Embassy Family Night

This weekend, my dad redeemed his Christmas gift of a night out at the Embassy Suites with the whole crazy family.  We started this tradition in 2008 and the kids just LOVE staying at the "E Hotel" as Brynnie calls it, or "MBC Sweets" as my boys call it.   

 As soon as we arrived, the kids got in their swim suits and hit the pool, no surprise there!  The only time I could get the boys in one picture was while they were chillaxin' in the hot tub. 

 The girls (minus Kyla & Evelyn plus bonus Sam!) in the big pool.

 1-2-3-Jump!

 Violet loves everything about swimming. . .

 . . . except when it's time to get out.  How pathetic is that face??

 Another favorite part of the Embassy Suites experience is the Manager's Reception.  We were on the 7th floor, and could peek down at some of our crew finding tables for us.

 We have a way of taking over at these things with 19 of us!

 Evelyn's first Manager's Reception, and although she isn't really showing it in this picture, she was definitely a fan!

 We watched some exciting basketball, ordered pizzas, and had a great night hanging out with family.

 After eating breakfast, going to church, and eating breakfast again (the breakfasts are SO good), the kids burned off some of those calories with some more fun in the pool.  Oliver was so insistent on wearing goggles, but could never quite get them to fit just right.

I mean, do you think Oliver can even see through those goggles?? And I love how the boys pay no attention whatsoever to their ears when they are putting them on. . . 

This boy couldn't be any happier.

I'll finish this post with a little flashback. . . Here are 3 boys and a girl from our first Embassy Family Night, from left to right is Jackson, Tyler, Sydney, and Calvin in case you couldn't tell.

And here are 3 boys and a girl 6 years later, two of the boys are the same anyway.  Crazy how much they've grown.

 Merry Christmas, Grandpa Kermit! :)

More Spring Break Fun

We started out our Spring Break week with a trip to the State Tournament in Wichita and then a JM&MB Day at Zona Rosa, as I've already explained.  But Spring Break Fun didn't end there, no-sir-ee!  We did a little roller skating with cousins on Monday evening. . .

Aren't they so cute in their matching shirts??

 

 Even Kyla got in on the action!

 Russ and I thought Violet would like to skate, and well, I guess she did.  She liked being pulled all over the rink anyway.  Just laughed and laughed.  To clarify, Violet was the one laughing, not Russ and me, as we were sweating trying to keep her vertical.

 

Calvin wearing his KU shirt, ready to cheer on the hawks in the Big Dance!

 Finally, we figured out the secret to Violet skating on her own was keeping her off of the actual rink and on the carpet where there was a bit more traction.  She got the hang of it, after all!

As an added bonus, the boys got to have their cousins stay over night, which is always a treat.  The boys played for hours in their "hotel" (brush pile) which was composed of multiple rooms, each with a unique name. They took a snack out to eat in one of their hotel rooms.

We took off to Wonderscope in Kansas City on Tuesday morning where we met up with my friend Amanda and her kiddos and had a great time exploring and playing.

 The art room had LOTS to do. . .

 Calvin and Ava did some building and came up with a horse!

 Raceways, x-rays, and tunnels -- there was plenty to keep the kids entertained!

On Wednesday, Oliver was so excited to be invited to go to Cosmic Jump with his buddy, Colter!  He had a blast!

 They also got to chow down on some yummy Pizza Street pizza -- what a fun day!

 To cap off an extra fun week, Grandma Cheryl took the boys to Silver Dollar City on Thursday and Friday!  I told you they had a fun-filled week.  Thankfully, the weather cooperated and they had some very spring-like temperatures while they were at the park.  They met up with their friends, Maddox and Lincoln on the log ride while they were there.

Nothing like a little funnel cake for a sweet ending to a perfectly sweet Spring Break.

After 10 days off school, we'll see if the boys remember what to do tomorrow when they go back. . .

JM&MB Spring Break Edition

With the kids out of school all week for Spring Break, we definitely had to find time for a Just Me & My Boys Day.  This day took us up to Zona Rosa where we started at a super-fun place called the "Maze Craze"!

It also happened to be St. Patty's Day, so we all wore our green.

 The first area we explored at the Maze Craze was the Mirror Maze.  Oh my, was this place fun!  We laughed and laughed as we ran into mirror after mirror trying to find our way out of this maze.

 We went through the mirror maze a couple of times, but never really got any better at it.  We sure laughed a lot, though!  Next up was Laser Tag.  This was actually the inspiration for this JM&MB Day, as Calvin had been begging to play laser tag and I found this place online so we started planning.

We had our laser guns charged and ready to go!

 I did a couple of rounds with the boys and then watched from the lobby for a 3rd round.  I loved how they had monitors so you could watch the action.

We even had green vests for the holiday, although I think we look a bit like TMNT.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for those of you who didn't grow up in the late 80s and early 90s.

Our last adventures at the Maze Craze came in the "Laser Maze", which was a Mission Impossible-type challenge of trying to make it through without breaking any lasers.

 

The boys could choose Easy, Intermediate, Difficult, or Expert to determine the number of lasers covering the room.

I bet the boys went through this one at least 10 times each.  They were determined to beat their best time!

  We worked up quite the appetite at Maze Craze and chose the boys' all-time favorite place for our lunch: Buffalo Wild Wings!  We stuffed ourselves with some yummy wings. . .

 . . . and then attempted to burn off some of those calories on our after-lunch hike.  Calvin found this park all by himself while searching online and was so proud of himself, I had no choice but to drive the additional 15 miles into Missouri for us to hike these trails.

Calvin can always be found climbing something and there were plenty of fallen trees for him to explore.

 At one point, he fell behind us and told us to wait while he was making something.

 He was so proud to present his brother with this one-of-a-kind stick and leaf creation.

 I love these boys so much.

 We finished the day fulfilling Oliver's request: making chocolate chip scones. And they were yummy. 

Another great day spent with my favorite boys!