Spring Break to Omaha

We took a last minute Spring Break trip to Omaha.  

The weather was beautiful and we were able to find a hotel so we got up Monday morning and off we went on a grand adventure.

Travel Evie is a vibe....

The children were elated with their treat of Pop-Tarts with high protein milk drinks for breakfast and we made the whole drive without stopping.

We drove straight to the zoo.  Mr. Fross had told us about the old Little League stadium beside the zoo, and sure enough it was right there in the parking lot.  Not the full stadium, but a memorial and fun to see!

I had purchased our yearly membership online before we left and printed the card so we got through the entry gates without having to stand in the long line for tickets.

We decided to just enjoy the day and not be pressed about anything.  The weather was gorgeous and there were a lot of people but we kept our smiles and had the best day.

In the jungle!

hippos...

Not taller than the statue!

We spent a lot of time in the jungle building.

Next up - the aquarium!

Enjoying the penguins...

Cold in the arctic...

"Choose your favorite penguin..."

We had a PB&J after the aquarium and were we ever grateful that I'd brought them along - the off season meant that only a couple food places were open and the lines were very long.

We journeyed next to the African Grasslands....

One year old baby Hope...

There were sweet baby elephants, one just born the beginning of March and a couple that were about a year old.

 

Snack and water break....

Lions!

Our safari drivers got us pretty close to the lions {wink}...

After Africa we decided we were pretty spent.  We spent a bit of time in the sensory garden and then headed out for the day...

We headed to check into our hotel with the thought that the kids could have the "family hour" snacks while we got settled and then we'd find them a good filling supper since lunch had been very very light.  Checking in was a bit of a fiasco - it was crowded, valet wouldn't take our van, our room wasn't ready.  It took several deep breaths and a lot of "fake it till you make it" smiles.  By that time everyone was beyond deep hunger and we'd pushed the kids as hard as we could especially considering vacation is supposed to be fun.  We threw our bags into the room when it was ready, let everyone potty and wash up and then, instead of doing the hotel reception, we walked down Old Market and Mike chose a Spaghetti Works where everyone could get good and full.

Did we let our teen son order a whole pizza for his meal?  Yes.  He ate it all, except I did ask him to share a small slice with Zayden who ate his whole kid's meal burger and fries and was still a bit hungry (we should have had Zayden order an adult meal!).  

We walked around Old Market a bit, and then headed back to the hotel.  The children had all found their second wind (mom and dad had not) and we let them swim before tucking in for a good sleep!

Once they settled down, everyone slept hard.

Tuesday morning dawned a bit cooler but still lovely.  We had a great hotel breakfast - they had buffets and a made to order counter with 3 chefs doing the mostest on a busy morning.

We got dressed and headed back to take on part 2 of the zoo!

Sunshine and cheery attitudes!

We started day 2 in the desert dome.

Under the desert dome we hit the swamp and nocturnal "kingdom of the nights" and then headed into the theater for a 45 minute movie about the African Serengeti.

The kids had popcorn at the movie and that served as a good midday snack.

Next up....sea lion shores...

And then the gorilla and orangutan habitats...

These two are almost the exact same age...

We had a long trek to the Asian Highlands next.  A great deal of it was downhill, which was fine....except we all know that later in the day, when everyone is tired, all that went downhill must go up again.  Ha.  

This area was neat, though, and the red panda and sloth bear were highlights.

So was this guy.

The tiger was so active in the cool weather.  

A boy and a tiger.

And a girl....

We saw the snow leopards, too, but they were high up on the rocks, so we didn't really get to see them well.  The kids were a bit bummer about that one.  

This rhino was putting on quite a show.

And now, the walk back round, mostly uphill.  Xavier is such a good brother, and son.  He wore our family pack on his back most of the day, and here he's giving tiny legs a lift up a hill.

Our last stop was the insect and butterfly pavilion.  Evalynn did NOT enjoy the insect side and honestly she was quite put out by the butterflies just flapping about willy-nilly.  She did her best but did get a bit undone a couple times.  The rest of us loved the butterflies.

This butterfly.... so unassuming and plain on the outside...

But look!  God's creation is so well thought out.

We'd done it all - well everything that was open - and hope to come back once or twice yet again this year!

After we left the zoo, we googled and chose a little place called Cheeseburgers to get the kids some good hearty protein.  Parking was a bit nightmarish in the Blackstone district, but we were hungry and mom sure didn't regret that we did not settle for the McDonald's around the block.

Zayden appreciates a good burger like his mom!

Evalynn chose the hand breaded all beef corn dog.  

Mia and Xavier chose chicken strip sandwiches and Natalee had a burger, as did the parentals.  The fries were seasoned well and delicious and the staff was very kind..

The boys walked through a guitar shop but came out underwhelmed.

We popped back into the hotel to leave the big van in the fenced lot and to freshen up just a bit.  Then we walked to the Gene Leahy Mall to enjoy the sunshine and just play.  The playgrounds were very fun, even for our big kids.

It was a bit hard to keep track of everyone in the climbing part of the playground, so Mike and I stationed ourselves at opposite ends of the climbing structures.

After everyone worked up a bit more appetite we went for ice cream for...supper?....is that what you call it if you ate lunch at 3:30?

Ordering for 7 is always an adventure but we did it and I think everyone finished their choices and were well pleased.

We walked through Hollywood Candy and everyone chose a treat and then we were spent.  The kids played cards and no one had a ton of energy left so we decided to just swim in the morning before check out and call it a night.

Wednesday morning brought another delicious hotel breakfast, a swim while Dad supervised and Mom packed up the room, and then check out.

Mike and Xavier got the van out of the hotel lot and brought it 'round and my comrades and I loaded the trolley carts and waited patiently.

Vacation ended much like it began....

But with a lot of adventures stored up and our hearts full from being together.  Thank you, Mike, for taking the time and helping planning a little adventure for our crew.