Finish It....

Shawn had to go to work Monday. Because the weather had been soooo beautiful all weekend, I called Ashley (who happens to live a few blocks from the house we were staying in) and asked her to meet us at a park. She took us here: Awesome. Only. It was freezing. All our coats were back at the house. The kids played for about 45 minutes before I called it quits. I was too wind blown freezing to let this activity continue. Even though the ones running around seemed to be fairing just fine.


I gave the Science Center as an alternate activity as to ward off any tears. They all obliged. It was warm inside. And kind of fun. We've been there so many times that the novelty has just about worn off. It was able to provide 1 1/2 hours of entertainment before we called it quits. Just enough.

When we woke up Tuesday morning, the weather was back to it's glorious 65 degree status. We headed back to the same park, this time adding Jodi to the pack. We stayed 2 1/2 hours this time. Just what I love. Free fun. And energy busting.

Wednesday we were lazy. I guess I should say I instead of we. I don't think I even showered until 3. Luckily there was a Spongebob marathon on so nobody was in a hurry to go anywhere.

I guess it helped that they knew Shawn and I had some big plans for the evening. A place called Incredible Pizza. Wow. The people in charge of publicity for this place sure did name it right. It was an all you can eat buffet of pizza, salad, bread, pasta, and of course dessert. The Kemp family was in town for a few days so they agreed to join us. It's nice to have friends for the kids to be entertained with. And other adults to enjoy.

The food was sub-par. That isn't why we went. It was for this:

Yep. Go-karts. And miniature golf. And miniature bowling. And bumper cars. And every arcade game imaginable. We were able to eat until we were full, play everything unlimited for 90 minutes, and then eat some more. It cost a pretty penny. And it was worth every cent. It was incredible. All the kids looked like this the entire time.

Except Presley. Who looked strapped in.

Poor girl spent the better part of the week in this stroller. And she never complained. I think she was just glad to be watching the action. And she is a really laid back gal. Gotta love that. Thursday it was cold again. Missouri. Variety I guess. I'm just glad I had my girl Ashley to hook me up with the inside scoop. There was a musical performer by the name of Bobaloo who would be making his debut that morning at a local mall. Of course we headed over. Ethan and Kennedy weren't too excited, but I had them strapped in the car before they even knew what hit them. We waited in line (like city folk do), then crammed into the Pottery Barn for Kids where Bobaloo had a bubble machine firing bubbles at everyone in the vicinity. I sat in the back on a turned over bucket with Presley while the other four grabbed seats on the floor. Except Jack. When the bubbles stopped he came and stood next to me. For the next 30 minutes we were all entertained by songs about school teachers, vomit, underwear, and all the typical things young children find fascinatingly hilarious. Landon was up boogieing down with all the other preschool aged children, while Ethan & Kennedy tried to be inconspicuously sitting in hopes they wouldn't be noticed. At the end when the toilet paper blower streamed toilet paper out into the crowd they both jumped to their feet forgetting how old they were and who was in their proximity. Loved it. Never too old for good old toilet paper streamers. I was proud of them for their full on enthusiasm. Of course afterward warranted time on the play place. And inside the pet store located next door. "Mom, there is a pet store in here! All these stores in one place, and a pet store too?! Crazy!" Yes, we are small town people.

After 30 minutes of listening to Landon cry from lack of sleep the night before, and Kennedy trying to convince me how we should take a puppy home with us, I decided it needed to be a food court lunch. We were joined by Ashley and her cute girls.

After lunch I needed somewhere to completely exhaust my brood. Monkey Joes. Jodi mentioned it at the park when we were there. Lovely. One ginormous room full of nothing but jumping apparatus equipment. And big slides. And 3 hours of entertainment. Exhausting. Just what we needed.

Amidst all of the weeks activities, we made many trips to Target, the shoe stores, the malls, and various other shopping locations. I tried to get out alone as much as possible. Shawn was gracious enough to entertain my need for solitude. On Saturday we all knew our vacation was coming to a close. Once again the weather was gorgeous. Ethan said to me, "Mom, just call Ashley and ask her where another cool park is." Funny. At the beginning of the week he was questioning my need to consult Ashley on all the hot spots. He learns quick. Thanks Ashley for telling about all the little gems we never would have found on our own. This is where she sent us this time.

We pulled away from the house Sunday afternoon about 2 o'clock. Without Shawn. Having him stay behind was really hard. On all of us. He mentioned how quiet and weird the house was without us. I mentioned how I would love to be alone in the quiet house while he was driving 3 hours with the 5 that made the house loud. I was sad that spring break was over. I believe that is the first time I've ever in my life felt that way. Next Tuesday Shawn will return for good. Until his board review course in Chicago. But that will only be 5 days. A breeze compared to 3 months.