Quick Trip to Tulsa

Spring Break is nearly complete, just a few more hours until we're all sadly jerked back into our regular school and work routines.

Ben was away all week on a trip to Washginton, D.C. for KARL the agriculture leadership group he's in.

While he was away the boys and I went with my mom and sister and niece to Tulsa! We left on Tuesday morning and came back Wednesday afternoon and had a great little adventure.

Our first stop was Sky Zone, a trampoline park. There are several such places in Wichita, but none of us had been to one. So this was new to all of us and the kids had a great time!

Noah especially liked dunking!

And Levi especially liked jumping into the foam pit!

All three enjoyed dodge ball - at least until they got hit with a ball in the head. I think Noah stayed clear of any such hits, but both Levi and Rylee got pounded. So they eventually moved back to other fun things.

Next stop was the hotel - most importantly the swimming pool. We let the kids swim for a while before it was time to get ready for dinner. All three kids loved checking out our adjoining rooms, seeing what TV channels we got, making sure each room had all the same stuff (microwave, fridge, coffee maker). It was pretty funny because my sister and I remember doing the same thing as kids.

After dinner, we let the kids swim some more and then we vegged out and watched TV.

The hotel breakfast was not too impressive, but the kids were pretty impressed with the pancake maker!

And finally, as we packed up our things, the kids went wild jumping on the beds!

Next stop was a short walk across the parking lot to the Oklahoma Aquarium.

We really enjoyed the aquarium and the variety of fish and sea life they had.

This photo confuses me each time I see it because you'd think we were actually outside, but we weren't. :-) Rylee especially loved the variety of fish. She knows more about sharks than anyone else I know. She was eager to touch any of the sea life that we could - she's very brave!

She also loved feeding the turtles and was kind enough to let Levi have a turn.

The tunnel that went underneath the shark tank was really cool. Kinda creepy, but really cool!

Outside the boys tried to get their arms bit off...

and then we struggled for a photo of the three cousins - but Rylee's arm was being bit off, soooo.... :-)

We grabbed burgers and fries for lunch and then were on our way back north and for at least a little while the drive was pretty quiet!

It was great to get away and it was wonderful to spend time with my mom and sister!

Aunt Sara!

Aunt Sara tucked a trip to Kansas in between her class schedule and we were just thrilled to host her! Ben and I had seen both her and Josh while we were in Belize, but the boys hadn't seen Sara for a long time and they were ready to soak up as much Sara fun as they possibly could.

Noah has some amount of the "I'm in 4th grade and I'm really cool" thing going on these days. So while he got some quality Sara-time in, there aren't as many photos to prove it. Levi is a different story. He absolutely wore Sara out - always ready for the next activity. And my few photos do little to show how busy they were!

 Levi pretty much loved being in the suitcase and laughed and laughed and laughed, until he tried to get out on his own. He was strapped into the inside of the case, by his own "Safety first!" demand so when he tried to get out he ended up being stuck. Sara got him out, though. :-)

 Then they worked together to make a robot!

 It started out as just the big box for the body, but then it grew to having arms and legs and a hat!

 Sticky Paws is the nickname Sara gave Levi years ago. It's just as true today as it was when she gave it to him.

 Levi worked to decorate his robot,

 then they added a few special touches and it was declared complete!

 Noah was determined to get us all together for a game of family baseball out on the ball diamond he mowed near the pasture.

 Eventually, we all got set-up and played several innings of ball before the adults declared they were worn out. Between my poor baseball skills, and Sara (a lefty) trying to catch and throw with a right handed glove, we shared many good laughs. We found out the tricky part to having a ball diamond near the cattle pen is that foul balls can land in the cow poop. Oops.

 Ben flew to Washington D.C. on Sunday morning for a week long KARL session. But we kept on having fun at home, playing baseball and Frisbee outside, making pizza for supper and playing Uno before bed.

 Monday was Family Fun Day! Sara took us out to All Star Sports in Wichita for some mini-golf,

 lots of go karts,

 and bumper cars!

 I know, it's blurry, but isn't it kinda cool?

We had a great time! Noah's allergies got completely out-of-control so after our Family Fun Day he felt pretty lousy, but eventually his medicine fixed him up. And sadly, we had to take Sara back to the airport so she could get to Seattle in time for classes this week!
It was so good to have Sara here, we wish Josh could have joined her, but life is busy and complicated and matching up all the schedules just isn't always possible. Thankfully, we'll see them on the Schrag family vacation coming up in a couple of months!

Early March

Here's a rundown of some of the stuff that's been happening around here!

Wilbur is one cuddly dog. He just loves to snuggle in.

 Levi got some new teeth. :-)

 The weather has been amazing for early March and I've enjoyed several walks after work to try and soak it up.

 We used a Christmas gift card for the Alley in Wichita - and had a great time! Indoor Go Karts brought out the competitive spirit in the boys.

 Next activity at the Alley was bowling. I loved all the colorful bowling balls.

 Ben had been very busy with basketball, and it was such a treat to get some quality family time.

 We played arcade games, got snacks, and then met my sister and niece for dinner. It was a great way to spend a Sunday!

 Randomly one evening, Noah asked if he could make cookies. Instead of drop cookies, I convinced him to make bar cookies. He did a great job of measuring the ingredients,

 and he loved to watch them in the mixer.

 New life is springing forth from just about every plant all around us - what a glorious time of year.

 Ben was assigned the 2A State Basketball tournament that took place in Manhattan, KS. He had games one night, then had a whole day to himself before he had more games the following evening. I went up to Manhattan to hang out with him and we had a great time!
Varsity Donuts is a favorite of mine. I love their space.

 The display counter, the floor...I could go on and on,

 but seriously, the donuts are amazing! Peanut butter and jelly donut right here. It was amazing.

 Then it was just about game time! My dad and Noah came up, along with my aunt and uncle, to watch too. You can't see him, but Ben is the ref tossing the ball to start the game! And at the end of that night, another basketball season came to a close for our family. :-)

 The chicks are growing. They're in the very awkward and ugly adolescent stage of life.

 I would say that time will make it better...

 but eventually they'll look like this!

 Kansas has been outdoing itself with the sunsets lately.

That's a peak at what's been going on around here!