Last year, we threw two other large parties - our Backyard Back-to-School Bash and our church Harvest Party. As a family, we decided that we would rather throw those types of gatherings instead of a big birthday party, and in place of a party we would take a small family trip.
We pretty much let the kids decide what they wanted to do for our trip this year, and they all agreed that they wanted to go to a hotel and swim. I know there are some decent options for waterpark hotels, but I didn't want to swim all day for three days straight. As a compromise, we decided to go to OKC for a couple nights. That way we could swim in the late afternoon/evening, and enjoy something else during the day.
The kids got a four day weekend (Fri - Mon) in February for professional development and President's Day, so that was the perfect time to plan our trip. We left our house on Thursday, February 15 at about 4:00pm, and got to OKC in time to have dinner. We ate at a local Mexican food place that we really like. Mexican food is a go-to for us because everyone will typically eat it really well!
Dining out with Littles can be a great experience, but sometimes it can be not-so-great. I felt like this time definitely fell into the latter category. We had several spilled drinks, spilled salsa, and one child even tipped over in their chair. However, as the people who sat near us were leaving, they stopped by our table and complimented us for how wonderfully behaved our children are. They said it was a pleasure to watch a family eating together and enjoying each other, so I guess it wasn't as bad as I felt like it was!
After dinner, the kids couldn't wait to go swimming!
Brecklyn
Brecklyn, Brooke
Brianna, Brenson
After nearly two hours in the pool, this Momma was worn out! The kids, however, were begging to stay longer :-).
The next morning, we had an early breakfast and got ready for an outing.
Brecklyn, Brenson, Brooke, Brianna
We drove by the Oklahoma state capitol building and the OKC bombing memorial, then headed over to the Science Museum of Oklahoma where we spent the day.
The Science Museum of Oklahoma is incredible! If you live anywhere near it, I would highly recommend a trip there. We had the whole day to spend there, and it wasn't near enough. We hope to frequent it in the future.
The kids watching a huge train display
Brooke trying out a cockpit in the aeronautics area
Brenson in a cockpit
Brianna climbing on one of the planes
Brianna and Brenson were so proud of themselves for building this arch, haha.
Momma trying my hand at some balancing and movement techniques
At this exhibit, you were timed as you raced down to the blue wall. Brooke and Brecklyn probably did this 8 times! Brecklyn was typically faster :-).
Brecklyn enjoying a house in the toddler area
Brianna learning to ride a segway
Brenson riding a segway
Brecklyn and Brooke were even able to ride a segway with help. They thought this was fantastic!
The Nelsons and their licenses to drive a segway!
We got to experience an earthquake in a simulator (although we've experienced real ones!)
In this room, the big kids were able to build simple machines that create reactions. Brenson, especially, loved this activity!
While the big kids and Daddy were building, the little girls and I created chain reactions on a magnet wall.
Then, we went back to the toddler area for some water fun!
Brooke took a break from the water to drive a tractor.
Then, went back to the water :-). My kids love water and just can't help themselves.
There is a large cafeteria area in the Museum where we ate lunch, then went back to playing and exploring. I don't have pictures of even half of the exhibits or activities we did . . . I was too busy having fun with my kids!
One area had a big wall where you could create designs in pins that move. Brianna put her face in it!
That turned out so well that we thought the whole family should try it, haha. It's totally creepy, but fun!
We had arrived at the Museum right when it opened, and didn't leave until about 4:00pm. All the kids fell asleep almost as soon as we got in the van, so we drove around the city for an hour while they got a little rest.
As soon as they woke up, we grabbed an early dinner so they'd have time to swim that evening. They couldn't wait to get back to the pool!
I know the kids loved swimming, but I think swimming at a hotel is a pain. It's takes 20 minutes to get everyone ready and down to the pool, then an hour to get everyone out of their wet clothes, bathed, and into dry clothes once the swimming is over. Then, there's always the issue of what to do with the wet stuff. I hope someday my kids realize how much I love them since I allowed them to swim in hotel pools, haha.
After we were finished swimming and everyone was fresh and clean, Daddy made us popcorn to eat while we watched TV in bed. This is a special treat as we don't have TVs in any of our bedrooms at home.
The next day (Saturday), we grabbed breakfast at our hotel, then headed toward Davis, Oklahoma. Chris and I had been wanting to visit Turner Falls Park as we had heard it was beautiful and had several trails for day hikes. It took us a little over an hour to drive there from our hotel, but we were excited to finally visit a place we'd been wanting to see.
On the way to Turner Falls, we stopped by Wal-mart to buy stuff to pack a picnic for lunch. Our plan was to spend several hours hiking before heading home that afternoon.
Ready for some hiking!
Brooke and Brecklyn watching the stream
One of the first places we came to on our hike were these old castle ruins.
We were able to climb these stairs to the ruins, then walk all around inside them. I found this to be a little creepy, but a neat experience anyway!
After exploring the castle ruins, we continued our hike to the top of the one of the Arbuckle mountains. The view was amazing!
By this time, the children were getting hungry, so we were thankful to find a picnic area to enjoy food while taking in the beautiful views.
Chris had heard there were some neat caves in the area, and the kids were definitely interested in exploring those. So, after lunch, we continued our hike to find some caves.
The terrain wasn't too rough, although there were spots that were difficult for the twins to navigate. I think they each fell a few times, but thankfully no real injuries.
Chris and I both agreed that we'd like to visit this area again in the late spring, after things bloom but before it gets too hot. It was pretty when we were there, but I imagine it would be much prettier during a different time of year.
We did end up finding some caves that we crawled in and through. This was not my favorite activity, but look at that view!
The kids thought the caves were fantastic!
Bren and Brianna were so cute with their walking sticks. They were serious business!
Brooke and Brecklyn were the ones who could have used the walking sticks, though!
After a several hours of hiking, we finally made it to Turner Falls. This is a well know falls in Oklahoma, and I felt like it was worth the trip!
Thank you to the person who volunteered to take our family photo. I always appreciate that!
I would also like to see the Falls in the late spring. It was pretty dry while we were there.
Not too far from the Falls there was a playground. I assumed the kids would be too tired to play, but I was wrong! They were happy to be able to play and have snacks for a bit before we loaded up to go home.
Of course, once we started for home all the kids fell asleep pretty quickly. This was fine with us as we had a 3 hour drive home through what seemed like every small town in Oklahoma. One nice thing about driving through the small towns, though, is that I was able to enjoy my very favorite gas station guilty pleasure . . . a fried burrito!
We had initially planned to stay Saturday and Sunday night in OKC, as well, and not come home until Monday. For various reasons, we decided a shorter trip would be better this time, and I was thankful we had made that decision. It was great to be home on Brianna's actual birthday (Sunday) and have a bit of a down day on Monday before the kids went back to school. We had a great time on our trip, and are looking forward to more smaller trips like this in the future!
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