Neil Smith National Wildlife Refuge & Prairie Learning Center

October 1st! Fall, fall, fall!! Mike works this weekend, and while coming up with activities for the boys and I to do so we can pass the time together, I was fixated on leaving the city and being outside in this gorgeous fall weather. I settled on a short trip to Prairie City to see the Neil Smith National Wildlife Refuge and Prairie Learning Center. It's totally the type of thing my parents took my brother and I to when we were young. I used to hate that. No, not hate it, but it wasn't exactly exciting, either. We visited a lot of state parks and did a lot of bird watching when I was a kid. Now I find myself starting to appreciate that they did that with us. I never completed my dream of becoming a forest ranger and living in the wilderness, but I do have a life-long love for nature. So now I find myself on the same path to indoctrinate my children into a respectful and loving relationship with the earth around them (becoming my parents? Yes, I see that.)

We picnicked outside the learning center, bought some books on identifying local birds, insects, and amphibians (pond watching!), and hiked through prairie. We saw 3 bison, but unfortunately did not pull off any elk sightings. We did see what Benjamin described as a Bird Party, when dozens of small birds flew round and round over our picnic. We also enjoyed chasing lots and lots of bugs.






The way Iowa used to look...before cornfields and cell phone towers dotted the landscape....




Playing at the puppet theatre inside the learning center.

Two. Whole. Years.

That's how long it's been since my sweetie Gav was born. He woke me up today, on his 2nd birthday, at 6AM with an arm around my neck and the words, "I love you so much, mommy." Can I freeze this moment forever? Gavin is the sweetest little part of our family and I can't stop thinking about how he has been the happiest most wonderful unplanned journey Mike and I have ever taken.



Afternoon birthday outing to Monkey Joe's for bounce house bouncing:


We did a small family party this year with just our family and grandparents. We had a steak dinner here at our house, followed by gifts and cake.






I have been on a search for a security object for Gavin. Because right now it's me. Which I'm fine with...for now. But at some point it would be really great if he woke in the middle of the night and cuddled his security object rather than me. Uninterrupted sleep would be a dream I'd like to attain. But Gav is not into blankets--at all. He's not into pillows, like Benji. None of my boys love stuffed animals, but I'm trying everything. Since he requested an elephant cake for his birthday, I went with the theme and got him Cordy Roy Elephant. So far, he LLOOVVEESS him. Here's hoping!!





Ummmm, pumpkin pie spice cake with caramel butter cream frosting. Yes, yes, and yes please.



Gav was more into the chocolate ice cream than the cake. He didn't seem to mind that I had trouble getting the cocoa chunks to fully dissolve when I made it :)


Hmm, somebody's looking like his daddy...


Happiest of birthdays to my sweetest Gav, who is 2 going on 20. While brushing his teeth tonight, Mike told him "Roy [the elephant] told me he'd like to sit right here on the counter and watch you brush your teeth like a big boy." And Gavin looked at Mike and said, "Daddy, elephants don't talk."

Jack's love interest

Jack told me on the way home from preschool a couple weeks ago the following statement:

"Mom, I asked Cecelia to marry me. She said no."
But he was grinning and red as a beet.

This was quite out of the blue, considering up till this moment all we had heard was, "I am never getting married because I do NOT like kissing."

But every time he mentions Cecelia, he flutters his eye lashes and ducks his head, grinning from ear to ear. Can love strike a 5-yr-old's heart?! He has been coloring pictures for her and leaving them in her preschool take-home tub.

A friend attended one of their preschool field trips earlier this week and emailed me a photo she took. Now I see why he's so taken (she's the one right next to him):


Well, maybe someday she'll change her mind and fall for my dashing young man.

Here's how you know you got your money's worth on cloth diapers

5 straight years of 3 kids diaper-wearing, washed in extra hot water every 2-3 days, dried in high heat or in the sun..... and the velcro is still going strong. definitely, definitely got our money's worth on these babies.

First (and last) Family Vacation of 2011

We took the kiddos to Omaha this weekend for a weekend away. It went well, considering the challenges of traveling with three young ones. We did a lot of fun stuff that I used to do with my family in Omaha day trips as a kid. That zoo is so awesome!

Mojos Restaurant, not far from our hotel. They had drawings every 10 minutes to give away $100 and encouraged us to enter. 5 minutes after I did I won! Dinner was "free" and we still left with $55--not a bad way to start vacation.


Henry Doorly Zoo!


Benji kissing a rhino statue


Rhinos (real ones) !!


We observed some inter-species friendliness:


The baby gorilla was very playful


Sleeping Bear


Gav and the Bear Paw


Waiting in line for the train (they look pretty innocent in these photos, but they were little terrors in line :) Waiting in lines has got to be the worst part of visiting busy places with toddlers. Reason #1 we will not take them to an amusement park for a quite awhile.... !)


Waiting for the train


Train time


Right behind the steam engine


Time to ride


Apparently little boys get tired after 4 hours at the zoo, and can sleep through the loudest and most frequent train whistle you can imagine even if it is 6 ft. away.


The whole time we were at the zoo, Jack kept asking, "NOW can we see the sharks?" As it turned out, the way we walked the zoo, the sharks were the last thing we saw. But it was worth it and he really enjoyed the aquarium.


Benji watching sting rays and sharks



When asked what their favorite part of vacation was, the kids always say "jumping into the pool." It just goes to show that it doesn't matter how far you go or how much you spend; it's the simple things they like the best!






Sunday we went to the Sunday Omaha Farmer's Market and enjoyed playing at the park nearby. It was a nice farmer's market in a suburban setting--not huge, but not small. Afterward we stopped downtown to visit the Old Market District for lunch before heading home. I was super excited to see a tiny garden trinkets store when we walked the Old Market and found the Sun I've been looking for for months-- a metal sun to hang on the outside of the house, above what will be a future patio area.

We had lunch at Uptown Brewery:




Now we are home again, and 4 loads of laundry are about to be completed. Preschool again tomorrow! The boys are super duper excited about those new sneakers.