"Say, 'Peanut Butter & Jelly!' "

What a goof-ball.  He's cute, but awful silly with his sandwiches. ;)

Nice KC Weather

Man- we've had an awesome spring!!  Mid-70's, low 80's...and it's only MARCH!!!  For sure it's been nice enough to bring out the swimsuits and sprinklers.  That's the way we like it.

I love how Bennett's trying to do what big sister's doing.  That's the story of his life right now.

Robb Love

Our good girlfriend, Kristine and her kiddos spent some time with our fam.  We had a girls night out, a play date with some other DAM Club members, then she worked in Ben's office!  Such a special treat.  And how cute are these little stinkers?  I loooovvvvvveeee Howie's facial expression, and the way he's grabbing his toes.  Sweet things.

Sweet Creatures

Even our furry friends need their beauty rest.  How sweet is this?  The boys in one room, girls in the other.

Rain, Rain. Go Away

A little shopping at HyVee today, done in the rain.  Nothing an umbrella can't handle!!

Save a Horse...

I had a getaway weekend with some of my good buddies to celebrate Maggie's upcoming nuptials!  We flew to Denver Friday afternoon, and returned late Sunday night. Ben hadn't ever been left in charge of both kids!  It was time I left the nest.  ;)  Ohhhhhh man- did we have fun!

We had dinner with her friends and family Friday night at this cute little wine and pizzeria.  We hit the bars after and Karry found $200 on the ground outside the door!  Saturday we enjoyed her bridal shower, got a sneek peak at her wedding gown, went to an Oxygen Bar, had a few cocktails, then started the bachelorette party!  Sunday was great too. Breakfast burritos from Whole Foods, shopping, lunch, and then a flight back.  I'll have a redo of that weekend any day!

Takin' a Tebow moment. 

Let's get this party started right!

The super fun group of girls.  Jenny put on quite a party!

Uh yea...you can't go to a country bar and not ride the bull.  It's completely against the rules.

Woah!  Now look at that!  What's better here?...the lipstick or the dancing partner?!

Snuggly mornings

Cyclones Basketball

The Cyclones had a pretty good basketball season this year.  Boyd and Irene came down to KC for the Big 12 Tourney. We scored some amazing seats via CraigsList.  Ben was stoked. 

The end result wasn't as great as their season had been, but we still had a great time.  Third row, center court!  Woop, woop!

Mak's room gets a do-over.

With Bennett getting a new bed, bedding, uplift if you will, I was feeling bad about Makenna's bedroom.  We've had the same stuff in there since before she was born.  While looking for bedding etc for B, I found some super cute things I could make work for Miss Mak. 

These pictures are from way back when.  She was 26 months when we changed her room into a big girl room.  It hasn't looked just like this for some time, but we'll go with the general idea.

I had this really cute "M" that I had spray painted for her birthday party.  That was my starting point.  I loved the color of it, and I knew I could easily incorporate that color into her green and brown.  Target- yes, please!  All I really wanted to do was swap out the red for pink. 

I worked on and off for about a week getting everything I wanted/needed.  Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Jo Ann's...good thing they're close!  I found the perfect bedspread that matched the "M".  Check!  I found a few wall hangings too.  Curtains, a little mirror, a new lamp.  Done.  I repainted her letters, her toybox, switched out a few tubs, frames, and even rematted the picture of her as a newborn. 

I am really happy with the end result.  It fits her personality and it's much more fitting for a big five year old!

Big Boy Bed

Bennett fell out of his crib today!!  I heard something during his nap, went into his room to check it out, and he was sitting on the floor beside his bed.  "I fell..." he said.  Hmmmm. Guess I'll go buy a mattress!! 

We put together his bed, threw on some old sheets(hence the pink ones), and put him to bed.  Wow.  Wasn't expecting that to be on my list for today!!

The finished product looks like this:

Muscle Man

"Show us your muscles, Bubby!" Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. 

Don't you love his undies and shoes?? 

Here kitty, kitty.

Yes!  Another cat has shown up on our deck and I have taken it in!  Ben's gonna kill me!!  She's a sweet baby girl who needs a family to love.  I've paid for her shots and even got her spayed.  Makenna has named her Alexandra.  I like to call her Alex for short.  She's a lover- watch out!

** Please note- She has found a home thanks to FB.  "Millie" is doing wonderful.  :)

Valentine's Day

These little sweet peas.  They're just the cutest.  Love, love, love them on this lovely day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Daddy even came to Makenna's Valentine's Day party at school.  What a special treat.

The Only Snow

This winter has been insane.  50's and 60's throughout the entire season!  We haven't really even worn our winter coats, just a few jackets and such.  And sweet Mak, poor thing, has really been wanting it to snow.  She's been asking, "Will God decide if we get snow?"  :)

And yes, finally.  Makenna came down the stairs yelling, "Dad!  Dad!!  Can you believe how many snows are out there?!"  She was beyond excited and couldn't wait to get out there to play.

