Lions, Tigers and Bears!

My Aunt Carol lived with us while we were growing up until I was about 10.  She taught us how to eat with our mouths closed, never to smack our food, and how to share. She was a live-in babysitter and always made sure we were in line.  In the middle of the night if we were having nightmares, we would run into her room and get in bed with her. I remember when she got married how sad I was for her to leave our house.  She used to feel like a second mother to us, but now that we are older she feels so much more like a good friend or sister.
She is a wonderful mother and has two sons of her own who are now grown but  still has the touch of being wonderful with little kids.  My boys love her just as much as she loves them!

She has been the instigator of our last few field trips (Sweet Berry Farms and Kiddie Acres), and this time was no different.  We went to the San Antonio Zoo!!!  Carol picked us up by 9 a.m. and we were on our way.  It was one of those days where everything fell into place and everything was easy.  Any mom knows that days like that are a luxury when you are dealing with little kids and don't happen all that often.  The ride up there was easy-peasy and we got in some super fun girl talk.  Everyone was happy and super excited.  We had been talking about our trip to the zoo for days, so the boys were pumped!
We got there in record time and were on our way.

Our first stop was for a Zoo lemonade to make sure we were all hydrated throughout the day.  I don't think Owen put it down.

We pretty much made our way around the entire zoo.  The boys didn't even seem to notice the rain that fell on us for about 15 minutes of our trip, they were such troopers!  There was literally not a single tantrum, fuss or fight, it was ah-mazing.

Someone started to get a little sleepy...

For our first time at the zoo, we made a stop into the gift shop and the boys picked out a zoo truck and a little stuffed animal, they each picked out a cheetah.

Eli named his cheetah Monkey (???) and so far Owen seems to have named his Giant Cat (???).  They held onto those cheetahs the rest of the day, and into the night.

The car ride back was just as successful as the way there.  I was certain that the boys would pass out the second they were in their car seats, but it was quite the contrary. They skipped naps all together this day (first time ever for Owen) and were still just as happy as can be, and bedtime came early which was a sweet surprise for me!
We really had a great time at the zoo and look forward to the next time.

Sedar

Last Friday was the beginning of Passover.  
Passover is a holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt, and is one of my favorite holidays.  My childhood memory of Passover, other than the actual Sedar with our entire family, is staying over at my grandmothers house and she would fix us Matzah with butter and sugar-hands down one of the best snacks EVER.  Rachel and I would spend the night with her and fight over who got to sleep in bed next to her and would play with Barbie Dolls that my mom played with when she was a kid.  In the mornings she would make us Matzah with butter and sugar and I cant help but think of her every single time I eat it.  I introduced this snack to the boys this year and it was a hit.  I have never heard Eli ask for a food more than Matzah, which says a lot because he barely eats, and usually doesn't eat the same thing twice (the kid is impossible to feed!).
Every year, we go to my Aunt Kathy's house with about 50 other family members and friends. We used to go to my grandmother, Maw's house until it just got too hard for her.  We even have video of our Sedar from before we were born up until we were little bitty. Even though I generally like the holiday, dinner turns out to be quite stressful every year with little ones.  Its not just dinner. Its mingling. And a service, that feels longer each year, finally followed by dinner served to each table.
The evening started off great....all the little cousins playing football in the yard, and running around.

The boys LOVED the footballs and were just throwing them back and forth.

A little tackling with Dad...

Miles finally started walking!!!

When dinner finally started, it was getting close to bedtime.  Eli got placed at the kids table for the first time this year, but was probably a year too young still, so Blaine ended up at the little kids table too, while I stayed with Owen at the grown-up table.  To my surprise, Owen did great sitting there while we went through the service, entertaining the table with constant comments such as "Whats up Dude?, I'm tired.  Where did Eli go????  Hi Daddy! (as he waved to him across about 15 people), grabbing the curtain behind him saying "Where is Owey? Here I am!!! He occasionally threw a piece of food because he realized it got laughs, and he has developed this hilarious fake laugh that he did for everyone more than enough times.  He has really developed this funny and quite comical personality. He thinks he is funny and cracks himself up along with everyone else.


By the time dinner was being served, we were packing up to leave, it was almost 9pm, and we were losing the boys extremely quickly and thought it best to get out before it got bad!  I don't think I have stayed through the whole dinner  for the last three years.  
But all in all, we had a great time.

The next morning we headed to our friends Barbara and DJ's house for their annual Easter Egg Hunt.  The boys were really excited to go run around and hunt for eggs, and since they were the youngest ones there, they got out the door first and got a head start. 
Here they are waiting for Barbara to open the door to let them out.

 And out they go...

The big kids were very sweet to them and even handed off some eggs to both boys.  They were very proud of their baskets full of eggs. While they weren't looking I looked through their eggs and took all the candy I liked...because what kind of mother would I be letting them eat ALL that candy by themselves!

Whats in this one???

Then it was time for the pinata.  Eli was pretty excited about it.  This was his first time to hit a pinata and not only did I get the nervous feeling I got when I was a kid as my turn grew closer I was nervous about how he was feeling since he tends to get pretty shy in these situations.  He watched very intently.

When it was his turn, he grabbed the stick and totally froze up.  Didn't move. Wouldn't hit the thing to save his life.  So I stood behind him, and we hit the pinata together. 
Next time.


We spent the rest of the weekend at my parents house hanging out together.  Ethan came into town, and the boys are OBSESSED with him, so they were constantly entertained and exhausted at the end of each day when we headed home.
One morning we stopped off at Murchison to let the boys run around because Eli loves the track now, and I couldn't help but take a few bluebonnet pictures.  It was an impromptu photo shoot, and its not a surprise that I really didn't end of with any great pictures, but we had fun running around on the hill and smelling flowers.