Beaver Bend Oklahoma Camping Adventure

We took off on Friday night for a weekend camping adventure.  The kids were so excited so although they took naps they were both quick and by the time the drive started they were ready to zone into their movies.   Their individual DVD players were the best Christmas present ever…  The drive was gorgeous filled with lots of cows and rolling hills and trees.  It reminded Mike and I both of northern Minnesota/Wisconsin.

We grabbed dinner along the way and that was our only potty stop before pulling into the entrance to the State Park.  As we drove we scoured the gas stations in the last town for firewood to no avail, it was not as concerning because we saw a lot of downfall and thought that we would be able to drag some logs out of the woods.  We arrived at the camp sites and drove past the first 30 or so as they were all occupied.  We arrived at the last campsite and there were 3 spots left, phew!  This campground operates on a first come first serve place and there were only 60 available spots.  We thought we’d be ok as we were early in the season, but were surprised by all the people that were up camping along with us. 

We started the tent set up in the dark and struggled a bit.  We even got the giggles as we set it up wrong a few times and the tent looked quite pathetic at first.  Then the hoots and nighttime sounds got the littles afraid of “things that go bump in the night” and they were in the car waiting for us to finish up.  Finally we had the tent set up and we started to unpack things…that is when we noticed that we a) had no firewood and b) realized that the car was running low on battery per its please to power it down or start the engine.  I tried to start the engine and it wouldn’t work…giggles ensued as M and I thought, what more could happen in adventure already.    We decided to keep our fingers crossed and hope that the car would start in the morning…

Next order of business, fire, thankfully our neighbor had more than enough firewood and was willing to share.  I even asked if he had been finding our trials and tribulations comical…he was more impressed we were camping with the littles as he had a 14 month old and wife back at home.  Anyway he kindly shared firewood with us and saved the night.  Elin decided she didn’t want to wait for the fire or marshmallows and went to sleep, it was 10 p.m. after all.  Stella beat both of the kiddos to bed as after exploring for a few minutes and seeing her dog bed go into the tent she called it a night, so much for our watch dog!  Thomas was not so easily distracted…he wanted “marshmallows in his belly.”  Thomas happily roasted marshmallows and might have consumed 1-2 as well, by the end of the weekend we decided he more liked playing with the fire and roasting the marshmallows than actually eating them.  About 11 p.m. he curled up on my lap and fell asleep by the campfire.  M and I then enjoyed the dancing flames and some alone time before we too snuck to bed about midnight. 

Our night of sleep was far better than I remember ever camping.  The kids were exhausted, it was about 65 degrees in the tent so we weren’t too hot or cold and we all fit on a queen size air mattress.   We woke up at our normal time about 7:30 and started on breakfast.  There is something about the taste of camp food that always makes it a little bit better than just some regular home cooking, maybe it’s the dirt or possibly the firewood would be more accurate?!  Either way a perfectly made sausages, scrambled eggs, coffee (thanks to Starbucks via packets) and a nice cup of ice cold orange juice had our tummies all happily filled.  The kiddos happily played in the dirt and Mike and I strategically planned our exit strategy for our next crisis, while also pondering how the heck did this happen?!  When he went to start the car that morning it started, phew, BUT it said we have 0 miles to empty as far as gas goes.  We could not figure out how that had happened and we knew it was going to take us some really great luck to make it the 22 miles to the nearest gas station…seriously ensue giggles again…we were convinced that either the gas was sucked up by the battery charging or monsters had come in the night and robbed us of our gas.  Fingers crossed we packed up and headed on our way…about 10 miles into our trek and still with the gas meter telling us we had 0 miles to empty we heard a familiar beep that notifies us of our current miles to empty…it now said 68…hmmmm.  We both breathed a sigh of relief and kept on our current path to get gas….then a fishing license…then firewood.Along our route we stopped in at the Beaver Bend State Park center which also housed the history center for the area.  Since we were there we took 20 minutes and walked through the exhibits which showed how the area had survived and thrived over the last hundreds of years.   Then it was time to get back to camp and cook lunch, we had successfully ate up our morning and any chance of doing something outdoorsy…I told Mike we would need a major revamp after lunch/naps or this trip was going to feel like a sit and eat one…which none of us really enjoy. 

