We set off on a two week long vacation in Oklahoma. My parents and sister live there and Rod manages a team for work there as well. While Rod was working, we had fun adventures with Pinki (my kids' name for my mom). Our first adventure was to Pawhuska, OK to see what all the fuss was about The Mercantile by The Pioneer Woman. We waited in line for an hour to eat in the diner. The food was yummy, but probably won't wait that long for it again. We had a fun time and the kids enjoyed lots of yummy treats and a stop at the Skiatook Central Park on the way back to Pinki's house that afternoon.
My sister Melanie provided us with hours of enjoyment by leaving several vintage board games at Pinki's house. T's favorite was most definitely
Clue although we also enjoyed
Sorry and
Aggravation.
While in Tulsa, we enjoyed visiting and playing at all of our favorite parks. This day was particularly windy and Oklahoma lived up to it's song: the wind was sweeping down the plains. We quickly decided it was a better day for indoor activities and headed across town to the Tulsa Children's Museum.
The kids enjoyed the excuse to dress up while learning about water systems and how we utilize water as a resource.
T had fun experimenting with sounds on this river xylophone.
Z had fun trying out her noodling skills. It was a little startling to have the fake bass latch on to your hand.
T asked daily to play
Clue. His Aunt Melanie and grandparents were so kind to play when he asked.
We enjoyed several fun seasonal outings on our vacation. We visited the wonderland at Bass Pro after lunch at one of our favorite Tulsa restaurants. R loves Nutcracker decorations and found a perfect one for a picture with her Papa. The kids enjoyed fun bow and arrow games, playing with a remote controlled train and monster truck, and writing out wish lists for Santa.
We also took a road trip to Branson, Missouri for a fun day at Silver Dollar City. We picked up my Grandma along the way and enjoyed getting to visit and experience the day with her.
R loved riding the rides that were just her size. Her Papa even joined her for a few before we realized she was confident and controlled enough to do them on her own.
We ended our fun day by watching a Broadway-like performance of "A Christmas Carol". It was fun to hear what the kids noticed and enjoyed the most about the play. T paid special attention to how the sets moved and worked and how they made different characters "fly".
We ended our visit with a trip to The Philbrook Museum for their holiday evening experience. We loved all of the paper snowflakes hanging in the entry way. The beautifully decorated trees throughout the museum were a treat as well.
I love when museums make it easy to engage children with art and art culture. The Philbrook is free to kids year round and this special event was no exception. I so enjoyed seeing my kids express what they found interesting in the artwork throughout the museum.
The kids loved what used to be my favorite part of coming to the Philbrook as a teen: the gingerbread house displays made by local groups. T was especially impressed and took his time appreciating each and every one.
We had a wonderful trip, but it was thrilling to see our mountains and be back home as well. We are figuring out what our "normal" routine will be for the month of December.
