Holiday Time Off with the Kids

I was on vacation the whole week of Christmas and I wanted to take advantage of my time home with the kids! After the holiday hustle and bustle of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we didn't really have any set plans. I've been wanting to take Leah to see the movie 'Frozen.' So on Thursday, we headed out to the movies. This would be Mason's first movie and I was pretty nervous as to how he would do. As I predicted, he lasted about half way through before coming antsy-pants. The theater was packed and he started being a little booger. Popcorn and other treats only went so far, so Rob had to take him out to the lobby a few times so he could release some of his energy.  Overall, the movie was super cute and Leah really enjoyed it. I love that Leah likes going to the movies. Afterwards, we went out for pizza before heading home.

Mason's first time at the movies!

Leah with her 'Frozen' Princess Anna doll from Auntie Amy

On Friday, we had plans with friends to go check out Ball Factory in Naperville. What a fun place for kids! Leah had a blast running around (I kept Mason at home). We'll definitely go back and I'd bring Mase with next time. After the morning fun, we packed up all the kids and went to McDonald's for lunch. We pretty much took over McDonald's - there were 11 kids altogether. Leah loved it! Thanks Melissa, Annette and Kim for a fun time! When we got home, Leah said she wanted to go do more fun things. We rested for a bit, but thought it might be fun to go bowling. Leah has been one time before and always talks about it when we pass the bowling alley. We only bowled one game because it is not fun when you have a one and a half year old with you! Mason, of course didn't bowl, but he wanted to have his freedom. He is a 'bolter' so there was a lot of chasing him around. Not so fun. Leah enjoyed herself though. After our one game, we went over to the gaming area. Leah played a handful of games. Her favorite is air hockey. We played two games and she beat me both times! She was not happy when it was time to go home (she was definitely tired from her busy day).

Once Saturday rolled around, it was unseasonably warm - almost 60 degrees. We thought it would be a great idea to hit up the zoo for the Zoo Lights. (Apparently everyone and their mother also had the same idea too)! I renewed our membership online and decided to grab an early dinner before hitting the zoo. The whole area around the zoo was so chaotic. Traffic was barely moving and it was just a mess. It took us almost an hour to pull into the zoo, get through the parking line and actually park. There were a few times we considered turning around, but Leah kept reminding us how much she wanted to go the zoo. Once we parked and went inside, the craziness continued. It was just a cluster of people. We brought the wagon for the kids and it was hard to maneuver it around because it was so tight. To be honest, I totally did not think it was worth it. It was dark, you could not really see any animals. Most animals were sleeping or just not viewable. Even though it warmed up, it was still chilly. The trees and light decorations were nice, but it was not worth the trip out there. We stayed for about two hours and I think the highlight of our outing was riding the carousel at the end. We will not be doing this again next year.

 Loads of fun at the zoo!

 That's better!

Starting to have more fun!

Sunday was a completely lazy day and we didn't leave the house! Before I knew it, my time off had come to an end and it was back to work on Monday! Boo. I sure loved spending my time off with my kiddos!!