For lunch we had another yummy camp meal of beans, hot dogs, an orzo pasta (to which I didn’t have the right spice mix so I improvised), and chips.  After lunch we cleaned up and decided that the only way the kiddos, who at that point we showing signs of near exhaustion, would get a good nap is if they did it in the car.  It was a hot and humid (hot and spicy) 85 degrees and so we loaded up and off we went.  Within minutes they were sleeping and we brought Mike back to camp to get ready for his attempt at fishing.  He went out for about a half hour before calling it good.  I chilled with the kids/dog in the car watching him, chatting with my mom (we were keeping track of the weather) and catching up with a friend I hadn’t talked to in awhile.  Then Mike and I continued to explore the area driving around until the kiddos woke up.  We found a place for Thomas to go “shishing” as that was all he had been asking to do.  That too was quick lived.  As we got to the slippery slate rocks, Stella found out the hard way that slate and algae make for a nice slide.  Our very afraid of swimming puppy found herself totally submerged in the water and was frantically trying to get out.  In the 30 seconds it took her to free herself her Daddy was on his way to rescue her and me to get to Elin…we were scrambling.  Poor pup was absolutely terrified but as we already know she is able to swim she just prefers not to.  Mike casted for Thomas and about a dozen times and then he was unimpressed with the lack of fish, Elin took a turn and then we were off to the swimming beach.  It now was 88 degrees and although the water was chilly the kids had fun splashing around and “swimming.”   Thomas was fully decked out in his swimming gear and insisted he have his life jacket on.  He has always been a fairly cautious guy with safety things but as his vocabulary has grown it is funny how he will describe things as being absolutely horrific and terrifying.  The thought of wading in water with his Mom and Dad an arms reach away from him was still far too death defying for him to be comfortable.  This probably isn’t a the worst thing as Elin couldn’t be more opposite, aside from Coyotes and guys in general, this little lady has no fears even for personal safety.   After the kiddos were shivering and blue we finally convinced them out of the water.  Then it was time to head back to camp for some dinner, chillaxin’ and a campfire.   Mike wanted to try a new camp food and made shrimp tacos.  While he was cooking those in the cast iron skillet the kids and I assembled camp cones with just strawberries and very melted mini chocolate chips, our banana monster had successfully consumed and played with the group of bananas we brought on the trip.   Dinner was really yummy and we will be adding the shrimp tacos to our camping recipes.  Then it was time for dessert we threw the cones into the fire and although they were ok they were not what I was hoping for.  So we quickly moved onto the standard smore’s before E was begging for bedtime.  It was still 75 degrees with 70% humidity and after nursing and snuggling in the tent she and I went to the car to cool down and for her to fall asleep in her car seat.  By the time we got back to camp twenty minutes later we found Thomas curled up on Mike’s lap sleeping.  We laid the kids down and then were just about to enjoy the camp fire when the neighbors camping baby woke up.  Our worried little Mama woke up in the tent wanting her baby and crying saying the baby next to us wanted “mama milk.”  We reassured her that the mama was taking care of the baby although I am certain she felt she could do better as she was now up and worried sitting with us by the fire.  We made her a s’more and then went and laid back down.  After struggling to calm their baby and get it back to sleep our neighbors decided to ditch and run about 11:45 p.m.  We listened while they packed up and headed out, Mike reminding them to be safe and grab a hotel, rather than drive the 3 hours back to Dallas.  About Midnight we all went to bed wondering how early we would be woken up by the forecasted rain/thunder storms.  We woke up again about 7:30 and were surprised we all slept well and the rain hadn’t started.  It was overcast so we decided to pack up and get out of the area and back home stopping for breakfast along the way.  The drive was fairly uneventful, the kiddos were tired and we only hit the storm for about 5 minutes of driving, thankfully there wasn’t hail in this section of the storm. 

