Cub Scout Zoo trip

The Cub Scout Supertrip was to the Riverbanks Zoo this year.  At last minute I took Nathan's place on the trip, because he hadn't been feeling well.  We woke up to snow that morning...exciting, but not exactly what you want to see when you're about to get on a charter bus OR headed to a zoo!

It stopped snowing just as we got out of Charlotte, and it was definitely cold, but not too cold to enjoy the zoo.  We did not see the koala bears or the Galapagos turtles, but other than that, we saw all the animals in our two days there.

 

The highlight of the trip was the lorikeet exhibit.  You buy a cup of nectar for $2, and the birds aren't shy about coming over for a drink. I even had some land on me, and I didn't have any nectar!

 Here are the boys in the walkthrough kangaroo/wallaby exhibit:

 Riding the tram to the botanical gardens, the driver had just gunned it so we could make it up a hill!

 When the zoo closed, we got on the bus and went out to dinner, and then went back to the zoo around 7pm.  The auditorium became our home base, and the boys were split first into two groups, where they had meet-and-greet with some smaller animals (a frilled lizard, a hissing cockroach, and a box turtle for Seth's group).  Then we split into four groups, and that is where the adventure really began.  We got to go on behind-the-scenes tours of four parts of the zoo.  First, we went to the aquarium.  We learned all about the tank, and got to see it from a birds' eye view:

Then, we went to the elephant barn.  Oh my goodness.  There was a line on the floor that we couldn't cross, so we were just a little more than a trunk's length away from the elephants.  So cool.

 After a quick popcorn and lemonade snack, we went in the tiger barn.  Again, there was a line on the floor that we weren't allowed to cross, but we were THISCLOSE to the tigers (this picture is not zoomed in):

 Our last encounter was in the snake section, so sorry I didn't take any pictures, and thankfully they didn't get any snakes out for the boys to touch.  Then it was back to the auditorium to get ready for bed.  We were supposed to go on a night hike at the zoo, but luckily, it started raining, because the boys (and the parents) were tired.  Here is our luxurious set-up.  Seth earned the distinction of being the first person asleep:

They turned out the lights at 11:15, and there was not one word out of the boys after that.  It was amazing.  Some of the parents started moving around at about 6:50, but again the boys didn't start waking up until the lights turned on at 7:05.  It wasn't the best night's sleep I've ever had, but it wasn't terrible, either. The zoo provided sleep mats that made it a little more comfortable.  Here is the mole rat exhibit Seth loved looking at during down time:

After a light breakfast, we were able to go through a guided tour of the zoo before it opened, to make up for the hike we missed the night before.  This was way better.  We got to see the animals as they were let out of their night enclosures.  We learned all about these vultures building their nest, and then later, we found out that shortly after we had walked by, an egg had been found in the nest!  Pretty cool!  It was replaced with a wooden egg, and the real egg placed in an incubator.

Then we loaded up in the bus and went to a large park that had a playground and hiking trails.  We had a picnic lunch of Subway and then headed home.  Despite the cold, and the snakes (really, who needs THAT many snakes at a zoo?), I'm so glad I was able to go.  I love going to zoos, spending time with Seth, and it stimulated the nerdy side of my brain that's not getting used a lot right now. 

lounger



One day I spied something laying down at the bottom of the hill.  I grabbed my camera and took a couple pictures.  I walked all the way up to the fence before she got nervous and stood up, and eventually ran away.

 I wonder if it's the same one that likes to eat the flowers out of our barrel?  Hasn't touched any of the other pansies, but a couple times a week we find roots thrown across the driveway.

 

high five!

We have one happy birthday girl!  She woke up ready to go, so she opened her presents before the boys left for work/school, and she loved every one!

Here's what she decided to wear to school:

I made a cookie cake, and she celebrated with her class.  Then we brought juice boxes to share with her ballet friends, because ballet ends right at supper time.  She chose to eat at Texas Roadhouse.  She wore the crown her teachers made her, because she wanted everyone to know it was her birthday. Mommy and Daddy ordered adult beverages to celebrate, and Amelia said we could each have five.  Ha!

