When twins get dress up clothes

My cousin Stacey was so nice and gave us a few toys last time we saw her, which included a few things for playing dress up. So what happens when a couple of crazy twins get hats and stand in front of a mirror???

The week in pictures

A good week here means lots of good pictures.

Playing ball with Nana

Don't you wish you could be running around outside like a bee or princess fairy?

Building houses for as many stuffed animals as possible.

Catching up on Sofia the First. 

Summery and fancy. She wore all those bracelets and necklaces for 3 days straight. 

In mid-air...super happy about the splash pad. 

Helping in the garden.

Parker's first veggie of the year...a radish. From the look, don't think he's too sure about it. 

Our bowl of radishes. 

Water table time. Seriously the best summer toy we've gotten. This is out third summer playing with it. 

Sprinkler on, playing in the water. 

Another party at my work...Car show! 

Lunch outside at the car show

Cookie love. 

Waiting for the parade to start at Bennington Daze. 

More coming soon...Parker's bad dentist trip with preemie teeth (ugh!), our new garden, and super crazy twins!

Swim Lessons

I signed the twins up for swim lessons at the Kroc Center. 8 beginner lessons that were only 30 minutes long, and the pool is indoors so I thought we would try. Also, when we went to the Kroc Center this spring for a night out with respite care, they totally wanted to get in the pool.

We talked about getting ready for lessons for a couple weeks before hand. It seems to help them when they have some time to prepare and know what to expect. On the first night, I picked them up from school and we went and had a snack before changing into our suits. They were so excited to go into the big pool.

There were 6 kids total in the group. Only 2 would get in the water. This is a whole lot of what happened the first night....Alex the pool manager trying to convince them to get in the water, sit on the steps or side of the pool, etc.

We worked our way up to sitting on the steps barely. Payton did a better job than Parker. The teacher was nice enough, but she just didn't know what to do with so many kids in the group that didn't want to get in . And with only one teacher, the twins just didn't have a lot of extra support.

 The second night really wasn't any better. They didn't get much further.

Parker had a really hard time with the noise in the pool area. He kept telling me to dry him off and asking if he could take off his suit. He kept telling me he'd had an accident and I had to remind him his suit had gotten wet from sitting on the steps of the pool...poor guy just couldn't separate the two. In the few days after our second swim lesson he had a  few nightmares, one during nap time at school, and all anyone could get out of him was "big water". Bath time for him is never really easy, but this past weekend he turned all out physical. Preschoolers with anxiety and sensory problems don't mix with swim lessons.

So we've decided it just isn't worth it for now. We'll spend the summer hopefully visiting the lake, maybe going for a couple open swim times when we can get in with them, turn on the sprinkler and fill up the water table and maybe try again next year.

Dream Night 2013

Friday night we were so lucky to be able to go to the zoo again for Dream Night. Dream Night is where the zoo closes to the public and people who attend have full access to the zoo for 3 hours without the crowds. We also got some super special surprises. We saw a few of my friends there, a few of our friends from respite care, perfect weather (which has been in short supply around here)...all around a great night!

 We started our night eating on the patio. I could have seriously sat there all night. Omaha Steaks burgers, hot dogs and chips. Even Parker did great eating his burger!

 We were able to go behind the scenes with the giraffes. We got to go on the walk behind the indoor area and see them. Amazing! The twins were a little nervous being that close to them but did really well. These pics aren't zoomed in at all. Were were literally nose to nose with them while they ate. So cool!

 Then we got to go behind the scenes at the aquarium too! We were able to go upstairs (who knew there was an upstairs!) and see all the workings of the tanks. We got to stand at the top of the giant tunnel that's part of the aquarium and look down.

 While we were standing up there talking with one of the volunteers, we were greeted by one of the tiger sharks that kept swimming by and one of the giant sea turtles that live there. We love the turtles so that was a huge hit! We were also able to see some of the giant stingrays hanging out near the top.

We spent alot of time in the regular part of the aquarium. It is always so crowded, that we don't always have a good chance to look at things easily. The twins were able to get up and look around, run from tank to tank. Payton loved it but Parker was over the moon. He ran from tank to tank finding every fish, counting how many he saw, how many creatures he knew the names of, what colors they were, etc. Most the pictures are action shots and a little blurry because it was constant on the go, but it definitely explains the excitement.

We also got to do the touch tank for the first time. Payton touched all the animals, Parker decided he didn't want to but was willing to look at them.

 After the aquarium we were able to meet and pet a penguin. I'm pretty sure I want to bring one home :)

 Thank you Omaha Zoo! Not only did you give a lot of families a night out, you helped so many kids get the chance to really explore the zoo and animals that they might not otherwise get to. Thank you providing the kids an amazing opportunity.