Update (caution there are lots of photos)

Wow, it has only been just over 10 days since I last blogged and yet it seems like so much has happened in such a short time. I guess the expression "time flies when you are having fun" would surely fit here.
Well we finally managed to get Tim a BIGGER bed. It was much needed, as he is getting so much bigger now (not to mention that he tosses and turns so much he was practically falling out of the toddler bed most nights). So he loves having a bigger bed, and is now looking forward to having his good friend Jacob over to stay the night.
It's amazing to think of what a dollar will get you these days... a burger, a big gulp, a candy bar... a great after noon of fun at the park. I found this inflatable flying disk at our local 99 cent store... who knew the kids would go gaga over it! We took them to the park, and it was a huge hit. And not just with our kids, but several others at the park too. One little boy was so upset that he had to leave before he was done playing with it. They all had a blast, and amazingly the disk has help up quite well, and I think we will be taking it on another trip to the park very soon.
Alexa has taking in recent days to pretending to be a butterfly. I love the way she "flutters" around the house with the cute little wings on. She has such a great imagination. It always amazes me the things these two can come up with.
Memorial Day was lots of fun here. Since Mike was home we took advantage of the time, and did something fun. We took the the kids to play mini golf for the first time. (Sorry the pics are a little fuzzy, they were taken on my camera phone :P) The kids had a great time. We are wondering if golf may be in Tim's future as he managed to get the ball in the hole with only 3-4 hits on most of the courses. Not to shabby for his first time. Lex did pretty good too. We thought it was great when she would get the ball in and turn to us and say "Ha I beat you!" even when she was the last one to get her ball in.
Ok last but not least, now that the weather has warmed up we took advantage of it, and went to play in a local splash fountain area today. It was a lot of fun, and as usual I managed to get some really good pics... here are a few more. LOL (for more water pictures like this one visit my other blog)
Well we have been busy little bees lately, and the summer has only just begun. We are looking towards a very busy few months. So for now I end with a "Thanks for stopping by" and another photo of the kids.

Last Hurrah

Well we decided to get in one last outing before it gets to hot to do anything outside. Although it did manage to hit almost 100 here yesterday, we went to the Wild Life Park early before it got to warm, and since it was breezy, it was actually quite nice. The kids like the Wild Life Park, since they can get a little closer to the animals, and actaully feed some of them. Here are a few photos from the outing. Enjoy!

A day at the zoo!

Also since I seem to come home with more animals photos than I do photos of the kids, here is a link to my other blog with some of the animal photos... some are quite funny! Hope you check it out!

Dino-Mite!

Ok this will be short and sweet...
We went to the Natural history Museum this past Fri. We had a blast looking at all the dino fossils, and learning about some Arizona history too (Shhhh don't tell the kids they were learning, as they were having to good a time to realize it! LOL)
Anyway here are the pics...

The kids got to spend some time in one of the play areas... Tim and his friend had a blast fighting the dinos, while Lex chose a more calm activity making some beautiful crayon rubbings of the dinosaurs.



Here the kids are panning for (fools) gold.


Tim is fascinated by the dinosaurs


Looking at an old Arizona jail cell


Hope you all are having a good week... hopefully more stuff to follow, as summer is upon us here in the desert, and we are looking for ways to stay cool.
Check back soon!

Testing

Just testing to make sure my photos are uploading. Let me know if you cannot see the photos below. Thanks!

Mothers and Sisters and Brothers oh my!

My kids have been talking about Mother's day over the last week. My daughter pipped in with this idea just yesterday, sister's day and brother's day. I actually thought it was a good idea. We could make it a special day just for each of the kids... their favorite food and a special activity for just them.
My husband was not so convinced... he said we do that for their birthdays anyway. But don't we, as parents, also get that on our birthday. Yet we still get another "special" day during the year to celebrate being mom and dad... Why not give the same attention to being a child? I was told by husband that Mother's and Father's day was just another hallmark holiday, designed to sell more cards and stuff. Ok so I do agree that it is another corporate induced holiday designed to sell more stuff... but, so what? No one says you have to go all out. For me family time, homemade cards, and breakfast in bed are much more important. Just as I think all parents deserve AT LEAST one day to be appreciated (and let's face it, for most of us, if it was not on the calendar we would not take the time to do it properly)I think kids deserve a day to just be kids.
Think about it. A day to just play in the sunshine, eat nothing but chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese (Ok I know most of us would sneak in a veggie or two but still), and spend the whole day doing nothing but just being a kid. I think in this day and age, we try and get our kids to grow up to quickly. I read a few different parenting blogs, and although I don't agree with everything that they say, it does give me a moment to stop and think. This article was posted on one of the blogs just the other day, and it made me really stop and think about my own daughter, and the things I am teaching her. She is only 3 years old, and yet, I do paint her nails and indulge her in some lipstick every now and then, so she can be like mommy. But where do we draw the line? I know for sure there will be no hair coloring in this house until at least 16, and even then I'd like to think it will take a lot to convince me (especially if my daughter wants her favorite color purple). I just want her to be a kid. To not grow up to fast.
So all in all I think a day to celebrate just being a kid is a great idea. Especially if it allows us a parents to really stop and think about what that means. I know it will mean different things to different people, but if means slowing down and really looking at things from a child's perspective, then I consider that a good thing.