Afternoon at the Arboretum

 

It was off to the Overland Park Arboretum and Botannical Gardens today. More easily referred to as a pretty place with cool trails. Reese was the official keeper and reader of the map. So most of the time we had no idea which way we were headed.

My apologies to the visitors out to enjoy a quiet relaxing atmosphere. This was pretty much completely shattered when my brood showed up. They actually faired pretty well though. Through the course of the almost 2 hours we were there they felt the need to share with me how tired, hungry, and hot they were. However, each time we discovered a new trail through the woods, they would miraculously perk up and run ahead. Hmmmmm....

 

Once they saw the first little bridge and waterfall, they were hooked. They decided that an outdoor nature trail could be pretty cool after all. They seemed genuinely pleasantly surprised. We were minus Daddy today who always points out the fun bugs and wildlife and thinks he is an exception to the "stay on the path" rule.

Only one small flower was picked by accident...by Reese...who picked it for me. When she realized she had picked the forbidden flower she guiltily scanned the grounds half expecting the garden police to descend.

 

The girls tried out almost every bench there. And even laid down on some benches in a gazebo for a little rest. Tate took one look at them and said, "No...'mon (come on)" and kept on going. He wasn't too thrilled at having to stop and get his picture taken either.

As I was explaining how to creep quietly into the bird watching area they all bumbled ahead excitedly and every last bird flew off their feeders into the wild blue yonder.

We finished our first loop in about an hour and were about to call it a day when one more mulch covered trail beckoned us. A handful of trails and bridges and an additional hour later, we made it back up to the front and headed for pizza.

This actually turned out kinda artsy looking...on accident. Just as I was letting Drue take a picture of me Tate took off down the path. I was afraid he would end up in the creek so I dashed off to get him at the exact moment she pressed the button.

 

I almost dropped the camera when I looked back to find Reese like this on one of the benches. I asked her where in the world she had picked that up....apparently a cartoon.

 

I weighed the pros and cons of posing them by this waterfall. With the biggest con being curious soaked kids, I went ahead and took the chance...

 

I Didn't Want To

 

Reese had me straighten her hair for school yesterday. Straighten every last one of her beautiful golden curls. It pained me to do so. With every swipe of the straightening iron I pretended to cry. To which she kept reassuring me, "Mommy, Mommy, it's ok. You just have to add some water to them and they'll come back!".

 

She loved seeing how long her hair really is. I did not love that it seemed to add about 3 years to her age.

After her bath last night, I hugged her dramatically and welcomed my little Reesie home again....

More Weekend Adventures

Our destinations this weekend were the Wonderscope Children's Museum and Dee Anna Rose Farm. (Wonderscope got thrown in at the last minute when we woke up to a rainy morning.) It has lost some magic for us, I must say. We spent almost $30 for the 5 of us, and we only ended up staying about 30 minutes! That is some expensive entertainment! I believe that will be our last trip there...

My two astronauts.

 

Paging Dr. Druebie to Pediatrics STAT.

 

One minute they were flying to the moon...the next they were diving to the bottom of the ocean in a submarine.

 

Farm Pictures

Feeding baby goats with bottles tops my list as one of the cutest activities in the world! David bought 3 bottles and headed over to the goat pen with Tate while the girls rode ponies. By the time we got over to join them, Tate had used up all the bottles! So off David went to buy some more. The goats bombard you right as you slip through their gate and gobble up the milk. David said Tate was very particular about the goats he fed. He didn't like feeding the ones that pushed their way to the front. He would jerk the bottle out of their mouth saying, "No!" and go seek out the ones that were lying away from the crowd. How sweet is that?!

 

A kiss from one kid to another...

 

 

Sometimes we end up splitting up at the farm if the kids want to do different things. The girls and I explored the old time school room then they headed off with David while Tate and I went to play. I still can't get over that he can actually carry on little conversations now. Just a few months ago I was concerned that he would never talk. He came up to me and said, "Water". So I thought he wanted to go play in the water where they can splash around in their bare feet. He humored me for a bit, then came over and said "Water" again.

"Yeah, you like playing in the water?" I responded.

He looked puzzled then said, "Water to drink. Hot."

So off we went in search of the water fountain.

There is the cutest little kid sized bench in front of a waterfall when you first get to the farm. I wanted to get a cute shot of the kids on it when we first got there before they got tired and cranky, but David whisked us past because there was only a little time left to feed the goats. I tried again right before we left to go home and positioned all the kids with the picturesque scene behind them and...my camera battery died! Grrrrr.....

See Spot Pose

 

David just got home from his first annual Target conference. While I was at home dealing with a dead van, unraveled toilet paper rolls, and hungry kids who thought they were entitled to supper every night, he was being entertained in Minneapolis by Josh Groban, the Jonas Bros, and Christina Aguilera! Way to work hard for the cause dear...

Target goes all out for these things and it really sounded like a great time. He got to pose with the actual Target mascot, Spot. Should they ever decide on a new mascot, I will be the first to offer up a couple of beagles...I just have to find a red sharpie for their bullseye.

Now if you'll excuse me, I am off to treat myself to a new outfit from, where else(?)...TARGET!

New Playground=New Adventure=New Injuries

Now, my title may be a wee bit misleading. There were actually no injuries incurred this evening...except a tiny boo boo on Tate's finger that I thought was imaginary because I couldn't see it through all the grime on his hands. It wasn't until we got home and washed up that I saw his little knuckle was slit open...and he howled like the dickens when the juice from his oranges ran into it.

 

Unfortunately I fear my title may be more prophetic than anything else. This is a new playground at Reese's school and is designed for 5-12 year olds. But Drue and Tate are determined to play the heck out of it also.

 

Tate got stuck at the top of the rope contraption and I barely heard his little voice call, "Help. Mommy. Help. Mommy." He just kept repeating it softly over and over until I noticed. So of course I had to snap a picture...

 

...or two before I came to his rescue.

 

The girls were sad that David wasn't there for our first night at the new playground. And David was just as disappointed when he called from Minneapolis and found out we were on our way home from playing at the new playground.