The rest of our summer-ish

This is a little(ish) picture montage of the rest of our summer. We had a blast. And hey, I'm even writing about it before the end of the year!

To finish off our story about our visit to Utah let me begin with one of the best things about the Boswell backyard.  It's big.  I mean really big.  Not so big that you would buy a horse or a cow or anything but considering our backyard is hardly larger than ......... okay, I have nothing but our backyard is hardly larger than something not very large let me tell you - we luurrrvvved it.

Here are the kids playing on the swing set. Every night after dinner they got to go back outside and play. A picture perfect moment if I do say so myself.

And they have a 4 wheeler which didn't work well on grass until Teresa and I went a little MacGyver on it and dismantled a couple of bike tires, screwed them on the wheels and voila! - instant traction

Remember how I said we had so much fun on our day in the canyon. Well, I feel it needs to be said again. We had so much fun! It was wet. We don't get wet all that often so we try to enjoy it when we can. This picture missed all of the giggling, splashing, and merry making but it had happened. Trust me.

One thing the canyon did have in abundance was cold. We (i.e. me) don't really like cold. I do what I can to protect myself from all forms of cold. Cold is bad. So I did this to my son. Let's face it, if you have read my past blogs you will know that this is by far NOT the worse thing I have done to this boy. Thankfully Teresa found a jacket for him to wear thus avoiding a very embarrassing Oliver Twist type moment.

Unfortunately the girls were not as lucky. If you look at this picture closely you will see how similar the hats look. That is not because we had two very fetching red hats. No. It is because we had one very fetching red hat and one equally fetching bag that said hat (and a nice pair of gloves) went in. This will take years of therapy to cure. Oh well. As long as it happens after 18 so I don't have to pay for it.

Our trip also included a trip to the zoo. Look at these two cute boys together.

This is what they were pointing at. No, that is not me pregnant. It is in fact a real elephant. (Sorry I couldn't resist the pregnant joke. However, when you tell them you can only tell them about yourself - even if you are not pregnant - because real pregnant people can be mean and they move faster than one would think.)

Here is another picture of the kids together. They have such a great time. I wish we could go more often. Maybe Disney Land?

Here is a picture of the kids being done with posing together for pictures.

On one of my last blogs I showed the great children's museum Salt Lake City has to offer. Here is a picture of some of our crew playing with air tunnels. You can kind of see one just to the right of grandma Kathy.

This is why I love the science center. The picture isn't very good but look at the wonder on this kid's face. Makes my soul happy.

As much fun as all of this was though it is not the main reason I love to travel to visit friends and family - or have them travel to visit me. These are the reasons I love to go.

Cooper is so kind and patient and loving with his little cousins. Here he is reading to my baby.

And to the girls. Don't you just love this kid.

The Boswell's came to visit us as well and we met a large amount of family for a day at our zoo and a picnic after.

There was also sprinkler fun at Granner's.

But again, the greatest part is just being together with people you love. It doesn't matter, really, what you do or don't do - just that it is done together. Whether it be ........

playing in the sandbox

or jamming on our alligator pianos.

We just love to be together.

Disney Travel Log

I would just like to begin this blog with some self affirmation.  We did this a week ago.  Yes, my friends, my Disney turn around time is one week.  I should get a medal.


Here was our very first character sighting.  I was a bit apprehensive about how the whole "character thing" would go.  We took the kids to an Easter egg hunt at the store once and just seeing the Easter Bunny across the room scarred the kids for life.  For the next few months all I heard at bed time was "The Easter Bunny isn't coming right mom?"  For months!!  Heaven help me when a five and a half foot tall mouse shows up.  I tried to warn them.  "Mickey Mouse isn't small girls.  He's big like daddy."  They looked at me like I had grown a second head.  Well, I tried.  

Despite my worries all went well.  Ashton ran to Minnie and threw his arms around her.  Ellie was a close second.  Livvy wasn't interested. (The Easter Bunny was closest to her and she has never really been the same since.)  Once she saw that Minnie didn't eat the other two though she thought she might have a go at it.  She still wasn't too sure about it but at least she didn't run away screaming.  (I'm telling you the Easter Bunny will be the death of me.)

