Omaha Zoo

After my sister's wedding (which was beautiful and soooo much fun) we took a family trip to Omaha for a few days to hit the zoo and a few spots from the show "Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives" (a favorite show in this family). The zoo was really a great zoo with tons of exhibits. The kids had a blast. They even rode the skyfari (a gondola that takes you over a portion of the zoo.) P. loved the Kingdom's of the Night exhibit that was actually underground and was full of bats, snakes, alligators, and the like. He was in heaven! He also really loved the aquarium. M. loved the butterfly house. She was mesmerized by all of the butterflies flitting around her head. K. says her favorite part of the zoo was the aquarium too, especially the tunnel you walk through and the animals are swimming overhead. The hotel had a water park and the kids (as well as mom and dad) had a lot of fun there, too!
We also ate at California Taco and had some of the best tacos ever! They make the tortillas fresh as you order the tacos and they are deep fried and stuffed with whatever you want. Clearly, a healthy dining option! We ate breakfast at Dixie Quicks. This place is so off the map, that we drove right by it, even using the GPS. Needless to say, once we got inside, the food was incredible. They only do breakfast and lunch, so we shared a few of their breakfast specialties like, french toast with chocolate, almonds, bananas, and whipped cream. P.'s favorite was the egg scramble topped with cactus and black beans. M. LOVED the homemade biscuits and gravy (she ate about one and a half all by herself). I had an omlette made with apples and brie cheese. Everything was soooo yummy and well worth the stop!

Genetics Anyone?

Caught them all watching a cartoon the other day...no, this is not a posed photo.

P's Birthday Pics-finally!

Yes, I have finally gotten around to posting some pics from P.'s birthday. He is still as thrilled with his gifts today as he was when he got them. Thanks again to everyone for making his day so special!

Batman Party

We had P.'s friend party this past Saturday, and as luck would have it, we have no photos. I swear I should wear my camera around my neck. We had the basement "done" enough to transform one half of it into the batcave. The boys thought it was way cool and couldn't believe that we had actually written Joker graffiti on the walls leading down to the basement (FYI- these are about to be painted once we are done moving furniture, etc. down there). P. had a great time and so did his buddies. It was a fun neighborhood weekend, too, as lots of neighbors were out and about and the kids had fun catching frogs and lightning bugs as we all chatted and enjoyed the weather.

We are headed back to the Chi-town area this weekend for my sister's wedding. I will be sure to take some pics of the ring bearer and flower girl! K. is so excited to get her hair done and to be able to hang out with the big girls the morning of the wedding. She also told me she "needs" a pedicure. I think I'll be giving her one here at home just to make her smile!

We are also taking a small trip to Omaha to the zoo and water park. Again, will have the camera, so I will get some photos.

Fabulous Fourth

We started the Fourth of July weekend by celebrating P's 6th birthday, yes, he is 6 already. We then drove to Chicago for my sister's bachelorette party. It was an awesome time! The party was a rooftop Cubs game (they won). All you can drink, all you can eat...great time, great food, great company.
We had a BBQ for the Fourth and the rain cleared just as my dad was set to grill. Again, great food and great company. P. was pretty good with the fireworks this year, no panicking and he sat through the whole thing. He even said the grand finale was "awesome". M. was clapping, until the grand finale, which she did not find awesome, just loud and scary. K. was a riot. She watched from a blanket with Aunt Kiki and cousin Emma. You could hear her say, "That one was cool", every time another firework went into the air. She is the life of the party in our family, that's for sure!
On Sunday, as part of our "staycation" summer, we stopped at Lego Discovery center. P. was in heaven! He could not believe all of the things made out of Legos. And, just when he thought it could not be any cooler, he was in a room with a lifesize Darth Vader and Batman. I thought the kid was going to have to be peeled off the ceiling! We had a yummy lunch at Big Bowl and finished up the afternoon with some Lego building and a stop to spend some b-day money at the Lego store.
We arrived home that night weary, but happy...always a great way to end a vacation!

Mommy Time in Napa, California

No, it is not the fog, I actually took this one in black and white. The Golden Gate Bridge was awe inspiring and very shaky. I only made it about 1/4 of the way out.
The winery above is Clos Pegas. I don't actually like any of the wines they produce, but in terms of vineyard and winery, it is gorgeous and very impressive to look at.
The view from the tasting patio at Round Pond Winery. They are relatively new from my understanding, but I found a fantastic Blood Orange olive oil there!
So, as you can see from the pics, I just got back from a week in Napa Valley and San Francisco. My mom and two sisters and I spent our time tasting fabulous wine and fabulous food. Not a bad way to spend a week! Kevin took the kids to Kansas to visit his family for a few days and they had a great time!! Lots of time playing with cousins and they were even treated to the famed Mexican Fiesta. Apparently, M. loved the burritos (what doesn't she like?). P. was extremely excited to get an early birthday present from his Aunt and Uncle and cousins. We now have Anakin's Starfighter proudly displayed on the dresser with the rest of the Star Wars fleet.

M. has learned to go up and down the steps while at Grandma and Grandpa's and she has continued to show off her skills here at home. This is a very good thing as we can now get rid of the 4x6 boards that we've been using to block the stairway.

P. and K. are both doing extremely well in swimming lessons. P. is actually swimming using strokes! He can swim freestyle now and K. is able to swim with her face in the water without breathing it in. They are doing AWESOME!! We are very proud of them.