• Slumber Party Adventure With Cousins

    Slumber Party Activities

    Dinner time – kid friendly meal (chicken nuggets, mac-n-cheese, salad, blueberries, and oranges)

    The kids were so EXCITED!  We’ve been trying to get a slumber party on the calendar with their cousins for a few months now and we did it last weekend.  The kids had a blast playing together – nerf, legos, relays, games, and so much more fun activities during their stay with us.  Everyone was well behaved, full of energy, and went right to sleep as soon as they hit the sleeping bags that night.  One of our girls got up a couple of times, but my nephews we never heard another peep out of them until after 7:30 the next morning!

    After some play time the next day and breakfast we headed out on a science adventure.  We went to Roper Mountain Science Center’s 2nd Saturday event on H2O Oceans which was a blast!  The kids had a grand time together.  Thankful for some fun with the kids.

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    Silly relay races….it was hard getting a clear picture with all the movement!

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    Lined up for their next relay round!

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    Lots of giggles and fun!

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    They played a few fun games while they were here.  This was a favorite with the boys – Toy Story 3 Kerplunk game which they played well together!

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    Taking turns and helping each other!

    Slumber Party Activities

    Our living room was full of sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, and giggling kids.  It only took them a few minutes to wind down and go to sleep!

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    Kiddos playing with cars, trucks, planes, race tracks, and legos while Jake and I make breakfast!

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    Cinnamon Crumble Breakfast Cake, Scrambled Eggs with Extra Cheese, Yogurt, Pears, and Chocolate Milk for breakfast!  My sweet nephew asked my daughters several times as we were setting the table “Can we really eat the CAKE for breakfast!?”  Why not, it’s not every weekend we have a slumber party and get cinnamon breakfast cake in the morning, ha!  While he did eat his cake first that morning, he also ate most of his scrambled eggs and other goodies too!

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    Van full of kids!

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    My nephews were not sure about Karlie holding a huge snake!  Although they were a little concerned at first they did eventually pet the snake, however, they did not want to hold it!

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    Riding the school bus between buildings at Roper Mountain!

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    So excited to ride a bus!  Sometimes the little activities provide the most fun and biggest smiles!

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    Our troop at the Planetarium getting ready to watch the show!  The lighting in the planetarium made it hard to get a clear picture.

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    My nephew was amazed….all the fish swimming around in every direction.  It was almost more fun to watch his expressions and hear his comments!

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    Checking out the turtle!  You mean we can touch it?!

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    Petting the animals!

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    The bunny was so soft!

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    This one always grosses me out…..baby mice…..however, the kids love holding the baby mice!

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    What’s this Aunt Bridgette!?  Can I touch it!?  Lots of questions and fun exploring all the cool animals!

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    This was a highlight for my nephews!  They loved digging around in the sand and water creating various lakes, rivers, dams, and more!

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    Building another one together!

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    Testing the items that they built to see how many golf balls they will hold before sinking!

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    Saying “Hi” to the animals!

     

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    Checking out the  sting ray!

  • Family Outings: A Walk in the Park

    Brina and Karlie pausing “briefly” on our walk so I can snap a picture!

    Every once in awhile when the girls are off school and it is a beautiful day we get to meet Daddy for a quick picnic and walk in the park.  Legacy Park is pretty close to Jake’s work so he can pop over and meet us over his lunch hour.  I think the girls get more excited about going for a walk around the park then eating, ha!

    Legacy Park has paved paths for walking, biking or jogging plus a playground for the kids, beach volleyball, and a big open field perfect for flying kites or playing soccer.  On those hot days they have plenty of shade and restrooms (which are very nice for little kids).  I treasure these moments when we get get together over the lunch hour to grab a bite to eat, walk, talk, and play together as a family.  I think it is important to have some relaxing times built into our schedules.  Not only do we get a few extra minutes together as a family we get fresh air and some exercise which is beneficial for all of us!

    Do you have a park you enjoy going to for a picnic or to play?

  • Family Activities: Enjoying Time with Extended Family (Part 2)

    There are so many things I have to be thankful for in my life with family being one of the top on the list. As a child I had the privilege of knowing and having wonderful memories with all four of my Great Grandma’s.  All four of my Grandparents are still healthy and are now able to be a part of my girls lives.  It is exciting to see my girls spend time and with their Grandparents and Great Grandparents because I know these precious times together are memories they will cherish.  I posted a few other pictures in an earlier post.  Here are a few pictures from our most recent visit with our Grandparents, Great Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles in South Carolina.

    Great Grandpa CE reading books to Karlie and Brina.  The girls were super excited about all the fun playing and book reading while everyone was visiting us. 

    Uncle Josh helped the girls put together a huge marble mazes!  They were quite impressed with his building skills and loved racing the marbles through the maze.  Karlie is racing her marbles while Uncle Josh helps Brina put hers together.

    Grandma Penny coloring with Brina.  Thankful for a time to relax and enjoy spending time with family.  Brina’s was thrilled to have some time coloring with Grandma Penny.

    Karlie is quite pleased with the lego, marble maze, and horse farm that Uncle Josh helped her put together.

    We had a blast with everyone visiting for several days.  The time flew by quickly and before we knew it everyone was leaving.  The girls did pretty well with saying goodbye to everybody but as they watched the car drive away they started crying…..  When asked why they were crying Brina said “I had so much fun I wasn’t ready for them to go yet.” and Karlie said “It went by too fast…I don’t think it was really 4 days…”  I am thankful for the opportunity to spend time with family; these moments spent together become treasured memories for the entire family.