Monday, January 25, 2016

Family outings in Florida

Oy, it's now the end of January and I still haven't caught up on pictures from our trip over the holidays!  Time is flying!  Here are some highlight pics from some of our family outings in FL.  Grandma & Grandpa treated everyone to a trip to the zoo for zoolights (round 2 for us!) and a trip to the "gulfarium."  And one weeknight the local mall has free carousel rides so of course we HAD to take our three little carousel lovers there!

It was "snowing" in Florida!  Isaiah & Abigail were big fans of the bubble snow!

This picture would suggest Ellie was a fan...that would be a lie!




like real snow...bubble snow soaks your clothes

 For a tiny little zoo, the Gulf Breeze zoo sure did a great job with zoolights.  There were TONS of light displays.  The kiddos asked if there was a carousel since they remembered riding the one at the Brookfield Zoo.  We prepared them that there wasn't, but then saw this while we were waiting for the zoo train!  If it's a carousel, they love it, no matter how tiny it is!
thankfully my Auntie Ann had quarters! 
zoo train...

Ellie was so excited to sit with Auntie Kate on the train!

"Oh look...it's rudolph!" (aka a reindeer with a laser pointer induced red nose!
 Couldn't see many animals since it was dark, but the petting zoo/animal feeding part was the exception and was a big hit!
"you want some food, goat?!"

Ellie had her tongue out in every one of these pics!

Grandma, keeper of the food, was a popular person!

Avery was a little obsessed with the goats but particularly this one!
The next day we went to the gulfarium where we got to check out lots of sea creatures!
holding a seastar with Mama

turtles!

checking out the penguins with Grandma

watching the dolphin show

Hooray for free carousel rides!  Only problem is the adults can only do so many rides before we need a break!

 
waiting is soooo hard!

the triplets aren't the only ones who like carousels!

Isaiah loved that pig, which of course, he named Sally!

cheese!

after the carousel Grandma treated them to DQ!

this guy knows how to do it!
"I have some of yours Grandma?!"


we had to do one more ride after ice cream!

love that pure joy!

peekaboo!

:"I see you Mommy!"
We also tried to get a family photo taken, but at the last minute the photographer canceled so we tried some ourselves...we didn't get much, but these pics of the kiddos with their grandparents are decent!

and this one is just funny!  The attempt to get a shot of them all holding hands was hilarious!
 We did find a photographer to take some shots of the whole family on our last day...which of course was cold & rainy! Haven't seen those yet so not sure if she got anything or not...it's a lot of people & a lot of little ones!

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Cousin Love!



This post is chock full of cousin pics.  Now that the triplets are older and talking so much, Abigail was WAY more interested in playing with them.  And for whatever reason Abigail and Ellie really hit it off!  And of course, this was the first time we all got to meet Kyria. And man, oh man, "baby Kyria" was a huge hit, especially with Avery, our super baby lover!  Here are some of the best pics and a couple videos!
so proud!
true love
holding on tight! "she's heavy!"
Abigail helping Isaiah learn how to fly the kite
watching a movie together so grown ups can eat in peace (in theory)

somebody got jealous that I was holding Kyria!

"I love baby Kyria"
"Avery, whatcha doing?"
"Giving her milk, her sad"
an attempt at a cousin photo...=)

wrestling
BFFs in their paw patrol PJs
snuggles
helping change Kyria


"Grandma, I hold Kyria?"
smile!
"aw, I gotcha big girl, I gotcha"
this shot could've been cute...
showing off shells

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

First Snow of the Year

Avery has been asking "When's the snow coming?!" for weeks.  She finally got her wish today! Here are some pics from our first outing with two year olds in the snow.  Hope had them outside when I got home in whatever snowgear she could find in the closet.  They really wanted to go sledding, but we don't have a good sled so we had to make do with the boogie board and some thin little sleds.  They didn't mind!




Isaiah was less sure about this sledding thing...

but then decided it was pretty fun!

future snowboarder?
 We went in for a warm up and then they decided they needed to go out again.  So this time I dug up all their snow gear!  Of course, Ellie was nakey when she put on her snowpants and then did not want to put on a shirt underneath.  I was not going to fight that battle.  Then she told me she didn't want a coat.  I figured that would last 30 seconds once we got outside, but she stuck by her plan for at least 5 minutes, only relenting when I pointed out that if she had a coat on she could climb over the fallen tree!
silly kids!

sooo ridiculous!


this kiddo was so happy to be playing in the snow!

pretending to ride on carousel horses



writing "E for Ellie" & "A for Avery" in the snow

 marching up the hill mid snow squall

"Mommy look! The moon!"