Spring break movie nights

We don't have a TV set up in our townhome. I'm loving it!  The kids do like to have movie nights though...so we pop some popcorn and the huddle around my computer and I think it's the cutest thing ever. We might just keep that tv in its box. 

Z FINALLY starts school

Zack has been really missing going to his school.  The other kids get up and get going and are gone all day.  Poor Zack is just stuck with boring me.  So when his "school day" finally came he couldn't wait!

He jumped right in and didn't even have time to turn for a picture.  He said bye and that was that!  Joy, he made sure to wear his wolf shirt you got him....and he howled for everyone too :)

He came running out after school and couldn't stop talking!  We went to lunch at Chick-fil-a where he proceeded to talk and talk and talk all about his day.  It was the cutest thing ever.  Then it struck me my baby is growing up.  I don't know how I feel about this whole growing up thing.  

We just completed week one and he can't wait to go back and see his class!

Showing some New Mexico to our new ward

Check out that handsome man in the chile tie!

Fish are friends...not food!

This weekend our adventure took us to Jungle Jim's. We'd heard tales of a giant, fun supermarket around here and since it was raining that sounded like just the ticket. Of course, we didn't tell the kids what it was. Still, they're pretty bright so when you keep passing road signs announcing the eminent arrival to a locale it's not hard to put two and two together.

The market is called Jungle Jim's. Everyone had a different idea of what this place was going to be, but we didn't tell them. I think kal was the most surprised when it turned out to be a huge market... and not a jungle gym. It's 200,000 sq ft of food shopping. They had food from everywhere!  Food you didn't even know existed!

We ride in style with a car cart that the kids don't want to sit inside, just on top or hang off the sides. I love the looks I get for that. This place was crazy busy so I really didn't care how the kids held on...as long as they didn't get lost!

After an hour drive to get there everyone needed to go potty. We weaved our way through gobs of people and couldn't find it. For those of you who have been to Stew Leonard's, Jungle Jim's is kind of like Stew Leonard's on crack. That is, imagine Stew's was organized by someone on crack. Now you've been to Jungle Jim's. Now try to find the bathroom. Then Christopher says he saw something that looked like port-a-pottys, so we head that way. 

I'm not kidding. This is it. 

(Chris will hate this pic...sorry babe). 

The port-a-potty doors actually lead into a monstrous bathroom!!!  I was going to take a picture, but even I have standards....so I took a picture of the outside :) By the way, these are award winning restrooms. Just like some people put up a plaque to announce their place in the Guinness Book Of Records, these guys had one for their first place privy from the American Restroom Association. You'd think they'd have thought up a "punnier" acronym. 

After our longer than planned potty break, we decide to check out this store. Ben is immediately a fan when his beloved Peeps appear around the corner. 

Really does anyone need to sell this many Pez dispensers???? 

Then you had your standard Elvis singing bear..

And way too many items that z could reach..

And then of course samples..

And then Andrew's favorite area...the seafood area..

They had lobsters, bass, catfish, crabs, trout, tilapia and more. He was so excited when he realized tilapia was only $6.99!  He had that much!  He was so excited to finally have his very own PET. When we explained it was $6.99/lb. and that they weren't pets...but dinner...he looked like this...

Poor kid was sick that people actually buy a living thing and then eat it. This despite the fact that he's been fishing... and eaten it. I guess it just didn't seem sporting this way. I felt so bad for him!

After a few meltdowns we were done with Jungle Jim's. We headed out to the car and the kids stopped dead in their tracks when they saw this...

UMBRELLAS!!  

Of course they all had to pick one out, open it, spin it around, hit people who were walking by with the pointy top, ask for help on how to close these things, then proceed to walk around like a distinguished gentleman with an umbrella for a walker. (Kallie was done with umbrellas after getting her skin caught while opening it). They were one of Jim's specials that day, so we bought three for $5.00 each. They were thrilled. 

When we got to the car I realized my gross mistake. I only bought three...I have four kids...so after some tears from a tired and hungry Z, I promptly went back and made it right by buying a fourth. Ugh. 

Lunch was at an Ohio favorite that we can't figure out why it is so popular. Imagine IHOP and Denny's and crappy diners everywhere. Then bring it down 3 notches. Welcome to Frisch's. 

