Winter Break 2016: Play place and home play

Of course we had to wrap up Winter Break with some fun at the indoor play place!  I love that the girls can crawl around and get into everything, while Ben can use the bigger toys and meet other little friends!  Ali and Sammy loved playing with the balls again.  They also really wanted to play with Ben in the playhouses.  Ben wasn't super thrilled by that, sometimes little sisters can be in the way.  But he did a pretty good job of letting them play too.  Ben loved the trains and playing with Daddy in the playhouses!  I really enjoyed watching Pat hang out in the tiny houses. ;)  Oh, and Ali and Sammy managed to find all the outlets in the place and go right at them.  Luckily this play place is beyond child proof- no way they can actually touch them.  It was a favorite toy for a bit though, silly girls.

Sammy was the first to find an outlet.

Oh yes, she called her sister over.  

This outlet has a force field!

The boys playing house.  Ben loves to talk on the phone!

Little sisters attack!  Storm the house!

Daddy is a soft touch and let Ali in to play.

Sammy too!

The girls have really gotten into playing on their own.  They just take off to the toys and play by themselves and with each other.  We were able to pull out some different toys and let them go nuts over the break.  These girls really know how to destroy a room.

Double Trouble!  This is just a fraction of the mess they can make.

We found the Easter bunny ears.  The girls thought they were the funniest thing ever.

Sammy!

Ali!

I did have to do a little year end work, but Ben jumped right in to help me out!  It was so cute, like old times at the office.  He saw me working, grabbed his keyboard, drink, and asked for some notes a receipts to work on.  My junior bookkeeper hasn't missed a beat!

New office space- the kitchen table :)

Still my favorite coworker.  This kid has lots of experience!

Of course we didn't work on an empty stomach.  This sweet boy loves to help me make breakfast.  He's getting pretty good at scrambled eggs.

My little helper.  How do I get anything done without him?

It was such a great week.  We got things done around the house and had a ton of fun.  We felt ready to dive into the new year, refreshed and raring to go!

-Kim

Winter Break 2016: Zoo!

The big event of our Winter Break was going to the zoo!  Aunt Gail and Uncle Dan got us a family pass for the year and we are so excited to have it.  When Pat and I lived in the city years ago we would go to the zoo all the time.  In our old town we had an animal rescue zoo that we had just started to take Ben and the girls to, and we had so much fun.  We are so happy to have a chance to take the kids to the zoo even more now!

We took a chance and left before Ali and Sammy's first nap. I hoped they would sleep in the car, but they weren't super into that.  Oh well.  All three kids were awesome at the zoo though.  The girls loved looking at everything.  Ben adored seeing everything.  He was super well behaved and we were so proud of him!

Checking out where we wanted to go first!

Ali (L) and Sammy (R) were so happy to be out and about!

"It looks like the Lion Guard!"

It's handy to have Daddy to give you a boost!

My Ali!

My Sammy!

The Christmas stuff was still up, and we saw the Bumble from Rudolph!  Ben was very excited, but didn't want to get too close. ;)

Climbing up high to see the giraffes! 

I had to grab some selfies with my girls too.  These two were so fun, watching everyone and giggling!  They had a really great time!

For a super fun treat we let Ben ride the camel!  He was so excited while we waited for his turn.  He was jumping and so eager.  I was a little nervous he would back out at the last second, or get scared when he was finally on the camel.  But he loved it!  I was so proud of him!  He listened very well to the operators and sat so nicely on the camel.  The camel's name was Issac, and Ben still talks about his camel friend at the zoo.

One excited little guy!

Ready to ride!

He's growing into such a big boy!

We stopped to get a treat, but Ben wanted a penny from the machine.  We didn't have any change, but Pat is a great dad and waited in a long line to get some just for Ben.  Which penny did he want?  The camel to remember his camel ride of course!

We had such a great time at the zoo.  The kids did so well.  The girls were happy.  Ben behaved super well, staying right with us and listening nicely.  We are so excited to get to go back to the zoo again.  It was a wonderful day!

-Kim

Winter Break 2016: Outside play and library

The days after Christmas can sometimes be a bit of a let down.  Not this year though.  We managed to pack even more fun in!  Pat got the whole week of January off, so we decided to really enjoy our break.

The first thing on our list of to-dos was yard work.  I know, not always the most fun thing in the world.  The yard needed a little work though.  I have to say, doing yard work in the first week of January is really throwing me!!  I'm used to hunkering down and staying inside.  It is hard to even think of getting out to fix things up, but that's what we do now.  The kids thought it was all great fun.  We put up a pack and play in the yard for the girls and Ben ran around and 'helped.'  The girls thought being outside was super fun.  They were so cute waving and cooing at us! 

Ben loves being outside!

Little helper!!

Ben and Daddy, working hard.

Off to help some more!!

Little sweeties, enjoying the day

Happy Ali!

Smiling Sammy!

These two worked super hard. ;)

After a day working, we spent the next couple having fun.  We started off heading to a library branch Pat hadn't been to yet.  It's right up against a regional park.  This means it has great kids toys, books, and a little nature center for us to look at.  It isn't anything too much.  It has some snakes, things like turtle shells to touch, and things to buy.  Plus a short outdoor path to walk around.  Pretty much perfect for a toddler.

Sammy love the library!

Ben keeps super busy at the library.  Not usually with books, but he does love the toys!

Ali is always happy to be out and about!

I think Ben works the giant tablet better than I do.

Checking out snakes

Ben wanted to try out the antlers.  He's so cute.

Just in case we thought this rattlesnake wasn't hard core, he's just casually resting on a cactus.  Like you do.

It was a great start to the week.  I love that Pat had the days off and that we got to get some quality family time in!

-Kim