Kevin was out of town all week, and I wanted to go to the rib cook-off that came to town for the weekend. I check with Steph to see if they would be going, because I did not want to tackle it alone with my kids. They just so happen to be going that day, so we hurried and left to join them. Molly loved the ribs, but did not want to sit in her stroller.

Aunt Steph took Ella and Jameson to get balloon animals. Then the balloon dogs needed her drink.

We had fun, and I have missed those ribs!

One of the local gymnastic places had an open house day where anyone could come. I though I would check it out with the kids. Well, it was a mad house, but, Jameson did get to try climbing the ropes. I didn’t realize how high he could climb with no help.

This week, our activity for young womens, was to take a treat to a new beehive. She doesn’t come to church, but we wanted her to know we were thinking of her. Some of the girls worked on a card while others helped frost cupcakes. I saw a cute idea of putting cake batter in ice cream cones. So, I tried it. The girls loved them! I brought frosting and food coloring, and showed them how to swirl the frosting so it looked like ice cream.

We finished up and dropped them off. I will be making these for kids birthdays as they are way less messy than regular cupcakes, plus smaller. Easier to handle.

We got to spend a lot of time together as a family this weekend. Friday started with a doctor appointment where I was told I was 2 cm dilated. Makes sense. Last week, I had tons of pain, but I was surprised. I’ve never made it that far without already being in labor. Don’t misunderstand. There is no labor pains going on here.

Anyway, I had talked to Kevin about meeting him for lunch. We’ve actually never really been over to the Microsoft campus other than trick-or-treating. Kevin thought that would work out, so I called him as soon as my appointment was over to let him know we would be on our way. It also just so happens, the first Friday of the month is family day. We met up with friends there, and the kids had a blast. They started with a few carnival games, and got prizes… even if they didn’t win. Jameson was determined to knock the ducks down, though.

Ella was just enjoying her sucker while Kevin got us some lunch. Jameson was busy playing pinball on the machine next to our table.

After we ate, Kevin took us through the Microsoft museum. The kids loved this. It’s like a giant ipad. Can I say that? Compare a microsoft product to an apple product? Oh well. The kids were putting puzzles together.

They played a little kinect as well. Then we headed into the Microsoft store. The kids got a new game, which I think I am going to love. Jameson was running in place all night, wearing himself out. On our way back through, we stopped to let the kids make a Fathe’s Day craft.

We need to take advantage of family day more often. I guess each month is a different theme, too.

Today, Saturday, we did a little shopping. We headed down to the outlets, and we’re able to find Kevin some clothes for some good deals. Jameson was also in need of pajamas. All his shirts show his belly, and his pants are about 2 inches from the ground. Carter’s had their pajamas on sale 70% off plus, I had a coupon for another 20% off. Needless to say, he got quite a few pairs, and should be set now. After shopping, we took the kids to Sub Zero Ice Cream. I’ve wanted to check that place out, but it’s a pretty far drive. Since we were down that way, we thought we’d check it out.

It’s pretty fun. You tell them what ingredients you want, including type of cream, flavor, mix-in, and how hard you like your ice cream. Then, they spray it with nitrogen.

Jameson was not a fan of the smoke. Is it smoke? I don’t know. Anyway, he did not want it touching his clothes. They flash freeze your ingredients to make ice cream, and then dish it out to you. It was really good. And, they mentioned that they are in the process of trying to open up more locations, so they may be closer in the future. I wish they were, it was  a pretty fun concept and really good ice cream.

The kids both crashed on the way home. I realized we should probably do a few more things while we can, before we are home bound by a new baby. So we’ll see if we get out for a few more outings this week. Either way, we had a fun weekend.

Every spring, Kelsey Creek Park does a sheep sheer festival. I always see the signs, but we’ve never been able to make it. This year, we decided to go. Kevin had already planned to kayak the river, so I took the kids that morning to the festival. We got there just in time to see the sheep get their hair cut.

Ella liked watching the sheep, but Jameson was bored after one sheep. They actually cut about 4 every hour. So we finished watching and took off to see what else there was to do. They had some rabbits out of cages the kids could pet. Ella loved it. She wouldn’t leave the rabbits to continue to see what else there was.

I finally got her away from the rabbits. We got some kettle corn, and while I was getting that, the kids watched the dogs below herd the sheep. Once we got our popcorn, we headed down to get a closer view. I think this was their favorite part. They would let the dogs out and have them herd the sheep different ways… splitting sheep up, directing the sheep to the corners.

Kevin finished earlier than we thought, and could have met us, but parking was crazy. So we told him we’d meet him at home. Unfortunately, that meant that I had to push the kids up hill the whole way back to the car which was pretty far away. So yah, by the time we got to the car, I was worn out and contracting. But we made it.

Tuesday, we got our hands dirty. Well, Ella did. Jameson stayed squeaky clean. In rearranging rooms, I need to rearrange some wall decor. Half of Jameson and Ella’s room is decorated in decor that matches the crib bedding. So, I need to take it all down and hang it in the other room around the crib. To replace it, the kids made their own decor. Since we were going to be making a huge mess anyway, I though, why not invite a few friends to join in our mess? So we had a few friends over, gave each kid their canvas, and let them have at it.

Ella, loved it. As you may remember, she is our little artist. At least this time it wasn’t on a wall.

Ella was fine using her fingers, but Jameson was not about that. He needed paintbrushes. He also needed green, his favorite, and blue. We had a few different containers of blue, and even though they were the same color, he needed paint from both.

Jameson took the longest to cover his canvas. I needed him to make sure to get paint around all his letters, so when we pulled the tape off, the letters would be visible. It took him forever. I cheated and did Ella’s to make sure her letters would show up, but then she continued painted. Ella loved painting so much that when everyone else was done, she was still going. I finally told her it was time to clean up, and she cried. I guess I might need to get the paint out more often.

She ended up covered in pain. Even managed to wipe some on her face. The pictures turned out great. I had to let go of my crafting OCD and let the kids use whatever colors they wanted. Maybe next time I’ll only get out the colors that will match. Oh well, this is their picture, right? I’ll show you the finished product when I get them hung. But trust me, the kids love their own work, and they look good.

Yesterday, I had to go visiting teaching. When we were done, I walked outside and felt the sunshine. Do you know how often that happens here? Hardly ever! Even in the summer months, feeling the sunshine is not always an option. So, I looked at the kids, told them to get in the car, we were going to the park. It wasn’t busy, which, for this park, is rare. The kids loved it.

Jameson was showing me his rock climbing skills. He heard Dad talk about rock climbing last weekend, and now can’t wait to go. The whales are part of the water play in the warmer months, but for now, they are great to climb on. We spent 2 hours in that sunshine, and loved every minute of it.