Just the 2 of Us

Alex and I went to the McWane Center the other day while Andy was at school. We had so much fun together! It's much easier to watch just ONE kid running around... But, leaving is harder. Shocking, I know. But, Andy helps me out because he understands why we need to go and Alex just copies what he does. So, we rarely have fussing when it is both. But, we had some fussing...ok, a fit, when it was time to get Andy from school. But, he was so happy to see his brother once we got there! It's all good.

 

 Before head over to McWane, we stopped for lunch at Zoe's - YUM! Alex loves those "dee-yas" :)

We went to the 2nd floor after realizing that going to the 3rd was a HUGE mistake. Grossology? Really? Ok, while I am all for learning about germs, biology stuff, animals, how the digestive system works, etc... BURPING, FARTING, ETC is not something I want to encourage. McWane...what are you doing? Ask a few of the moms with young children... Anyway, Alex was fine with leaving that area. The dinosaur stuff is his favorite anyway. Such a cute little paleontologist!

 Our next stop was the lower level with the aquarium and shark tank. Alex LOVED that he had free reign of the place. There weren't a lot of people here since it was the later lunch hour (when we got to McWane there were four school buses - eek! But they were heading home when we came down here, thank goodness!)

 He loved these fish the most! We did go to the shark tank, but didn't grow that 3rd arm to take pictures with just yet. Darn... He touched one of the sharks, too! He giggled and even squealed about it! Too cute! 

 Our last stop was the main floor where the tiny engineers, architects, and construction workers in-training get to hang out. Alex made a super cool magnet tower (left) and then put on his construction vest to organize the mini Publix (right - and yes, they have a Publix sign! Ha!).

He had such a great time!

New Playground!

Well, we happened upon a new playground. And, a for real NEW playground. It just opened in December, bu we only found it a few weeks ago. And, bonus: it is RIGHT NEXT to train tracks. Don't worry. It's fenced in and the tracks are up a steep hill, so not a problem. Another fun outing!

 

What a great day!!

Boots!

Boots! Boots! B-O-O-T-S BOOTS!

Laurie Berkner anyone? We had a rainy day last week and that meant...rain boots! The boys were finally able to use their boots that came earlier that week. No, major puddle jumping... But, we walked around the neighborhood. We get to the crazy puddles another day.

 

Now, were you wondering about that Laurie Berkner reference? Enjoy!

 

Wordless Wednesday

Gotta love a cup of tea that makes you smile :)

Southern Museum of Flight

We went on a little adventure a few weekends ago to one of our museums - Southern Museum of Flight! I have wanted to take the boys here for a while, but it is a not-so-great part of town. It's over by the airport...in a neighborhood. So, going with Jason was a MUST. When we got there, I felt bad for the museum. Other than us and the museum staff, there was just one other family. This museum is in some need of love from its locals. So, if you live close by, check it out! It really is a great little place for families with little kids. It is there perfect size for those guys that want to be big kids and walk on their own. However, if you want a bigger place to check out, head south to Pensacola, FL for the National Naval Aviation Museum. I'll have a post on that the next time we go visit my family. But, for now, check out all the fun we had right here in town! And, again, make a little visit out there with your little pilots :)

One of the pilot statues as you enter the exhibits to the Tuskegee Airmen and the Korean War Jets. 

 

Crop Duster Exhibit

 Andy looking at the smaller models and listening to the history of aviation in Birmingham.

 Andrew being Mr. Big Kid....walking in the General Aviation Hanger. They LOVED this place!

They got a chance to "fly" an airplane!

"Flying" and pushing as many buttons as possible!

 Loving every moment in the cockpit - we could barely get them out of there! But, like I said, we were the only ones there for good while. They sat in there for, like, a half hour until they saw the next cool thing to do.

K'Nex!!! Jason was pretty excited about that, too! And, again - we spent another good while here! So fun! Oh, and now Andy wants K'nex...the box says "ages 7 and up" Sorry, buddy. Another few years...maybe ;)

Alex, of course, loved it, too!

Now, we need a vote LOL This is Jason's airplane he was working on in the pictures above. And...

And this one is mine :) Neither one of us have played with K'Nex is so long. We had a blast! 

Alex thought mine was pretty cool. We all made some fun stuff. But, we need to move along since we had another wing of the museum to see. 

Vietnam War Exhibit

One last time to "fly" some more planes - er - jets!! 

We had a great time! We hope some of you have a chance to visit the Southern Museum of Flight, too!

Quick Crochet Project {Baby Blanket}

A friend of mine from church had a her 4th child this past month and it was the perfect opportunity to get my crochet on! I have been contemplating over things to make and patterns and styles. So when I saw a mega granny square blanket, it was perfect! A great size for strollers/car seats. Baby friendly because of the holes. And, the yarn I found was GREAT!!

 Isn't it fabulous?! And it is SO soft! Bonus: it was super easy and quick to make. 

Here is the pattern I used: Hopscotch Lane - More Yellow

I can't wait to make a few more of these for my other mama friends this year!

What projects are you working on? I wonder what I should get done next...

Menu Plan

This week's good eats and a fabulous menu printable from The Grant Life! Click here to get yours!

Elephants in the City!

A few weeks ago the circus came to town. And, where there is a circus...there is usually a circus train filled with ELEPHANTS! A few years ago, I took Andrew to see the elephants walk through downtown Birmingham. It was so cold but so worth it! This year it was a tad bit different. Still freezing cold, but much more of adventure!!

 The Greatest Show on Earth...that took forever and a day to get going. But, only because of a silly train blocking the tracks. We were outside, bundled up...freezing...waiting for those elephants to show up. After an hour and a half later, I told he boys that WE would go to the elephants instead of waiting for them. And that is EXACTLY what we did!! 

 In the warmth of our car, we found them by following a few police cars. The route the elephants were taking to get from one of the train yards to the BJCC was posted, so why not head that way? They HAVE to get to the civic center for the show, right?

We found them at one of the intersections...which this is the road that leads to the civic center, but it was block by a train just chilling out on the tracks, so they had to go around. After, we were allowed to go I took a turn and beat them to the next intersection where they were turning to get around the train. This is when an offer gets out of his car and ask why I was following him LOL Luckily, I didn't seem too crazy as both my boys yelled, "elephants!!" when he walked up to the car!! HA! Good times! So, he told us to go across quickly and park in the grass. We got THE. BEST. VIEW. 

Here they come!! Turning the corner to go around the tracks!

 So cool!! The boys were squealing the whole time!! I just LOVE how they hold tails :) So sweet!

 This is the lead elephant, Asia! She is wearing the signature Bear Bryant hat to commemorate the big win by the Tide. I must say, even though I am not a current Alabama fan...that hat suits her well!

 There they go! You can see the grass where we parked. SO AWESOME that police man told us we could do this! He rocks!! It was such a great morning!! But, this IS the extent of our circus fun.I am not a fan of the circus. Sure, it may be fun to watch, but I'm not so sure the animals are treated very well... Plus, it costs WAY too much... This was enough for us and we made some pretty awesome memories :) 

We headed to Dunkin Donuts to warm up with some yummy donuts after our elephant adventure. These guys had such a great time! They told the donut people about the elephants and got themselves a bonus donut hole (or two). Such cuties!