Lincoln Children's Museum

We finally took the kids to the Lincoln Children's Museum.  Lane has been asking to go back since the last time we were there...which was November 2010.  Back then, Katy was Scarlett's age.   I remember that Lane had a good time, but he needed lots of guidance on what to do.  This time, it was so fun!  Lane was good at deciding what to do and Katy followed his lead.  There were also lots of fun new exhibits which really kept the kids entertained.

Lane loves fire trucks right now, so he was thrilled to get to sit in a real one and run the siren!

His other love is space, so when we finally made it to the 3rd floor, we spent about an hour just in the space exhibit!

Katy thought this tractor was really cool.  It played videos of all the different farming seasons - planting, spraying, harvest, etc.  She kept saying "That's Grandpa's tractor!  That's daddy's combine!".

I thought this was really fun - the apples hung from the tree by magnets.  The magnets were on a timer, and at "harvest time" all the apples fell off!  We kept trying to catch the apples in the basket, but we were too slow.

Another new thing was a large room filled with foam shapes.  Lane finally got to build an igloo.

Katy discovered this room where the shapes on the wall interacted with your shadow - it was really cool.  Curtis figured out how to "fill up" his arms...then the kids tried.  Really fun!

We were there for almost 6 hours.  It was a good break from real life.  Scarlett does well in situation like this and it's really nice not to have to worry about putting her down for naps (she sleeps really good in the carseat and stroller).

Bored mommy + bored kids = these photos!

 Last weekend, I was bored.  And kinda crabby.  We needed something to do.  So, I grabbed my camera, convinced the kids to put on nice(er) clothes, and told them to hop on my bed.  The result is these pictures...some pretty cute:

And others that just make me laugh...

I attempted to get them all on their bellies and looking at me.  They were pretty goofy by this time...

...even Scarlett.

It was fun.  And chased the crabbies away in all of us.

Christmas 2012 - part 2!

 This year, we celebrated with the Farrall's on the 29th.  We decided to get together at Rachelle's house.  I was glad because I like going to Omaha!  Curtis and I (and Scarlett) actually got away for a couple hours to do some shopping.  Neither of us bought anything, though, besides Chinese food!

Lane loved wearing the elf hat, and Katy was pretending to have antlers on her head so she could be a reindeer.

The kids drew names for gifts this year - Katy got a couple of small Nerf guns from Lane.  I think Chad and Curtis had more fun than Katy!  Actually, I don't think Katy has even shot them yet!

 This is our best attempt at a family photo - the kids are watching Christmas movies on TV :)

The adults decided to do a game exchange - that was pretty fun!  It was nice to have a theme and an easy way to buy gifts.  I think next year we're planning on doing "As Seen on TV".  And hopefully having Christmas in July ;)

 On Sunday, we joined my family at the bowling alley in York.  It had been forever since I had bowled!  And it showed - the first game, both Lane and Katy beat me!  They had so much fun :)

 The second game, I did a lot better.  Casey and I were tied up until the 7th frame...then I finally pulled away and beat her.  Pretty sure she crumbled under the pressure ;)

On New Year's Day, we finally celebrated Christmas with my family.

 Lane got the gift he has wanted for months - a Lego space shuttle!  He was thrilled.

 Katy's favorite gift was a Lightning McQueen backpack.  She's worn it around the house every day since then, and she's pretty sure that she starts preschool tomorrow (in reality, it's still 8 months away.  8 long months!).

 Katy also got this cute vet costume from Casey.  Another gift was an animal hospital, so she's had lots of fun taking care of animals!

 Curtis has a tradition of making my mom a gift.  This year, it was a pivot sprinkler.  It turned out really well! Now we just hope that it actually works this spring!

 And...the traditional photo of the table.  We had elf food for supper - can't mess with that tradition!  Lots and lots of laughter around the table that night!

It was a good day - it really helped that Scarlett slept in her carseat for 3 hours after we got there, allowing me to eat brunch and open presents in peace!  We were even able to play a couple of games - Blokus while the kids were napping and Wits and Wagers while the kids watched a movie after supper.  

I kept saying how next Christmas will be way more fun since Scarlett will be over a year old.  While that's probably true, it was also pretty special having a tiny baby at Christmastime.  I kept thinking about Mary when she had baby Jesus.  It's hard enough to have a newborn now with hospitals and modern conveniences - I can't imagine having a baby in a stable, let alone knowing that you are the caretaker of the Savior.  (I'm betting baby Jesus didn't have acid reflux though.  And probably slept through the night right away).  It was a good Christmas this year :)

Out of the mouth of Katy

Her "Duck Dynasty" look

- The other day, I watched as Katy rocked her stuffed kitty:
"Away in a manger...shhhh, kitty.  Nice kitty."

She laid kitty down gently, then - "I sit on you."

- While we were out Christmas shopping: "Shopping makes me feel better."

- Katy: "Hold me, mommy, hold me."
  Me: "In a minute, I want to finish loading the dishwasher first."
  Katy, with her hand on her hip: "You make me sad, Mommy!"
  I held her.

- Me: "Katy, if you don't stop crying, I'm going to send you out coon-hunting with Daddy and Uncle Chad!"
- Katy immediately stops crying: "Oh, I need to get my gun and my hat."