Because we're pals with the Thunder

So THAT was amazing. Our good pals the Kimballs were out of town the day the Oklahoma City Thunder hosted their season ticket party. Who was the lucky family? The Jacobs family! They gave us their passes and let us take their spot at the event. It. Was. Incredible. We saw Russell Westbrook twice. I failed to say hi twice. We saw Daequan Cook and he was sweet enough to take a picture with us. He even called me ma'am. What! Our boys are the best. Mia was not so impressed with the whole ordeal. It was loud and there were tons of people. But we found some popcorn and all was well.

Don't serve popcorn

Mia hit another milestone: a noisy, chaotic, insane milestone. We had a sleepover. Our good friend Michelle brought her two kiddos over to stay the night with us.

The first lesson learned: you can never have two many snacks already prepared. By the time a kid asks for a snack, it's already too late. You can mosey around the kitchen, leisurely flipping through your cupboards. It's go time. You have to have something ready.

The second lesson learned: do not serve a snack you don't want to clean up. For example, don't give a group of excited, active children popcorn unless you'd like to wake up and discover popcorn kernels in your bathtub and other various locations.

They had so much fun. They watched a movie, jumped on the bed, did lots of yelling and even slept in a little bit. Noah spent lots of time riding Mia's Power Wheels. Izzy spent lots of time explaining how we should deal with Noah. Mia mostly giggled and followed them around like they were rock stars.

Mia draws the family

Mia has been drawing pictures forever, but she did something today that was especially neat. She drew a picture of our family. She made a mark for each of us - Leigh, each of the two dogs, her and me. It made my heart so happy. I might have put it in a tiny frame.

My 15 minutes

This year, I've given up swearing for Lent. Even though I'm not Catholic and the church we go to doesn't really give up things for Lent, I'm still doing it. Mostly, I'm trying to brush up my mouth so Mia doesn't repeat me and get kicked out of daycare.

The reporter who sits across from me at work has been very helpful. And then she did this: http://www.overheardinthenewsroom.com/2012/03/06/9114/.

That's me! I'm famous! Sort of. She sent in my quote to the hilarious website Overheard in the Newsroom. This is why I went to college for journalism.

One amazing park

Oklahoma City is undergoing an amazing downtown transformation. I'm not going to lie: this is sometimes a huge hassle. There are always a bunch of closed streets or weird one-ways. But each new piece that is finished has been wonderful. Case in point: this amazing park. This new children's park next to the Myriad Botanical Gardens is spectacular. It looks like a fantastical playground designed by Dr. Suess. Mia gave it to toddler thumbs-up.

The zoo and our camera

We went to the zoo, and I might or might not have gotten a little out of control with the camera. We were having a fun time until disaster struck. I'll relay the events, as told by Mia.

"I am having so much fun! I love the zoo! Daddy and I are being silly. Ha! What is that over there?"

"It's a statue of a giraffe! I love them! Oh, hugs to you, my metal friend! But what the - what is THAT? DADDY!"

"Hold me, Daddy! Why would they let a squirrel just run loose at a zoo? Aren't the animals all supposed to be in their habitats? This place is a house of horrors!"

"Don't worry, Daddy. I'll take first watch in the crow's nest until we get out of here."

And for other, safer photos:  

 

Just ducky

Leigh and Mia got to go to an awesome event this morning that I wish I could have tagged along for. (I had Newsroom 101, so I had to pass.) Our good friend Lauren works for a charity called Oklahoma City Beautiful, and their teen board came up with a really cool fundraiser: a rubber duck race. For $5 you got a rubber duck that was dumped into a canal, and the fastest three ducks won prizes. There were a billion ducks, and three of them were ours. You could decorate your duck for an extra dollar, and as you can see, Mia was very diligent in doing so. We didn't win. Maybe next time, duck racers.

How's the game?

Leigh gets up really, really early to watch soccer. Really early. He'll get up earlier on Saturdays than he does on weekdays just because a game is on. Sometimes, it's not even his favorite teams. How's this game one, Leigh?