Highlights of Payton's Time Off Track

Payton has been out of school since Christmas Break. I was so excited for Payton to be on "A" track so that we could have this time after the holidays to enjoy ourselves, get organized and recuperate! That is exactly what we have done. Besides recuperating and organizing, we have been able to do some fun things. Here are a few of the highlights:

We went to the Clark Planetarium with the Carley's. The boys had so much fun learning about the planets and checking out all the neat things. We also watched a movie about a rocket ship. It was a nice "refresher" course for me. I think I learned just as much as the boys did!




This was my favorite part! They have a little place where you can pretend like you are a weather forecaster and see yourself on t.v.




We also went to the Living Planet Aquarium. The boys had a lot of fun seeing the sharks, the octopus, the jelly fish and the trout (seriously?!?) The boys did have a great time, but it really was not worth the money. I couldn't believe how much trout they had. It was pretty funny! It was a field trip for Parker's play school so it was fun to be with all our other friends. Afterwards, we went to lunch with Tim, which is always a special treat. It was a super fun day!




I've been wanting to take the boys on Trax for awhile now, but we haven't had a chance. I've taken them before, but neither of them remember. We decided that we would ride the train downtown and take my Dad (Grandpa) to lunch for his birthday. Erika had the day off and decided to join us. The boys were so excited about riding on the train. Parker was a little nervous. He kept saying, "I don't want to ride the Polar Express. The conductor is mean!" When the train started going Parker said, "It's too fast. Tell them to slow down." Payton loved it. Of course, we picked the COLDEST day of the year to ride the train, but we bundled up and it wasn't too bad. We got lunch at the cafe in the City & County Building (where my Dad works) and ate lunch in his office. My Dad loves to do treasure hunts with the boys. So, the boys left with a few dozen mints and about half way home we noticed Payton had a pedometer on his pants. He said that Grandpa gave it to him. It said that we had walked 2014 steps since we left his office. Wow!! We did take a detour before getting back on the train to Les Madeleines for some yummy cookies. It was worth enduring the cold! As you can see from the pictures, we all had a great time. Parker really enjoyed the ride home.






Payton and Parker also got to sleep over at Grandpa Kent's and Grandma Ann's house. Payton was so excited to play "Star Wars Legos" all night long and that is exactly what he did. He was able to pass all the levels, which was a big accomplishment for him. They loved sleeping over and playing video games. The next day when I came to pick them up we (Grandma, Payton, Parker & me) went and saw "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." It was a cute movie. Again, Parker was exhausted and feel asleep. I think that he's ready for Payton to go back to school so that he can get back on his regular nap schedule.




My cute friend, Beverly, who I used to visiting teach and now I just visit for fun, invited me to bring the boys over so that she could give them their Christmas presents (a little bit late) and make them ice cream sundaes. Beverly still had her tree up because she is still celebrating Christmas. The boys had fun looking at her decorations. She got one of her nativity sets out just for the boys to look at. They loved eating the ice cream sundaes she made for them and playing with her toys. She is such a sweetheart. I love visiting with Beverly. I love our conversations. She helps me keep my own life and priorities in perspective. We had a fun day visiting with Beverly and, of course, the boys left with a nice big bag of presents from her!!






I have LOVED Payton being off track. We have had so much fun! I know that he needs to go back to school and it will be great to get back into our normal routine, but it has been such a wonderful break. I definitely feel like we had a good mix of fun, relaxation and organization (of course)!!