Dallas Zoo... Again...

This weekend, my girlfriend, Intaly and I took the kids to the Dallas Zoo for the Grand Opening of their new Giants of the Savanna exhibit. It was only open to Zoo members so we thought this would be a great chance to check it out- so did the rest of Dallas apparently! It was HOT, packed with people but still so fun. The kids really enjoyed the reptile house (probably because their was A/C inside) and the new butterfly nursery. At the end of the day, we laid out a blanket, had a picnic and let the kids play in the streams in the children's area. Kiley and Mason had a blast exploring and the babies were fascinated by everything around them.

Giants of the Savanna

Mommy & Mason

Kiley & Mason (lady killer)

Trying for just 1 good pic on the darling butterfly bench.

Watching the beautiful butterflies!

Whoa, what a week!

Its been a crazy week here! First I want to congratulate my darling cousin Kaylan who graduated from SMU last week. She is a music major with the voice of an angel- so proud of her! My Dad came from KC and Erin & Dave came from Colorado to also celebrate with her. Here is a pic of me and the Graduate below.

We had an amazing family dinner at Perry's in downtown Dallas. My gorgeous cousins- Meghan, Kaylan (the Graduate), Erin and myself.

Dad & I

The Sikkel's all met for lunch at my hubby's place one day. The kids completely missed nap and were crazy. Luckily we had the whole patio to ourselves. They danced, ate ice cream and loved all the attention from their cousins! (and Mommy loved the help!)

The elusive "good" picture with the kids and cousin Erin!

While my Dad was here, he blew up our massive Slip N Slide and Mason went crazy for it.

This is what the babes had the most fun doing..... Typical....

Papa Doug (Papa Dug-a-hole as Mason calls him) got to bond with the kids tons this week. They made cookies, took trips to the gazebo, pond, pool and park. We even managed to squeeze in a trip to the Pedi. (Everything is fine, I'm just paranoid...) I think we wore him out plenty and he was ready to head back to his peaceful life in Kansas but we had a great visit with him and the rest of the Sikkel's!

Morning Chaos!

Mornings are crazy around here... Like clockwork, the kids all usually wake withing 10-15 minutes of each other. Since the twins share a room, one usually wakes the other one up. The babies are RAVENOUS when they wake. It pretty much goes- 'Hi Momma- dwink, dwink, dwink..." (means milk). I quickly change their diapers, bring them down to the kitchen and start the coffee before Big Brother Mason gets up.... My babies follow me all around the kitchen opening cabinets (yes, they are baby proofed, they can still get in now), pulling food out of the fridge and tugging at me while I'm trying to get breakfast together acting as if its been days since their last meal.... Mason, on the other hand needs some time in the morning before its even acceptable to hold a conversation with him. Like his Daddy, I would compare it to a bear coming out of hibernation.... A bit grumpy if you will. So I give him his space, let him veg and tend to the babes. About the time they finish, Mason wants to eat, so I then get him situated and try to keep the boys out of his hair so he can eat in peace. On this particular morning, everyone was SOOOOOOOOOOO happy, peaceful and calm. Little Bear Mason included... My hubs snapped a few pics of the boys....

The twins and I watching a Baby Einstein- they LOVE them (Mason could have cared less). I know I look a mess- no hair, no makeup, in my PJ's but whatever, the boys look picture perfect so I had to post!

Brady and Mason, having a snuggle and a tickle. I love when everyone is sweet to each other because it seems lately that I am more Referee than Mom...

Cute Cricut Coasters

So how cute are these??? One of my best girlfriends, Mariah surprised a few of us with these at our last MOPs meeting on Monday. The girl is Cricut crazy and frankly I'm pretty happy about it since I am often the recipient of some fabulous goodies! They are tiles with cork board backings made into coasters. All four have a different, funky print and of course our initials. Thank you sista for this fab surprise- You made my morning and you KNOW I will break them out at our next "Mommy Conference" aka: Happy Hour.

Best Zucchini Bread EVER!

My little Chef

Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 3 eggs, 1 cup vegetable oil, 2 1/4 cups white sugar, 3 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 cups grated zucchini

Directions:

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

SOOOOOOOOO easy and oh so yummy... The recipe makes 2 loaves, calling to freeze one but my family devourers this so fast, it's NEVER necessary!

Dallas Arboretum F-U-N !

Isn't this just darling? Right now the Dallas Arboretum is featuring four topiary Flower Houses that create villages, bringing the beloved Beatrix Potter stories to life. The houses of Peter Rabbit, Mrs. Tiggy Winkle, Mrs. Tittlemouse and Jemima Puddleduck were beyond amazing! Named for each of the four Beatrix Potter stories depicted, the thatched-roof, English-cottage Flower Houses invite children to explore inside, where they will find components that help to depict the story's theme, and encourage them to exercise their imaginations and a super sense of fun. We got to see lots of ducks, amazing flowers and vintage decorations- and everything was available to touch and play on (the best part of all). Actually, the best part was laying out our blankets in the shade, letting the kids explore and sharing a bottle of wine while everyone played together (nicely, I might add).

My twins, off to another adventure!

Big brother Mason makin' a SPLASH!

I turn my back on Logan for 2 minutes to find this (no, that's NOT a black eye, just mud!).... That's when we decided that the fountains weren't really bad idea after all.. Little booger...

The "big kids" trowing pennies in- making wishes...

Like little duckies, all following Mama Piper up the sidewalk to the fun...

And the shot of the day (this NEVER happens!)- Logan & Brady. Age 17 months

Meet the Barry's

My cousin, Erin and her hubby, Dave- married last year.

You may recall Mason was the Ring Bearer in a pretty fabulous wedding last summer. Dave is in the Army and most of his friends serve in one branch of service or another. A few of the guys used swords during the Bride & Groom's ceremony exit and since that day, Mason has referred to Dave as "Pirate Dave." The newlyweds have since moved to Colorado but were back in Dallas this weekend for a quick visit. Mason patiently waited outside for his very own Pirate to arrive and had so much fun with him after they got here. Pirate Dave is like the cool big brother that breaks all the rules but it's OK...

Dave made the swing set into a waterfall and helped Mason build the ultimate sand castle.

Brady & Logan filled buckets, dumped them, filled them, dumped them and filled them again...

Logan & Brady

Sadly, I did not get one single picture of my fabulous cousin, Erin. We were too busy baby wrangling and just trying to catch up!