Fall Break

October 2013

Fall break around here means extra time with Nathan.    That can be good and not so good.  Nathan is a BIG helper and is really starting to show his sweet and thoughtful side, but having him around more means more fighting with Bracken.  These two brothers need to have some time apart in order for things to remain semi harmonious.  Since Papi still had to work we added a few extra FUN items into our regular week to make the most of our time together.

Item Numero Uno:  Park Outing



Nathan showed off some of his new found playground skills.  I really enjoyed watching him swing across the monkey bars, it brought back childhood memories for me.

Marco is a bit cautious but after he watched his brothers run around the play ground for a while he decided to join in on the action and discovered he loves the swirly slide.

Oh my little Bracky, he had fun pushing the limits at every turn.   He even experimented with walking down the playground stairs on the hand rails, NOT the steps.

Item Numero Dos: Fort Building

My three amigos love them a good fort.  The way their room is laid out it makes for superb fort building.  We drape sheets between their bunk bed and the crib for the fort top and hang quilts all around the bunk bed.  It's pretty much a double decker fort of awesomeness.  

Item Numero Tres: Phoenix Zoo

I have never been to the Phoenix Zoo and figured it was about time I marked it off my bucket list.  I was nervous about taking the boys without Curtis to tag team with me, but I decided I just had to make it work.  So I did.  There were more than a few moments when I was sure no one was having fun, because I definitely was not enjoying myself.  But after looking back on it and hearing the kids talk about our day at the zoo I'm grateful that children have selective memories and only the good parts take center stage.  I really tired to not let my stress, exhaustion, frustration and anxiety show too much and tarnish their experience and some how I think it worked.

Nathan loved reading aloud all the signs and plaques at each exhibit.  His brain is like a sponge and it wants to absorb everthing.  Most exhibits had an audio clip about the animals and Bracken pushed every single one several times.  Bracken loves animals the crazier the better.  His favorite animal was the African Painted Dog because it has one of the strongest bites in the world.  

Item Numero Quatro: Dinner at Rainforest Cafe

Before we headed up the highway for home, we splurged and ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe.  It has great food and apparently we just wanted to keep the animal theme going.  We actually recognized 3 other families from the zoo there as well.

The Rainforest Cafe is super fun, with lots of fake animals and plants all over the walls and ceilings to recreate the rain forest.   There was plenty of action to keep the kids entertained.

Every so often the rain forest experiences a storm, and these storms are loud.  Marco kept his ears covered during every single storm.

For our big finale we ordered a volcano ($15!!!choke) and it was huge.  We managed to eat all the ice cream and we saved a slice of the brownie to take back home to Papi.

As we drove home late into the night my three little amigos slumbered and dreamed of elephants, snakes, and especially volcanoes.