With us now living in the beginning of “tornado alley” I am having a healthy respect for the meteorologists and the weather forecasts of severe storms.  I hope we never are in another tornado or something similar to the one that we had in Colorado in 2009.  As predicted this storm front did cause tornados they just started a bit more North and East than we were.  Mike kept giggling at me as I continued to check in with my mom and with the weather reports, I wasn’t taking any chances. 

After we got home we unpacked and then stripped down in the garage for a tick check….gross!  We are again living and near ticks and a whole slew of other super weird and new to us critters, bugs and snakes!  Thomas was the first lucky winner, then we found one on me, and then Mike.  The good ol match trick (that apparently is no longer recommended due to the heat causing the ticks to release more goo when hot) didn’t work so we moved inside grabbed alcohol, tweezers and zip lock bags for the evidence.  We all had the creepy crawlies and the final tick count was Thomas-1, Mike-3, Stacey-2 and Stella-1.  Somehow Elin lucked out and was missed.  I am also surprised that the kiddos had any as each night I was checking them out, Mike and I were not as smart with our own checks regardless ticks are gross.  After we de-ticked we then went straight into a hot shower and finished with the cleaning after camping process.  Lunch and a 2.5 hour family nap later and we were all somewhat recharged and ready for some seriously relaxing and continuing to unpack and rid all our clothes/bedding of possible ticks.  

Overall another successful camping trip in the books and a lot of great memories!

*the pictures are all from my iPhone as my camera was out of batteries…last time I don’t check that before heading out on a trip.  Although the phone pictures are better than nothing, they don’t do the landscape justice as it was gorgeous!*

**Update**

The kiddos have been playing “camping” for the last 3 days.  They have their suitcases and headlamps and move from the playhouse, into their truck, then into their book nook under the stairs.  I think it is safe to say that they had a good time camping.  I opened the “tent” to find Thomas telling Elin stories before they went to bed, just like Mike does when we are camping. 

Gardening Notes…

So I am learning a few things about Texas gardening and I still have lots of questions.  This double summer grow season should be interesting as I am suppose to be able to plant a second set of seedlings (tomatoes/peppers/other warm season plants) the end of June/Beginning of July for a fall harvest.

My peas have already decided that it is too warm and I have a feeling in the next couple weeks they will totally die and we will pull them.  I haven’t figured what to plant in these shallow high boxes for the summer months-as it is full hot sun at least 8 hours of the day.  

We are already harvesting our herbs and enjoying fresh garden lettuce.  There is seriously nothing better than fresh lettuce from the garden.

I am not convinced that anything in my East facing bed (on the top left) is doing well as compared to my tomatoes and squash box it is growing very slowly.  I am trying to tell myself that it is only the end of April and that this first year is a learning year, I’d just hate to not have any fresh produce. 

Baby Laschen 3rd Edition

The 3rd (and with 99% certainty) final Laschen baby is expected to arrive sometime around the beginning of August!  The due date is a little bit loose as I had only had once cycle post pregnancy, thank you to nursing, so if we go according to that I would be due August 6th, but if we go according to our 10 week ultrasound I will be due August 15th.  Either way sometime in August we expect this little one to join our family

There has been a lot of emotions with this pregnancy.  From the moment I had Elin, I knew I wanted 1 more baby, Mike wasn’t so sure.  It took him awhile to wrap his head around 1 more, but then he decided it was a good idea too.   I felt pregnant from the beginning again, like I did with both kiddos, but all the tests I took were coming back negative.  I kept telling Mike, my close friends and my mom I felt tripolar as my emotions were going crazy.  I wanted to get pregnant and have the baby in the summer as I wanted to be able to have my mom here to help with the kiddos so this was really pushing the calendar if I didn’t get pregnant.  No pressure right.  I still hadn’t gotten any signs of having a period, but I was exhausted, emotional, and feeling oh so bloated, so right before Mike’s grandparents arrived I took another test.  I set it down and actually forgot about it in the furry that was cleaning and trying to get the house ready.  His grandparents arrived and after everyone was getting ready for bed I took a peak at the test and almost couldn’t believe my eyes, there were 2 faint lines.  I ran over and showed Mike and asked if he saw it.  Then I peed on another stick…this one didn’t show a line, or maybe it was there but too faint to believe it.  Hmmm…was I or wasn’t I pregnant?!  I ended up looking at all the other pregnancy test I had taken in the last few days to see if there was an evaporation line and there wasn’t.  Soo either this test was a fluke or I was pregnant. 

