New Classes

After a fun week off, the kids both started in new classes at school on Monday. Ben is now in the Explorers class and Elizabeth is in ICD (the oldest “infant” class). Most of Ben’s friends moved with him so it is mainly new teachers and classroom to get used to. His new schedule is chock full of center time, group time, worksheets, and all sorts of learning and stimulation. It is also the first time that we have had school supplies – he even has his own scissors and three subject notebook now! He loves it and actually requested on the second day that Mom didn’t pick him up so early and let him stay longer. The Explorers are studying Hawaii this week and having a Welcome Luau on Friday. We are really excited about what fun is in store for him this year.

Elizabeth is in a room that has a loft play area, lots of dress up and a whole new level of toys to explore. There are also tables and chairs instead of the table with little jump seats, and there is no buggy that the class uses to get around. The kids are expected to hold onto a rope and follow the teacher. Watch out, ICD teachers – Elizabeth has a mind of her own! Her teachers are ones that she is already familiar with and she seems to be right at home. There are a few familiar faces, but lots of older kids to get to know. It should be a fun year!

Back to School night is next week and we will get to hear even more about the year ahead. They are both growing so fast – it is exciting to see the new opportunities they will have!

Ben's first day outfit - Wow!

Dallas

Thursday

We drove in and arrived around 1:30pm. The first stop was IKEA! Mom and Dad both had lists of items not to miss and the kids were really pretty tolerant of these plans. The kids’ area is so wonderful that they really didn’t want to leave in the end. Especially when we walked through the warehouse area to checkout and Ben was very concerned that we were somewhere we were not supposed to be!

It wasn’t quite dinner time so we stopped at the Allen Premium Outlets to hit Gymboree and Children’s Place. The kids spent most of the time outside “on a walk” with Dad while Mom tried to figure out what to buy for fall.

After that we headed to McKinney to the Swarts’ house. We met Maddox, and Ben and Elizabeth proceeded to terrorize Sarah and Dusty’s poor kitty for the rest of our stay. We decided to give the cat a break and went out to eat at Firehouse Subs. It was our first time and we all found something we enjoyed! We’ll have to go again now at home. We enjoyed visiting with Sarah and Dusty and stayed there that night.

Friday

We got up and got on our way to the Target and the donut store. Apparently we forgot diapers and also needed a little sugar to start our day. After we did our shopping, we headed to Fair Park to get a museum pass and start with the butterfly gardens at Texas Discovery Gardens. It was super hot and everyone was pretty drained by lunch. We refueled at Sonic and then headed back out to power through nap time and go to the Museum of Nature and Science. We could have spent a couple of days there! It was very kid friendly and had lots of interactive exhibits. Ben and Elizabeth got to dig for fossils in a sand area near the dinosaurs and played several games related to the other main exhibits. Then there was an entire area downstairs geared even more towards preschool aged kids that had a water play area, a music area, a fire truck area, a farm, a bug exhibit and lots more. The kids had a blast!

We went on to check into our hotel for the rest of our stay. We used points to stay at an Embassy Suites near the Galleria and it was so worth it! The extra space was wonderful and the kids enjoyed the fountain with live swans, the glass elevators and of course, the pool. The kids rested and then we swam. Ben jumped from the side of that pool probably over a hundred times. He would have gone more if poor Mom and Dad had let him. When we were cleaning up to eat, Elizabeth hit the corner of the cabinet really hard and got a giant goose egg. The gash wasn’t very deep so we just treated it with ice and proceeded on with dinner plans. She was a trooper after she got settled down.

There were yummy snacks at the hotel happy hour and then we headed to the Galleria for dinner. We decided to try the Grand Lux Café as it was recommended to us by the hotel staff as having a large variety on the menu and being family friendly. It was nicer than where we usually take the kids so we had a big talk about manners before going in. The kids were very eager and quickly decided what they would eat. They got wikki stix to play with instead of crayons and that was a huge hit. After dinner had arrived, Ben looked up and claimed that this was the most favorite part of the trip for him. Guess we need to eat out at nicer restaurants more often at home! They did a great job and then we enjoyed a short shopping trip and watched the ice skating at the mall.

Saturday

On Saturday we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and then headed back out to the world of museums. We went to the Museum of the American Railroad and realized that it was nearly all outside as it consisted of actual railroad cars. It was a very hot tour of lots of engines and rail cars, but Ben enjoyed looking at them and climbing inside of some of them so it was worth it.

We headed to lunch at Blue Mesa Grill and it was so yummy! The kids got balloons and thought it was another fun meal. We headed back to the hotel for naps and swimming.

We went to the Galleria again for dinner since it was so entertaining the night before. Since we had enjoyed such a big lunch, we headed to the playground first before thinking about dinner. The kids enjoyed climbing around on all of the neat play equipment. We ate at Five Guys Burgers right off of the skating rink and the kids gobbled up their food while watching the skaters go by. We finished our outing with a random trip to Old Navy and then headed to the hotel for bedtime.

