The Boys are playing basketball this year for the first time and all of us are really enjoying it. Having a professional basketball team in Oklahoma City now makes it even more fun! Last Friday was YMCA Basketball Day at the Ford Center where the Thunder play. The YMCA team my youngest plays on got to go play basketball on the Thunder court!! Well actually, our sweet coach told us we where going to meet the players! But, bless her, the players where not ever suppose to be there…we just had the opportunity to play on the court, which was still rather cool. Ryan is the unofficial assistant coach so he got hang out down there too while I cheered them on and took pics….
So as we tried to get over the major disappointment of not meeting the team (and after Ryan took off from work and we pulled my oldest from school!), we took a trolley ride through dowtown OKC, went to eat lunch, and later went to the Thunder game.
It was so fun to watch my boys take all of this in. My youngest is very noise-sensitive. The only way we were able to talk him in to going was to buy him “ear muffs”. He wore them the entire game…
We had a blast chanting “De-fense” and clapping our hands when “Everybody Clap Your Hands” played and wiggling Thunder sticks during the second half. We were awe-struck by the size of Yao Ming (we played the Houston Rockets), fascinated by the juggler at half-time, and saddened by yet another loss for the Thunder. Being basketball fans ourselves, my hubs and I are so excited to share these moments with The Boys! I think it is safe to say, four ThunderHeads live under this roof! Though some of my favorite b-ball stars will always be these guys (try to not be too saddened by Little Man’s reaction at the end…and listen for my “oops” reaction )…
Last weekend school was out statewide for Fall Break. So we decided to take our First Family Camping Trip! After a little research, we decided to head to the eastern part of the state to Greenleaf Lake State Park. Thanks to regular hunting trips made my my husband and dad-in-law for many years now, we had a lot of the needed “gear” already. Though we did decide to buy our own tent. Yes, I slept in a tent…in a sleeping bag…on the ground.
We had perfect camping weather - cool at night and in the mornings, warming up in the afternoons. This state park is called one of the most “family-friendly” parks in Oklahoma, and let me tell ya, there were a lot of families there. But also plenty to do to keep The Boys entertained. They had an old mini-golf course (Drew’s favorite)…
…a kids’ fishing pond where both boys caught fish! Unfortunately, Mommy ran to the potty and left the camera in the car when Cooper caught his fish! But here is Drew’s fish…it’s a biggun’!
We cooked all our meals on the campfire or portable grill, including steak, potatoes, and corn-on-the-cob for Mom and Dad….The Boys were content with hotdogs! And of course s’mores for dessert!
We even told stories around the campfire one night - wish I could have recorded some of them! I am remembering one in which Sammy the Turtle….
…met up with a monkey and a hippo and a crocodile! Woods, jungle…same difference. The boys were tickled with even the smallest events like brushing your teeth outside…
We hiked (briefly) on a trail that was originally created as a WPA project…
BOYS!!
But of course one of the hits of the trip was the all-important-event of “Throwing Rocks in the Lake”! Always a favorite with The Boys!
All-and-all, it was a successful camping experience! Event this girly-girl kept her whining to a minimum! And focused on enjoying all parts of a new adventure with her Boys! An adventure I am sure I will be seeing more of as time goes on. Oh, and GO POKES!!
Well, it is the last day of summer vacation. Tomorrow The Boys will begin school, which I can’t even type without getting teary. Tomorrow, The Oldest will begin first grade - he’ll be at school all day - do you hear me, ALL DAY! I know every child has to go through this monumental moment but when it is your child, it’s like you are the only mom going through it.
And then there is The Youngest. He’ll go to Pre-K everyday - do you hear me, EVERY DAY! Luckily, I’ll have him home for lunch - though I don’t think he thinks he’s as lucky - he will definitely miss his brother in the afternoons. He wants to pack his lunch box too!
So since it is raining, raining, raining today and the zoo became out of the question, we met friends for lunch and then came to Unpluggits. Have you been? Well, you need to! We had been only one other time, and I was so impressed! It has a supper huge indoor playground with all kind of slides and tunnels to crawl through. And then there is an arts and crafts area. Included in the price of admission is painting, stamping, stencils, and playdough. But then you can pay extra for such crafts as painting ceramics or leather work or beads. They have free wifi, cheap snacks, and a great area for the parents with leather couches and chairs. You can also do parties here. You pay one price and can stay all day (10am-8pm) if you want or come and go throughout the day! Check out their website and then come on over to play!
But tomorrow you won’t find me here. Tomorrow you’ll find me counting the hours until schools out - out in May for the next summer vacation.
On Thursday, we traveled into the enemy territory known as Norman, OK - home of that other university! We got there just in time to eat lunch on campus corner at a great place called New York Pizza and Deli - a tasty recommendation from Ryan’s co-worker, Jake. Then we went to the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, or The Dinosaur Museum, as The Boys call it. Currently on exhibit is the Super Croc, featuring the real fossil skull of sarchosucus imperator who lived 110 million years ago. The best part of our day, however, was getting an unplanned guided tour from Tearle, an older gentleman who is a volunteer tour guide. He took a-liking to Cooper (of course who wouldn’t - he’s a great kid), and gave him and Ryan lots of interesting pieces of information, along with an occasional joke, as they went through the Hall of Ancient Life! Thanks, Mr. Tearle - you were a helpful guide!
(I think everything is working now. I can now properly use tags and categories, though I will need to go back and re-tag and re-categorize past posts - someday! But everything is working - hopefully!)
Before I completely hyperventilate and fall to the floor because school starts in 8 DAYS, we are squeezing in every last drop of summertime and time together that we can get! So in that effort, Ryan took a few days off from work this past week, and we traveled to some great Oklahoma destinations! (slide show follows) You can also get some great deals on admission prices to lots of Oklahoma spots by going to Metro Family Magazine’s Exploring Oklahoma website - our kids got in free to all the places we went! Even better!
On Wednesday, we went back to POPS in Arcadia, this time to take Daddy and because it was their 1st Birthday! They hosted a great party with a moon bounce, inflatable slide, an incredible face painter, a hysterical clown, and free cupcakes! We finally had some cloud cover that day so it wasn’t even that hot which was a bonus! Cooper was completely enamored with Chester the Clown and followed him around everywhere, waiting to be part of another magic trick or some funny bit. Drew wants the face-painter to be at his birthday party! So in other words, we had lots of fun! Happy Birthday, POPS!
These are a few of my favorite things: my husband of 11 years, The Boys (ages 8 and 5 1/2), Oklahoma, my yard, cooking, books, people, Jesus and His Church, loving how life can be messy and beautiful all at the same time.
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