How we wrapped up in Iowa!!

I think that just photos will speak for themselves for this one but I will say that we had a great time and I'm so glad we had alot of options for keeping the kids occupied!!!

 

 

 

These two fishies truly LOVE swimming. I cannot wait until they can swim on their own. We'll be working on that ALOT this Summer!!

 

 

 

 

Suffice to say that Chuck E Cheese was a BIG hit!!! Always is!! We made it through that week in Iowa, had lots of fun, but were sure glad to get back home to our own beds! 

We had two other family members ecstatic about everything being back to normal.

He had immediate dibs on L's sleeping bad that was propped on our unpacked suitcases!

 

 

Oakley was glad to be home, but I know he surely enjoyed his vacation with his friend Ernie!!

 

 

Cheers-- TLC

 

It's a Trip... Make the Best of it!!

We are in Iowa. I have never been to Iowa and it's kinda strange that we are here but it's also very fun as new adventures for our family break up the monotony. Since my husband will be called to duty over seas very soon, and he had this TDY (temporary duty) scheduled, he decided to pack up the family and bring us along. T and L are always up for a trip. We prepare them days before to let them know that we will be traveling in the car for along time so that they aren't surprised when the car doesn't stop. We also tell them where we are going and we talk alot about the state and the cities we will visit. This time T especially enjoyed helping mommy pick up snacks for the long ride to "Ierla" aka Iowa!!

Yesterday was our official first day here and we had a great time. As soon as the kids saw the INDOOR POOL that was it. I barely got them to eat breakfast before it was constant begging for a swim. They really liked the fact that the pool was warm(so did Mommy) and even better, there was another one right next to it that was like a bath!! Way cool to them!!!! We had a great time and Mommy even enjoyed some much needed water aerobics.

After an hour of swimming, I dried up my little pruned up kiddos and we headed to lunch which was not very good to say the least. I won't mention where we went but I will say I was disappointed since I had never been there and was excited to try it out.

The next couple of hours were spent back at the hotel until daddy was home from work. Unfortunately, Mommy still has to keep up a somewhat normal routine despite living in a hotel room for a week. We try to keep mealtimes, nap times and bedtimes the same but there are alot of compromises!!!


When you have a toddler that has to nap and a toddlerish BIG girl that doesn't nap, what do you do?? Well, here's what we did while ALL the lights were off in the room.

I pulled out my camera and snapped some self portraits in the bathroom because after all, it was the only place we could have light!!!!

Can you tell I was having fun!!!! I'm not a 'self portrait' kinda girl, I tend to stay on the other side of the lens making other people look fabulous, but being goofy in front of the mirror sometimes is good for the soul!! (and it makes for great practice)

T also joined me in the bathroom since there wasn't anything else to do. I tried to pose her in some of the shots with me. That went over like a ton of bricks... as you can see!!!

Seriously?!

What she was doing was WAY more interesting than another photo op with Mommy!!

 

 Clearly, Cut The Rope is waay cooler than coloring or quiet time resting, wouldn't you agree?!?!!?

Once L woke up and Daddy returned from work, our day ended with spending time with the family(mommy stopped in a neat camera store to browses some awesome camera equipment which was super exciting), cruising the CR, Iowa Mall,  having yummy dinner and back to our temporary 'home.'

I will update later this week on how our short visit to Iowa unfolds. So far, we are really enjoying our time despite the inconveniences of living in a hotel room.  Not to mention, there's something to be said about a man who drags his family with him across country for a business trip and puts up with all the madness of family on the road!!!! Dedication!!! Love you Honey!!!

Live, Laugh, Love and always be YOU!! Cheers-- TLC

A ZOObulious Day!!!

I don't think "ZOObulious" is a word, but it's a perfect way to me to describe a day like we had on Saturday!

Since we have been having Spring like weather, what better way to spend a weekend day especially when we have SEASON PASSES than at the ZOO?!?! We got there right when it opened so we were able to go pretty much where ever we wanted. T&L were super happy to spend a day at the ZOO with their friend Emma. They loved exploring the ZOO hand in hand despite the chilly morning. Some of the exhibits were closed for the winter, but you'd never know it with all that we saw.


