Under a Shady Tree

Texas Cousins

All my kids' cousins live in different states. We have Utah cousins, California cousins, and Texas cousins. We spent out spring break with the Texas cousins. We had such a nice break. The big kids were so good with Beckett and Felix. Jen watched our kids so we could go to dinner three times and to a museum one morning! She is a rock star. It was a much needed break. And, if you are in Dallas sometime between now and June 9th, we highly recommend the Cindy Sherman Exhibition at the Dallas Art Museum. I miss the good restaurants. Jen, you should definitely try Torchy's. It's the one that I really wish I could visit again. 

Unfortunately Will isn't going to feature heavily in the pictures that follow because he was on a campout. But, Nate and Beckett did get to see Will tear it up at soccer. They also went to his classroom one morning during Felix's nap. And Will and I spent an afternoon home alone together playing with Felix (they were so cute together) and learning about dinosaurs. Every night Will (and sometimes Savannah and Lila) joined in on the bedtime train story that Nate tells Beckett. Will was so good about letting Beckett play with all the awesome toys in his room.

 

We had a really fun day at the Dallas Zoo. The kids loved feeding the giraffes. Savannah, especially, is so good with animals.

 These little gymnasts scaled the elephants with no problems.

These two were quite the pair. They loved and annoyed each other. Beckett and Lila were sitting in the back of the car and he was blowing towards her, which, of course, drove her crazy. Neither could stand to have the other touching or looking at him or her. Both wanted to be the boss. But then they would go outside and run around together, have a blast, and take turns with no drama.

 Cute Hazel. She is one month older than Felix.

 We all enjoyed the tram ride once the doors finally shut and it started moving along the track.

The Dallas Zoo has a really fun children's section. Beckett had a blast playing in this stream. He loves that kind of stuff. And we let him get soaking wet even though we weren't really prepared for it.

The stream was super fun until it ended in tears. Beckett somehow cut his toe and had to take a trip to the First Aid Room. He was so upset and kept saying, "I got a bleed."

The children's section also has a really great bird exhibit were visitors can feed the birds. This was my favorite thing about the Dallas Zoo last time we visited. (Oh my. I just looked at those pictures and it was so long ago. The kids are young. I look so young.) Savannah and I went to the bird exhibit together. I fed this beauty.

Then I taught Savannah how to get a bird to step onto your hand. (Thanks for the budgie lessons, Mom.) She is such a natural with animals. 

Felix had a couple firsts at the zoo. He rode the carousel for the first time. He liked it, even if he looks a little unsure in this picture.

Not only did Felix ride a wooden horse, but he also rode a real pony!

We had such a nice visit in Dallas. It was the perfect combination of relaxation and recreation. We kicked it at home and made leisurely breakfasts and watched Wreck It Ralph. We also got out to see the museum, the zoo, and the new Perot Museum of Nature and Science. We ended up staying an extra day because we missed our flight home, (We didn't have the best experience with the budget Spirit Airline. Checking in was a nightmare which is why we missed our flight, but the flight itself was fine.) but it still wasn't quite enough time.  

Best Library Finds (4)

Who is Driving features a bunch of different animals driving a bunch of different vehicles and going a bunch of different places. I like how all the animals are carrying keys and are dressed appropriately.

Demolition is a real winner if you have kids who love vehicles and construction. B liked this book and its companion Roadwork so much that they took several car rides. I like hearing Beckett say "DEM-O-WITION" with his hands thrown up in the air. Demolition and Roadwork are written in verse and are easy to read.

Z is For Moose was a huge hit at our house. After the first read, Beckett asked to read it again. Zebra is organizing an alphabet book. Moose is eager to be in it and gets very upset when mouse is chosen to represent M.

Going to Kansas City?

Janssen is doing a series on her blog, Everyday Reading, and she graciously allowed me to participate. Head over to read about what I'd take you to see in Kansas City if, you know, we were both visiting my former stomping grounds.

Happy Easter Day

 The kids got all dressed up for Easter. Beckett kept telling us, "Happy Easter Day!" A few times he mistakenly said, "Happy Valentine's Day" and then got really embarrassed. The boys loved the baskets and the eggs. We went to the Lamborn's for Easter dinner again. We ate all the same food and did an egg hunt with the kids. The rain forced us to have an indoor egg hunt this year, but it's becoming a little tradition.