It is my humble opinion that some rides are less rides and more instruments of torture, i.e. the tea cups.  Who's bright idea was it to enclose people in a small area facing each other and then spin them until they vomit?  Thank heavens for dads!

The favorite ride of all was Dumbo.  A close second was the carousel - until we went on Winnie the Pooh.  Unfortunately Winnie does his business in the dark so I couldn't take a picture of it. (Well, that came out wrong.)  Anyway, here are pictures of Dumbo and the carousel.

There are times when, as a parent, you wonder if you are doing a good job.  Are my kids good, upstanding members of the community I wonder.  (Well, as upstanding as they can be at four and a half anyway.)  I hope they are not mean ... or twitchy.  Both would be bad.  And then something happens that lets you know you are doing a good job.  Your children show kindness when they think no one is watching. This picture isn't all that good but it shows Ellie helping Livvy down Tarazan's Tree House.  Eventually Liv didn't need any help but the first couple times her sister was invaluable.

And, lest you think this was a complete fluke - a once in a life time kind of thing.  Here is a picture of Ellie helping Livvy put on her hat.  They are 2.  (I really only included it because it was cute.

Here is the problem with having twins.  When you have them you get a double stroller which works great.  But, then you have another child and what do you do?  Get a single stroller?  Well that seems silly since you already have a double.  It's like downsizing.  As an American I feel as if it is my duty to never downsize.  But then do you get a triple stroller?  Well that just seems a bit too much doesn't it?  I mean please.  I may be an American but I'm not pretentious enough to have a triple stroller.  Plus, they don't really fit through doorways.  So this is what you do.  Getto isn't it?

Oops

Today I went to the gym.  Then I decided my fridge needed to be cleaned.  Then I was tired so I took a little nap with the kids.  Then I decided I should probably get out of my nasty gym cloths and into some real cloths.  Then I forgot to put on my pants.  Good thing I was just going to the kitchen or this might have been a much different post.

Finally

You know how sometimes you have this thing to do and you can't wait to be able to do it?  But then something comes up and you don't get to it.  And then something else comes up.  Eventually this thing that you really looked forward to doing has become this thing that you have to do.  It looms.  It stalks your dreams.  It rides on your shoulder telling you constantly that you should be taking care of business.  It never sleeps.  It never leaves your side.  

So here I am.  Blogging about the incredibly fun summer we had in a rather mundane way because our summer is over and the idea of blogging about all our fun has become a chore.  I am hoping this will help me exorcise my blogging demons.  Sorry it wont be as much fun for you to read as it was for us to experience.

As soon as school was out - yea I know, back in MAY! - we headed up to Utah and had one of the best vacations ever.  Teresa also blogged about it many moons ago and did a far better job than I am going to do.  Plus, my camera ran out of batteries so I only have pictures from the first half of the vacation which, after seeing how many I have included here, is probably a good thing.

First things first.  My baby turned 2!  While this is a great achievement for him (that is, being alive for around 730 days give or take any leap year that might have occurred and Ashton being born in the afternoon of the first day and the party occurring on or near the exact date of his birth ... well, you get my meaning.) it is harder for me.  2 is such a large number after all.

Thanks grandma Kathy for the cool dinosaur cake.

We (and by "we" I mean mostly me) decided to head up the mountain for a fun BBQ.  The girls were hoping for snow but all we got is some rain.  Still, we don't see rain that often either so everyone (and by "everyone" I do mean everyone) still had a really good time.  Being with family is fun even if you are wet and cold. To fight the cold we had to pull out our really big guns.

Teresa has much better pictures on her blog - Rainy Days and Mondays 

We also decided to head up to the children's science museum in Salt Lake.  If you ever get the chance this is by far one of the best children's museums.

The first thing you encounter is this 2 story wonderland of balls and tubes and cranks and air. What else could you ask for in life really? Here is Livvy planning out her ball strategy. I love this kid.

