Capt. Chicken Chop Suey and his sidekick, Moo Shu

Spring Break!

Whew! So, I thought that Spring Break meant just that, a. break. Um, nope. It's okay though. It's been fun taking the boys out and about and spending time with friends and family. On Monday, we headed out with some friends of ours to Glen Rose to see Dinosaur World and pay a visit to Dinosaur Valley State Park. Very cool stuff to see. However, I have been reassured by my legs and arms that hiking rocky surfaces is NOT my forte. The boys? Loved every stinking minute of it. Caden's favorite part was when I let him get close enough to the water's edge on the Paluxy to chuck the biggest rocks he could find into it.
Tuesday, was our rest day. We slouched around and spent the day just hanging out as a family.
Wednesday, Brian surprised us by taking another day off. We had no idea he had something planned for us to do as a family. He had noticed that the Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History was re-opened with many new exhibits so, we headed out for the day. Apparently, we were not the only people with this idea. It was crowded. Our first stop was the Planetarium. The boys had never been and we were excited to see how they were going to respond to it. Amazingly enough, the show we bought tickets to was aimed at the age groups of 3-7 years of age. It was produced by Sesame Street and it was called, "One Sky, One World"--It was hosted by Big Bird (who sounded drunk, by the way) and Elmo. Ethan was disappointed as, he feels his science i.q. is a lot higher than what Big Bird and Elmo could provide. He loved the atmosphere of it all and would like to go back but we had to promise him a more "grown-up" version of the Planetarium. The biggest kick we all got came from Caden. He LOVED it! He was clapping and singing and yelling right along with the show. He giggled and loved looking at the moon and stars. Totally worth it. After the show was over, we ended up in the new exhibit room where it was C.S.I. themed. This was for Brian. We had to view a crime scene (fake of course) and figure out who committed the crime. I see where my kids' science geekery comes from. Let's just say, they come by it honestly. The last place we visited was the Dino Lab, Dino Dig. The boys got to go outside and dig for fossils. Two things they love- dinos and dirt. Amazing. It was hilarious to watch them discover the hidden fossils. And, being that we were in Ft. Worth, we HAD to stop at Riscky's bbq in the Stockyards. So we did. The boys finished off every single thing on their plates. I'm not gonna lie, Brian and I did too.
We've had an amazing week so far. I'm so glad the boys have had the experiences they've had so far. It truly does enhance children's learning when they have outside exposure to many different learning experiences. Let me just say, our kids have been waaay exposed!

Noshing on Cupcakes and Sprinkles

Brian and I like to spoil the boys once-in-a-while. Ok, so more often than not, we spoil them. So, one day we got the kids up early and drove to Sprinkles (cupcakery) to let the boys nosh on some most amazing cupcakes. Over and over, *in my head* on the way over, I kept trying to convince myself it was okay because donuts from the bakery have waaaay more sugar, glutens, etc. in them than these possibly might have. When we arrived, I looked over the ingredients and was pleasantly surprised to see that these cupcakes were all-natural and gluten free! The smell alone was enough to convince me we could have cupcakes for breakfast, however, reading what they use to bake with made the decision that much easier. Alas, we've been going back ever since. We even brought some friends along with us on our last trip, and got them hooked. I believe we'd be considered the cupcake-lords. We introduce you, and voila! You're addicted! I love the expression on the boys' faces when they take their first bites. If you'll notice, the picture with the rather large mouth in it...yeah, that's Ethan's self-titled picture called: Ode to the Gone Cupcake. He's a different kind, that one.

Oscar

Ok, so Oscar the grouch used to scare me when I was younger...a lot. In fact, I couldn't even stand the fact he had matted fur and lived in a nasty garbage can and yelled at everyone in sight. Alas, I found this hat on etsy and could NOT resist buying it. I am absolutely, positively, without-a-doubt, in LOVE with Oscar now. Well, not exactly Sesame Street's version of Oscar, but, my Oscar. Yes, he yells. A lot. Yes, he is dirty. Quite often. Yes, sometimes, for some unexplained reason, his hair IS matted. But, I am over-the-moon about him. (Him and his brother, quite actually.)