The next morning I snuck around at Target with Mike’s grandparents and purchased another “more accurate” pregnancy test.  When we got home I snuck it around some more and headed upstairs to take the test…there is was clear as day “pregnant” no messing with 1 line or 2 for this girl anymore.  The rest of the day it was hard to contain my excitement, but as always I was so cautious with my little baby being soo little and early. 

With how the timing worked out we were unable to get an ultrasound before we headed home for Christmas.  The doctor didn’t want to do an ultrasound too early and then not see a heartbeat or what they wanted and so we waited until we got back from our MN trip.  On January 10th we went into the doctor for our initial appointment and saw our little blob baby on the screen with a beautiful little heartbeat.  It started to feel more real, but still not super real yet.  Don’t know exactly why or if a lot of it was the question are Mike and I really jumping back into totally dependent, diapers, and constant care baby land?!The first 12 weeks were my least favorite thus far.  The constant exhaustion and so so relationship with food made the days long and chasing after the two energetic ones was tough.  Many days I napped with them or found myself going to bed at 7 or 8 p.m.  Since that has passed I have felt really good.  I have been able to return to normal-ish activities and so far the Texas heat hasn’t gotten to me.  It is already 90 degrees most afternoons and then cools to about 65/70 at night.  It is a change from our Seattle weather for sure, and I am so thankful that we have working air conditioning!

Our 20 week ultrasound was on Thursday March 20th.  My parents were in town so they took the kiddos after our morning at the museum and Mike met me at the appointment.  As always I was nervous for the ultrasound because I know that this is when many of my previous clients were clued into something going on with their children.  Mike and I have never completed the genetic testing with any of our babies so this would be the first time we would possibly see something wrong.  I always love looking looking at and hearing all the things in the “midline” of the baby are growing/developing normally, 4 chambers of the heart, 2 kidneys, 10 fingers, 10 toes, normal looking brain.  They can tell you a lot but not everything, but we always breathe a little easier after that appointment.  Thankfully this ultrasound went the same.  The baby is measuring “big” or overall a week ahead and then the babies tummy measured 2 weeks ahead.  The doctor asked if Thomas and Elin were big babies and Thomas was but Elin wasn’t.   So they wanted me to see if I felt like I was craving sugar/sweets as it could be a sign of gestational diabetes.  This was a little different for me, I always expect my blood pressure to be the trouble in pregnancy, I didn’t expect to hear gestational diabetes.  Nonetheless, the doctor wasn’t overly concerned as I don’t have to have my glucose test until the normal 27/28 weeks.   The only other thing that was noted in the ultrasound is that the baby is still in the breech position, which was also the same as Miss Elin, he or she has a lot of time to flip around so we will hopefully feel/see that before 34 weeks!

*the best picture, although still pretty creepy, we have of the little one as he/she was a wiggle worm during the whole ultrasound*

The other different thing about Baby 3 is that we are choosing to wait to find out until delivery if the baby is a boy or girl.  We have all the clothes/things for both a boy or a girl and I really feel like I need to have that excitement of finding out to help me deliver without an epidural (I am so nervous about this!)  We have been already blessed with a beautiful boy and girl and neither Mike or I have a preference for the next baby to be one or the other.  So it will be interesting to see how our family is completed and who is joining our family, another boy or girl. 

