Iowa!

Colin and I spent the last week in Iowa with my sisters-in-law. (Well, most of them. We missed you, Heather.) We gals played a lot of Canasta, and the little boys got into hijinks and shenanigans of their own. We had so much fun hanging around and seeing the sites. Who knew there was so much to do in the midwest? Here are some pictures from our major excursions.

The Zoo

Colin may look a little stoned, but he was really enjoying watching the gorillas. They were being pretty funny, chasing each other around. Well, really they were fighting with each other, but we didn't want to explain that to the little boys.

Hannah and Mason watching the gorillas and making silly faces.

Baby Addilyn was super cooperative and snuggled up to her mom for almost the entire trip. She's probably the best looking baby east of the Rockies.

Here's a gorilla striking a pose just so I could get an awesome picture.

Colin loved the petting zoo area. He chased the goats around and pulled at their tails. He also liked to pat/hit them. He thought he was being nice, but after a while I had to intervene on behalf of the goats.

Colin also liked the aquarium because he could get out and roam around and go right up to the glass. 

The monkeys were some of Colin's favorite to see. I think that was because they were big enough that he could see them and they moved around unlike some of the other animals. He was so cute, making his monkey noises whenever he saw them.

This sloth was staring right at me. Also, he didn't move. At all. Ever.

The Children's Museum

Omaha has a pretty cool children's museum. Colin was a little young to appreciate a lot of it, but he did like the ball room (when the big kids weren't stealing the balls from him).

He liked turning the wheels and cogs.

He liked sharing the balls with me.

He liked pushing the stroller around more than anything else.

There was an area that had exhibits on how parts of the body work. Scott and Hannah taught Colin all about the heart and lungs.

Mason preferred to learn about poop.

Hannah is a big supporter of poop as well.

And you know what, I have to agree with them. Poop is fascinating.

Hannah and Colin posing in front of a door that didn't do anything or go anywhere.

The water table was a bit of a let down, but Colin still liked it. 

He found a duck and made his adorable duck sound. You can't hear the duck sound in the picture, sorry.

There was a big fire truck or something, and Colin climbed right inside to drive and turn the wheel.

He did not like the slide, but I took a picture anyway. 

He also did not like the sheep, but once again, I took a picture.

There was a little auditorium with costumes so you could put on a show, and outside of that was a makeup area where parents were painting their children's faces. I wanted to be a part of it, so I grabbed the blue and drew it across Colin's head while saying, "Simba." He obviously enjoyed that.

Mason's Birthday at the Park

Lenna made Mason a beautiful BIG MONKEY cake for his birthday. It was a last minute decision, but it turned out great.

Colin had his hair done for once.

Colin and Papa played in the gravel for a while. Colin paws at the dirt like a cat, throwing it back behind him and on top of him.

Apparently Mason didn't want to sing the happy birthday song before he opened his presents, so he was a little upset when we did.

Donovan enjoyed trying out Mason's presents.

This is the hat from me and Colin. Mason cracked me up trying to get it on.

Colin entertained himself while dinner was cooking by playing with the ice in the cooler. He's eating some ice in this picture.

I don't think Mason wanted to hear the happy birthday song before we ate cake either.

Scott wanted to have a game to play at the park, so he brought one. It was snitch pitch/lasso golf/snake throw or whatever. Hannah and Brad had such good form that I couldn't resist taking a picture.

The Park (the one with the fountain)

This is Scott on his first day of work. He was so excited to officially be an RN. (Can you tell?)

While Scott and Lenna went to find some other scrubs for Scott; Hannah, DeAnna, and I took the three little boys to the park to play in the fountain. Colin showed no fear and just walked right in. He loves splashing in the water. Mason and Donovan took a little longer to decide that they wanted to get wet. I took some fun video of them playing in the fountain, but it isn't available at the moment.

On the flight home Colin had  a rough time. He woke up Monday morning with a runny nose, and it just got worse as the day went on. He was really fussy, but eventually he went to sleep, the darling boy.

The end. Thanks for letting us hang with you guys. We had a blast!