I Love a Good Picnic...

...and so does my boy!

Today was perfect. The pictures say it all.

Lynn

Hello, Zoo!

Sure seems like it has been a long hiatus from our beloved zoo, so you can just imagine how excited we were to be back there for the first time this spring. We were fortunate enough to make a few trips during the winter months, Christmastime of course, and a few other times while I was working in Indy. But it was cold, limiting what we could see and do. Cold no more, it was an unusually warm April day and PERFECT for our visit.

Our friends, The Semmler's invited us to kick out Cary's vacay with a trip and we were thrilled to be invited. We had to keep our plans on the down low, as usual, not telling McKinley until the evening before. If we tell him any earlier...well, it's crazy!!!

We met up with the Semmler's at Rick's parents' home in Avon, headed out for a quick lunch (the zoo fare is not so good...and not so cheap either!) then off to the park! The seals and sea lions greeted us as usual (which the kids adored), then we visited the sea creatures. Rick and Cary 'petted' the sharks and nearly convinced Savannah and McKinley to pet them too. Little did our husbands know the sheer terror they were evoking in us mothers. Oooh, not a good feeling to watch a shark swim by your husband and child while they frolic and play like we're dealing with a puppy or something! HELLO! SHARK!

Moving on, the rest of the ocean life had our attention for quite a while -we even attended the dolphin show, which was a special show honoring the NCAA Final Four. It was so fun to watch one of the dolphins 'dribble' a basket ball under water!

The famed splash park was open already, so we had to distract, distract, distract to get to the rest of the zoo. CAROUSEL! We all rode the carousel together, which was fun. McKinley and Savannah sat side-by-side (with me standing between them...just in case). It was adorable. Soon we were off to the train where we rode TWICE. Bet you will never guess who enjoyed himself beyond words...McKinley! Actually, we all enjoyed the rides on the brand spanking new engine. Again, McKinley and Savannah wanted to sit together, so Robin, Rick & Austin, Cary and I got our own seats and literally got to just enjoy the ride. It seems so hard to believe that the kids are old enough to ride by themselves already.

Before long, the zoo was CLOSING! Funny thing is not THAT long ago we were closing bars on a Saturday night...now we close the zoo. Truth be told, I really think the zoo is WAY more fun. Seriously. Who knew?!

As we all headed home the rain came. And as Cary, McKinley and I were about 10 minutes outside of Indy, the storms hit as well. My Mom was literally a few blocks behind us, having come to Indy for an appointment, so I called her and met up as the emergency sirens began going off in the city of Plainfield. We sought refuge in a mall there - the storms were REALLY bad. Thankfully they blew over without much damage to our immediate area (though we could have done without the hail, thanks), so Cary and I decided to do a little shopping and Mom headed on home.

It was a really fun day with Robin, Rick and their children. We had a wonderful time and love sharing in fun little day trips with such good friends! Zoo, I know we'll all be back soon!

Lynn

Happy Easter!!!

See that face? Pure joy. The Easter Bunny brought pure joy to our son's face this morning. Thank you, Easter Bunny, you made our boy's day! He was most thrilled with the goods left over night by the big-eared one. There was a Tag Jr, and books, some fun travel puzzles, dominos, stickers, a bunny mask, a little tiny Bunny Train and track, and a little bit of candy - including McKinley's very first Pez dispenser, which he ADORES.
The E.B. even took the time to hide our Easter Eggs in the back yard and even brought along some fun new 'eggs' a la Lightening McQueen, a big fave in our house.

My Mom was down for the count, so we headed out to visit family in Bloomington. McKinley had SO MUCH FUN rolling down Grandma Vernon's hill with his cousins - it was adorable, grass stains and all.

Soon we headed back to the Haute to visit with Mom, where we watched Toy Story together (a gift from my Mom to McKinley for Easter). The best part for me was knowing that Cary would be on vacation effective tomorrow. I so love having my hubby home with me and McKinley!

What a great Easter!
Lynn

Recap

We have been so busy lately! So much to blog, so very little time...

So, to briefly recap events of recent:

Lunch in Indy with Diane (aka HONEY) and Shelby, my Mom, McKinley and I. Buca Di Beppo. Shopping at Castleton. Awesome! It was a gorgeous day and we really enjoyed spending time with Diane & Shelby. I love this pic!

Another fun outing was our impromptu dinner with the Douglas Fam. Cary, McKinley and I had a blast that evening visiting with our friends. The night was complete with Baby Ollie sleeping peacefully the entire time while our ditzy waiter danced around us and gave us over sweetened tea (YUCK. I HATE SWEET TEA), extra rice and a heart attack as he bumped Ollie's car seat, nearly toppling the newborn. YIKES! Aside from that, it was so great to spend time with them, as always. The boys (McKinley & Lincoln) were as cute as usual, arm in arm, being cheesy for the camera. So cute!

Finally, it's that time again! Spring Planting! This year McKinley picked out a pumpkin, a sunflower and a watermelon to grow from seeds. McKinley really enjoyed the entire process: moisten peat pellet with water, allow to expand, place seeds in peat, cover with soil and wait for some action! I'm happy to report the sunflower and watermelon have already sprouted and need planting this week! That was fast!

It certainly is an extra busy time for us right now! We are blessed with wonderful friends and family, fun events and special times together, and are grateful to have so many great opportunities to report!

Happy Spring!

Lynn

EGGcelent Family Activities!

As unreal as it may seem, it is Easter Weekend. I'm shocked at how quickly it has crept up on us. Seriously! So, it is time once again to dye the Easter Eggs and hit the City Hunt!

Last night we did our Egg Dying - and how sweet was McKinley wanting to do it all 'myself'!!! He colored on several eggs, then we dipped them together. I wrote our names on 3 eggs, and into the bath they went! McKinley chose when each egg was 'done' or needed 'more' color, then together we set them aside to dry. He was so excited this year! What a big boy!

Today, it was time for the City's annual Easter Egg Hunt. I wasn't so sure we would return after last year's experience, but it's right around the corner and why not?! Right?! So, off we went! It was rainy and wet, so McKinley donned his favorite galoshes and an extra layer of clothing. I wasn't surprised that the turn out was not so great as last year - the rain took care of that, but there was still a big crowd! We got in line (after family friend and photographer for the newspaper took our pic), and waited. The waiting took MUCH longer than the actual hunt, but it didn't matter when I saw how giggly and happy McKinley was while hunting for the eggs. He scored quite a few and when we opened them we found that he won a little rubber bunny. While we were still there a staff member brought us an arm load of more eggs, where McKinley won a train whistle! He already has one, but hey! TRAINS! He loved it.

This evening we will go visit the Easter Bunny one last time before he visits our home this evening! Wonder what the Bunny will bring our boy?!?!

Lynn