Our DO-BO Day of Fun...

Before Tyler left for North Carolina, we really wanted to do one last fun family activity. We decided to head to Botanica because we were anxious to check out the new Downing Children's Garden.

My Dad had the day off and decided to join us on our little family adventure. We wanted to get going early in hopes of beating the heat (HA!) and we really agreed that no early morning trip to the downtown Wichita area is complete without stopping off at The Donut Whole.

Can I get an amen?



I think the donuts were better than ever. The Key Lime Pie donut was heavenly. And the thick mint... don't even get me started. For reals.



Everyone was more than ready to start walking off breakfast!

We made a quick stop at the fountain in the Shakespeare Garden...



Then, it was off to the butterfly house, one of the girls' favorite places!



One of the attendants was really great with the kids, and he helped each of the girls "hold" a butterfly. Tink was cool with the butterfly... until it crept up her neck. Then, not so much.



Sassy loved her monarch, and pretty much wanted to take it home.



Tink took another turn at holding one, and she was really proud of herself. Can you tell?



Tyler and the girls spent some time under the weeping willow, and Sassy thought it was SO COOL that she could hide behind there!



On the way towards the children's garden, Tink had to practice her sprightly fairy dance moves. She must be gearing up for The Ren Fest just like last year!



We made a couple of short stops in the shade to cool off. It was HOT!!!



Ty and I thought we'd take the chance to take a couple of pictures of us together before he left, too. This one turned out pretty cute, I think.



And, after a long walk, we made it back to the children's garden! It was so cute! Lots of bright colors and rainbows and sunshine.



The girls just adored the little plant watering area. This is something they love to do at home, too, but they were extra excited to water at Botanica! I think it made them feel super important!



Sassy was really concentrating at her task at hand. HA!



They had the CUTEST little open-air play cottage EVER. I told Tyler to take mental noted of every nook and cranny because I SO want to build one of these for my girls!



Then, it was time to cave and allow the girls to skip along the stepping stones. I have no idea how deep the surrounding water was (likely inches) but I was a nervous wreck, especially for Tink to participate. Guess what? They did fine. Both of them.



Don't you just wish you were a kid again, sometimes?



Me, too.

Sassy almost jumped out of her skin with excitement when she saw there was a giant tree house. Sassy ADORES tree houses, and she would live in one if she had the chance, I think. It didn't take long before these guys were off and climbing...



I was just so impressed by the design of the children's garden, and how much thought was put into all of the details. It's so interactive and so much fun!

I'd also love one of these little toadstool tables and chairs for our house. C'mon. Isn't it adorable?



We all just had a blast, really. Even if it was 107. Yep, really. It was.



Tyler and I watched proudly and discussed how much we'd miss family time like this as the girls explored caves, played musical instruments, and stayed hydrated.



Upon exiting, the girls cooled off a bit in the infinity fountain. SO cool! You can allow it to run down over your flip flops, which felt amazing, let me tell you.



I would have loved to stay there for hours, but the heat was finally starting to get the better of our fun. So, we headed home, but not without promises of our return this fall once the temperatures let up...



All in all, a super fun family day or DOnuts & BOtanica before Daddy headed east!