Best and Worst of the Weekend

So I haven’t done a Best and Worst of the weekend in a while again so I figure I’ll do it now since I had a bit of bests and one big worst. 

Weekend started out ok.  Friday night had supper at the new Cozy Café on the corner of SE 14^th and Army Post Road.  It was the 2^nd time there.  The first time it was really good so I was hoping the 2^nd time would be too.  Now going in I was stuffed after Jethro’s earlier in the day so maybe that was it too, but I was disappointed. 

After that it was off to go see the Bourne Legacy with Jeremy Renner.  First off, how bad is it when a movie ticket is more than your supper?

The movie was ok.  This really wasn’t a reboot, but more so of an extension of the original trilogy.  It was cool how they intertwined it with the 3^rd Bourne with Damon and story lines began to inter twine.  But from the other 3 it missed something and I think that was Damon.  Renner was good, but this is Damon’s franchise.  The climax seemed rushed and then the ending abrupt.  One thing I am excited about is the hope that a 5^th movie may include both Damon and Renner!   So that was Friday.

Saturday started out getting up early with Ryleigh and the older kids were up and I thought, hey, it’s PERFECT out lets go to Grey’s lake and walk and/or ride bikes and get some exercise.  I go out to my car and find it was broken into.  My glove compartment and center console were all emptied out and I didn’t realize till Sunday that my work badge and coaching badge was gone, along with about a dollar in change.  Really people need to get a life and not mess with other people’s property.  My neighbors also had theirs broken into also.  Anyone up for a neighborhood watch program? 

So we went to Greys and still went around, Addy biked and Bray walked and ran, Ryleigh sat most of it.  It felt pretty good to start out that way.  Later that morning we headed off to Living History Farms.  I have a a membership to their, the zoo and Science Center and we  hadn’t hit that place yet so we went there.  It’s basically what Iowa would be like about 150 years ago.  I enjoy that kinda stuff.  It would be interesting to see what life was like back then.  The kids were excited from the start seeing live chickens in the first houses yard.  The first house was pretty cool.  If it had AC I think I could have lived there.  The other places I thought were cool were the news paper with the printing press and then also the pharmacist with all the chemicals where the guy can make anything from perfumes, medicines and axel grease.  We only got half way through there and the kids got hungry so we hit the Machine Shed for lunch.  After that when we got home it was NAP TIME!  Brayden woke up last at about 530 and after supper we ended the night with the Lorax.  It was an ok movie in my opinion, the kids probably liked it more, BUT it did have a great message at the end. 

Sunday I slept in a little till 9 then realized my badges where gone and started to contact the DM Police department and also my work.  Brayden and I drove out to work to tell them and the drive there was great.  He and I had a fun conversation about Ninjago.  Just his joy with it and how he talks about it reminds me of how I was with Ninja Turtles and Transformers.  It’s probably my favorite time I’ve had with him in a while.

Bray and I ran a few errands and got home for lunch.  Noticing he still had some energy I took the older kids to the Science Center.  We were there for about 2 hours and thought I wore them out pretty good.  The rest of the day was watching Harry Potter movies, cleaning rooms, laundry and supper from the High Life.  It was a pretty good weekend outside of the car being broke into.

Today I start my last week of work at my current position at Wells.  I’ve got a feeling it will go pretty quick and before I know it I’ll be having cold drinks on Friday at Happy Hour.

Memorial Day Weekend

This was the first weekend in a while there was no girl scouts, no soccer….nothing, just had to live life.  The weekend started with me taking Addy to a water park for a birthday party.  Tip for anyone going to an indoor water park…its humid!  I shouldn’t have worn jeans.  It was steamy.  Addy had a good time though.  I sat by the pool, at the bar with a couple $6 drinks.  It was a good night.  Saturday the old kids and I hit the zoo while the little one was out cold for her AM nap.  After lunch Bray took a nap and so did Ry in the afternoon.  Then did some grilling of supper and some laundry. Also had Hayden get her first summer time cut.  No more clumps of hair all around. 

Sunday was also really fricken HOT.  So the morning was just hanging out at home.   Watched a little bit of the Indy 500 pre race stuff, then after lunch figured the old kids needed to get out so too them to the Science Center.  Last time there with them we did the Egypt exhibit, this time they were getting ready for the Mars exhibit, opens in about a week so we’ll have to get back there for that.  We just hit the animals, too many snakes there, the discovery zone and the kids played a lot.  Addy and I got the little water power generator going pretty good.  Bray got to run around and explore too.  We watched a little film in the planetarium about the moon landings.  Then hit the play area.  Addy found a friend she knew there and played a bit with her there.

I love that we have this option in Iowa and have a the science center, but I think they need to build on and be bigger, add more stuff.  If you can get through in about an hour and the exhibits change but nothing else does, add on.  It will become stale.  It should be something that takes 2-3 hours or more.  That being said I’m excited to go back for the Mars exhibit.  (I’ll rant on the zoo..again later)

After the science center the kids wanted a snack and asked them what they wanted, they both responded “HIGH LIFE” (I love my kids!)  So we went to the High Life Lounge and had some tots and some drinks, grainbelt for me and shirley temples for the kids.  They had a blast, just sitting at the bar eating and then playing with the buck hunter game.  We went home and had some supper and Bray and I watched the 600…Addy did girl stuff with her mom.

Monday it was just me and 3 kids pretty much and it, and it was a pretty good day.  We hit the zoo early in the am and were there for about an hour and a half (please Zoo add on and get bigger – good job adding a Rhino in 2013 but build on and compete with Omaha, and get more monkeys!), the kids had fun again and usually do all the time there.  Saw the Tiger and Snow leopard up close.  The lions also a bit too; one was laying on a rock close to the fence and they are awesome creatures up close.  We left the zoo at the right time, there was a LOOOONG line forming as we left.  We then headed downtown and hit the Sculpture Park and I let Ryleigh go out and run.  She loved it, she ran after her older siblings.  I got a great shot of her and Addy walking up to the letter sculpture. 

After about 30 mins or so there we went east to the Capital to check out the cannons and memorials.  The kids asked a lot of questions about the memorials which is good, Addy especially was starting to realize the meaning of Memorial Day.  There are a bunch of memorials up by the capital and cannons and cool statues around the capital that everyone should see.  And you get a great view looking downtown Des Moines and to the ball park on the river.  Des Moines isn’t really that bad of a place.

We then headed home for mac & cheese with hotdogs for lunch and Ryleigh went down.  When Ry woke up all 3 kids were then out on the deck playing and it was perfect.  It was great weather, I brought out Bray’s cube and had the ipod playing some good ole country music, and some nice cold beverages too.  We grilled burgers, brats and dogs and the kids wanted to eat outside so I complied.  It was awesome, perfect.  A trip to DQ and then shower time and it was bed time just in time for the Hatfield’s & McCoy’s on History Channel. 

Overall Monday topped the weekend of GREAT!  Hoping not to insult others BUT my kids are the best 3 kids in the world!