Finding Nemo

Daddy joined our spring break extravaganza on Friday by taking the day off and treating us with a trip to the Oklahoma Aquarium.

The turtles, Crush and Squirt. I've seen Nemo nearly as many times as Henry, but I couldn't remember their names. So, I ask him, "Henry, what are the names of the turtles in 'Finding Nemo'"? Without pause, Henry yells (clearly exasperated) "Mom! They're Crush and Baby Squirt of course!"

Da-Dum...Da-Dum...Da-Dum-Da-Dum-Da-Dum

This would have scared me to pieces if I were Henry-sized. One giant reason I'm terrified of swimming in the ocean.

Was it just me, or were there others who refused to swim after Peter Benchley's Jaws?

And if the sharks weren't scary enough, the crowd certainly was. We were pooped after 45 minutes. I couldn't put Sam down for a second. If I did, he would take off in a dead sprint and I'd loose sight of him in less than two strides. Insanity. I've never been a big proponent of the kiddy leash...until now.

More and more rain

It's day 3 of Spring Break and still raining. So, we thank God for yesterday's window of sunshine, and change our plans for today...it's off to Lorax we go! Sam's very first trip to the theater (and only the 2nd for Henry). I was partly afraid I was setting myself up for disaster. I imagined Henry tugging on one leg begging to stay, and Sam, pulling on the other. Screaming. While every head in the theater was turned toward us, giving us the cold stare. So, wanting to avoid as much drama as possible, I did my best to exhaust the boys prior to the movie.

We were at the Library as soon as they opened their doors - 9 AM. and not a minute later. And for those of you that have never taken toddlers to the library, don't let the serene vision of books and sugar plums deceive you. For toddlers, the library is anything but a quiet place to read. It's aisles upon aisles (to run down...or walk very, VERY quickly) of books and pictures of favorite characters to scream and drool over. It's tables upon tables of puzzles and board games to squeal over. And have you heard Sam's squeal?!

After the Library, I took them straight to the Wondertorium. Again. Since we are members now, I plan to take full advantage. And I was on a mission. A mission to expel as much energy from two little bodies as I possibly could before 11:15.

By the time we left the Wondertorium, Sam was fighting to stay awake. He slept through the first half of the movie and was groggy during the second half. Mission accomplished. Henry made it through, but he didn't move. And he loved the movie. He talked incessantly about the pink trees all the way home.

Once we got home, Sam now fully awake and Henry on a movie high, our pace only increased in intensity. The moment the boys seemed content playing upstairs, I snuck downstairs with the intent of surprising them with homemade cookies. Let's just say that by the time the cookies came out of the oven, I had two eager helpers to assist with the icing and sprinkles.

The night ended with friends and pizza. Doesn't get much better. (Thanks, Duffy's. For a great evening and even better company.)

John Duffy. The cutest John I ever laid eyes on. I LOVE him.

He makes my heart melt.

Our two teethers.

Baby kisses.

Another great Spring Break day. Feeling like the luckiest momma in the world.

Lions and tigers, but no bears...oh my!

Day 2. The boys and I met my mom and sister at the OKC Zoo. Poor Aunt Ann walked her pregnant self around for over two hours.

Inside, at the children's zoo, Sam squealed so much it sounded like he belonged with the piglets in the pig pen.

A word of advice for anyone planning a trip to the zoo. Do NOT buy the nectar. Save your $3. The birds will still climb all over you.

This poor gal was having a very bad hair day

Sam, of course, wants to do everything big brother does. He's never satisfied with the "two and under" slides. He wants to go down the same one brother goes down.

We lucked out in the cat forest. Mr. Lion came right to the window. He stayed drinking the water so long that we were all surprised the pond wasn't dry when he finally went back into hiding.

Yep. That's our Sam. Sticking mulch up the lion's nose.

We were also fortunate to see baby Maylee up close.

We were able to avoid the rain in OKC. It was sprinkling as we left Stillwater, but didn't rain a drop until we returned home.

And the day just got better

After being wow-ed and amazed at the Wondertorium, we fed our growling tummies with a Chick-fil-A and blueberry picnic at the lake. I ordered one 12 piece chicken nugget from the "Eat More Chicken" place, thinking it would be more than enough for the three of us to share. My two hungry hippos left me one nugget. That's right, ONE. And ZERO blueberries. It's no wonder they're growing like weeds! Thank goodness I had enough sense to grab a diet coke to tie me over...and ease the nerves during our haircuts.

So long winter shag, hello summer cut. I absolutely loathe having Henry's hair cut. He always looks so much older with short hair. Sniffle, sniffle.

Our normal stylist was vacationing in Hawaii so I was unsure how well the boys would cooperate. But they did great! Aside from Sam getting restless at the end...but a sucker solved that problem.

And finally, what Henry had been waiting for all day...HELLO, RAIN!