The rest of Spring Break

How Nolan "snacks." Lord, help me.

I'd like to say that the rest of our Spring Break was all rainbows and sunshine...but it wasn't. The weather was cold and miserable. We were all still WAY over-tired and it was quite an adjustment.

We had a temper tantrum in Kroger...because she wanted chocolate milk. I insisted she probably wanted Kids Hot Chocolate. Nope. Chocolate Milk. I bought her the chocolate milk and then she was MAD because she actually DID want the Kids Hot Chocolate. I was supposed to be able to tell the future AND read her mind. Luckily she threw a fit in the alcohol aisle - so I picked up a bottle of wine as a reward for myself later in the evening. It was only 10am.

 On Friday we took a chilly stroll through the zoo. Our zoo is open ALL YEAR - which is awesome! A lot of the animals were super active. Always fun.

We ended our Spring Break with a quick visit to the lake. Nolan thinks he's so funny with his over-sized shoes & jacket. The lake is a nice, quick get-away for us! So excited to spend time there this summer!

Alpha Phi Reunion in Indy

Last weekend we met up with my Alpha Phi friends - Lauren (Boh), Georgianne, Kelly, and Kassey - for a "Mom's Weekend" (plus families). It was crazy - but SO fun to see everyone and catch up.

We have managed to produce A LOT of babies! Actually we had 5 in ONE year! From January 2014 to January 2015...we EACH had one! (3 boys and 2 girls)...add in my older two and Kassey's older two - for a grand total of 9 baby Phi's! We were rolling DEEP.

 Our first stop was the Indianapolis Zoo - Jack and Josie loved it!

After the zoo - we checked in to our hotel and headed straight to the pool. All three of my kids LOVED swimming. Nolan was obsessed with the water. It was a little cold - but he didn't care. I think he's going to be a HUGE fan of summer!

 And Josie was loving the water, too! The tu-tu swimsuit was an added bonus.

Nolan met a few potential DePauw girlfriends...including Miss Vivienne. She's just 10 days younger than him. She spent a couple hours crying Saturday night/early Sunday morning - so she was all "you people are cray" on Sunday before we left. She had a point.

And of course, it's not a true sorority function unless you have a t-shirt...so all the kiddos got a Mom's Weekend shirt. Here are Josie, Zach (Kelly's son), and Deco (Boh's son) - sporting their shirts. Such models!

We all had SO much fun. Jack cried when he had to leave. But we promise to have more reunions with the moms (and families).

Vitamin Z

We made our way through the Detroit Zoo for the first time this year! It was Nolan's first out-of-belly trip...and he was a fan.

We met up with my friend, Erin, and her baby girl, Clara. It was Clara's first trip, too. The zoo made her sleepy.

This is us feeling sorry for the polar bears because - duh - they prefer our hella cold winters.

Saying HI to the mama giraffe and her baby - who is one month YOUNGER than Nolan. He's a big dude.

Obligatory Rhino pic for Josie's Papa Denny. One of them was scratching his belly on a rock.

And because they were all good - we got to ride the carousel before we left. Ironically, this was a fit-free trip to the zoo. Give us a year or two and Nolan will be primed and ready.  

Summer Fun List: The Zoo

On Wednesday the "polar vortex" had settled into Michigan and I, along with every other VERY pregnant woman, was THRILLED. Polar Vortex in the Winter = BAD. Polar Vortex in the Summer = glorious relief. So I told the kids it was a ZOO day. We loaded up and headed back to good ol' Royal Oak. Before the zoo we had to say HI to our old house and then I needed a Sonic fix.

The zoo was great! Busy, but great! Because the weather was cooler - the animals were all more active, which is always fun. The Grizzly Bears were hilarious. Let's just say they gave Jack some new "potty talk" material (what is it with boys and their obsession with poop??).

I was hauling 70+ pounds of children in the wagon, so when I saw an opening for some Soft Serve ice cream - I ordered it!