This whole scenario is fairly ironic.  I'm not much of a winter person.  I'd rather have the winter we're having every year!  Less mess, less dress, etc. In the past few years, it's been hard to take two toddlers/babies out in the snow and play.  It's just not really feasible for a "single mom" (b/c Ben's at work) to do, especially when it takes longer to get them ready than they're actually OUT there!  And then they're cold, and screaming, and wet.  Ugh.  But anyway, my friends have given me enough grief about it that I actually bought FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, snow suits, snow boots, a sled, you name it.  These things had been waiting in the garage to be used since probably November.  I almost didn't get to use them!!  Serves me right. :)

Our hill in the back is the perfect sledding hill. I mean, really- it is.  They had a ball...and so do I!

They made a snowman.  He needed a few special touches as you can see.  Good thing I had a Cornelius hat lying around.  It was perfect!

The snow was basically melted by that afternoon.  And that was it.  The "Big Winter Storm of 2012!"

Disney, Disney, Disney! (part 4)

Animal Kingdommmmmmmmmmmmm-  Here we come!!!

Look at the lines to get in!  (THERE AREN'T ANY!!!)

Makenna picked out her zebra shirt to wear.  She's a thinker.

The park was open early to guests who were staying on the property.  We were there when it opened and headed straight for the Safari!  What a FUN ride!  The kids were in awe.  WE were in awe.  Maybe even more so.  The animals are so close...they basically stand right beside you in the jeep.  And because we were there early morning, they were all out having breakfast and their mid-morning nap.  I know I'm beating a dead horse, but I'm telling you- it was perfect!  Yes.  Everything.

Lions, and tigers, and bears- oh my!  Nah, just kidding.  But almost every other animal was out there.  Hippos, giraffes, monkeys, Longhorns, monkeys, rhinos.  Oh, what a blast! 

While waiting for The Lion King Show, we ran into Meeko from Pocahontas.  What a funny lil fella.

The Lion King Show at Animal Kingdom is sort of like seeing the Broadway production of the movie.  It takes you back to the first time you watched the movie, heard the songs by Elton John, and understood the "Circle of Life."  There's crowd involvement, singing, games, and even a friendly competition.  The characters are impressive, the dancing/choreography is amazing, and the energy is unbelievable.  Go.  Go, go, go. 

Next up was the It's Tough to be a Bug, 3D Show.  I think it's just as clever as can be, but Miss Mak had other opinions.  She was ready to get out of there!  About half way through, she had had enough.  She was frightened and asking to leave.  It soon passed and she survived. ;)  Bennett was totally fine, but wouldn't wear his glasses.  Who knows what that did to his eyes!!

Our little bug-a-boo's.

Our family picture by the Tree of Life.  Btw- do you see the masses of people behind us?...oh wait- there weren't any!!!

We had pre-scheduled lunch with Donald and all his "goofy" friends. wink, wink. The kids loved seeing more characters. The really huge part that I loved about getting to eat with these cast members was that you were killing like five birds with one stone. If you want to stand in line all day and meet the characters, then go for it. Orrrrrr- if you want to eat, chit-chat, take pictures with each one all within an hour (ish)...then do it that way! It was the smartest way to use our time. I'd do it again just like that, in a heart beat.

We also happened upon Baloo and King Louie from The Jungle Book.  They're quite a pair!

We walked through Asia to see the tigers.  Is this not the coolest picture?  I love it!  At one point, as we were standing there, another tiger came walking straight toward us.  He had such charisma, and ownership.  You could just tell what he was thinking.  His attitude was contagious. 

Bennett was SOO excited to see Pluto.  I mean- couldn't wait!  If you ask him about Disney World, he lists all the (main) characters he saw.  Then he'll say he rode the choo choo. 

While I went to ride the T-Rex ride, Ben took the kids to play a few games.  Guess what Daddy won them?  Sharks!...cuz that's so Disney.  not.  And aren't their little hats cute?  Pricey, but cute.

Nap time was in order and the Finding Nemo show was about to begin.  A cool, dark, air-conditioned area was just the ticket!  Bubba had about an hour of lights out, and the rest of us enjoyed this remarkable show.  What a brilliant way to reenact the movie.  Oh my gosh, I loved it.  It was probably my new favorite thing to do. 

I wasn't supposed to take this picture....oops.

We headed back to the hotel, had some dinner, packed up and had to come to the realization that our trip was over.  We were out on an early flight the next day.  Ohhhh, my.

And so that was it.  A super duper first family vacay.  Who wouldn't want to do all over again?