Kids' Museum with K & H

On Thursday morning we were excited to have a playdate scheduled with our favorite gals, Kacia and Harlow. I knew my crew would want to hit up the Pittsburgh Children's Museum for a final visit, and since it is literally down the street from their casa, it made sense to meet there. 

We arrived a few minutes earlier than our friends, so the boys spent some time climbing in the maze that is right at the museum's entrance. Porter had a little bit of difficulty navigating its ups and downs, but his big brother offered him some guidance.

"This way, Porter!"

Thought he was pretty cool for getting higher than Mommy.

After the maze, we took the elevator straight up to the new Waterplay floor, where Kacia and Harlow met us not long afterward. Since our last trip to the museum, this exhibit has been completely renovated, so much of it was brand new to us. We spent the bulk of our time yesterday exploring all of the fun new stations -- and getting plenty wet, since we opted out of wearing plastic smocks. :)

Spinning the 7-foot water mover.

Scooping shaved ice into cups and trays.

Getting her hands on some ice, too.

Dropping items in the Vortex.

Transporting buckets of H2O.

They make a great team.

Hand pumping water is hard work!

"Finally, those boys are gone and the girl can take over!"

He was so proud of the dam he built.

Once we'd been playing for about 45 minutes or so, Kacia and I suggested that we go downstairs for a change of scenery. Like I said, Kaiser and Porter didn't hold back too much and were pretty soaked, so we made a quick stop at the new air blowers to see if they'd help us dry off a bit.

Keeping the tube at a safe distance.

Caught off guard by the blast of air!

From there, we headed to the part of the museum that has rotating exhibits every few months. Its current theme is "Adventures with Clifford the Big Red Dog". I was busy chatting with Kacia and didn't get too many pictures, but it was really darling. This room was a little more baby-friendly than Waterplay; Malone enjoyed being out of my arms and down on the floor in a couple of the areas.

Cleo's Backyard was a perfect spot for standing practice.

Sliding down Clifford's tail.

Captaining the Birdwell Island Ferry.

It wasn't long before our watches and tummies were telling us it was time to eat, so we headed to the cafe for lunch.

Someone really wanted to hold her buddy's hand on the way.

When we'd finished eating, the Hosmer girls had to say goodbye so that they could get home for naptime. Kaiser asked if we could stick around and play in the Garage for a little while, but we decided to spend our remaining time hanging out in the Makeshop area, instead.

Building brothers.

Absolutely fascinated by the light-up platform.

"Dude, can you believe how awesome this is?!?"

Watching the washers crash down one last time.

I wish we could have had the entire day to appreciate all of the wonderful exhibits that the Children's Museum has to offer, but I knew full well at least two in our group would have had complete meltdowns if naptime had been ignored. My kiddos and I are so thankful for all of the fun that this museum has provided to us these past few years, and we couldn't have asked for better friends with which to share our last playdate there!

First (& Final) Spray Park Trip

Yesterday my three peeps and I headed out to the Troy Hill Spray Park. This was one of our favorite spots to play last summer, so I figured we'd better squeeze in a visit before our move. We had planned to meet friends of ours there, but found out that morning that they wouldn't be able to join us. We took our time around the house, let Malone get in a decent morning nap, and arrived around 11:00. It was warm and bright and a perfect day to splash around, so it didn't surprise me that the park was already hoppin' with plenty of kiddos.

Seeing as this was Sister's very first time to sport a bathing suit, a few pictures were in order before we tested the waters. I bought this lil number for her last summer at Target, shortly after we were shocked with the news that Baby Braly #3 was a she!

Couldn't have imagined then how cute she would look in it now.

Not so sure about this "splash around in the water" thing...

Too busy watching the action to look at the camera.

Kaiser was rearin' to go and jumped right in as soon as we got there. He was racing around from place to place and was soaked before he knew it. 

Don't drink it!

Porter took a little longer to warm up to the water, but eventually he was dripping wet, too. We had brought along a few of our plastic construction truck toys, at least one of which was in his hand at all times. 

A boy and his front loader.

