Giddy Up and Sprinklers

Kelsey got to ride a pony for an event at the fairgrounds. She hopped right on and loved it.

The temps have been heating up and what better way to cool off then to run through the sprinkler. Kelsey was afraid to go through by herself so Daddy showed her the way.

Children's Museum

Another item on our summer fun list was the Children's Museum. I went with my class at the end of the school year and I knew we would be going back with the girls this summer because it is right up their  alley. We decided to start in the kitchen and restaurant play areas. Both girls jumped right in! Kelsey would have stayed there all day unless we told her we had to try another spot. The girls also dressed up as different workers, sang on stage with instruments, and played mail and doctor.

Next, we went to the water play area. I think this was Megan's favorite. She was splashing in the tubs of water and figured out how to put the balls into the tubes. She would let out a high pitched scream of excitement and clap when she got the ball into the right tube.

Next up we went to the tot spot area which was another fun one for Megan. Although Kelsey had just as much fun there.

There was a Curious George themed room that Kelsey thought was pretty fun. However, when the real Curious George was walking around, she didn't want to get too close to him.

The rooftop had a bunch of fun outdoor activities. The girls painted rocks, played with bubbles, and Kelsey made a craft. We also snapped a few cute pics of the girl together. It was beautiful outside!

We made a stop at Kelsey's favorite for lunch--none other than McDonalds :)

We only had a few rooms left to see after lunch. We made a thunderstorm by turning wheels to get all the clouds in place, crawled through logs and caves, and saw a few animals. Look at this cute turtle we found ;)

Finally, we ended with the creativity center where the girls played with more water and Kelsey painted a picture.

We stopped in the gift shop on the way out. Kelsey tried on a few things and found a jewelry box she really wanted. However, when we told her she could not get it, she was a very sad little girl. Mean parents, right? It didn't help that we had just stimulated the heck out of the girl and she was exhausted. We left with a few tears. But a phone call to grandma to tell her about the jewelry box seemed to help. We had barely got back on the interstate when I turned around to see both girls zonked out. I couldn't get a picture of Megan, but she was sleeping peacefully as well.

Check another fun thing off of our list :)

Surprise Party!

I have longed to blog about this event for a long time and now I can finally let it all out! I have been planning a surprise birthday for Matt for quite some time. I think the date was chosen in November and save the date cards were secretively sent out with our Christmas cards. As the months rolled along, I would talk about it here and there with Matt's family to make sure it would all work. And to Mattey's complete surprise, somehow we all managed to plan a party in honor of his 32nd "golden" birthday! The Skala and Ebeling clans both showed up in full force along with my whole family and Matt's high school and college friends. It was such a special evening. The look on his face when the curtain opened was pure and utter disbelief. I had to lean over and whisper to him that the party was for him because he had no clue at all it was coming! It took many months of little white and very forgiveable lies and a lot of help from family. Matt's mom was incredible and helped with a ton from helping me order food to decorations to making the poster board to you name it and she helped! Stacey made the cake and took pictures, Diane DJed and took pictures, a few of Matt's aunts and a good family friend helped with serving food and keeping everything stocked and filled, and many, many people helped to make sure the day went smoothly and Mattey got to the party at the right time. I hope I am not missing anyone who helped! People came from all over for the shindig. My dad and Chris made the trip which was so great to have them! We also had friends from Hayward, Chicago, and Milwaukee. It was a full house of about 85 adults and 40 kids. (Yes you read that correctly, 40 kids!) They all had a blast and boogied most of the night. There were people from many different avenues of Matt's life and it was so special to see them all come together to celebrate. Everyone there was appreciated and made Matt feel very humbled by your love. Thank you all for you coming! Mattey is quite an amazing man if I do say so myself ;) Happy early "golden" birthday my love!

Surprise!

Picture board

Cake made my Stacey

 

 
 
 
 

Breakfast on the Farm

Saturday morning we went to breakfast on the farm. We started out with a yummy meal and then moved on to getting pictures with the calf, doing crafts, riding the train ride, petting and holding the animals, and visiting with family and friends. Both the girls were tired from our previous night at a bonfire so they were both a little testy and thankfully fell asleep in the short car ride home.

Showing off her cowgirl boots she had to wear for the farm :)

Holding a baby chick

Showing off the crown she made with Grandma

Zoo Trip and Bonfire

One of our summer fun list items was going to the zoo. We can officially check it off the list because we went there on Friday. It was the perfect day for it! The weather could not have been any better. We started with a picnic lunch before entering the zoo.

We roamed around and looked at tons of animals. Kelsey liked the flamingos and the polar bears the best. Megan woke up with a slight fever and would not let us take out her nuk. I am guessing she is continuing to battle her teeth coming in because everything is fine. She is happy and playful but just constantly wants her nuk. As you can tell from many of the pictures, it was not easy to get the nuk out.

Kelsey got to ride on a few rides before we left. She picked the firetrucks where she got to spray water, the train, the magic carpet ride, and the bumper cars.

Both girls zonked on the way home which made for a quiet ride.

As if our day at the zoo was not enough excitement, we went to Stacey and Matt's for a grill out and bonfire that night. Kelsey has been asking and asking to make s'mores. It was such a nice evening.

We were all exhausted when we got home. What a fun summer day!

Have I Mentioned I Love Summer?

Monday was my birthday and I got to spend it with my 3 favorite peeps :) Plus, a great childhood friend of mine stopped over with her husband and their 3 children. Baby #4 is due in a few weeks so it was fun to see her pregnant. Later that night, Dave, Vickie, and Diane came over for cake and ice cream. It was a low key day and the perfect way to ring in 31.

On Tuesday we had dentist appointments. It was Kelsey's first time seeing the dentist. Last year she came along and got to sit in the chair and talk to the hygenist. We talked about going to the dentist for quite awhile prior to the appointment so she knew what to expect. She did great! She was beaming afterward and super excited that she got a new toothubrush and a few treasures from the prize box. Plus, no cavaties! Hopefully going to the dentist is always just as painless.

On Wednesday morning we went to the library to see a magician. The Ginskeys met us there, too. He was really funny and very entertaining. Kelsey got to pick out her new books and movies. Side note, I am not sure why we ever paid to rent movies for Kelsey because the library has a great selection and they are FREE. Later that day, Kelsey got called to go for a play date. She used to dance with the little girl. Again, Kelsey was a big girl and went right to play. It is awesome she is going outgoing and willing to try things. I must admit, Mommy is always pretty nervous and worried, but I am trying to work on it. Matt and I spent an hour with Megan while Kelsey played. We took her to get ice cream and she was pretty funny in the restaurant laughing and making lots of noise.

Summer break is WONDERFUL!