Cousins and Uncle Ryan in town

The cousins and Uncle Ryan came in town last Wednesday afternoon for their spring break so we tried to pack in as much time as we could with them.  Thursday morning Austin took a "personal day" so we could all spend the morning at the zoo.  It was a perfect day to be outside and such a treat to be with so many of our favorite people.

Uncle Ryan was a kid magnet.  Every niece and nephew wanted to be held by him or be right beside him.

We enjoyed lots of the exhibits.  
Dingdad is always teaching...no matter the age.  I love that about him. 
Maggie spent a little time in the stroller having a snack and just chillen.  I thought it was hilarious how she had her feet up on the stroller just laid back.
We made it in time for the Sea Lion show.  The 5 big kids all loved it.  Maggie was quite a handful because she doesn't know how to stay still and there were concrete steps everywhere which would have been quite dangerous if we had just let her go.  All the adults took turns entertaining her.

She loved the Sea Lion bubble.

One of my favorite pictures!

On Friday we drove out to the Spence's after I picked the boys up from school to spend the afternoon with our family. The kids were in heaven all being together.
We called Maggie godzilla...she would just pound through the legos without even flinching.
Yaya and Dingdad have so many legos from their kids childhood. Ryan dug through and found some lego people from the first and second generation. The 1st generation didn't have arms, moveable legs, or a face.  The 2nd generation all looked the same for the most part in the faces.
We are so thankful for a great few days with family!  Such a blessing!

Spring Break part 3 - Memphis

We spent the last 5 days in Memphis.  We spent a fun morning with friends from out of town (I forgot to take 1 picture) and another morning at the zoo.

We said hello to the gorillas first.

Then we fed the giraffe's. This is always a treat and something my kids really enjoy.

I think they are such beautiful creatures.

Look at that tongue.

We also spent some time with the elephants.

Maggie was content for part of the time in her stroller.  She mainly wanted to be running in the opposite direction that we wanted to go.

We were all thankful to have Gigi with us to help man the troops.

That Friday night we enjoyed a fine dinner of Chickfila. Whatever it took to get through the night without daddy.

Saturday we laid low because it was raining and were thrilled to see daddy when we woke up Sunday morning. Overall it was a great Spring Break!

Zoo Lights

Uncle Toph and Gigi joined the kids and I at Zoo Lights after Christmas.  It was the only thing on my Christmas to-do list that we didn't get to so we decided to wait until Uncle Toph was in town to go.

The kids were excited to be back at the zoo and really enjoyed seeing everything at night. We started with the Ferris Wheel which both boys started out saying they didn't want to go on because they were scared but they ended up changing their minds and loving it.
Maggie started out on my back in the backpack carrier and then Uncle Toph took over carrying her. She really loves being in the carrier.

They took some selfies along the way.

After the Ferris Wheel we walked for a while and then jumped on the trolley to head to the choo choo train.  The train is always a favorite of the boys.
We finished the night with a special treat and then headed home.  It was a great way to finish up the Christmas season.

Zoo Boo

I realized I never did a post on Le Bonheur Zoo Boo.

We took the kids along with David's parents to Le Bonheur's Zoo Boo two weekends before Halloween.  We took pictures of the kids in their costumes in our yard before we went.  I am so glad we did since I left the costumes in Florida and they didn't get to be superheroes on the actual day.

Austin decided that he wanted to be batman which meant Miller also wanted to be a superhero and then  they wanted Maggie to be one too. My best friend found Maggie's costume at Target and it was perfect.
Austin started out the night in a bad mood but thankfully rebound and was in better spirits in no time.
The 2 littles loved it.

My littlest superhero.

My strong superhero showing how strong he is.

We then made it to the zoo and immediately went to the rides. The lines get long quickly so we have learned to hit the train and all the rides first.

My little clan on the train.
They were showing me their super powers.
The sweater Maggie is wearing was worn by David's twin sister 33 years ago so I wanted to get a picture of Maggie in it with her grandparents.
We finished the night with a group shot.
On the way out the boys wanted their pictures with the superhero lights.
The costumes have been a big hit and have been worn many times since they were purchased.