easier to just upload pictures to FB rather than write something, but I know that, since I have no other means of scrapbooking, I really need to try to keep up so that the kids have something to look back on some day. So, here goes...

Just a couple weeks ago, we took the kids on their first "camping" adventure. We went to Jellystone park outside of Estes Park with some friends in our neighborhood. (I'm not sure if you can really call it camping if there's mini golf, a swimming pool, playgrounds, crafts, and bathrooms, but we're going to count it anyway.)

The weekend started with the rental of a pop-up camper. Our friends have their own camper, so we thought we would follow the trend rather than tough it out in a tent. ;-) The kids were ecstatic!

Once we arrived at Jellystone, with dog in tow, we explored and then started in on the plethora of children's activities available.

The kids got to paint pottery...

play on the playground...

meet Yogi Bear...

play Candy Bar Bingo

where Eli won...

get Yogi tattoos...

go on a wagon ride...

ride Go-Karts (OK, so that wasn't actually at Jellystone Park)...

and have root beer floats while watching a movie.

The kids also enjoyed the campsite where the girls colored and played games...

and the boys ran around outside and played in the dirt.

Overall, it was a fun family weekend and time with friends. The kids can't wait to go "camping" again!!

A STAR IS BORN (or turns 4)!

We had Eli's birthday party this past weekend and, oh my word, did he love it! His party was at My Gym and they did an amazing job of making the birthday boy the STAR. And, if you know Eli at all, you will know that he LOVED it and life will pale in comparison now. He got to be the first one to do EVERYTHING, everyone was reminded constantly that it was HIS special day, he got to have extra turns, and he even got his very own Birthday Parade starring...HIM! I must say, my eyes teared up as he was pulled around on his saucer giving everyone high-fives with music blaring. He was BEAMING and it made me so happy to see him feel so loved and special.


After saying all of that, I think the rest of the kids had a good time too. What 2-6 year old wouldn't want to play their brains out for an hour and a half and then eat cake & cheese puffs?? :-)


Eli requested a soccer ball cake which, I must say, is the easiest one I've done so far, so I agreed. Oh, and the hit of the party was the soccer ball shaped sport drinks! So funny what kids love. :-)


The kids were so cute playing and running and listening to stories and then, the Grand Finale... the zipline across the gym. A great end to a great party (and no clean-up, what more can you ask for?).






What a day (or couple hours)! After the party, we headed straight up to the mountains for the long holiday weekend and continued our fun, but that's for another post.

Giving Thanks for Little Blessings

We did it! Our first BIG road trip with our little but very active kids. And...it went MUCH better than expected! :) Praise God!! For Thanksgiving, we drove out to see John's siblings in Wisconsin and stopped along the way in Chicago to visit my sister & her family. It was quite the trek, but driving through the night made it significantly easier. When we finally returned to our house a week later, Eli said, "Let's go on another road trip!" :)

Our first stop along the way (minus gas stations and fast food) was Wheaton, IL. While we somehow managed to miss out on photo opportunities with my adorable nephew, Jackson, and our jaunts to the Arboretum, historical museum, and Two Toots, we did manage to get several of the kids with Larry. Eli & Maddie LOVED Larry, my sister's very large English mastiff. Here they are using him as their pillow and loving it!

Next stop, Whitewater, WI. We spent the day (& night) with John's brother and his family. That includes 5 children and 4 adults. We hadn't had a chance to meet their daughter, Karianna, yet and only Leon had met Maddie. So, the cousins (and aunts & uncles) had fun getting acquainted. Maddie was quite thrilled that there was a real live "baby" to play with and wanted to hold her, even though they're almost the same size! ;-) Here's Maddie with Karianna & Aunt Beth.

The favorite activity was by far anything that included the bunk beds...climbing up, jumping down, playing "monster", etc. From left to right we have Eli, Joshua, Maddie, & Evan.


On Thanksgiving Day, we headed out to Milwaukee to spend the rest of the week. We finally were able to get all 3 siblings' families together for a holiday! It was so fun to see everyone together. There were 7 children aged 3 and under and the first day was CHAOS, as you might imagine. However, Robyn & Ryan did an amazing job of hosting and we had quite the feast that day.

We became quite creative in enetertaining the kids indoors, since it was rainy and cold outside. There was a huge stuffed fish that we brought out and the kids had a blast playing on it, under it, around it, etc.

The last 2 days we were there, the weather decided to finally clear up, which made life with little kids much easier. We were able to let the kids play outside, go on walks through the woods, and check out some railroad tracks. The adults even got some time to talk and catch up.

Here's John's brother, Leon, and his middle child, Evan.

And here are the two youngest little cuties, Karianna & Selah, only a few months apart in age.

Thanks to my hubby for insisting we try driving rather than flying...I might even consider doing it again.