Off to a good start!

We spent the weekend at Lake Okoboji (more on that later) and being away can wear us out, leaving the start of the week up in the air for how it is going to go.  We took it easy on Sunday evening, so I think that helped.  And the Packers won, that always helps!  Here is what we have been up to for the past couple of days.

Yesterday afternoon we headed to the zoo for a little exploring.  It was cool and everyone is back to school, so we had the place to ourselves.   Finnean kept saying...where are all the people!?  It was also about 3:45 when we got there and they close at five---it was perfect!  Finnean was so excited to see find this tiny wallaby eating his supper!

He really wanted to get on the wallaby's level!

Oh my goodness, he was SO cute!  We spent a solid ten minutes just checking this little guy out.

One of the best parts of being a member at the zoo is Member Monday and that equals FREE TRAIN RIDES!!  The boys were so excited because the black engine was working today and it is usually the red one.  Every time we ride, Finnean wishes it was the red engine that would take us on a ride.  So with a round of CHOOO CHOOOOS, we were off!

O my.  These boys have stolen my heart.  Look at those smiles!  We had so much fun exploring and just being together. 

Holy huge cat.  The lion, Deuce, was being super playful and running around his home, chasing the ball.  The boys thought it was so awesome but when he stopped to look at us, they were both kind of scared.  I was too!  It was kind of terrifying to look right into his eyes and also kind of sad at the same time that he isn't out in the wild.  He didn't look mean though, he looked really playful and excited.  He was panting from all his running around and kind of reminded me of a dog and looked like he was saying, "hey guys...wanna play!?"  He is only two years old, so it was fun to see him playing.  It was definitely a highlight of our zoo trip!  

My heart.  This boy is something else.  He loves nature and loves finding things in nature.  He was so proud of this cool, HUGE leaf that he found.  We had to take it home, of course! :)  A little preschool update on this little man...he is doing great!  He loves it and says that he "stays busy" while he is at school.  He is learning his friend's names and I found out today that some of his friends are struggling with listening at school.  I asked his teacher if Finnean was in that group and she said he is far from being in that group and is a really great listener!  YES! I am so thankful (that for now) he is a good listener at school.  He sometimes struggles with that at home...so it is nice to know that he listens to someone else! :)  I has started wearing his new jeans and tennis shoes to school with the weather change...ahhhhh!  I don't know if I can handle him looking so old.  He is something else. 

  

After all that exploring and a church meeting, I met up with a sweet friend (hey, Shelby!!) for a much needed mom's night out.  Dos Rios was the perfect spot for our date.  We sat on the patio and enjoyed the cool night while having some seriously delicious food!  Bacon and chorizo corn chowder, I mean come on!  It was so tasty and I wish that I knew how to make it.  I think that is going to be my fall cooking challenge!  The goal of Mom's night out is to talk about whatever we want to and recharge our batteries.  It was absolutely perfect. 

These boys!!  Please don't let their cuteness fool you, they are seriously up to no good.  A few minutes before they were being so cute at breakfast, Finnean got Hutchinson OUT OF HIS CRIB!  I am not sure how Finnean could even get him out.  Needless to say, I was very surprised when I heard TWO sets of feet pattering up the stairs this morning.  I am guessing this is just the beginning of their teamwork shenanigans. 

Today was glorious!  Rained off and on ALL day.  I can't remember the last time it was gloomy, so we soaked up some craft time this afternoon.  We had a kit from Kiwi Crate from a long time ago and finally got around to doing it.  It had all of the supplies to make a Space Mobile.  The boys thoughts it was SO cool to paint the stars, moons and planets.  It is now proudly hanging in our living room.  The boys just sat and looked at it for about 15 minutes after we finished it!  Hutchinson did a great job painting.  It is so cool to see his little fine motor skill developing and improving.  He did try to lick the paint brush a few times...silly boy!

While Hutchinson put any color, any where...Finnean was very deliberate about his painting.  It was neat to watch him decide which color he wants and then carefully paint it.  He would wait for that side to dry and then start over on the other side.  He loved that it kit came with glitter paint.  He added that to a lot of his work after the paint had dried.  Everyone needs a little sparkle, right?  We had a lot of fun and shared many giggles.  The fact that we have some new art in our living room is just a bonus!

I love the way the cool, fall air turns your cheeks pink when you are outside.  We went for a walk after dinner tonight and then spent the next hour playing football.  It is so cute to see Finnean make up plays or get excited when he makes an awesome catch.  Hutchinson even said "Hey Momma, play foo-ball?"  It was a perfect way to spend the evening.  Michael was on the road today and got back later than normal.  We were outside we he got home and it is so fun to hear the boys' squeals of excitement when he pulls in.  Michael added just another reason of why he is such a good daddy, he immediately put down his stuff and joined our football game-dress clothes and all. 

Hutchinson doesn't have quite as long of an attention span for football as Finnean, so he played with the dump truck, the "t ball" AKA tennis ball and spent some time being a cowboy.  His hat matched his track suit quite well! :)  It was a great way to wrap up our fun day.