Over the last few  weeks everything has continued to feel more real, especially as I have now passed the flubby “might be pregnant/might have 2 kids” look.  The baby is growing and getting strong and stronger sending some nice jabs and kicks into my growing tummy.   I am starting to notice his or her pattern on sleep and awake times and my favorite is feeling the baby “jump” when a new loud noise comes up!  The kiddos are very excited about the baby, Thomas especially.  Thomas’ excitement makes me feel like he isn’t too scared from the rough month we had when Elin was born with me having a spinal headache and Elin spending 3 days in the hospital.  Elin doesn’t know really what to expect but the girl loves her babies so I think she will be a great big sister.  My good friend Kami made the kids their Big Brother/Big Sister shirts.  If your interest in anything cute and adorable check out her website Kalamity Kids.

Easter 2014

Easter was a pretty chill day spent around our house with just the 4 of us.  We woke up and Thomas found his Easter basket waiting for him on the table, he then clued Elin in and the “bunny” portion of Easter began.  It was a gorgeous morning and the kids ran around picking up all their eggs before heading into their playhouse to open them and find their candy loot.  This year the Easter bunny put a jelly bean, m and m or two into each egg.  What a smart bunny, not a whole lot of candy, but some, and no messy wrappers to deal with!  Hope he remembers this next year!After the kids were content with their sugar consumption we make a bunnytastic breakfast before heading to the park.  The park was fun and the kids were enjoying themselves on the swings and slides.  Just as we were really getting into some good playing Elin took a good tumble and knocked her face/lip on the metal (but covered in the thick plastic) platform.  I was tying Stella up, Mike was just above her waiting and when I heard her cry I “knew it was a good ouchy.”   As I went to pick her up I saw all the blood and took off one of the tank tops I was wearing, just as Mike was like what the heck are you doing, he saw Elin spit out an entire mouthful of blood.  Thankfully we had ice left in our water bottles and as we walked home she was able to ice her owie and feel better. Once home we got a good look at her mouth and it was bad but not ER bad which was a huge relief.  She had managed to cut the top of her gum probably on the platform and then looked like she had put a tooth into her bottom lip.  Big ouchies and it made for a bit of a dramatic rest of the night as eating and anything but snuggling or watching PAW Patrol with ice, a frozen yogurt pop or popsicle didn’t feel the greatest to her.   After the kiddos woke up from nap we played in the back yard, tried to keep Elin comfortable and then had our Easter dinner.  By Monday Elin had bounced back and was begging to go back to the park so when Mike got home from work off we went.  Little Miss fearless continued to be her fearless self and was up up and away all over the park structure.  Thankfully this park trip ended much better and it was good to see that Elin wasn’t afraid of the park after her boo boo. 

Playhouse is Finished

The playhouse is now done for right now.  We finished the trim, added the numbers (for the years both Thomas and Elin were born) and added their mailbox.  Mike and I couldn’t be happier with how it looks and we love watching the kids play in it.  They love to sit on their chairs and have snacks in “their house.” 

The mailbox receives their mail and Thomas is still tripped up by how the mailman gets into the backyard to deliver it.  Here is the start of many many memories in their house. 

City Trucks at the Library

The library hosted a few city work truck for the kiddos to see up close.  It was similar to the safety awareness days that we have done in Seattle before.  At this event however the kids were not allowed to sit and drive the vehicles but they could climb all over them if they chose.  They said this was for safety reasons, which honestly didn’t make a whole lot of sense.   They also read a few stories outside about work trucks and the kids were a little too preoccupied to pay attention.  After they explored all the trucks we headed home.  The kiddos then happily played “work trucks” in their sandbox which was fun to watch them play out what they had just seen/learned.

Kiwi Crate

I had never heard of Kiwi Crates until Thomas was given a couple as gifts for his 4th birthday.  They are a “crate” of simple activities around a theme that Thomas could use his imagination and create things with little to no mess.  He got the pirate adventure and the space hero boxes, the pictures below show him in his completed space hero crate and working on his pirate hat.  It was a creative hands on learning opportunity for him.  He calls them his special boxes and we have done these crates when he has a no nap day and Elin is napping so it allows us some special time together too.  He loves crafts and constructing and both the space hero and pirate adventure crates were right up his alley.  The only critique I had is that the markers were not washable. The only critique I have is that the markers they included, although fantastic metallic and really fun to write with, they are not washable…so as he continued to create all over other things we were unable to remove it.  Small price to pay for creative imaginative play I guess!

