Spring Time Around the Nutt House

Another lively week has passed for the Nutt House.  Our week was chalked full of normal activities sandwiched on both sides by some fantastic family time.  The little Nutts were out of school on Monday as it was the last day of Spring Break and we were fortunate enough that after a rather gruesome on-call week the week prior Brent had been given the day off and was able to join us on our escapades.  For our final day of family fun, we chose to visit Butterfly Wonderland and Odysea Aquarium.  Two places the Nutt House enjoys visiting, also, two places we haven’t been to in a while, especially with our big Nutt.  We started at Butterfly Wonderland where Kara and Kaden both had strategically determined what they would wear to attract the butterflies in the conservatory.  For Kara, this meant her butterfly dress, some fruity perfume, some extra glitter and a flower in her hair.  For Kaden, he wore a bright colored shirt, applied some coconut oil lotion and a splash of cologne. Upon arriving, we heard that there were 100 school kids there on a field trip that were watching the 3-D butterfly movie.  Equipped with this knowledge we promptly bypassed the movie and emergence gallery so we could enjoy as much time in the conservatory without quite so many other individuals there.  Inside the conservatory, we were able to look around at a lackadaisical pace.  We spent time watching the bees, Kaden fed the Koi, and of course, we viewed many a butterfly.  The attire choices paid off, especially for Kara who had several butterflies pay her a visit.  None of us were left out though as Brent, Kaden, and myself all found ourselves with a new butterfly friend at one point or another.  The opportunity to study these elegant creatures in this serene environment is such a therapeutic experience, each time we go I find myself wondering why we’ve waited so long to go back in between visits. 

Obligatory photo on the butterfly bench

and of course the photo op at the front enterance

The butterflies found him ever so sweet

Kaden was so excited to check out the bees

This little fella stayed with Kara for a good
5 minutes!

And another new friend... she was so thrilled
after pulling out all the stops to be so amply rewarded
with so many new butterfly friends!

See multiple butterflies found him sweet
*and don't let him fool ya' he didn't squish a one!

The princess of the butterflies

Feeding the Koi

As we noticed a sea of blue t-shirts from the field trip enter the conservatory we took that as our queue and headed out toward the rainforest reptiles exhibit.  This is still a newer area, one that Brent had not yet seen and the kiddos enjoyed tugging him along, pointing out the brightly colored poisonous dart frogs (their favorite) before moving back to check out each of the other reptiles throughout the exhibit.  Anytime there was a reptile camouflaged that the little Nutts were able to spot they eagerly pointed it out to all around them excited to share their findings.  One thing I really enjoyed throughout the exhibit was on the identification signs for the different reptiles there was a fun fact listed for each one.  Kara is currently captivated by random fun facts, going so far as to share them with a wonderful lady, Ms. Cindy, who works at the front desk of the dance studio.

You can't see it, but Brent's holding Kaden up
and I'd fairly certain it's Kaden trying to
explain what's what to Brent

Dart Frogs!

She loved reading every single fun fact
I love that they love learning!!!

My favorite little bug

The cutest grasshopper ever!

Icky, way too big of a bug!

Not as creeped out or scared as his sister
*or his mom for that matter

 

Once we wrapped up at Butterfly Wonderland it was time to walk over to Odysea where we were greeted with sea life, and of course, the ever so cool bathrooms with the windows into the shark tanks.  Odysea has added several new touch pools, which we loved!  Making the aquarium more interactive was a great move as it draws the visitor in more, enhancing the overall experience so it isn’t just a walk through sort of place.  Odysea also had their Kidsfest going on, which meant that that at random places throughout the aquarium there were clues for a scavenger hunt that led throughout the aquarium.  Once we reached the end and the kiddos had found all the clues and gathered all the stamps on the card, they were able to receive a prize before we exited the aquarium.  This place that we still enjoy coming to, but had become rather routine when visiting really kept us on our toes with new exhibits, changes to current exhibits and fun around every bend.  The living carousel had been transformed into a submarine experience, my favorite part was that the same ol’ videos and audio weren’t shown and the new audio track even contained an inside joke regarding the old videos and audio that you wouldn’t get if you hadn’t gone before.  I vocally chuckled at that joke and hope the aquarium continues to keep themselves fresh through more mini-makeovers or whatnot. 