I tried to introduce Malone to the water by holding her at some of the smaller sprayers so that just her feet got wet, but each time she would just start to whine. Forget sitting her on the ground and letting her play in the water -- that just wasn't gonna happen. She remained content either being carried around on my hip or sitting in my lap on our bench. We'll work on it. :)

In her defense, that water was pretty cold!

My sidekick and I ventured out a few times to run under the rainbow sprayer, but other than that mostly enjoyed watching her big brothers from the sidelines.

These two were rarely in the same spot.

 Just got nailed with a bucket of water from overhead.

Mommy convinced both of them to stand under the bucket together. :)

(Right after this, they gave each other the biggest "We did it!" hug!)

We kept busy splashing for about an hour before deciding to take a timeout to eat lunch. Then the boys went up to the playground for a few minutes while I finished feeding Malone. Shortly after returning to the water, Kaiser took a fall and skinned up his knee pretty badly. He sucked it up and stopped crying, but wasn't really up for too much more running around. Porter decided he was kind of tired, too, so we changed clothes, packed up our things, and headed home to nap.

Though we are sad to say goodbye to the Troy Hill Spray Park, something tells me we'll be able to find a place like it in our new, hotter-than-you-know-where city. :) I'm certain there's much more splashing to be done by the Bralys this summer!

Bullet Points

It's no secret that there's a whole lot happening in our world right now, so I thought I'd do a quick list of some of the more important stuff (and maybe some of the less important stuff, too) that's going on:

• First things first: On Thursday, May 30, we officially closed on the sale of our house!
  
  After nearly eight years of home ownership, it was strange (and exciting!) to step, once again, into the role of renters. I haven't shared much about this process, but trust me when I say it was God-orchestrated. We were actually approached by an incoming ortho resident and his wife back at the end of March, before we'd had a chance to put our house on the market. They fell in love with it and quickly knew it was where they wanted to raise their two children (and any others that come) for the next five years. As it turns out, they weren't working with a realtor, either, so we decided to go the "for sale by owner" route. We were thrilled to not only avoid commissions (which meant we could give them a better price on the house, too), but also to not have to worry about the whole showing process I had so dreaded. Now, that's not to say that the two months that followed were a breeze; those closest to me know that both parties were thrown more than one curveball, and we all definitely learned some difficult lessons along the way. But, in the end, the deal was done, which is what matters. We are able to leave for Atlanta without carrying the burden of still owning a house here, and for that we are truly praising the Lord! He may have kept us in suspense for a while, but clearly pulled through bigtime for the Bralys.

• Speaking of Atlanta, we also (finally) have a home lined up there, too! Again, I didn't go into much detail here on the blog, other than to say that I was s-t-r-e-s-s-e-d out, but this process was not anywhere near as simple as we had hoped and expected. Our house-hunting trip back at the beginning of May was not what I would call successful, as we returned having only applied for one house -- for which we found out later that week we had not been selected. {Insert Kyndal having a total meltdown/fit/pity party.} Fortunately, it didn't take long for us to realize that God had closed that door for a reason (to be honest, we were nervous we'd be over-extending ourselves financially, but were determined to make it work), and we set our sights on a more reasonably-priced backup house -- which we didn't get, either. (This time, the reason being that we only wanted a 14-month lease instead of 2-3 years like another applicant, which I understood.) What followed was nearly two weeks of drama on my part, and even a bit on my hubby's, who normally doesn't let very much worry him at all. But, you know how the story goes; God did what He does best and provided for us. Brett randomly found a home online that we'd not seen while we were in Atlanta, but was just down the road from our #1 and #3 houses, so we were very familiar with the area. Though we were only able to look at pictures, we both agreed that we felt more comfortable with it than we did with several places that we'd seen in person during our trip. We called, it was still available, we applied, and a few days later we found out WE HAD A HOUSE! 
  
  Sweet. Relief. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still a teensy bit nervous about the whole sight-unseen thing, but we trust this is what the Lord wants for our family and cannot wait to make this place our home for the next year. Stay tuned...

• Now that we've sold our house and signed a contract on our new one, all that's left to do is finish packing everything up! So much easier than it sounds, especially when you've got three little people's needs to tend to all day. They are pretty darn cute; I guess we'll pack them up and take them along. :)
  
  We are officially in the home stretch, though. Like, the 9 days until my husband graduates from residency stretch. The 10 days until we pack a truck with all of our earthly belongings stretch. And the 11 days until we drive out of Pittsburgh for the last time stretch. Eeeeek! This move has been my ever-waking thought for the past several months, and I really can't believe that we're down to less than two weeks. I don't know that the reality will fully hit me until Thursday, June 20...