Great Grandparents and Yardwork

On Thursday night Mike’s grandparents got into town.  Big Papa and Nana J had road tripped from the Chicago area to see their great grand kids and Big Papa (AKA Stiffy) wanted to help Mike with the yard.

The kids napped late on Thursday as Mike was out of town and they wanted to see him so they also got to wait up and greet Papa and Nana when they got here.  After watching the end of the disappointing Sioux hockey game we all headed to bed.  On Friday morning we were up and after breakfasts Big Papa and his little sidekick got started cutting down the misplaced tree in the back yard.  Papa was impressed with how hard a worker and focus Thomas stayed with the “work project.”  Then the kids, Papa and I started the dirt runs…we did 5 runs for dirt that day and by the end of the afternoon we had 2.5 yards of topsoil in our driveway.  Papa, Elin and I then ran to home depot for some peat moss and to check out their flower/shrub inventory.  Thomas chose to stay home and snuggle with his Nana.  Then came time for the guys to outline the area that we would be landscaping.  They chopped away and by nights end we were all covered in dirt from head to toe and tired.  It was time for dinner, the kids went to bed and then the “big kids” all relaxed.  Saturday morning we were all back at it again.  Mike picked up a rototiller and got started tilling the ground and adding in the dirt and soil.  I ran and got 1 more yard of dirt and then by lunchtime we were ready for shrubs and flower selection.  With how dirty everyone was we elected to do a car nap for Elin.  We all made it to Lowe’s for the first round of selecting and then Elin crashed in the car and Thomas again picked hanging out with his Nana and catching a quick show while Mike, Stiffy and I stopped at the nursery.  Then it was time to head home and get the plants arranged and in the ground.  Again by dinner time we were all exhausted and dirty.  We knew we had rain possibly coming on Sunday so we wanted to get everything in the ground just in case, lucky we did too as they all had a great drink while it rained until 3 Sunday afternoon. When the rain finally stopped  we snuck back outside and worked on the front yard a bit.  Mike and I have a master plan in the front yard, but it needs to wait a bit.  So with our extra help and a few extra flowers we got busy spiffing it up a little.  Mike trimmed the trees, we weeded, raked up the leaves and got things planted.  Then it was time for an early Easter dinner and Nana’s yummy Jack Daniels/Coke ham.  On Monday the yard work was all done and Mike had to return back to real work.  It was a chilly day here and so windy.  We bundled up and headed to the Arboretum, but by the time we got there it was far too cold to enjoy ourselves.  So we revamped our idea and headed toward the Perot Museum, only to be stopped in our plan by Elin falling asleep.  It was then time to head home and have a late lunch and chill. We met Mike out for dinner that night at Bob’s Steakhouse and all enjoyed a great meal and the kiddos did fantastic in a “fancy” restaurant.  It was then home for some before bed snuggles as Nana and Big Papa were heading home the next morning.     Thanks again Nana and Big Papa for all the help, fun and memories.  It was a great weekend and we couldn’t have done it without you both!

Pat and Lara’s Wedding in Kansas City

We headed to Kansas City on Thursday to celebrate Mike’s brother Pat and his fiancé Lara’s wedding.  The road trip up was fantastic and took us a little over 9 hours with a few potty stops, and a stop for lunch and playing at the park.  We left after loading up in the morning and drove until lunchtime with the kiddos watching their movies, coloring and reading books.  After grabbing lunch we pulled up at this amazing park and played for a bit before heading out again.  Then both of the kiddos napped and Mike and I got some “date time” in.  He worked on his best man speech and we enjoyed the scenery and conversation.  The kiddos ended up sleeping until we were about 30 minutes out from the hotel so we made the final push.  It was again a great travel day.   Once at the hotel we grabbed dinner and then Thomas started complaining about not feeling well…boo!  After a little recharge we met a few people and Mike’s family in the hotel lobby/bar area.  After a bit of mingling we headed back up to the room to get the kiddos to sleep and all was well until it wasn't and T was up throwing up in the middle of the night.  When your tummy isn’t feeling the best and you haven’t had much to eat…pounding Shirley Temples and maraschino cherries might make anyone hurl!  Thankfully for him it was quick and once everything was out he was able to go back to sleep and never had any further episodes.

