Highlights from our Weekend

Andrew went to San Diego this weekend for his sisters graduation (graduate school). By the way - CONGRATULATIONS AMY!! Way to go, girl!! All of us weren't able to make it out there this time, so Andrew went and then Emma and Drew will get to see Aunt Amy this coming weekend when she comes to visit us!
So this weekend was just me and my twinkies.
Here are a few highlights -

Drew driving his car around. It's his favorite thing to do. And, when it gets dirty, he insists that he needs to take it to the carwash. He has a thing with carwashes. Loves them.

 And.... Good news! The day I've been waiting for!! The pool is open! We did not get in it this weekend though, because the chemicals and chlorine have to balance out first since it's been closed all winter. But it's a step in the right direction! This is where you can find  us on any given weekend day for the next several months.

The kids really want to just jump in. All weekend we had to keep them from getting in. It was like they were being tortured!

Saturday we had tickets to go to this "Exotic Animal Expo."

It was interesting.

That pretty much sums it up. I must first say, their advertising was a bit misleading.

But anyway, I'll try to describe it the best I can.

When we bought the tickets online (it was one of those groupon type sites) several months ago, not knowing or thinking about the fact that Andrew wasn't going to be here. So I dragged my mom along with us. I'm sure she's really glad she was able to experience it. =/

First of all, it was at a mall. (A mall that I had never been to, or heard of before, which should have maybe told us something.) Ok so it was a dump. As we are approaching what wound up being the 'Exotic animal show' we were saying 'No... that can't be it, can it?' Probably should have been our second clue.

They had a make shift stage set up with some folding chairs and reptiles in cat travel boxes and some things that were in little glass aquarium tanks around the edges. Most of the things I couldn't identify. Apparently the highlight of the show was a little monkey, wearing a diaper, on a leash. (Thanks Sara! We had already left by that point I guess.) Which leads me to when we decided to leave. We weren't there long at all, it actually was probably more of a waste of gas than anything, but they had the little aquarium things with little alligators, snakes, iguana's.... huge spiders... And I turn around and Emma had just slid one of them open!! NOT locked or latched shut or anything! Thank god whatever was in that tank was asleep at the time. There was also a HUGE snake in one of those Tupperware storage containers. In the middle of the mall?! I was just waiting for someone to let it out. So, anyway, here are a few photos from that experience. But it didn't last long. Although the kids don't know the difference and they were interested.

Little Caleb would have probably sat here all day long staring at this little creature. So cute! He loved him!!

(Friends of ours also bought tickets to this thing. They had pretty much the same reaction we did. Although they may have even had to drive further than we did for it!)

I think that cage Drew is looking in may have been the one Emma just slid open! And then my mom and I scooped them up and put them in their stroller so fast!

This turtle was almost as big as the kids. Caleb actually rode it!!

We live and learn, right? And again... as long as the kids get the slightest bit of amusement out of it, I'm ok with it. They don't know the difference. And I'm not sure if they noticed that the folks that brought the animals and were giving the presentations were on every drug under the sun. All we wanted to do was take a shower when we left. This would be why my husband always reads reviews about things before just going for it. And, I would be the one that went for these tickets!

So that's that.

Sunday night I took the kids over to my parents for dinner.

 Drew loungin' by the pool

laughing about something with Pop

The weekend was really nice, it was hot and sunny. And then Sunday night rolled around and we had severe storm warnings and a tornado watch. We definitely got the severe thunder storms, complete with lightning, crazy wind, hail (yes, hail.. and it was 80 something degrees an hour before). We were under a tornado watch for a few hours, and the wind knocked our satellite out so we didn't have TV for me to keep up with it, so I was trying to watch it on my phone. All while Andrew was on a flight home. Perfect timing, right?
I am extremely surprised that they were able to land that plane and that he was able to make it home last night. We missed daddy and we were ready for him to come home. And, I will admit, being at home with the kids by myself during all of that was just a little unnerving. With the extreme tornado's that have taken place lately around the country, I was a little freaked out about the tornado warning.

So that we weren't sitting in a dark, quiet room, I was able to get a dvd to play since it didn't require cable or satellite connection. I wanted to keep the kids distracted.

So here's our tornado watch party - complete with a movie and popcorn.

waiting for dad to come home.

And then, I was left with this:

But we all survived and Andrew made it home.

I took this picture when we were in the car. She cracks me up, because she loves her sunglasses (She has about 5 or 6 pair) But she insists on wearing them upside down. ALL the time.

And, Drew playing with stickers ... (I wound up getting a few of them placed on random spots on my face and arms as well.)

This picture just makes me laugh because he was laughing SO hard when I took it. We were playing peek-a-boo, and he thought it was hysterical.