2012 OLYMPIC GAMES

We put on Olympic Games for the kids today in honor of the 2012 Summer Olympics.  We thought it would be a great way for the kids to get excited for the Olympics.

There were a total of 21 little athletes that participated in many sports, created crafts, and had a whole lot of fun!  There were 3 different age groups of kids.  I volunteered to do all stations and move with my kids since they were in the same age group, so that I could see them participate in all the events.  This meant I, along with some help, was given 7 little 2, 3, and 4 year-olds for the day!  Brady was the youngest that participated in all events!  They ended the festivities with smiles, gold medals, olive wreaths, and many great memories. 

(The mom's ended the festivities needing a nap!)

Here are tons of pictures of the day.

 I made my kids Olympic shirts last night.  They love them!

Here they are after they had "registered".  When they registered, they received a "bib" with their name and number, a bottle of water, and a flag.

 My athletes.

 While we were waiting for everyone to arrive, Mandy stalled by asking the kids some Olympic facts.

 Opening Ceremonies.  The kids paraded the cul-de-sac to Olympic music.

 Opening Ceremonies.

TRACK AND FIELD

 Above, Tyler running the Relay Race with the torch and below is Brady.

 Crab Walk Relay was interesting with this age group!  They had no idea! 

 Brady's tongue out to concentrate, of course!

 Brady and Camryn.  Cute!

Camryn hung with us for just a couple of the track and field events, but then I think she realized that she was the only girl with all these boys and she turned away.  I don't blame her!  :)

 The Long Jump event.

 Javelin Throw.

CRAFTS

 Tyler made rings and a T-shirt.  Both Tyler and Brady made placemats and torches.

GYMNASTICS

 Balance Beam

 Hula Hoops

 These 2, 3, and 4 year old boys loved the ribbon dancing!

 Brady even chose to do a somersault during his ribbon dance.

 A few minutes to relax and just play on the playground.

 Time for lunch.

 These are the red, white, and blue rice krispie treats that I made.

 I also made them some red, white, and blue kabobs with strawberries, blueberries, and marshmallows.

SOCCER/OBSTACLE COURSE

 Soccer Relay Race.  Both boys did awesome at this!

Obstacle Course

 Tyler going through the tunnel during the obstacle course.

 Brady doing his 5 jumping jacks during the obstacle course.  Oh my gosh!  So cute!  I love watching little ones do jumping jacks!

 Brady jumping the hurdles.

Water Sponge Relay Race

 The point of this relay was to see who could fill the bucket the most by getting their sponges full of water from the big tub and then squeezing it out in the bucket.  This group really enjoyed this race!

 Waiting for the closing ceremonies to begin.

 Good Job, Tyler!

 And Good Job, Brady!

 Good Job, Kids!  You all did Awesome!

And to top off the day...

a Bomb Pop!

When we got home this afternoon, I was lucky enough to have both of the kids nap.

When Tyler woke up from nap, he quickly put everything back on from the day.  He wore it all night and I'm sure will be wanting to wear most of it again tomorrow!

What a wonderful day for the kids!

TENNESSEE TRIP

We spent 4 days on the lake in Tennessee last week.  Our trip started on Tuesday and we got back home the following Monday.  We stopped and split up the drive both on the way there and on the way back home.  All four days in TN were spent in our swimsuits and either swimming in the lake or the swimming pool at the neighbor's house. 

I don't have many pictures, but here's a few from our visit.

The kids absolutely loved the jet ski this year.  And squirting everybody with squirt guns was also a big hit!  Both boys were jumping into the water, without having anyone catch them, by the end of the trip.

It was a fun-filled family vacation!

Grandpa giving Tyler and Brady a ride on the jet ski.

INDIANAPOLIS CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

Last Tuesday, July 17th, we left on our trip down to Tennessee.  Rather than driving through the night this year, which tends to be rough on Lee and I, we split the long 13+ hour drive in half and stopped in Indianapolis on the way there.  The boys love to swim, so staying in a hotel is a fun place to be.  They were able to swim Tuesday night when we arrived and again on Wednesday morning before we headed out to the World's Largest Children's Museum in Indianapolis.

It was such a great Museum and we all had a wonderful time!

Bumble Bee Transformer was right in the entrance lobby when we walked into the museum.  Dinosaurs are on the outside of the building and stand as tall as the building.  It was amazing!

Here are the boys in front of the Transformer.

Our first stop was the dinosaur exhibit.  As you can see from this picture it was a little overwhelming, but completing amazing!  A "thunder storm" was also happening at the time we walked in, so that is why Brady's covering his ears.  :)

Both Tyler and Brady digging for fossils.

While there, they got to touch a real dinosaur bone, which they didn't really think was all that cool, but Lee and I did!

Just playing with some little dinosaurs.

Next was Lego Land.  Lee helped them build cars, which they spent most of their time racing their cars down the track.

Ready, Set, Go -- with the Lego Cars!

Tyler sitting in a Lego Car.

They, of course, thought that this guy was pretty cool!

However, the "favorite" from the day was watching a Transformer transform from a car into a person.  They were in heaven!

They each got to sit in this race car.

They also spent some time in the Hot Wheels exhibit.  It was an extremely chaotic place, so I spent my time trying to not lose my kids rather than taking pictures.  But, they did love racing their Hot Wheels and trying out all the tracks!

And last, they took a ride on the carousel with Lee.

Back on the road.  Thank goodness for headphones and DVD players in the vehicle!

I am so glad that we decided to go to the Children's Museum.

The kids really enjoyed every thing about it!