• In other somewhat related news, the week/weekend before last, Brett was gone from Wednesday morning through Monday night for job interviews in Oklahoma. The timing was less than ideal, considering another F5 tornado hit the OKC area on Friday night, but thankfully he and all of our other family members were safe. (You'd better believe I spent all night here watching The Weather Channel on the TV and local news on my phone!) It goes without saying that, after six loooong days, we were glad to have our Daddy back home.
  
  Both interviews went well, and Brett left feeling extremely encouraged about one of the potential opportunities. Of course, no contract yet. Part of me wants to turn cartwheels and scream "Hallelujah!" at the top of my lungs at even the thought of getting to go back to OK, but I know better than to get my hopes up too high. We still have a some road left ahead of us. It has come as no surprise that, after recent events, several people here have asked me, "Why move back to Oklahoma?" All it takes is me looking at this picture (texted by Brett from Jefe's ranch):
  
  Because, as difficult as it may be to understand, it is HOME. I may not have been born in Oklahoma, or even have lived most of my life in Oklahoma, but my heart is in Oklahoma. As are our dads, his mom, my brother, our sisters, and so many other family and friends whom we so dearly love. And so, we will continue to pray fervently that God makes a way for the Bralys to return...

• In light of my list thus far, it may not be surprising that, ever since experiencing it during worship at Passion City Church last month, I cannot. stop. singing this song:

It is my anthem in a season that has been filled with uncertainty. The Lord our God is ever faithful. He is never changing. We know that He is good. We won't move without Him. He is all that we need. My heart clings daily to these truths.

• As excited as we are for our upcoming move, I know that we will undoubtedly miss mild summer evenings in our backyard (especially when we are melting down in Hotlanta). We've had several lovely ones lately; I've been trying my best not to let myself get too distracted, and to soak up the remaining moments of watching my babies play in this outside space that has been so good to our family these past five years.

• I snapped a couple of pictures on my phone last week that might provide some insight into my life lately. You may or may not find them as funny as I do. :)

Truth.

When all of our dishes are already packed up, we make due...

• And finally, because I know my parents will never complain about seeing too many pictures of their grandbabies, here are a few that make their momma smile:

Rockin' some 8-minute abs with Daddy before bed.

Skeptical on Saturday morning.

Almost mobile and oh-so-proud!

One Last Melder Morning

On Tuesday the kiddos and I were looking forward to a special morning with Amy, Tavin, and Penn. It was hard to believe that, after over four years of playdates with these dear friends, it would officially be our last. :( After Malone's early nap, the four of us headed over to the Melders' for some fun. Penn was still down for his nap when we arrived, so we all hung out upstairs in Tavin's room until he woke up.

Our truck-lovin' boys.

We didn't spend too terribly long playing on the third floor, but that didn't keep Kaiser and Porter from creating a big mess in their buddy's room. Once we'd done a quick clean-up, our crew headed back downstairs, where Am and I got the munchkins ready for a walk down the road to Osceola Parklet. It was quite fitting that we go to this playground, since back in the old days we used to meet here for playgroup on a weekly basis. While the big brothers ran around exploring the equipment, our two tiniest had a baby date on the swings. 

Maloney B was workin' it.

 Both were babbling and squealing up a storm.

This dude even stayed happy when his momma walked away for a bit.

Twisting to look at Penn (and show him her bubble-blowing ability).

Kaiser started pestering us for lunch shortly after we got there; soon enough it was noon and time to eat! We spread out our big mat and all copped a squat. As Amy and I tried to take advantage of the photo op, I was struck by how crazy it is that we now have six kids (including Koen, who was at school). When we first met back in the fall of 2008, we had only one child between the two of us. When it comes to growin' families, the Melders and Bralys clearly don't mess around! :)

The hungry lil monsters.

Amy snagged this sweet pic of our boys.

