Penguin Park

Derek had drill duty this weekend, so the kids and I have spent the weekend with Grammy and Papa. The weather has been B-E-A-UTIFUL so we went to Penguin Park. I remember the park from my childhood and I've really been wanting to take Jackson. Why is it called Penguin Park, you ask? See for yourself!

If you look at the bottom of the penguin, you can see Jackson going down the slide.

There is also a giant elephant to climb

(Jackson is almost to the top!)

an enormous kangaroo with a slide inside,

(Jackson wanted to give her a hug!)

and a big Giraffe that provided shade as Grammy sat on the bench with Belle.

Also, this weekend Jackson got to help Dad dig up some dirt with the "alligator" (excavator). Dad won't allow for him/us to simply call it a tractor.

And because my brother requested that I not blog/email without a photo of Belle (because he likes her more than he likes me... his words, not mine!) here she is sporting one of her new bows!

Vacation, pt. 2

The boys got the rental car picked up, our car to the shop Wednesday morning so we could still participate in some vacation activities and not let the mishap ruin the trip.

Houston Zoo:

We made it to the zoo in early afternoon, so a lot of the animals were resting and taking naps-- lazy things! The zoo did have lots of animals I've never seen before.We did get to see the zookeeper feed the lions though and hear him talk about the different lions in the zoo. That was pretty cool.

What's a Texas breakfast without a Texas waffle??

Visiting NASA was the most anticipated attraction and it did not disappoint. I really can't even explain all of the really cool things that we saw and learned about because it would just sound dumb. So, you should really just plan a trip down to visit it yourself.

NASA's control room until the 1980s with the flag that's been on the moon.

 So they have these full size, fully functional models of the the parts of the space station so that everything can be tested and the astronauts can get lots of practice before they go up to work on the "real deal." This is Grant in front of the space shuttle.

 

 Brad and HanNah in front of the Zarya, which is the Russian part of the International Space Station.

The astronauts lifestyle is definitely not for me. Sleeping in a bag, exercising two hours a day to minimize the damage that living without gravity causes, strapping yourself down just to use the potty... oh just thinking about it makes me cringe!

Derek is taking a look at the largest rocket ever built.

 This is the actual piece that the astronauts came back to earth in from one of the Apollo missions (can't remember which one!) Too cramped for me!

 

We had a great vacation. Granted, with one speeding ticket ($150), two no seat belt tickets ($150 each), and car troubles ($825) it turned out to be a bit more expensive than planned.... but it was so nice to get away and do some really cool things. For all of the places in Houston, we purchased a CityPass and it was a great deal. We'd definitely recommend it!! And kuddos for us for planning the trip before tourist season started-- it was perfect!

Deanna Rose Farmstead

Yesterday was opening day for Deanna Rose Farmstead. The weather was BEAUTIFUL and Elizabeth (Chacey's mom) had the day off work, so we loaded up the kids and headed out to visit the animals. This is some of the best, free fun to be had in Kansas City.

We found the chickens first

Stopped to play at the playground for a bit

Jackson walked right up to the calves and couldn't get enough...

...until he found the Mama cow and tried to climb in.

We paused to play on the tractor

Then we went to visit the baby goats. Jackson had to go make friends with every single goat in the pen. He literally waved "hi" to them all.

I don't know why this picture turned out so bright- but you can still see Jackson hugging two goats at once.

 

Chacey felt a little differently about the goats. So she decided to let Jackson pet the goat, while she petted Jackson. That works, right?

We visited some older goats next. It took a bit of convincing that the pellets were food for the goats- not for Jackson. But he got the hang of it.

We made our way to look at the bison, the long-horned steer, and the ducks. He just enjoyed taking in all the sights.

Lastly, we stop by the waterfall on our way out.

We all had so much fun.When we went last fall, Jackson was 10 months old and a little shy with the animals. This time, he had no problem walking up to pet the animals-- he was in little boy heaven. Seeing him having so much fun is my favorite part of being a mommy.

Pumpkin Patch

I found this in my drafts and wanted to go ahead and post (even though it was a little over three weeks ago)!

We went to the pumpkin patch today. Linda, Jackson, David (the little boy I watch) and I headed up to Faulkner's Farm in Kansas City and we had such a good time! The weather was perfect- chilly, but sunny- perfect fall weather.

It is so much fun to take Jackson to do things these days. He is interested in so much and now that he is walking more, he really chooses what interests him at the moment. He enjoyed looking at the animals today, but he didn't want to look too closely- or touch.

The hay ride was fun. I haven't been on a hay ride in years! Jackson loved looking around at everything and was babbling about it too. Jackson played on the swings and the slide and he toddled all around. We had fun looking at the pumpkins too and we even found some Jackson-size pumpkins that promptly found their way into Jackson's mouth.

For me though, the most fun part of my day at the pumpkin patch is to see Jackson having so much fun and enjoying himself! And it is really neat to see his personality shining through. He is such a social little boy- he loves being around people and he squeals with delight when he gets to play with other kids. He is also for sure a go-getter, not afraid to just start climbing or exploring. He is ready to figure out the world and is not content to just watch from the stroller. I really truly can't wait to learn more about Jackson and the little guy he is going to become!

Click Here for more pictures.

checking out the horse

Jackson just looks so cool!

Jackson riding the tin horses with David

I'm on a mission to the top!

My little man with the pumpkins!