Lordy! Lordy! Look Who's Forty!

 

I am so happy and excited to be forty.  It may be just a number, but I'm proud of it and I am exactly where I want to be at "middle age".  My sweet family surprised me with this cake and I loved it!
 I wish Best was in this picture but he's holding the camera of course.  I appreciate him helping the children with their surprises and they were so good at keeping it to themselves!

 Between each bite Sissy said to no one in particular, " I like cake."

 Best told me that Peanut said the cake should definitely say "Mommy" instead of "Layne".  Smile.

 The kids keep a journal for me and do different entries for special occasions and holidays.  I loved this one and the funniest of the forty things they love came from Sis: "her feet". 

 Our sweet boy is getting so grown up and we are having fun doing big kid stuff with him.  He chooses someone to play checkers with each evening and Best and I agree it's one of our favorite times of the day. 

 And Sis and I share some pretty special girl times too.  She  LOVES to talk and her favorite phrases right now are "I have to show (or tell) you something" and (after a big recanting of a previous event) "remember that?".  She does remember everything so be careful what you promise her, she will hold you to it!

 When I said I'm exactly where I want at forty I meant it.  Raising two wonderful children with a man I love so much.  Life is good and it's only getting better.

 I had to include this last picture and although it wasn't a birthday gift it was a wonderful gift to us.  Grandpa Chuck made us a really cool 3D book about our adventure at NASA that included pictures of us as well as lots of learning and fun facts about space.  The whole family has enjoyed it and don't we look cool in our 3D glasses?

Thank you to everyone who made my birthday so special.  My Best is treating me to dinner and a show (Beauty and the Beast) and Gammie and Papa have graciously offered to babysit.  I got such generous birthday checks from Mom and Dad, Grandma Gene, and Bill and Char that will all go towards fixing up our new house!  I'm looking forward to another forty and then some, take care friends and family.

Favorite Places!

 

Well I guess if we're going to talk about favorite places, we'd have to start with the Zoo!  We are regulars here, know the zoo keepers and volunteers, the best place to have lunch, when all the shows are, and even got to go inside of the bear cage once!

Here we are waiting for the bird show.  There are some low flying birds in this show and Sissy still talks about when the owl went "right through Mommy's hair!".

The Zoo is also one of our favorite places to meet up with friends.  Here we are with Rocco and Gia.  They live close to the Zoo so it's a perfect spot to catch up while we enjoy the animals.

And here we are with Miss Star and Noah and Kate.  They love the zoo as much as we do!

 Here is Sis with her best bud Kate.  These girls were in strollers last summer but they are on the run now and I have a feeling they'll be full force on the playgrounds this summer!

 

Another favorite place of ours is this great indoor park.  It's a bit farther than the Zoo but it's a great place to get the wiggles out on a cold day.  they have this playground, a huge trampoline, basketball court and indoor soccer as well as a block area, toddler zone and lunch room!  Everything we need and the best part is they open at 7 a.m. so when we get there we have it to ourselves for the first bit! We're early risers.
 They also have a EyePlay projector that shows games on the floor that the kids love.  They run around bursting bubbles with their feet or playing hockey or squishing bugs. 

 The blocks.  Peanut was recruiting friends to help him build a Police Station.  I am so proud of how friendly he is and he is so good at sharing and working with others. 

 Sissy decided to try a new sport while we were there and I think she's just the cutest, don't you?  She LOVES to be chased and squeals and laughs and we had so much fun.

Another favorite?  Well the other zoo of course!  Here we are for the storytime presentation of "Bear Wants More".

 It was nice enough that we actually walked around the entire zoo indoors and out and saw the apes, and lions, wolves, bison, zebras and such.  Then after story time and lunch we went through the tropics and conservatory.  I'm so glad the kids can appreciate the plants as well as the animals.  One of the volunteers did a great job of showing and telling the kids about a cocoa seed and banana flower. 

 And this zoo has a fun playplace where it's ok to feed the animals.

 These flowers were so gorgeous and it's so much fun now that Sis is big enough she can walk and listen and does not grab at them or stick her hands in the dirt.

 And how many pictures will I have of Peanut in his New Prague hockey shirt?  Well, a lot.  And I sometimes want to ask him to change before we go somewhere we will be taking pictures but here is why I don't: He loves to represent his home town and he loves it because his Dad is a coach for New Prague hockey.  He is so proud of those things and I am so glad he is.  So that's more important than matching. Smile.

And last but definitely not least on our list of favorite places is The Childrens Museum!  We pack a lunch everywhere we go to save a few bucks and eat healthy so we love a place with a great lunch room and they have just that.  We always eat right when we get there because it's a long drive and then we are ready to go full force for a few hours before we head home. 

I feel like I have this exact same picture of Peanut at about the same age...

The museum is under construction and remodel currently so some parts are closed but other new rooms have opened and this was a new activity that was a hit with our crew!

Sissy working the diner!

They always love anything with water.  There is also a human sized ant maze that they crawl through in this nature themed room.

More water.  Boat races are so much fun!

Sissy taking a peek at the construction going on outside.  We actually sat and watched it for quite a while.  They were using a huge drill and hoisting giant beams and moving dirt.  Action packed!

I love how in the midst of all the noise and excitement she can find a peaceful spot to enjoy a book.  She does often and I love it. 

These children bring me so much joy and I am so thankful to be able to share these adventures and to learn alongside them.  They make everything so fun.  Thank you so much to our wonderful Daddy and Best who works so hard so we can relish this time when they are little.  It is a gift. 
Have a great week friends and family!