Sunday

We enjoyed another nice breakfast and got all packed up to head back home. We killed some time and stopped by The Container Store before lunchtime, and then hit the road to head back home after grabbing some McDonald’s. The kids did great on the actual trip, but when it came to the car, E was not her best. If you are considering inviting her on a road trip any time soon, please watch this clip first (sorry it is sideways!). She will grow out of it, but in the meantime – watch out!

Estes Park 2010

Travel Day #1 – Tulsa, OK to Colby, KS

Not much to report for this day. We were lucky enough to find a McDonald’s in a Walmart on the way to stop at for lunch and then got Village Inn for dinner that night in Colby. Besides viewing the windmills at Smoky Hills Wind Farm and our brief swim in the hotel pool (it was so cold!), those were the highlights of our first day.

Travel Day #2 – Colby, KS to Westminster, CO

This was a very short trip and allowed us to spend some time around the Denver area. We made a trip to the zoo and to REI before we checked into our hotel. The day was a little rough without regular naps so we were unable to enjoy the hotel pool and made it an early evening in.

Travel Day #3 – Westminster, CO to Estes Park, CO

This was also a very short travel day. We started with a quick swim before breakfast since we had lost privileges the day before. :) We headed to the Butterfly Pavilion after we checked out and then to lunch. We made the drive into the mountains and both kids successfully napped in the car at the same time! We checked into our room at the YMCA of the Rockies and started catching up with other friends that were arriving. When we had gotten E out of the car to check in, we noticed she was hot. So as our vacation began finally, poor Ellie had a fever of 103.

By the evening, Grandma Elaine, Grandpa Larry, Uncle Adam, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Dusty had all arrived. Everyone was excited to be together, and we met as a big group to get assigned to our “Amazing Race” teams for the week. Ben was thrilled about the thought of a week-long race and E went to bed early to try to get better.

Estes Park – Sunday

We were able to have a church service with our group in one of the chapels on the Y campus. Everyone did a nice job and enjoyed starting our time together this way. Mom taught the first bible class for the elementary age and Ben and Elizabeth had Grandma and Aunt Sarah to start off their first bible class.

That afternoon started the “Amazing Race” activities. Ben and Dad participated with their team in a series of challenges around the Y campus. Ben had a blast and his team even won that day!

Sunday night we got back together for another set of classes and singing. However, E’s fever wasn’t getting better, so Mom and Grandma ended up going to the ER to get a diagnosis and medicine since the local urgent care wasn’t open for another day. It was a good choice as she had a bulging ear drum and a sinus infection. The pharmacy in Estes Park had closed though, and Dad had to drive an hour to Loveland to get her meds.

Estes Park – Monday

The day started with our first devo and morning of “regular” classes. The kids were starting to warm up to everyone and E’s medicine was starting to kick in somewhat.

That afternoon we skipped the planned activity and took a drive up to Trail Ridge Road in the Rocky Mountain National Park. It was really pretty and we were able to see snow and a few elk. Ben also spotted a waterfall really far away all on his own and was pretty proud. The drive did not sit well with Ben’s tummy though so we had to excuse ourselves from the square dance activity that evening.

Estes Park – Tuesday

The morning activities were similar to Monday. In the afternoon, there was Frisbee golf and craft time. We decided to let the kids sleep normally for nap time and caught part of craft time before sneaking into Estes Park to do some shopping. We got the kids t-shirts and enjoyed the downtown shops.

We got back in time for dinner and the campfire time. The kids enjoyed the singing, but they loved the s’mores even more! Both had marshmallow lips and were very pleased to enjoy such a special treat.

Estes Park – Wednesday

Wednesday was our last full day. Morning classes were the same and the afternoon started with Wacky Olympics. Ben got to participate some and we took a few water balloons for the road so he could play after nap rather than waiting for that event.

He had to get his rest because that night’s activity was Talent Show. Ben had decided the day before that he was going to be in the talent show. He would do “Funny Faces by Ben McCullough”. Mom was shocked that he wanted to stand up in front of everyone, but let him sign up. Ben was very excited and luckily the audience was all friends or family so they were great encouragers. He did about 5 or so funny faces and was very pleased with himself. Dad, Grandpa, Grandma and Aunt Sarah sang and did a wonderful job. It was hard to get the kids to leave that night for bed.

Estes Park – Thursday and drive to Colby, KS

Thursday was time to pack up and head on our way. It was a long day that ended with a flat tire in Colby. Not our favorite memory of the trip!

Final Day! – Colby, KS to Tulsa, OK

We got on the road and had another long day ahead. The kids persevered and so did Mom and Dad for the most part. Ha ha! We were all glad to be home and get some much needed rest!