Apparently, Cincinnati made itself famous by making crappy chili. Imagine normal Texas chili, then take away everything but the water and ground beef. Pour it over spaghetti and pretend like the rest of the U.S. still thinks your normal. Now you're a mid-Westerner.  

Yep, they have chili and spaghetti. So of course I think you can either get chili OR spaghetti for the same price. The waitress informed me that is it actually spaghetti served with chili ON TOP. It's an Ohio specialty and people here love it and are proud of it. When we get the guts to try it out I'll let you know what we think. 

After bombing on lunch Christopher and I decide to surprise the kids by going to the famous ice cream shop close to our town house. By this time the kids were not really trusting our judgement as to what qualified as a good surprise...so they were grumpy until Andrew yelled out "ice cream!!!!"

When these guys make chocolate chip ice cream they don't just throw in chocolate chips. They chip chunks of chocolate off a block of it. The boys weren't fans because they're not very cultured yet. Kallie loved her cookies and cream...and Christopher and z shared a "peanut butter lover's dream." Christopher promises it had enough protein in it to be on his diet. 

Z didn't eat as much as Christopher thought he would, so Chris ended up on sugar overload. I could see it come over his face. We quickly took him home and let him sleep while I took the kids to a really jungle gym. 

More water, sticks, and mud and we had some pretty happy kids. All in all a great Saturday.....until bed time. That's the next post. That's a story all on it's own.

Impressions of Ohio (or Mid-Westerners in the Mist)

EARTH DATE 20160311

What strange new world is this?! I swear we've only traveled 1,400 miles on the same continent, but we must have unwittingly been sucked into a quantum singularity and traveled through a magnetic mono-pole to the worm garden of some vegetation infested land.

The weeds are everywhere here and the residents have given them up for un-tamable. Indeed, they are tall as houses and hard as rocks. The locals call them trees and refer to them admiringly. As though they were desirable.

Where the land has been cleared of these "trees" a living carpet is permitted to exist which requires constant care and trimming. They do not seem to have advanced technology enough to surround their homes with weed barrier and crushed rock.

Their fashion is also lagging. We encountered an actual library on one of our successful explorations of the surrounding area. I approached a long desk to inquire about standard protocol and was attended to by an over-sized doily. Upon closer inspection it was one of the local residents in her native garb.

Shoulder pads have apparently been reintroduced to the population, and it is not uncommon to find puffed sleeves (as though they were grain). Locals often look as though they forgot to remove the clothes hanger before donning their garb. I've found it is a mistake to bring this to anyone's attention.

We surmise that the population must exist in abject misery. Their sadness is so profound that tears constantly fall from the sky. Even when the tears are stemmed a gray mass hovers over the area. It is possibly created to shield a large population of vampires. We shall attempt to capture a specimen if one presents itself.

The entire locale is known for "buckeyes" though we've yet to see a deer. We are wary that it could be some form of surveillance system. Until we can confirm, we shall feel very vulnerable indeed.

Future reports forthcoming.

Rain

I don't think I've ever experienced a day like today. It rained.all.day.long.  Like, all day!  Zack was in total heaven with his umbrella and rain boots. He inspired me to get on Amazon and buy rain boots.  And cute rain boot socks....for me and Kallie. 

Ups

Me:  where'd you go after school with dad?

Ben: Ups

Me:  what's ups?

Ben: I don't know...but you and dad have both been going there a lot lately. 

Me to Christopher: where did you go?

Christopher:  The UPS Store

Ohio sunsets...

Can not even come close to comparing to the stunning New Mexico sunsets. But hey, I won't mind it trying...

The new house 👇🏻

The town home 👇🏻

The new house

And here's a few of the new house...the kids are in love with the backyard!

New schools

These kids are amazing. They did that hard first day of school like champs. Really, whose kids are these?!

Z loves waiting to pick them up too....

Tom Sawyer .....

Can you find Andrew?

Look at the very, very top..

I'm praying for no broken bones. 

Z's new school

I think z is going to love his new school. AND he finally gets to ride the bus (which I'm going to love). Here's a few pictures I snuck at the new school. He starts for real Monday. 

The class hamster, Snow

Lifting at the gym. I wish I would have snuck a picture of the playground. I would want to play on this thing!