Out and About

Now that we're a family of 5, we haven't slowed down too much. I actually feel so much better than I did when I was pregnant, so I've been trying to make the most of the last few weeks of summer.  Luckily, Lia is such a go-with-the-flow baby and has been so easy to take along on all of our adventures!

ADVENTURELAND
Last Sunday afternoon we went to Adventureland with Joe and Holly's family.  We were kind of dragging our feet since it had rained most of the day and we were feeling lazy, but we were so glad that we went.  It was great to have Brynn and Saylor to ride the smaller rides together, while Carter, Joey and Maddox could do the big kid rides.  Plus, we had 4 adults that could take turns pushing Lia around in the stroller.  Highlights of the day:
-Joey and Joe did the Space Shot first thing! I think Joey liked it more than Joe did.
-There was a very short line for the Log Ride so the kids got to do it 4 times in a row.  All of the kids loved it!  Brynn and Carter both got soaked and couldn't have been happier.  Cary took some interesting pictures while on the ride.  Always the joker.
-Carter rode both the Tornado and the Dragon.  I love that he loves roller coasters!
-Brynn peed on Cary while in line for a ride.  This was more shocking than anything since she hasn't had an accident in well over a year.  Too much fun and excitement to ask to find a bathroom, I guess.  Luckily we had extra clothes packed so she and Cary were clean and dry in no time.
-Lia slept in her stroller almost the entire time.  I waited with her while everyone else rode the Raging River.  Apparently there was a super long line since they were gone 45 minutes.  Lia was awake that whole time and I loved just sitting and talking to her while the craziness went on around me.
-We left the park when it closed at 9pm, although I think we could have used another hour.  Everyone was tired but in such great moods when we left.

Thanks, Joe and Holly, for convincing us to go.  What a great day! :)

BLANK PARK ZOO
It's become a yearly tradition for me to take the kids to the zoo the week before school starts.  We had nothing going on this past Thursday and since the weather was gorgeous, it seemed like the perfect day to go.  All three kids were so good and so well-behaved.  They made it super easy for me and so non-stressful.  Carter and Brynn just walked along looking at all of the animals, talking to each other, getting along great, and even holding doors open so I could push the stroller through.  Lia slept most of the time but even when she was awake, she was happy just being in her stroller.  She really is such an easy baby and only cries when she's hungry, which makes outings like these possible. Because this was my only Blank Park Zoo trip with the kids this year, I let them ride the train, feed the parakeets and ride the carousel.  We packed a picnic lunch which was perfect timing for me to feed Lia, and we were home by nap time.  Another great day.  And I was proud of myself for surviving an outing by myself with all three!

DATE NIGHT AT THE IOWA STATE FAIR

One of Cary's favorite bands, Chevelle, was playing at the fair and so he bought tickets months ago.  My parents offered to babysit and even spent the night so we could stay out late.  This was my first time away from Lia (other than a trip to Hy-Vee when she stayed home with Cary), but I knew she was in good hands.  Again, it had rained almost all day and I wasn't too excited about seeing this particular band, but I was really excited to have some adult time with Cary.  Dad dropped us off at the fairgrounds so we could have a few drinks and take a cab home.  It was so fun to sit at Jalapeno Pete's and have a cocktail, then walk around without kids to find the perfect food (bacon and brisket mac n cheese, southern nachos, a pork loin sandwich and a cup of cookies).  The concert was much better than I'd expected and I loved seeing Cary be so excited about which song was next.  We were home around midnight (which made Lia's 2am feeding a little interesting...but that was Cary's shift so I slept right through it!).  Thanks to my parents for babysitting and making it possible for us to get out just the two of us!

FAMILY NIGHT OUT
Last night we took the kids mini-golfing and to Bambino's for dinner.  Cary totally beat me which was annoying, :) but it was so fun to watch the kids learn to play.  Carter started off weak but improved so much by the end.  He almost had a hole in one and learned to play with the slopes in the greens.  Brynn didn't quite get the concept and she kept picking up her ball.  And Lia was awake the whole time just smiling and looking around.  Again, such a great baby!

I'm feeling so blessed to have such a wonderful family and to be able to take the kids to all of these fun places.  What a great way to end our summer.  :)