Colonies Easter Eggstravaganza

We never knew, until this year, that our neighborhood holds a big Easter egg hunt every spring. And it wasn't like your usual community egg hunt where each kid is limited to 10-12 eggs. There were literal thousands spread out on the grass, with beanie babies thrown in all over as well. It was an excellent child to prize ratio haha. The kids also had a great time with the different crafts, baby animals, face painting and more. We're so glad it didn't go another year undiscovered!

The kids filled their buckets until they could hold no more   

There was a little petting zoo set up with bunnies, chicks, and even a tortoise

Decorating plastic eggs with sharpies

Our generous neighbor bought all the kids popsicles from a food truck

Dino Davey

Camp Week at the Panhandle-Plains Museum

It seems like there is a holiday to celebrate almost everyone and everything.. National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day! Hug a Librarian Day! Pet Appreciation Day! The second week of April is apparently the "Week of the Young Child" and families and communities are supposed to make an effort to support early learning and young children. Since we have young children, this is a good week for us!

The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, located on WT campus, decided to participate by hosting little camps each morning that week. I was excited because we had never visited the PPHM because it's kind of pricey, but during this week, admission was just $3/kid and adults were free! I took Davey twice - we went to "Wiggly Wednesday" with friends and "Fix-It Friday" with Dave.

Each day had three activity stations. Wiggly Wednesday started with a dance party to YouTube videos, which was Davey's favorite part of the whole event, then we went to an animal show to meet some snakes and lizards, and the kids made spider hats. 

Davey and his buddy Jaxon were in matching orange shorts that day :)

These boys are both goofballs

After the program we went to the library real quick to catch the tail end of story time. I was glad we went because the craft that day was kites for all the kids!

Fix-It Friday started off with some block building. Dave walked over and was able to join us for about 45 minutes. Davey had a great time making towers with daddy. 

Charlie loved this little car we found in the hall of automobils

The other activities included making a construction vest from a paper bag and building with marshmallows and spaghetti noodles. 

Cinergy Birthday Adventures

In lieu of birthday parties this year, we let the kids each pick a special activity to do with us or a friend. Sophie had wanted to go to a movie, but when we were at the theater buying tickets over Spring Break, she saw the "Sky Walker," an elevated obstacle course and immediately decided on that has her birthday activity. 

We measured her at home and found she would just barely meet the 48" height requirement. She was so excited and looked forward to going back all week! We made reservations (which surprisingly only cost $4) and on her last day as a 5-year-old, Sophie conquered the Sky Walk. She was so brave and we were so proud of her!

In front of the new Cinergy Horse. Amarillo is the American Quarter Horse capital, so there are horse statues at local business all over the city. The kids love to look for them. 

All harnessed up to go! I went along with her so she would have a guide, and because I also love this sort of thing and was thrilled that she picked it as her special activity. 

Up in the air ready to start - the two girls that went up before us chickened out and went back down, which made Sophie feel extra proud that she did the whole thing without falling off or getting too scared. 

We were given 15 minutes to explore the ropes course, which had about 18 different obstacles, including a zipline. Only one person can be on an obstacle at a time though, so I could not be with Sophie other than to help her step back on to the platforms in between challenges. She did all on her own!

Since Davey was too little for the main attractions at Cinergy, he got to play Jurassic Hunter with daddy. He used his lives very quickly, but enjoyed every second fighting back dinosaurs.

Video of Sophie on the Sky Walker Course

Spring Break 2019 - Amarillo Fun

We were planning to drive out to Dallas for Spring Break to spend time with grandparents and friends, but unfortunately a pipe burst at grandma's house, forcing them into a hotel while damages were assessed and repairs made. I didn't want to waste a whole week of no school just hangning around home, though, so it was time for Plan B!

After looking into different driveable destinations, we decided visit Oklahoma City. We only wanted to go for a couple nights though (hotel stays with young kids can be rough), which left time in Amarillo, so we also did a few things here close to home to make use of Sophie's time off school.

Monday was rainy and cold so we spent the morning at the Discovery Center. Davey wanted my to make a dinosaur on the giant Lite Brite, and this was my best effort.

We went to an animal encounter presentation. The kids love animals and were thrilled to see a snake, hedgehog, and tarantula. 

One night we went swimming at WT. Normally the place is almost empty, but today there were over 200 people - yikes! We brought Sophie's friend Emery with us and the kids still had fun despite the crowds. 

Not the best photo, but I met my friend Candice at Cinergy for their $5 movie Tuesday and we took all the kids to see How to Train Your Dragon 3. I loved the snack trays on their chairs, which also have built in seat heaters!

The Day the Digger Came

The other day I forgot something at home and had to loop back around through the neighboring alley to get it. That alley had several potholes that were getting pretty bad, and I remember thinking I was glad I didn't have to drive that way on a regular basis. The next morning Davey heard the "beep, beep, beep" of a truck and dragged me outside to go check it out. Sure enough, a crew had come out with a backhoe loader, two dump trucks, and an asphalt roller to repair the alley. Davey LOVES construction vehicles (aka "diggers") so it was basically heaven on earth to have them right there by our house.

We sat out on the sidewalk for about 30 minutes watching the crew as they dug up the alley, and then moved the rubble to the dump truck. I eventually had to pull him away because we were supposed to meet up with friends, but it was probably the highlight of his week and I'm glad I was able to share it with him!

I'm sure the workers felt a little awkward while we sat there and watched them

He loved watching the "digger" go back and forth to dump the broken pieces of road

We didn't get to see them put down new asphalt, but before leaving I let Davey climb up onto the roller truck for just a minute

Video: short clip of Davey watching the digger

Amarillo Botanical Gardens

This week we revisited the Botanical Gardens. Our last trip was almost a year ago, and just like before, the kids had a great time! We have so little nature here in Amarillo, and don't spend much time outdoors, so it's always nice to be somewhere surrounded by lots of green.

Our visit was prompted by the addition of a koi pond and a Japanese Tea Garden. I had read that you could feed the fish and thought it would be a fun activity for the kids. We brought some quarters and little cups and they both had a great time dropping the little pellets in the pond. After that was over, they spent another two hours running up and down the paths, chasing dragonflies, smelling the flowers, and gathering sticks, and hunting for butterflies. It was a perfect morning!

Sophie by the waterfall in the greenhouse and with a little snail she found on the path

Looking for a four-leaf clover, but we never found one

Feeding the fish. It was a breezy day and the surface of the pond was pretty rippled, so it took awhile for the fish to notice the food. Luckily they eventually found it when Davey dumped in his cup all at once and started chowing down. 

This kid doesn't like to hold still for pictures any more - he's always on the run!

I'm pretty sure the Tea Garden is meant to be a tranquil setting, but my kids thought it made an awesome playground. Luckily we were the only ones there so I didn't feel the need to reign them in, and let them have a little fun. 

Attempt at a group shot

Davey refused to join this photo, but I love this picture of Sophie and Charlie