We took a carousel ride before leaving for the day. Of course, no visit to the zoo is complete without a Zoo Tantrum. (Previously seen HERE and HERE.) Josie threw quite the fit getting off her Nemo Fish. Lots of stares and head turns...but I just smiled, because I know the truth. Zoo Fits are in our DNA. Good thing we have Baby #3 coming along to carry on the tradition.

We Dress Like Animals…Then Ride on Them.

We are happy to report that we are members at the Detroit Zoo again. Never thought that would happen. We love the Detroit Zoo! It's open year round, which means on sunny days in January - we can still go and take a walk around. Trust me, in Michigan, and despite the cold, this is a big plus!

Josie saw some flamingos and felt connected to them. Perhaps it was because they, too, were wearing pink pants.

But then she saw the zebras and was like, "What the heck, MOM? You dressed me like a zebra?" Jack didn't seem to mind that he looked like a zebra. We also saw the giraffes, gorillas, chimps, and rhinos!

Before we left we took a ride on the carousel. Jack chose a big white rabbit and Josie rode on Nemo. I was sad that no one wanted to ride on the falcon. I call it next time...

And, of course, no zoo trip is complete without a toddler tantrum. You may recall seeing Jack's a couple years back…and mine was also included. Must run in the genes:

 

If you have a second - stop by Mumbling Mommy today to check out my Guest Post called, "If the Personality Fits."

Last Day of Summer Break

Today was my last day as an official Stay-At-Home-Mom…I say that, but most of you know that I haven't ever been an "official" SAHM. It's all been very unofficial.

My students don't come until August 15th - but I have OH.SO.MUCH to do to get ready for the school year. Jack & Josie start daycare/school full-time tomorrow. I'm kind of sad about this. Not just because we will be paying an arm & a leg (and another arm)…but it's a little sad knowing that from now on, I'm a "working(outside the home)" mom. The nice thing about education - I will always have my breaks with my kids and I will always have summers with them, too.

Anyway - in celebration of our last day of summer - we decided to visit the Zoo. It was a last minute decision…mostly because Jack has been feeling so crummy. But the Carstens were able to join us and that made it a really fun trip!

This was my first adventure using the wagon with both kids. Now that Josie is an official "sitter" - it worked perfectly!

 The boys spent time playing in the sprinklers. I can't say I blamed them - it was hot!

In the Farm area - Maddox searched the bee hive for the Queen Bee. AND FOUND HER! It was pretty exciting!

Before we left, we spent some time with the goats. Josie didn't know what to think of them. Jack treated them like one of his dogs.

That's it.
So long random trips to Target and cat naps during nap time. So long visits to the park and afternoon dips in the pool. No more sleeping in to 8am. No more Summer Shandy at lunch…wait…

So long SUMMER! Bring on Kindergarten!

Weekend

Our weekend kicked off on Friday morning with the Carsten's! They were our tour guides around the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. Jack was so excited to see his buddies!

Our little monkeys - with a monkey. 

This picture didn't turn out the way I envisioned it. Yes, that is my son - falling head first out of a kangaroo pouch.

Jack did get to feed a giraffe - which was definitely awesome! I was very impressed with the zoo here! I love the Detroit Zoo - but FW has done a great job with making their zoo hands on & interactive!

After an afternoon of no napping - we packed up and took off to the lake to celebrate Tyson's birthday with friends. Sarah, Blake, & Floyd came up from Cincy… you can see Sarah's pictures by visiting her blog TBC. Nancy & Denny were brave kind enough to take the kiddos for 24hr! It was a mini vacation - full of laughter, boating, and maybe a few "cocktails." (PS: Aaron showed up with these shirts for the trio…a tiger, an eagle, and a panther)

Yesterday we {recovered} enjoyed a low-key Father's Day. Jack & Josie are so lucky to have a Daddy that works so hard & loves them so much. Happy belated Father's Day to all the dads out there!