Valentine's Fun

Trey had an early work meeting on Valentine's Day, so we decided to wait until the evening to give Layla and Jenna their V-day goodies.  They had a fabulous day at school passing out Valentines to all their friends and receiving several too, but they had no idea the fun would continue when Daddy got home from work.    

While Daddy kept the girls busy in the playroom, I set up the loot in the living room.  During any gift giving event, I like to predict what their favorites will be...I'm often times wrong.  My guesses this time were the heart shaped baskets and the Elmo coloring books. 

And for the big reveal...Jenna went straight for the balloon...

...and Layla couldn't take her hands off the "mama mama" books.  

Jenna: "Hey guys, check out my boon!"

Every now and then, Jenna would manage to pry away from the balloon to see what else she got. 

Jenna: "Ooh, a flashlight!"

Oh geez, Layla.  Not in the eye!  Apparently, this will be an "only under close adult supervision" toy.

Jenna: "Will you open my treat, Daddy?  And make sure Toby doesn't get it!"

Layla: "Delicious!"

Layla: "Seriously delicious!"

Who do you see, girls?

"ELMO!"

After they emptied their baskets, they broke into the baby care kit.  Jenna practiced brushing her teeth before trying it on her baby.

Jenna: "Stay still, Max, I've got to trim your nails...you don't want to lose a finger, do you?"

Wonder where she's heard that before???

Layla: "Brush-a, brush-a, brush-a."

I think we need to work on your aim, Layla.

Jenna: "Like this, sissy.  You want to put the toothbrush in Meredith's mouth, not her eyeball!"

Okay, Jenna...maybe you shouldn't be giving out advice on where to put that toothbrush!

Layla: "Gotta get those boogies, Meredith!"

Awww, Layla has Max in the Baby Bjorn!

Layla and Jenna really loved all of their goodies, but the hot items for Valentine's Day this year were the balloons.  They played with them for an entire week...chasing them, bopping them, and giggling the whole time!  On that note, I think it's appropriate to close this post with a few more pics of balloon time fun!

I guess I know what to get them for each holiday to come!  Lucky for them, they have a birthday coming up and you better believe they will be showered with balloons!

A Little Piece of History

A couple of Saturdays ago, Layla and Jenna were feeling the need for a little educational stimuli. Since it's conveniently located in our quaint, little town, they decided on a visit to the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.  The girls had been once before with their Pop and Aunt Devin, but this was the first time they took their Daddy and me.  We were thrilled to go.    

"Alright, sissy, let's go learn something."

"Wait for us Daddy!"

The ladies at the front desk directed us to the Discovery Room.  The girls were eager to get there! 

When we arrived, a museum volunteer read the girls a book about penguins.

"Ooh, that's so interesting!"

Layla: "Hey, guys!  Did you know this is how a mommy penguin carries her egg?"

Then the girls got some time to explore their surroundings.  Layla was thinking about making a few snowflakes.   

Daddy and Jenna worked on drawing a picture.

Then, it was time to sort shapes.

Layla: "This is a triangle, Daddy."

Jenna: "And this one is a circle."

Silly, Layla...that puffin doesn't belong in the triangle box!  But, I agree, it's almost as cute as you!

Jenna: "Mosquito Fish???  Never heard of it."

Jenna: "Hmmm...I'm not allowed to play with these at home, but Daddy looks busy over there so I think I'm in the clear."

Layla: "Cool...a puppet!!!"

Jenna: "Cool...a bench!!!"

(Sometimes, it's the little things.)

Jenna: "Mommy, check out this kitty!  I want one!"

Um, that would be a bobcat, Jenna.

Layla: "I like these babydolls...their outfits are so cute!"

Jenna: "Can I try on these shoes?  They're just my style!"

Layla: "Ooh, Daddy...sissy was telling me about this kitty.  She says we're getting one!"

Layla: "Hey, dude.  What's up?"

Dude: "Oh, just digging for bones."

Layla: "Sweet!  I think I'll join you!"  

"So are these the tools we use?"

Layla: "Come on, sissy, help me find some bones."

Jenna: "Um, I don't know.  That looks like a lot of work."

Layla: "Safety first, people!"

Jenna: "Forget the bobcat...I want one of these!"

Layla: "Yeah, a pet lion would be so cool!  I'm sure Toby wouldn't mind."

After about an hour of exploring, the girls couldn't help but notice the gigantic, bronze mammoth just outside the Discovery Room.  

Jenna: "Um, nobody mention the elephant in the room.  Deal?"

And it was a only a few seconds later that they discovered the stairs.  At that point, we knew our time at the museum had come to an end.  Layla and Jenna are both obsessed with stairs right now, so we knew no other exhibit would stand a chance. 

 Daddy let them go up the stairs....

...and back down the stairs and then we called it a day.

We had such a great morning taking in a little piece of history at the natural history museum.  We will certainly be back to check out some of the other exhibits, that is, as long as we don't run into a set of stairs first.