Next we bring you world renown xylophone experts Ellie and Cooper in their duet debut. We laughed, we cried, we were ............ moved.

There was also a construction zone...
a farm...

a real helicopter ...

and a multi-level, almost too large to be real, water play zone with - wait for it - real ping pong balls.  

The kids were in heaven.  We had to physically remove them from the premises.  The tears only stopped with promises of Old McDonalds (as my kids refer to it).

Bad Blogger Bad

I have been a bad bad blogger.  I do have a couple reasons which you may or may not see in the next few days/weeks/years/maybebeforeyoudie (no promises though).

I did want to get this quick blog out though because:

1) I am afraid you are going to quit coming to my blog since I am ... well you already know, no use in beating the proverbial dead horse.

2) I think this is really cool and would like to share it with all my really cool friends.

3) It's free - does it get any better than free?

4) I am running out of reasons but the ones listed above are really pretty good

5) I should stop now.

The great site I just found...  Okay that is an exaggeration.  The great site my husband came in and told me about is Pandora.com.  As I said before it is free.  It's like your own personal radio station on the web.  You can enter the music of your choice and it will play it for you.  For example, if you enter your favorite group it will play that group and all others in the same genre.  Pretty cool.  Maybe this will win me points?  

Olfactory Nerves

Okay, I have a question.  Are the olfactory nerves of a toddler broken? 

I have changed 2 hideous diapers for Ashton today and I have to be honest - they were horrifying. Sure, zombies and chain saws are scary but true horror is what I faced with only some wet towels. There wasn't even the usual scary music to clue me in on what was coming.  

This leads me to my point.  How is it that, when I can hardly stand to be in the same room as my cute but severely odorific (not a real word but it should be) son, he is smiling jovially up at me.  I am gagging and he is chanting "diaper rash".  (Which does not mean a less than pleasant skin irritation on the less than pleasant part of his anatomy.  What he means is "diaper trash" as in, Can I please put my own diaper in the trash?  To which I answer, yes please and thank all the saints in heaven that I don't have to around this little gem any longer than is absolutely necessary.)

Sorry, I digress.

Why is it that I am practically retching from the stench and he can grab the offensive bundle of nasty and tuck it under his arm like a pro wide-receiver?  This, of course, keeps it safe from all those 200 pound 2 year olds who are trying to force the fumble thereby retrieving the effects of the more than adequate, workings of his inner bowel.  Seriously, due to the fact that he has shorter arms and torso and an overly large cranium (don't all toddlers?) his cradling of the cr** puts it just 3 inches from his nose.  How is he still alive?!?

This is my question.  This is what I think about when the temp hits 110.  Okay, honestly, this is what I think of regardless of the temp.  It is hard to be me.

Iron man

We went and saw Iron man yesterday.  I have to say I wasn't expecting much.  I love action but am not a huge Robert Downey Jr. fan.  Plus, I really couldn't see him playing a super hero.  It was a bit of a stretch for me.  But, Brock had heard really good things about it and he had really wanted to see it.  Plus, we were double dating with some friends...

*side note here:  We finally have friends!  After only a year plus we finally have friends to hang out with.  They are a lot of fun and we now consider them our best friends in Phoenix.  Congrats to them.  (In the interest of full disclosure they are our only friends so being at the top of the list is fairly relative.) We enjoy their company so much we think of them often and have to control our desires to spend all our free time with them.  Don't want to scare them away now that we have them......... Do you think it's too early to ask them to move in with us?

Back to my movie review......

Brock and David (one of our new best friends please see above) both wanted to see this so I caved gracefully.  I have to say this was a great movie.  It was really funny and fast paced.  Has Robert Downey Jr. always been so funny?  Maybe I do like him and I have just forgotten - one of the many things to fall into the memory abyss I like to call motherhood.  

