Jackpot!

"What should we do tonight?"

That question used to be really easy to answer as a newlywed couple.

Answer: whatever WE want to!

Once you have kids, the question changes to: "What should we do tonight, that will be fun for us and a 3 year old, and a 1 year old, and that will get us home by 7:30 to put the kids to bed?" This question (as most of you know) is a little bit harder to answer.

And, it is a lot harder to answer now that we are in school, and the tag "...and that won't cost a lot of money?" has been added.

Well, so far this month we have hit the jackpot on fun, FREE, and family-friendly activities. Tonight we went to the YMCA's Family Fun Night (free for us as members). Having never been before, we weren't really sure what to expect, but we were really impressed with all of the fun things they had set up for the kids including: a Glow in the Dark Snowball Fight, Campfire Story Time, Toddler Play Zone, Face Painting, Swimming, A Bounce House, Mini Golf, Crafts, and Snacks.

We started at the Bounce House, and then went to the Toddler Play Zone

We then had 6:30 tickets to the Campfire Story time. Hudson kept wandering off of our sleeping bag to try and get a better look at the "fire". (He is the little guy in the stripped shirt standing right in front of the lady.)
After making a quick craft, we headed to one of the gyms to turn in our free smore vouchers (that we picked up at the end of our Campfire Story time), and watched an acrobatics type of show, while eating our gooey treats.
Our final stop of the night was the Face Painting room, where Makenna was just thrilled to get not one but two designs on her cheeks.

A heart on one cheek, and a rainbow on the other, what more could a girl want?

Last weekend we went to a free family night up on campus at the SRSC (Student Recreational Sports Center). Again, we weren't sure what to expect, but ended up having a great time. They had several gyms set up for the family night activities. We headed straight for the Bounce House, which Makenna loved, and then spent a good deal of time in the Toddler Gym, where the kids ran around, played on the gym equipment, and rode around on trikes. We also enjoyed the snacks in the hallway, and ended the night by making a craft; one that Makenna said was the most beautiful picture she had ever made.

They had this AWESOME double trike that the kids loved. They had so much fun on it, that I was tempted (not really) to take it home with me. If anyone knows where to find a trike like this, I'd love to know.

Here is a little video of the double trike in action:

I'm hoping our streak of fun, family-friendly, and FREE activities continues!!

Primary

Today was Makenna's 2nd week going to primary. Last week, she and the other graduating nursery kids were invited up to the front of sacrament meeting to receive a certificate congratulating them on their graduation. Makenna was so excited to get her certificate, and is so excited to be big enough to be in primary.

I, on the other hand, can't believe that she is already old enough to be in primary. She has grown up so much while we have been here in Indiana. John and I have started reading scriptures with Makenna every morning. At first, I think she just wanted to get it over with so that she could watch cartoons, but now she is really enjoying it. The first words out of her mouth every morning are "Mommy, can we go downstairs now to read scriptures?" It always amazes me how much kids love to learn. They really are little sponges.

Sleep

I don't really make New Year's resolutions, but if I did, I think that getting more sleep is always a good place to start. Maybe I need to take a note from Hudson's book, who manages to sleep whenever the need arises.

After eating

At the Homecoming Parade
At the football game
After eating (again)
In the car (always a favorite)
On the floor in the hallway after church
And again after eating...I guess having a full belly makes for a sleepy little guy