 The best part about celebrating your birthday at Texas Roadhouse is that you get to sit on the saddle while everyone says "Yee-haw!"  (That and the brownie with ice cream you get for free.)

teachers appreciated...check

So after dress up days, and homemade valentines, and a do-it-yourself birthday party, Sara sent the kids off to school the next Monday and ate bonbons all day.  Um, no.  (And I forgot to mention that the week after Valentine's Day, both kids had a teacher birthday that required homemade cards and goodies.)  Because national teacher appreciation week falls during end of the year testing, Seth's school celebrates the last week of February.  And as the room mom of a slacker parent class, I was sending out daily email reminders of what was each day, as well as supplying little extras for the week. On Monday, it was card and hug day, which wasn't so bad, although the kids weren't too excited about having to make yet another card.  Tuesday was "flower for the teacher" day.  The kids could bring flowers, or buy a carnation for a dollar.  Sent Seth in with money, bought a vase and painted it with chalkboard paint and sent it in.  Wednesday was "fruit for the teacher" day.  I couldn't think of a cute way for her to collect her fruit, so I decorated a pail for her, since she spends a bulk of her summer at the beach:  

Thursday was "candy for the teacher" day, so I just sent in theater box candy (I had made homemade salted caramel bark for her birthday).  Friday was something from the teacher favorite list, so we got her a small gift card to the Redbox. 

Also, that Tuesday I worked a staff appreciation lunch where the teachers got to have a pizza party, and then on Friday, I sat with Seth's class during lunch so she could go to a catered lunch away from the kids (they had to take their food back and eat with the kids on Tuesday).  His class is a bunch of freakin' hooligans.  Luckily after lunch I was able to take them to another classroom where a Charlie Brown movie about famous early Americans kept them quiet until the teacher came back.  I hope she enjoyed the break! 

baller

pleasantly surprised

I had known for a while that Seth's school was having a multicultural fair, but I kept recycling the notices.  Every multicultural fair I've ever been to has focused on generic African and Mexican exhibits.  But Seth insisted we go, and I finally caved when I heard he had a group poster on display.  Nathan and Amelia stayed at home, but plan to attend next year.  I have pleasantly surprised.  In the gym, they had a lineup of several different types of dancers.  As we walked by, a little first grader was dancing a Bollywood-style number, and it was too cute for words. We proceeded down the hall, where Seth made a paper drum.  We then listened to a story, and then hit the cafeteria, where he got a "passport" stamped as he learned about different countries.

 Almost as an afterthought, we remembered to look at for his poster:

Please excuse his handwriting.  He had great handwriting when he learned to write in preschool.  Then in kindergarten they taught d'nealian, and his handwriting has never been the same.  In the past couple weeks I've started to really remind him to concentrate, because sometimes I can't even read it!
As we walked past the gym on our way out, we got to listen to an African drummer.  Next year, we will plan to stay longer.  Good program, Seth's school!

we were Brave...

We had Amelia's fifth birthday party at our house, because that's what she wanted.  Our house isn't as party-friendly, and we were worried about having so many kids/parents over.  But first, here is the picture we used for her invitation.  It was Amelia's idea, after we had made the "4" last year.  I downloaded a Celtic font and put all the party details on the back. 

 And of course after weeks and weeks of mild weather, it poured rain and was chilly in the days before the party.  So much for our outdoor ideas.  I swept out the garage, and we prepared for a houseful of people.  To our surprise, the parents dropped their kids off, and left!   So it ended up being me, Nathan, my parents, and ten kids, two of them being our own.  Totally manageable.  And they are great kids.  Here they are making goblets and coloring Brave pages.

 Amelia also really wanted a piñata (that is mostly why she wanted a party at our house.).  There is a mean bear in the movie...I tried to make ours look a little fierce:

 I found a great website with lots of free printables.  This poster-size pin-the-tail-on-Angus cost me $3 at Staples:

 Amelia and her BFF, Hannah:

 In the garage, we shot suction cup arrows at the freezer, played toss the haggis (beanbags), and did the piñata.

And Mommy was so BRAVE...this year I made homemade buttercream.  Every year I think I might, but I end up wussing out and using canned.  So easy!  So tasty! 

We finally succeeded in not opening presents until after the guests had left.  Amelia had a ball at her party. 

It was kind of weird, though, our first party in this house.  We had it down to a science in Clemmons.  And so weird having all the parents leave.  It wasn't bad, because all the kids are great, and it was near the end before there were any tears, but I guess before it seemed like parents stayed because they enjoyed our kids, and are kids really aren't connected to anyone in that way yet.  Amelia had fun, that's all that matters.  (And maybe next year we can talk her into going to the little girl spa or something like that instead!)

the girl knows her presidents

The preschool blew our minds again in February as they combined Presidents' Day with learning about the values of coins.  Amelia brought home some great stuff during the month of February.

