Hangin with my cuz

Today we went to meet my cousin Jennifer's new baby Quinn. The kids mostly just played together, but I finally got the girls to hold him. Kaleb took a nap while we were there. No one can figure out who Quinn looks like, but I think he is the spitting image of my grandpa. Do you see it? Such a sweet boy!! You just want to squeeze him! (Quinn, not my grandpa. Haha!)

Swimming like the Fishies!

Following our trip to Newport, we drove over to Madison, IN where great-grandpa lives. We wanted to be able to visit with him and meet my cousin's new baby as well. We stayed in a hotel, which to my recollection, I have NEVER done in Madison. We have always stayed at my grandpa's house. We thought we would make it seem more of a vacation for the kiddos if we stayed in a hotel PLUS there is a pool with swimming. That was all they cared about! For two days straight, every second we were not with family, they were in the pool. Kylie learned to tread water and doggy paddle on her own. She can swim across the pool unassisted! Mom and dad still made her wear all the floaties and all since there are only 2 of us and 3 kids in the pool. They had so much fun. The swimming is what they remember the most about our whole trip.

Newport on the Levee & a little stress

We decided to take a little trip to Newport, KY midway through the week. There is an aquarium we have been wanting to take the kids to. Not only was the aquarium neat to see, but the whole Levee area was a beautiful, outdoor shopping area with movie theatres, restaurants, and all. We had a blast. All Kaleb could talk about was the sharks. The day was not all great though. At one point in the aquarium we stopped so Josh could try out a strength game. Kelsey had been holding onto him and when we stopped, she kept going. She got about 50 feet away from us before a field trip leader stopped her and asked her where her mommy was. She realized we were not with her and began to cry. When the lady asked her what her mommy's name was she sobbingly replied "Mommy!" Josh was standing next to her at this point and immediately yelled out for me since I had grabbed the other 2 kids and ran in the opposite direction to find her. Kels was fine a few minutes later, laughing and being lectured again over why she could not run ahead of us! I swear nothing fazes that child! The funniest event was feeding the lorakeets. They landed on Josh and as he and I were feeding them, Kelsey was crying her eyes out because she was sure they were hurting her daddy! We couldn't help but laugh. We had fun and finished our afternoon by taking the kids to eat at Johnny Rockets (for the first and ONLY time. It cost us $60 to eat there!!).

Spring Break Begins

We decided to kick off spring break locally by first taking the kids back to "Chuck AND Cheese", to see the movie, Monsters Vs. Aliens at the IMAX theatre in 3D (Totally awesome and definitely recommended!!), and then a day at the zoo. It was supposed to be 60 degrees the day we went to the zoo, but the weather man could not have been more wrong. The highest temp was probably 52 degrees and it felt chilly the whole day. When the sun was shining, it felt comfortable, but in the shade and waiting on the train ride was less than fun. We still had our most enjoyable family time there that we have had yet. The kids were older and understood more than they did last fall. We took our time going through each area with no rushing around for different events. The dolphin show was amazing! Since it was not their busy season yet, they brought out all 8 dolphins and did a HUGE show. We learned more at that show than any other in the past! The kids LOVED it! We let Kylie have the camera to photograph some of her favorite animals today. These are what she took.

Bounce Planet Birthday Party

Kaleb and Kelsey's birthday party was at Bounce Planet in Noblesville today. They had so much fun! Most of their friends and cousins were able to make it and it turned out very well! We had a hostess there that took care of EVERYTHING for us. They set up the room, got the kids bouncing, organized the guests, presents, coats/shoes, everything. She even cut the cake up for us and cleaned up everything when it was all over. I was so glad we had the party there. Everybody had a blast, especially when Josh and his brother Kris decided to race thru the obstacle courses (we all know who the winner was there). The twins were so fearless in the bounce houses today. Normally when we go there they have to warm up to the place, but not today! Our party theme that the twins agreed on was Scooby Doo and the cake was AWESOME!! A friend of ours used this cake maker from Frankton and she not only agreed to design and make our cake, but she also delivered it to the party. The whole day was amazing. The funniest memory was that "someone else" blew out Kaleb's candles and he made us relight them so he could blow them out by himself!

The Trampoline is Up!

Papaw Scott bought the kids a trampoline for Christmas and the weather was finally nice enough to set it up. It took Josh and Papaw Brian over 2 hours to get it fully together, but the kids would agree that it was worth the wait. They play on it every chance they get! The girls are little daredevils, but Kaleb would prefer if everyone would get out and let him jump by himself!