On Friday morning Thomas was up and eating so after some morning time at the hotel we got out and went to explore Union Station.  The entire building is a must see if your in KC.  The architecture and building were absolutely breathtaking.  The building housed many things to do/see, restaurants, and connecting tunnels to other buildings in the downtown area.  We decided to explore Science City before meeting Mike’s parents and Grandparents for lunch.  We had a great time exploring the science area and the kiddos were able to burn off some energy.  Then it was naptime and getting ready for rehearsal and Groom’s dinner.

The boys headed over to practice their roles in the wedding, while Elin was still asleep.  Thankfully our shy guy really enjoys being a “big helper” and a “big brother” and did great walking down the isle after a little coaching from Daddy.  Phew, Mike and I had talked about the possibility of his nerves getting him, but knew if we could get him in a good place he would be successful, after his practice success, we were fairly certain the wedding day would work out too…

After rehearsal we got ourselves ready and then it was time to head to the dinner portion of the night.  It was held at a brewery where we had some very yummy BBQ and were able to kick off the wedding weekend.  That night we lugged the kiddos to a bar so we could continue hanging out with the family and also meet up with some of our Denver friends who had come in for the wedding.  The kiddos both fell asleep while we were there and after about an hour we headed back to the hotel for bedtime.  Our kiddos were troopers and we were so thankful that they could hang so we could still be out and about enjoying a little “adult” time. 

Saturday morning came early and we were again back at it.  We thought the kiddos would need to burn some energy so we went to Union Station again to see some more things, but we were wrong, they were exhausted.  For lunch Thomas and Mike joined Pat and the other groomsmen for a pre wedding lunch while Elin and I met a friend and then met up for naps.  By the time I got to the hotel, Thomas was already sound asleep and Elin was close behind.  Mike was ready and off to help get Pat ready and take the wedding pictures and while the kiddos slept I relaxed and then got myself ready.  They both got great naps in and woke up with just enough time to get them ready and get us out the door in time for family pictures.  The wedding went off without a hitch and Thomas did a great job walking down the isle.   His mama did everything in her power to resist the urge to take her own pictures and instead waited on the professional photographers pictures which you can see here.  After the ceremony he also ran back to escort his flower girl back down the isle and Elin did a pretty good job of staying quiet during the ceremony too.  Then it was time for mingling and the cocktail hour.  Thomas and Elin were both hungry and ready for their much awaited “fizzy drinks.”   After dinner and the speeches it was time for the dance and the kiddos were ready to rock and roll.   After lots of “fizzy drinks,” dancing and catching up with family and friends the kiddos crashed and Mike and I rested our feet before heading back to the hotel. On Sunday morning after some rest we had breakfast with the family and then loaded up and were on the road home again.  We planned to do things about the same and stop in Tulsa (1/2 way) for a late lunch/play date but we were rained out.  We stopped for lunch and got some wiggles out and then continued on the road.  The kiddos were both exhausted so this worked and they slept, watched movies, and chilled until our dinner stop and more in the car wiggles to get out.  Rain on a road trip is a real bummer.  It was another road trip without any hiccups…so wonderful and glad that the kiddos are are flexible with travel as they are.   What a great wedding weekend with the Laschen family and congratulations again to Pat and Lara!

Art Projects

Thomas and Elin continue to feed off of one another and when an art project with paint begins their creative sides come out in full swing.  Off goes their clothes and typically 3 minutes into the activity they start to try to beautify themselves. 

The puppy project was suppose to be for Thomas’ birthday party but I forgot about it in the chaos of the evening.  So when it was a cold/rainy morning we pulled them out and got to working.  It was a pretty simple sticker activity and they both enjoyed themselves for oh 5 minutes before they were done.