The best part of being at the ZOO is knowing that if you happen to miss an animal or an exhibit, you are just 20 minutes away and have season passes, so coming back to the Zoo is a possibility. (where we used to live, it was a 3 hour drive if we wanted to see any wildlife)

Here is how our day unfolded....

Two Peas: T&E

Waiting Patiently for Zoo Opening!

Nothing like seeing Flamingo's especially after watching "Gnomeo & Juliet"

The Giraffe's ALWAYS amaze me!!

Waiting for the Elephant feeding!!

Boredom creeped up on them pretty quickly! 

This guy the Rhino was pretty hilarious, just starred at us the whole time!

We decided to stroll through the Chimp house to break up the monotony while waiting for the Elephant feeding.

Isn't this just amazing?!?!

The show ended up being inside and it was super fun to watch!!

My camera captured the Elephant with the appearance of a painted portrait. (probably the setting/lighting, but hey, I'm happy with it)

Photo Op with totally awesome 'Down Under' ride!!

Grizzlies are so beautiful.... behind the fence!!!!

This beautiful guy didn't spread his wings until I put my camera away, of course!

My guy had a blast!!

And so did these beauties, hand in hand!!!

Creating a lifetime of memories that will last FOREVER!!!

Great time had by ALL!!! Hope you enjoyed it!! Live, Laugh, Love and Always be YOU!! 

Cheers,

TLC

Boys Will Be Boys.... Forever!!!

My guy, Little L, is very different from my T. He is ALL BOY and has been from day 1! He just turned 3 in Nov. so he's most definitely out of the baby stage and slowly but surely working his way out of the toddler stages. So much so, that he ALMOST has more attitude than my daughter. We are potty training NOW and when that's accomplished, Shrek will be coming to get his "binkies" and will take them to the SWAMP. Those of you who know us, know about that plan and know that little L is not exactly happy with that idea. In fact, when that does happen, it may actually end his Shrek obsession. (doubt it) That said, Little L has such a sweet demeanor and is a true cuddle bug, but on his bad days he can be a handful!!

This is his "I'm mad because I couldn't do it FIRST" pose.

 

 

 

 

"Hmm, I don't wanna"

"Not another picture, Mom!"

When asked to smile, this is what I got, after saying "L, give me your happy face!"

Bieber Fever Hair in full effect, wouldn't you say??

His big sister T has done a great job lately with setting an example of how to show love and compassion even when things aren't going the way they want and they aren't agreeing. While I was snapping the above^ photos, T was sweetly encouraging L to 'listen to Momma.' It's is so neat to see them interact with each other (when they are not fighting).

At the end of the day, whether it's little L giving momma a hard time, or whether T&L aren't agreeing about which toys are worthy of sharing or whether they are both tattling on each other ... there is one thing about those two that stays consistent every single day despite the sibling conflicts....

"Look Mom, we're snuggling!"

Their LOVE for each other!! And I couldn't be happier as a mom with two kiddos who are 17 months apart!!! I'll take the "ALL BOY" behavior and the girly DIVA attitude any day!! Have a great one! Live, Laugh LOVE and ALWAYS be YOU!!!

Cheers,
TLC

V Day Surprise!!!!

We still celebrate Valentine's Day in the fact that we still give each other gifts. We usually don't do extravagant gifts or extravagant dinners often. There have been times when we've gone to dinner and enjoyed a date night, but after having kids, we're lucky to even remember the holiday. Another reason why we don't do much on February 14, it because our larger traditional wedding was on Feb 21, 2004 and our first wedding was a small service on March 22, 2003. SO, that said, with just recovering from Christmas (as I was reminded by a friend), and having Valentine's and Anniversaries back to back... it's hard to get/give a whole lot. I usually put a lot of thought into my gifts for my hubby and this year was the same. He got several thoughtful gifts that didn't cost much, but meant something to me.

His gift to me was so much better, even after we agreed that we weren't going to spend 'alot' on gifts, this is what I found on the seat on my car this morning:

Along with this sweet card:

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's day as well!! Cheers-- TLC