One of the new touching pools

Thank heavens for tall dads that can help you reach

They love the paddle fish, especially when the fish
have their mouths open wide

He said he was being a catfish in this picture

Yay for kids fest!

Again, tall dads rock to let you see things from
a new perspective

Second new touching pool

The ease at which this one allows you to reach
the rays is very nice versus the other ray touching pool

So happy she's over her fear of touching them

Again with the tall dads rock!

A kids engineering club was at the aquarium
for the day and let the kids make slime
The kids are happy (the parents maybe
not as much)

They enjoy this area where the pictures they color
can become a part of the aquarium

Pointing out his fish

Pointing out hers

Take my picture!

We weren't happy and goofy this day

Nope, not at all

Aboard the new submarine

Underwater adventures

The sharks are Kaden's favorites

Roar!!!
*outside the new Pangaea experience location

I love this for so many reasons

Once we were finished at the aquarium it was time to head to YC’s for lunch where Kara declared she really liked creating her own bowl of food and would like to go back (she didn’t remember the times past we’ve visited a YC’s in the past.  Following lunch, it was time to head back to the ‘Tuk and back to reality with dance classes and Jiu Jitsu lessons awaiting.

This was one of those
"mom, take my picture moments"

Good food makes for a happy crew

Focused at dance this past week!

He enjoys starting on the bottom, but man,
does this kid love to get on top and mount his opponents

Upon picking the kiddos up from school on Tuesday Kaden casually looked at me while getting out of the car and asked why we haven’t made cookies lately.  Without missing a beat, I looked back at him and asked because he hadn’t asked to.  Once that was settled and Kaden finished his homework, he and I set out to make a batch of cookies while Kara enjoyed a play date with a friend.  Rightfully so, Kaden was so proud of his cookies.  So much so that he wouldn’t let me help put them in the oven or take the trays out.  Keeping a close eye on the situation I stood back and watched my lil’ man grow up a bit more before my eyes.  These were truly Kaden’s cookies and they were quite tasty ones that!  Now, when Kara, who has asked before to take things out of the oven and been denied by an overly cautious mom, found out that her younger brother was granted oven privileges before she was, well… let’s just say she was a tad bit upset.

Cookie making is serious business

The week progressed on with school, activities, play dates, you know the norm… then on Friday the fun started to kick back up when Brent served as Watch D.O.G.S (D.O.G.S. stands for Dads of Great Students) at Sierra.  This meant he had to be at school earlier than the kiddos usually make it and had a very detailed schedule keeping him busy throughout the day.  While he helped in many different classes, he did get to spend time with both Kaden and Kara’s classes as well as eat lunch with both little Nutts.  Both kiddos have been waiting all year for the day their dad was the Watch DOGS volunteer and the day and their dad didn’t disappoint.  Both kids were elated and beaming…  just how quickly they were both able to get ready in the morning so they could go to school with dad was proof of just how excited they were. 

Happy to have dad in his classroom

Chillin' at lunch with dad

After a day of being Watch D.O.G.S and the kiddos enjoying some play time with friends and Brent it was time to call it an early evening.  We thought we’d been fun parents and let our tired kiddos watch a movie before bed (not one that kept them up past bedtime, just one that would calm them down before bedtime) and we watched the new Netflix movie of Benji.  The movie was fantastic and the experience was nightmarish.  Both munchkins were tired enough that the movie scared them and pulled at their heartstrings, we spent the bulk of the 87 minutes the movie ran calming down the kiddos, and assuring them everything would be okay.  Never again, we vowed… never again would we show tired kids a movie that would pull at their heartstrings.  **That never again lasted until the next night when we watched the newer version of Pete’s Dragon and before the first five minutes were up threatened to send the kids to bed without getting to see the end of the movie if they cried again like the night before!

Spring evenings are perfect for playing outside!

