Our Five Ring Circus: Weekends
Showing posts with label Weekends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weekends. Show all posts

Monday, June 13, 2016

Weekending ~ Mad Science, Pony Rides and Dream Night at the Zoo

I think I need a day off to recover from my weekend! Is anyone with me?!?

We had one of those weekends where every single moment was scheduled. It wasn't the least bit relaxing, but thankfully, it was a lot of fun!

Our Saturday started off early. I wasn't in the best mood because there was construction directly in front of our house from midnight until 5 AM.  I was not a happy camper after only 3 hours of sleep, but at least one of us was smiling!

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Grant had to put in a few hours at the office (bummer) while I loaded the kids into the SUV and made the trek into the city for a morning birthday party at Mad Science of Pittsburgh. The kids had a great time!

Mad Science
Mad Science of Pittsburgh
Making Slime

Although the experiments were a lot of fun, I think their favorite part was the cotton candy!

Cotton Candy

Liam THOROUGHLY enjoyed his first cotton candy! I had to pry the empty paper cone out of his hand!

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After the birthday party, we met up with Grant and headed to a graduation party!  My dad's cousin's son just graduated from high school. It was basically a family reunion where I grew up!

I always get nostalgic when I visit my childhood home.  The house is now gone, my grandma's home is completely remodeled, the pond is drained and everything is overgrown. The only thing that still exists is the creek where I spent countless hours of my childhood.

My three older kids joined our amazing cousin, Alex, for a stroll through that creek.

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We had a great time with our family!

No weekend is complete without a visit with our horse!  As soon as we got there, Lexie tried again to convince me to take home a kitten (it still isn't working)!

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The more time we spend with our horse, the more I want to buy a house with some property so we can keep a horse or two at our home.  I spent much of my childhood years at the stable and I love watching my kids get the same thrill. I always said I wanted to have my own little barn one day, and I REALLY hope it comes true! (Besides, boarding a horse is expensive!!! $250-$300 each month for 24 years? You do the math!)

Pony Rides

Dylan and Lexie don't really feel comfortable on horseback, but Lily is a natural. She really is my mini-me! 

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The kids love visiting our horse!

Horses

See? Mini-me!

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On Sunday, we attended the annual Dream Night at the Zoo.  This was our third year attending the invitation-only event at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. It's an event for people with chronic illnesses or disabilities and their families.

This year, Grant stayed home because he wasn't feeling well and Dylan had a sleepover to attend, so I took my great niece, Aubrey, with us.

As soon as we got there, we walked the "red carpet" with our favorite homie with an extra chromie.

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Lily was thrilled to meet Rapunzel!

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And Tinkerbell!

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We all got to pet a giraffe.

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We played at the Islands.

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We hung out with a crocodile.

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The girls had so much fun exploring the zoo while Liam enjoyed the view (and the snacks) from his stroller!

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We had a great night with our guest of honor! 

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Our weekend ended with a great episode of Game of Thrones AND with the Pittsburgh Penguins bringing home the Stanley Cup!

How was your weekend?

LET'S CONNECT!


Monday, June 6, 2016

Weekend Unplugged

Every weekend, I attempt to unplug from the online world and just enjoy time spent with my family!

To be perfectly honest, I can never manage to unplug completely. There's still the occasional email to answer and online volunteer work to do. I still like to post a tweet or a picture here and there. When my kids are sleeping, I like to check social media for a few minutes. But mostly, I just relax, forget about everything else and enjoy THEM.

Here are the moments that made this weekend so special:

Our usual Friday evening visit with our horse, followed by playing at the park until the sun set.

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A special date with Papa.

Every weekend my dad takes one of my 4 kids on a special outing. I love that he does this, because I missed out on spending time with my grandfathers. My dad used to do the same thing when I was a child and I have so many wonderful memories of our adventures. On Saturday, he took Lily to a big petting zoo. Although she loved riding the camel and the pony and thought the kangaroo baby was adorable, her favorite part was playing with the baby goats! She arrived home with a framed picture, a stuffed tiger, a bag of fast food and a huge smile! 

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A Saturday afternoon spent playing outdoors.

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Liam
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Lexie and Liam
Downward Dude 
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The wonder in his eyes as he stared up at the sky.
 
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Playing until sunset.
 
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A Saturday evening shopping trip with my girls.  Despite the fact that we had to buy a training bra and got caught outside in a downpour, we still had fun!

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Not having any plans on Sunday afternoon and being able to go outside right after brunch!

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A new outdoor toy that was an instant hit with the kids and a timesaver for me! The best $5.99 I ever spent on a combination balloon pump and mister.  (I will forgive Dylan for that withering tween stare, considering he made us that brunch this morning all by himself!)

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Hours spent running around, wild and free, in the backyard. It resulted in sticky hair (see drink shower below) and muddy legs and feet. Exactly what childhood is all about!

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Childhood Unplugged
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Swing
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It was a wonderfully relaxing weekend, which was exactly what we needed! (Next weekend won't be as kind!) 

How did you spend your weekend?

LET'S CONNECT!