Best Week Ever

We had an awesome Spring Break! It was jam packed full of fun. Here are a few highlights...

Monday we went to the Nature Center with Janet and Lola. Ezra and Lola really hit it off. They've met plenty of times before, but they're getting much more interactive now and even hugged each other a few times. Eliza enjoyed the Dino Pit as always and showed the babies how to dig in the sand.

Tuesday we headed to DFW to visit Zac and Juju. They were heading back from Austin too, so they followed us there and helped out with the kiddos. Getting out of our driveway was a bit of a challenge (our road was closed for construction) but the rest of the road trip went pretty well. At one point Ez got fussy, and Eliza cheered him up by continuously squirting him with water. For some reason this made him laugh and laugh. We visited the playground, where Eliza crossed the monkey bars like a pro and Ezra tried the slide. That night we went to a cute Italian place that let Eliza make her own pizza and watch it cook in a wood fired oven.

Wednesday the 5 (I mean 6, SweetPea shout out! ;)) of us went to Dallas World Aquarium. I love that place. We went with Zac and Jules once before when Eliza was 1. This time it was crazy crowded! Like, line around the block crowded. But, it was worth it. Ezra liked it almost as much as Eliza! Before the aquarium, we also hit the McDonald's right next to the zoo. It's sort of like a cheap version of Rain Forest Cafe, with an indoor animal themed playground. Eliza is still talking about it. The kids had such a great day and I was so grateful Zac and Jules were there. The adventure was much easier with their help! That night Zac and Jules took Eliza to feed some fish and ducks at a nearby lake. Due to an accidental sisterly knee to his forehead right before the outing, Ezra and I opted to stay in.

Thursday the kids and I headed back toward Austin, but first we stopped at the Waco Zoo. Eliza's favorite part was the transparent slide that goes right through the Sea Otter habitat. The zoo was pretty crowded too, and at one point we were waiting behind a huge crowd to see a lion that was roaring. I was trying to hold both kids up at the same time so they could see over the crowd. As I held Eliza up, I said, "Did you see the lion?" and she says loudly, "I did, Mom! And I could see his penis too!" Oops, we got quite a few looks from the crowd. Luckily, after 4+ years of parenting a very vocal preschooler, it's pretty hard to embarrass me at this point. After 3 hours at the zoo we were getting pretty tired and cranky. Ezra took a very short nap, and he didn't want to miss any of the zoo fun. He was chuckling at the big animals again. We ended up stopping at Denny's on the way back. I don't recommend getting the tilapia at Denny's. S said that should be a given. :) We got home 5 minutes before Daddy and we were all very happy to see each other.

Friday we went to Ikea and then stopped by Ethan's house for an impromptu playdate.

Saturday we had a little reunion with my college roommates and their families. We now have 6 kids between the 4 of us, including a 4 month old, 5 month old, 8 month old and 9 month old! Ezra was the oldest baby and the only baby boy, and in all the pictures he looks like he wants to eat them! Eliza had fun playing with Jen's 2 year old. It was great to see everyone!

Sunday we went to the Austin Rodeo. We didn't do the actual rodeo part, but we did go to a petting zoo (which Ezra loved!), visit some longhorns and lots of horses and go to the carnival. Eliza is as much of a daredevil as always, and she and S rode the ferris wheel and a roller coaster. This morning she told me parts of the roller coaster were too slow! Right afterward she kept saying, "I can't stop laughing!"

After a whirlwind of a week, we are back to our usual routine. Luckily this morning both kids were very happy to see their teachers and their friends. I miss my little buddies already though!

p.s. Over the break Ezra's 3rd tooth popped through. Luckily he took it all in a stride.