A Visit From Doug!

A Visit From Doug

Well this should have been a post from Super Bowl weekend back in February, but that crazy snow storm hit Dallas and Doug was snowed in.  Anyway, we were lucky enough that he could reschedule and got to come to Phoenix for a visit in March! 

NCAA Tournament

 Doug actually picked the perfect weekend to come to Phoenix because our KSU Wildcats were still in the NCAA tournament and, as luck would have it, they were playing that same weekend in Tucson.  Tucson really isn't far from us, so Shaun and Doug found some tournament tickets, headed on a mini road trip, and spent the day watching basketball.  Even though the Cats lost, they seemed to have a great time!

Great seats right at mid court.  Plus if you happened to be watching the game on television,

Shaun could point out the numerous times they showed the back of their heads!

 A great game from Pullen, but unfortunately that was the end of the tourney for the Cats.

A Morning at the Zoo

After a day of basketball we decided to visit the zoo and check out the animals.  One of Larkin's very favorite things to do! 

 The rare and elusive family photo!

Brayden's first carousel ride!

Having fun at the petting zoo.

 Fun with the kangaroos!

 Posing with the elephant statue.

 Learning to ride the tractor with a little help from Uncle Doug!

 Brayden was happy just to stand in front of the tractor.

 Brayden was NOT happy when it was time to leave the tractor.

Here is his pouty face!

 As Bray was learning how to walk he felt it was helpful to point everywhere he went. 

In this picture he was just starting to walk all on his own.  Now there is no stopping him!

Practicing riding a pony.  Again the pointing must help with balancing!

 Taking a break with Uncle Doug!

And they are off again... 

Larkin had to consult her map every time we started walking.  She is BIG into Dora these days so for all of you who are familiar with Dora we had to check the map each time and figure out the 3 places we were going to visit.

 Cuddling with Daddy!

 When the stroller got boring, it was time to ride on Daddy's shoulders.

Again, when the stroller got boring it was time to ride on Daddy's shoulders!

 

Larkin has learned the art of holding on!

Are we done yet! 

Poor Daddy, he is so much more fun than that silly stroller.

Brayden's First Birthday

Bray Bray's 1st Birthday!

Brayden turned one on February 26th. 

We can't believe how quickly the year has gone and how much we are enjoying our little boy!

Cake Time

Right now Brayden's favorite thing to do is climb so we made him a monkey cake.

Larkin preferred the Abby Cadabby theme so she did her own thing.

What is this stuff?

At first Brayden wasn't too sure about cake, but he came around.

Not so bad!

Trying seconds.

Time for a bath.

Larkin enjoyed her cake too, but with a little less mess.

Presents

Thank you everyone for all of the wonderful birthday presents and warm wishes.  Even though many of our friends and family live far away, you made sure to make this a special day for Brayden!  The kids loved getting packages from the delivery man and checking the mailbox.  They also had a blast opening some gifts with family on Skype.  You have to love technology!  Brayden loved opening his presents, playing with the wrapping paper, bags, and tissue paper. 

Of course Larkin was right there ready to lend a hand!

Loved the tissue paper!

A new Cookie Monster.

Those clothes sure taste yummy!

Playing with our new Zany Zoo.

Check out my new ride!

Larkin helping to open another package from the delivery man.

A new puppy to chase me around once I get the hang of this walking thing. 

I am so close!

A new musical toothbrush for all these teeth I have coming in right now. 

How did you know, Aunt Tara?

Some Fun At the Children's Museum

Time to Play!

Now that we have our Fridays free we try and get out of the house a little more often.  Of course there is always shopping to do, but a few times a month we also try to do something a bit more exciting.  One of our adventures this month was to the Phoenix Children's Museum.  It was a very cool place that both kids loved and we will definitely be heading back there again!  It is strange to say, but this is one of those great places to visit in the summer when you don't want to be out in the heat all day.  In most states this would be a wonderful winter activity.  Arizona is definitely different! 

The museum is an old school building that has been converted.  It offers all sorts of different activities in each of its themed rooms.

Place for Under Threes

This room was definitely our favorite!  It had all sorts of areas for both kids to play, crawl, and explore.  It also kept them contained which was a BIG help.

Brayden had fun setting the table with plates and bowls while Larkin was busy at the sink.

 Making something yummy for dinner!

 The sensory station to explore different sounds and textures.

 Larkin checking out the bridges and walkways.  The theme of this room was also doorknobs,

so at the top of each rail there were different knobs to play with.

 Made it across the bridge!

Brayden loved pushing the ball through the rungs and also chasing after it.

 Climbing around in the sensory center.

 He decided to take a break from chasing that ball.

The Texture Cafe

This was so much better than playing kitchen at home.  This was a whole restaurant complete with buffet, chefs kitchen, and wood stove. 

Larkin making some lunch at the buffet and Brayden running away with a rolling pin.

 Check out my yummy meal!

Back in the kitchen to make a little dessert.

Outside of the cafe was an ice cream stand and table area to enjoy that yummy treat.  Of course the ice cream cone was just foam board rolled up and the ice cream was a foam ball, but they sure made it look real.  This was the place Larkin kept wanting to stop back by.

Noodle Forest

 What a fun place to crawl, walk, or run through.

The Market

Here you could pick your favorite foods, weigh your items, and even scan your stuff at the checkout.

 The perfect sized shopping cart.

 Weighing some beans.

Art Studio

This room had a variety of activities for kids to do. 

Larkin especially enjoyed painting and playing with play-dough.

 Larkin is painting the ever changing castle!

 Having some fun at the play-dough station.

Building Big

Also known as the giant fort room. 

Here you could build your own fort or help add on to the giant fort in the center of the room.

 Larkin sizing up the room.

 Brayden having fun with some of the headboards and knobs around the room.

Pedal Power

Here they had a variety of trikes and bikes for kids to try out. 

It was complete with a trike wash that kids could pedal through!

 Here Larkin couldn't figure out why Brayden couldn't pedal her around while she relaxed in the backseat.  He actually did a pretty good job of walking her around the room!

And we are back...

We had to finish our afternoon with one last playtime in the little kids' room. 

What a great afternoon we had!