Chuck E. Cheese

Against my better judgement, I let my brother talk me into taking the Leo and his cousins to Chuck E. Cheese. I'd been there before, and oh my.

Over stimulation, over priced, over crowded, yucky pizza and gross germs.

But trying to earn best sister status, I sucked it up and we went.

Oh man, I'm not gonna lie. We had so much fun with the kids.

Seeing Leo enjoy the games, driving the cars, shooting hoops, and dancing with his cousins was so cute.

The pizza was much better this time, and I've given up on the germ thing. (Well, kind of...)

The only part of the day that Leo didn't like was being close to the huge Chuck E. stuffed animal. He could have done without that part.

We did have a great time, and I'm glad Eric kept bugging me until I said yes. (But let's not tell him that he was right, he'll get a big head...)

The 2s Have It

Welcome to our 200th post!

Our house has a lot of 2s in it right now:

A 2 year old

2 parents

2 cats (who live on the deck that I can't get rid of... anyone have ideas?)

200 posts

and since I'm 22 weeks pregnant...

2 kids!

Number 2 will be arriving around January 12!

Here are 2 pictures from our ultra sound 2 weeks ago.

Here is a 3-D picture. Leo had one of these done when I was pregnant with him, and I can't believe how much the pictures look the same! It's just nuts!

Since Mr. Leo will no longer be the only little one at our house, I'll be looking for a new name for our blog. I don't want to use our last name (gotta keep my mom happy!), so if you have any ideas, clever thoughts, anything, let me know!

Visit to the Lakes

I haven't been to the Lakes in about 6 years, but this summer we've been there 3 times.

Leo has proven to be a fan of boat rides. Not such a fan of the life jacket, but he loves the spray from the water. (I on the other hand think yucky lake water is sick... but that's another story.)

We were invited up to Sieperda's lake home to take in the sights and sounds of the lake. The day we went it rained all morning, and was cloudy all afternoon! Oh well, then we didn't have to go in the gross lake. ;)

We had fun playing Hand & Foot, eating, playing on the beach, eating, and going on a boat ride. Leo was in love with "Grandpa" Dave's sunglasses. What a goof!

He got his first feel of lake water on his toes and loved throwing rocks into the water. He wasn't a big fan of walking on the sand without shoes. (He must take after his Grandpa Randy in the feet department...)

Sabrina and Amy said that next summer we'll have to take Leo on a sunny day so he can go in the water. I'm hoping the day we go back is cloudy and chilly ~just don't tell them!

Big Boy Bed

Mr. Leo has gotten himself a big boy bed. He thinks he's pretty cool! He has done so well while sleeping in his bed. (Only fallen out 2 times...)

Explain to me how he falls out of the bed. Jus thinks that he starts dreaming and stands up. He used to walk in his crib when he would dream. I'm nervous for what he'll do when he realizes he can get out of his bed on his own (Right now he waits for us to come get him, silly goose!).

I was a really bad sleep walker when I was younger. One tragic evening I had a run in with my mom's cactus plant. Let's just say tweezers were needed to remove the spines. (The plant was thrown away the next morning!)

Hard to believe my Leo is ready for this step, but this is the next step in his transformation into big boyhood.

Oh, and P.S. I put his bed together ALL BY MYSELF!!! I must take after my mom!

Please Don't Yell...

Sorry, sorry, sorry I've been gone for so long.

If the truth must be told, then I will admit it.

I have an addition, and it's name is Bejewled Blitz on Facebook.

I swear it's the most addicting game ever. Leo sits on my lap because he wants to watch me play "numbers." (He likes to say, "One minute. Go" and then call out the shapes and numbers he sees as they flash across the screen. One plus...it's educational!)

Our lives have been pretty crazy since my last post. I have some funny Leo stories to share, but I'll save those for a rainy day. I've been busy working at school trying to prepare for my new 20 cherubs that will enter my room in about a week and a half (ps-yikes!)

But on to the pictures and zoo post.

We met my sister at the Omaha Zoo this weekend. (If you remember, Leo won a membership to the zoo earlier this spring.)

Jus, Leo and I went down on Friday after Leo's nap. Leo was a trooper on the way down with all the road construction (one of the reasons I HATE traveling in the summer...). We got to Omaha at 4:45 and went to the zoo to figure out the membership thing so we wouldn't have to do it in the morning (Great idea, by the way, Justin!). We were hungry, so we headed to Spaghetti Works, which is downtown. We had to drive around for about 20 minutes looking for a place to park, then proceed to walk 6 blocks, but oh was the food worth it! I love pasta. :)

After dinner, we went back to the hotel to relax, and do Leo's new favorite activity: "fwimming." Our little fish was so excited to be in the water, and the water was perfect...almost like bath water! :) Leo loved going under and splashing everywhere. You'd have thought he'd sleep well. I guess he did...until he fell out of the bed. Long night for the three of us!

The next morning we got up early to meet my sister and her family, and my parents, who drove down for the day. It was a mild 80 degrees at 8:15 AM. (Whose bright idea to go to a place filled with concrete in the middle of August...oh, wait...mine...)

Once you got past the heat, the zoo was pretty fun. My dad and Leo were the only ones who hadn't been there before, and they both seemed to enjoy it as much as the rest of us.

My dad, Justin, Gavin, and Ben went on the Sky-fari so my mom, sister, Leo, Katelynn and I visited the giraffes.

Leo & I

Jill & Katelynn

After we waited for a bit, we decided to find a cooler place to wait...the aquarium. The kids LOVED it! (And we loved the air!)

Leo & Katelynn looking for "Nemo."

Leo, Kate & I watching the penguins dive and swim above our heads.

Look really closely to what it says under Lion...Leo knows what it says! He saw his name and was so excited. He also pounded on the glass at the lion that was laying 2 inches from the glass. (He obviously didn't read the sign "DO NOT POUND ON GLASS." After all, he is only 2!)

(Oh, Justin was hot and not into pictures at this point, hence no smiles...)

Here is one of the gorillas, which Leo thought were so cool. He loved making the monkey noise.

One of the gorillas walked right up to the window and sat down, Leo thought it was so awesome, as you can tell from his big grin.

After going through all of our pictures, I realized that I didn't have one of Gavin, my dad, my mom, or Ben. I guess we'll have to go back on a much cooler day!

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. Nap. Eat. Swim. Eat. Sleep. Eat. Leave for home. Sleep in van. Eat at home.

Next year when we go we are making a few changes:

#1. Make it a weekend that my brother and his family can go.

#2. EVERYONE stay the whole weekend.

#3. Go when it is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH cooler.

We had a great time, and Justin said he was glad they didn't keep me with the monkeys...