I think Amelia learned more presidential facts this year than Seth learned up through first grade.  (Second grade is no joke, though, so he learned a lot of new facts this year.)

Super Bowl Staycation

For the second year in a row, we played a family game of squares during the Super Bowl.  Amelia is now 2-0 (and Seth is a very sore loser).  At stake:  the winner got to select a 1-2 day vacation.  Amelia picked the Great Wolf Lodge, and of course none of us were sad about that!  Seth is now tall enough to ride every waterslide, which means Sara and Nathan have to take turns going down the big one with him.  It's not too bad, but it did knock my contacts loose once, and I'm terrified during the wildest part that Seth is going to lose his grip and fall out of the raft!  Nathan let the kids play MagiQuest while I got our room organized.  One round was enough for Amelia, but Seth spent over two hours playing Sunday night.  Amelia and I hit the water park hard while the boys did magic:

The exhausted boys met us in the room right before storytime...Seth was too tired to go, so I took Amelia, and then she stayed for the dance party afterwards!

More MagiQuest in the morning, and then we played in the water park until after 2...we were tired kids when we got home Monday afternoon!

cracking out the snow gear...

We were home twenty minutes and it started to snow.  Thirty minutes later, our backyard looked like this:

Nathan and I bought snowpants a couple winters ago.  In the last year, we have both bought boots.  Every year I buy the kids boots and snowpants at consignment sales, just in case this happens.  By the time we got all bundled up, most of the kids on the street were out, and they had a blast playing in this perfect snow.

(As you can see, Colette liked it, too.)

I say perfect snow, because although it stuck around overnight, it didn't mess up the roads at all, and it all melted the next day before we left on our next adventure. 

snowy birthday

My mom got a nice birthday surprise this year...big, white, fluffy snowflakes that didn't mess up the roads!  The kids and I went to Cary on Friday night, and I got a text from Nathan, "Did you know it's supposed to snow tomorrow?"  Um, no.  Then in the morning, Nathan says it's snowing at home, by 10am, it was snowing in Cary.  This is what we encountered on our trip to the bird store:

We headed back home mid-afternoon, and half the drive was on wet roads with some sort of precipitation falling from the sky (it's wasn't rain, it wasn't snow, it wasn't sleet, it wasn't ice, just some sort of mist...).  The second half was on dry roads, and I even saw a bit of blue sky here and there.  We made it home at about 4:40.  Stay tuned for how we spent our evening!

how we valentine

Here is the aftermath of the kids going through their goodie bags after school:

 I think I made something as glamorous as Hamburger Helper for dinner that night, but I did make a pumpkin pie.  Because nothing says, "she loves me" like pumpkin pie to the guys in this house, even if it is February!

Amelia shows some love

Ahhhhh.  This is the first time Amelia has ever made anything recognizing only her awesome big brother:

What made it even sweeter was that as I walked down the hallway, her classmates' versions said, "I love my family because they love me" or "I love Emma because she shared her crayon". 

After Valentine's Day, she came home with these other cute crafts:

homemade valentines

We used a lot of card stock in February.  This year we made homemade, no candy valentines.  Amelia stuck to her owl theme.  She made the larger owls out of kits I found at craft stores for her teachers, and the smaller ones were a free printable I found online.  Instead of putting candy as the branch, we used bubbles.

Seth also wanted homemade valentines, and he chose ones that used glowsticks.  The boys received Lego Star Wars light sabers, and he picked out hearts for the girls.  Also free printables.

I also bought plain white candy boxes that the kids decorated with stickers for their teachers, and then I made brownie balls for them.  It was a big ol' mess, and I probably won't do it again, but I heard they were tasty!

from the ipad

A Saturday morning self-portrait by Amelia (check out Colette's cameo):

Seth channeling his inner Charlie Brown:

Blue & Gold Banquet

On the 9th, Seth's Pack had their Blue & Gold banquet, which celebrates the birthday of the Cub Scout organization and where the boys receive their rank advancements.  It was held at what is slated to be the kids' high school (which was very nice inside!), and we had NC BBQ and all the fixings.  Here we are after Seth received his Wolf badge (and I received my mommy pin):

 Here is some Amelia photography...the program was a little long, and a little boring...the boys entertained themselves by playing Pokémon cards: