Memorial Day

After

 

On Memorial Day, we made the trip to Hull for the pancake breakfast, which Ryan loved. Then, we attended a service at the cemetery. We really appreciated that the nursing home where my grandpa lives brought several residents out in their trolley and my grandpa got to sit in the front. As a WWII vet and former POW, Memorial day means a lot to him and we were glad to be there to commemorate it with him.

After the service, we went back to my parents house and helped clean up the downed branches from the previous night's storm. The kids were big helpers, picking up sticks and loading them into the Kubota.

 

 Their favorite part was riding in the Kubota while Adam pulled the larger branches into a pile.

 After lunch, the kids played outside again and loved the bubble blowers my mom had found where you just squeeze the body of the bear and the fully-loaded wand pops up to blow through. Then, when you release the squeeze, it sinks back down and reloads. Genius!

The kids all had fun playing together and it was great spending time with family. This was my first day off of work since Jan. 2 and it was sure nice having a 3-day weekend! Now, it's back to the grind and we get ready for our big Summer Meeting coming up!

Polar Bears and Dorito Sandwiches

 We knew it was risky choosing to go to the Omaha zoo on Memorial Day weekend, but really wanted Ryan to have a chance to see more than just the aquarium, so we braved the crowds on Sunday. My best advice is to go early (at opening), park by the North Entrance, and use the North Entrance. There were at least 200 people waiting for tickets at the main gate, but only about 20 at the North Gate. Also, bring lots of cold drinks and food in a cooler that fits in the bottom of your stroller.

And wear a hat, although you don't have to go crazy like the lady behind me in line who explained to her 3-year-old (in a 3-year-old voice) for 10 minutes that he needs to wear a hat because EVERYONE wears hats at the zoo. "Look, that man has a hat and that boy has a hat and that girl has hat and I have a hat, and YOU have a hat. We ALL wear hats." I wanted to turn around and go, "Listen, Lady... I am not wearing a hat, so not EVERYONE wears hats. Yes, some people wear safari hats with a neck drape to match their hiking boots even though the entire zoo is paved, but that doesn't mean everyone wears a hat." And to the kid, I would have said, "Listen kid...you should wear a hat, like your mom says...it's a good idea, even though your mom is a liar."

We got to hit all the major things we wanted to see and even though it was 96 degrees, it was bearable with the misters and with alternating the indoor attractions with outdoor. We skipped the desert dome, butterfly house and rainforest. (Did I mention it was 96 degrees?) Ryan's favorites were the gorillas, chimpanzees, the swimming polar bear, and the koi in the lagoon! Most of the other animals were just sleeping in the shade since it was so hot!

We took a lunch break in the picnic area by the zebras to eat the lunch we had packed and Ryan created a new food-- a peanut butter, jelly, and Dorito sandwich! PB,J&D, I guess!

At 1:30, we decided we'd seen enough, so we drove home, unpacked, and then headed to my parent's house for supper with my sister's family. A pretty bad storm ended up blowing through, so we spent some quality time in the basement before making a break for home. The kids had fun playing "Slap Happy" and not posing nicely for pictures.

It was a fun 2 days, but I was sure glad I had Monday off!

Aquarium Wedding

The wedding was held at the Conference Center attached to the Aquarium at the Omaha zoo. We sure felt like WE were the ones on display when we walked into the zoo in our dress clothes! Kim and I served as guestbook attendants while Adam walked around the aquarium with Ryan. He came back telling me there were only "nice sharks."

He ended up walking around the aquarium DURING the wedding too because he doesn't quite understand the art of being quiet. In any way.

Ryan also enjoyed the interactive floor in the aquarium that projects a picture of the ocean floor. When you step on it, it creates ripples and all the fish scatter from where you stepped. It's hard to get a picture of, but is really neat!

After the wedding, there was a cocktail hour held in the aquarium. This was really neat as we got to go through all the fish and penguin exhibits.

The most exciting part was when the zoo keeper let a small penguin walk around among the crowd and the kids got to pet him! Ryan said "it was kind of yucky" and "it smelled kind of fishy" but thought it was pretty cool.

He lasted okay through the reception by eating mints (and not much else). We had the BEST chocolate cake and hit the dance floor for a few songs, then it was time for a very-tired-no-nap-taking-boy to go home. He was asleep within a minute of leaving the zoo.

Congrats, Christina and Jeff! Thanks for the fun aquarium-wedding!

Omaha Pre-Wedding

Adam's cousin got married in Omaha on Saturday, so we drove down to Gretna to Adam's brother and sister-in-law, then met up at a hotel in Omaha in the afternoon for a big family picture. I don't have a shot of all 30+ of us, but we did get one of Adam's family and one of us three.

 

We then had several hours to wait before the wedding, so Ryan spent the time watching the koi fish and fountains in the hotel lobby.  Adam's cousin's daughter, Kenley, made a beautiful flower girl-she liked the fish too!

Fishing and a Picnic

On Sunday evening, we headed to Mill Creek State Park, about 20 minutes away, to do some fishing and have a picnic. It amazes me that a kid who is so afraid of flies and ladybugs can't wait to get his hands on some wiggling worms!

 

 Adam cast his line in the water and within a minute or so, Ryan hauled in his first bluegill!

 

Definitely a keeper...and the fish isn't a bad size either.

 

He caught a few more fish throughout the night and we also took a walk to explore the goose sounds he heard. Then, we headed back to the picnic tables for a nice supper! 

I decided that the best way to make a lame supper (pb&j, chips and Oreos) acceptable is to make it into a picnic!  It tastes so much better outside!

We had a great time tonight and will be back many more times this summer!

Tulip Festival Food

Now I know many of you think this annual festival is about flowers and parades, but I believe there is a small (but active) contingent that would contest it's as much about the food as anything else.  Here's a little guide of what we experienced this year with a rating from 1-5:

1=Not a good idea. Not now, not ever.
2=I'd rather eat at Hardee's.
3=Curbs the hunger but nothing to blog about (as if any of it is blog-worthy)
4=Better than your average bear
5=Amazingness on a stick

• Corn Dog from stand by Dove Book Store= 3 (Courtney) The breading was a little bland.
• Hawaiian Shaved Ice from stand by Bomgaars = 4 (Courtney) I got red raspberry and grape, and it had the perfect amount of flavoring poured on. Hit the spot on a hot day.
• Buffalo Chicken Wrap from stand by Bomgaars = 4 (Adam) Good, but there is no amazing secret sauce at work here--he saw the bottle both in this booth and in our local Fareway. 
• Foot-long Hot Dog from stand by Dove Book Store = 5 (Ryan) He.ate.the.whole.thing.
• Brat, Chips, Pop from Woudstra = 5 (Adam) Brats are good and to get this meal for $5 is a great price considering the alternatives
• Brat, Chips, Water from Woudstra = 2 (Ryan) He refused to eat the brat, even though he usually likes them, ate half the bag of chips, and backwashed most of the chips into the water bottle that I had been sharing with him.
• Chicken Strips from stand by Bomgaars= 2 (Courtney) Nothing special here-a little overdone, salty, and I regretted eating them.
• Funnel Cake from silver Streamline trailer= 5 (Courtney, Adam, Ryan) Perfect, as usual!
• Strawberry Smoothie = 2 (Adam) They need to take some lessons from the concession stands at the old Vet's Memorial Stadium.
• Fruit Snacks from Mom's purse = 5 (Ryan) This was a vital strategy in the "waiting for the parade to start" battle and paid off every time.
• Water/Ice in sippy cup from home= 5 (Ryan, Mom) Also an essential that was worth the weight of carrying it in my purse. Ryan polished it off every outing and it saved us buying bottles of water downtown. Also, after sitting through a parade and half the night show, I may or may not have been desperate enough to open it up and take a sip at around 10pm on Friday night.
• Sprite and Coca-Cola purchased during intermission of Night Show = 5 (Adam, Courtney)  We were dieing of thirst (see previous rated item) and these were super-cold, albeit illegal to have in the gym, but we were sneaky. To be honest, if these weren't available, we might have skipped finding out what happened to Eliza Doolittle.

So, there you have it! My one regret was not having a traditional pig-in-the-blanket but I have a feeling we'll have ample opportunity over the years. 

Tulip Festival Carnival Rides

The Tulip Festival features carnival rides every year and had a new vendor this year. I was interested in how Ryan would feel about rides (and not anxious to find out if he inherited my motion sickness). Adam bought a pack of tickets on Thursday after bringing Ryan to the puppet show and they tried out the carousel (which Ryan calls the Merry-go-Round). He had a great time and I went with him again after the parade. I loved how he would say in a quiet voice "yee-haw" everytime we went around and even tried "roping" while riding on his horse.

On Friday night, he wanted to try out driving the cars and absolutely loved it! The operator let the ride go for about 8 minutes--that is not an exaggeration--we timed it. I'm pretty sure I would have been puking after going in a circle that long, but it didn't seem to bother him!  He would wave each time he came around and said "Cheese" knowing I was going to take a picture. After the cars, he tried out the Puppies which, in addition to spinning, also went up and down. He didn't look as enthused about those, but I think he still had fun. He also tried out the Motorcycles, but I think he liked the cars best because he had his own steering wheel!



On Saturday, he could pick out 2 last rides to use his tickets and picked the Carousel and racecars again, so I'm pretty sure those were his favorites. I was actually pretty surprised at how well he did on the rides, going by himself and am happy to report that he shows no sign of my weak stomach. But, the real test will come when he's a bit older and tries out the Tilt-a-Whirl, a/k/a the spinning puke trap.