Saturday brought a new day and with it, the ward Easter breakfast and egg hunt.  The little Nutts utilized different strategies when it came to finding Easter eggs.  Kara seemed to target specific areas with friends, which meant there were fewer eggs for her claim while Kaden abandoned everybody and set out for unchartered areas allowing him access to more eggs.  When all was said and done though, both little Nutts had more plastic eggs and more candy than they know what to do with. 

All lined up and ready to go

Seeking out the high ones

Gathering them all up

His stash!

Her stash!

Egg toss with raw eggs

Thankfully none landed on anyone

Good ole' fashion sack races!

Once the egg hunts were over the kiddos played a couple games with friends before it was time for the Nutt House to bid our adieus’ and head on to the next adventures on our calendar.  Now follow along with me… Brent’s cousin’s sons (you got that) are crazy amazing and talented boys who were demonstrating robotics at the science center and we adjusted our plans to go downtown to see cousins and to check out their robots.  The kiddos really enjoyed their time writing programs to operate robots, driving them and checking out virtual reality glasses.  Both kiddos enjoyed the experience, but it was Kaden, whose face radiated pure joy at the experience, diving into a world that fascinates him and he knows only at a surface level.  For Kaden to see what he could build, even with Legos and what he could make his creation do – move around, bark, stop on command, roar like a dinosaur, etc… you could just see the wheels spinning in his head as he beamed enthusiasm for the experience. 

Controlling the little robot

His turn!

Learning how to program the robot

I was surprised at how much Kara got into this part

Though it was Kaden who loved it

Is he sleeping or in a virtual reality world???

Those mischievous and entranced eyes

Before heading out we made time to visit one exhibit – Kara’s favorite, the physics room.   After everyone had played around for a bit, it was time for the Nutt House to head toward home. 

I love that they are getting old enough to actually
be interested in the science behind the exhibits

And the race is on

Three Nutt's attempted this, one didn't last long,
One sat on the ground while I pushed him
in circles then held my hand for 3 solid minutes
because he was dizzy...

Then there was this one that used dancer head
flips to keep her line of sight focused so she didn't
become dizzy at all

This family of Nutts enjoys deciphering puzzles

Such a fun filled day deserved one more bit of fun and a trip to Bahama Bucks filled the need as we continued trying out unique flavors working to fill our family punch card for having tried every flavor on the menu.  We are so close, one more visit and I think we’ll finally have it!  Once our shaved ice was consumed it was time to head home where we watched the predescribed Pete’s Dragon before calling it a night. 

I wondered why at first my pictures were so bad,
then I remembered... oh yeah!  We're eating all the sour
flavors now and these are sour faces!

This is a face trying not to have a sour face

Today at church the Primary and Ward Choir sang their Easter songs in sacrament meeting where next Sunday is not only Easter but General Conference as well.  Kara has really taken a liking to singing in the choir and her face becomes so animated when she sings that all who see her comment on it.  She is so darling and full of spirit I absolutely love it! 

After church, we had family home evening where we started reading and completing activities from the book, “The Holy Week for Latter-Day Saint Families”.  We received this book last year and I have taken time to go through it, marking what activities we’d do each day and I have to say, I am so excited for this week!  I’m excited for us as a family to learn more about this holy week and to keep our Easter focus on our Savior.  For today, we watched a short video on Palm Sunday then read about the day.  We wrapped up with creating our own blessing branch, which includes different items that we as a family are thankful to have received from God.  We attempted to make this in the shape of a palm branch and though it didn’t turn out quite like a palm branch it is a beautiful reminder of just a few of the things the Nutt House is thankful for and a great start to our week. 

Our family's blessing branch

We concluded our day by having friends over for dinner and concluded our FHE by dyeing Easter Eggs with said friends.  We tried out a new method this year where we put the egg in a bag of wet colored rice.  I think I like the look of the eggs done this way and I like that the mess is so self-contained.  This is definitely a method I want to go with again next year!

 

Excited to get started with her first egg

Carefully mixing and shaking his egg

Egg coloring can be such serious work!

With all of that, our Nutt-y week has come to an end.  There are many ventures awaiting the Nutt House this next week and I cannot wait for them to start!