After lunch (followed by some much-anticipated chocolate chip cookies that our friends brought along to share), Tavin, Kaiser, and Porter headed to the basketball court to race around. My boys were on foot:

Love watching his awkward trot.

Meanwhile, Tav spun around on his wheels:

He's a scootin' machine.

Once Amy had finished feeding Penn, we brought our mat over to a shady spot close to the basketball court so that we could keep an eye on the boys. (They, of course, abandoned this location shortly thereafter.) We mommies thoroughly enjoyed lounging around with our laid-back babes and getting to talk at length about some of our latest challenges.

Penn Rye is so precious.

Can't help but tickle this chubster.

A bit past 1:00, we decided to load our strollers with kiddos and gear and begin the walk home. Upon getting back to their house, my worn-out crew hopped straight into our van to head home for afternoon naps.

Though I knew we would probably have a couple more opportunities to see each other before we left, it was still sad to say goodbye. Our families have made so many fond memories together over the years; the Melder boys hold a special place in our hearts, and Amy has been one of my closest mommy friends and a huge source of encouragement to me. We are counting on them paying us a visit (in fact, Kaiser's already got it all mapped out!) either during our time in Atlanta or afterward when we're settled somewhere for good.

Thanks again for taking a special farewell trip to Osceola with us, Amy, Tavin, and Penn! We love you (and Koen and Doug, too)!

Art Camp

Last year after school let out, Kaiser attended four days of an Eric Carle-themed summer art camp and really enjoyed it. When it came time to register for this year's art camps, Kaiser was excited to go again. Though I wasn't sure what our status would be in terms of our move, I went ahead and signed him up for the first week. Together we selected a class entitled "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands", which was centered upon God's creation. Though Kaiser's regular teacher wasn't in charge of this session, she was one of the assistants, so he was also looking forward to seeing some more of Mrs. W!  

Because of the Memorial Day holiday, camp started on Friday, May 24, and continued the following Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Kaiser was on auto-pilot that first morning and went ahead and posed for a picture, as usual. :)

Thumbs up for gettin' artsy!

My boy hopped back in the car at 1:00 that afternoon looking a little worn out, but like he'd had a whole lot of fun. He came home empty-handed, explaining that everything was still at school drying. As we drove home I asked him some questions about the projects they had worked on, and he was giving me such animated answers that I asked him to recount it for me when we got home.

I thought it would be fun to videotape his descriptions about what they did each day, and then compare it to the finished product once it came home. Early the next week, I got to see firsthand his "rock cookie":

And his "noodle bowl", which stayed at camp a bit longer because it had to dry after being sculpted and again after being painted:

When Kaiser handed this to me, he actually declared that it was a "peach pot" and said that we should probably put peaches in it. (???) I wasn't sure where this new name had come from, and just assumed that maybe because it was orange one of his teachers had said it looked like a peach. Later, I was going through school paperwork and came across the art camp flyer with the description of his class. It said that among the projects the students would complete was a pinch pot. Ahhhhh. Suddenly it made much more sense. :)

So, my great intentions of recording a brief video of Kaiser at the end of every class lasted all of one day. Honestly, he was just too tired to answer my questions most of the time. From Tuesday through Friday I mostly only heard about how delicious the popsicles they had for snack were and what flavor he had gotten that day. That's my boy. :)

I do feel confident that somewhere in there amidst the popsicle-eating and running around on the playground, Kaiser and the other boys and girls in his class were reading books, singing songs, talking about, and working on art and craft projects that related to God's beautiful creation. Here is what he brought home to show for it:

Ocean in a bottle.

Tic-tac-toe game.

(Which is great, but we need to paint a few more ladybugs and beetles to make it really useful.)

Plastic egg snake.

That hand on the left is a little wonky, but cute nonetheless.

Pretty excited about taking his flower with us to re-plant in Atlanta.

But not as excited as he was to sport his sah-weet new superhero shirt, which got a double thumbs up on the last day! :)

(Uncle Chris & Aunt LuLu, you rock!)

All in all, it was a wonderful week for my almost pre-K'er. I don't think either of us were quite ready for the school year to end as quickly as it did, so this provided some additional fun time with teachers and friends for Kaiser (and some special time for Mommy with his younger siblings). He had a blast and is already asking if his new school has art camp, too!