Anyway, the special effects were great, the lines were funny, and the bad guys were HUGE and very.............. bad looking - in a good way.  Iron man's trusty side kick Pepper Potts (okay, not side kick so much as assistant with attitude) was so funny I was thinking I would adopt her name in her honor.  Heather Grayson leaves so much to be desired.  But, Pepper Potts has it all. It just flows doesn't it?  Of course, with all my great ideas comes the crushing reality.  What if people begin to describe me as "peppy".  I don't like being called "peppy".  I am not "peppy".  Worse still.  What if they shorten my name and just call me "P.P."?  That is not okay with me.

Here's to Your Health

We live in the Valley of the Sun.  Sounds nice, doesn't it?  It brings to mind a beautiful sun shining over a lush green valley.  Where a light breeze blows through the trees making that sighing noise that I equate with God being happy.  The sun would be high in the sky, it's light striking leaves of various colors of green before finally finding it's way to earth to absorb the browns, reds, and blacks that make up the earth's cushion.  Of course, there would be a stream trickling away in the background, it's sounds making the melody to the lower hum of the local inhabitants going about their business.

This is not the Valley of the Sun of which I speak.  Our sun doesn't warm, it bakes.  Our leaves (if they can be called leaves) don't dance and sigh.  They draw blood, as does every other tree, bush, flower, plant, cactus, or weed we may be able to grow here.  And doesn't the word "valley" suggest that there should be some sort of higher ground around ... somewhere ... anywhere?

Despite these obvious drawbacks I am growing to love living here.  The only downside, negative, unfavorable, disadvantageous, worrisome part is the sun blindness.

"What is sun blindness," you ask.  It is when the sun causes immediate, irreversible blindness.  Hence the name - sun blindness.  Appropriate isn't it?  Yes, I think so too.  Coincidentally named maybe?  I think not.  A figment of my sun baked imagination?  I will admit to nothing.

There is no cure for sun blindness.  Precautions must be taken.  We must be ever vigilant, never slacking.  No place is safe.  That's right.  NO PLACE!

Not even the bath.....

Think Romantical Thoughts

The past couple months have been crazy here.  We have had a lot of visitors: Kathy and Richard, Aaron and Teresa and kids, Karrie, her sister, her sisters boyfriend, her sisters kid, (Karrie's sister's name is Allison.  It is not a state secret or anything.  I have just always referred to her as "Karrie's sister".  Oops.)  My parents, and Brock's parents.  We have also been sick.  All of the kids got pink eye (previous blog) and just recently Ashton got the stomach flu.  

Now, I wont go into details like I have in the past because, really, the stomach flu isn't funny.  Well, not that funny anyway.  But here is an over view.

Ashton got sick on Wednesday morning.  Thankfully we were sitting outside waiting to pick up the girls from pre-school so he didn't get sick in the car, or the pool (which is where we were a few minutes previously).  But he did get sick multiple times throughout the day and while I avoided the nasty the first time I wasn't always so lucky.  By the end of the day I had decided that the world was conspiring against me.  (I frequently think this when things don't go my way.)  Why else would Ashton get sick on the one day of the week that would be hardest for me.  Here are the reasons why that day was the worst.

1) Brock was working late so I was on my one with 2 pre-schoolers who spill their drinks  A LOT and one sick-o baby.  

2)  I had (emphasis on the past tense) planned on going with the kids over to a friends house for dinner.  Not so much once the regurgitating began.

3) I LOVE nap time.  I LIVE FOR nap time.  Angels sing and cherubs dance during nap times.  (It really is quite amazing.)  However, since Ashton was sick he didn't nap.  He was doing other things.  And, because he didn't nap neither did the girls.  This means I had all 3 of my kids for 12+ hours with no help from my husband in sight (see #1)

But, I prevailed.  I didn't let it get me down.  I got through the day with hardly a scratch and put the kids to bed early.  Then I sat.  I was tired so I just sat.  Sitting is good.

Brock came home around 9 and asked about the kids.  I filled him in on my day and then he looked at me and said:

"So, you want to get lucky?"

What!  Are you kidding me?  Do I look like I want to "get lucky"?  Do I smell like I want to "get lucky"?  Have you been listening to my day?  (I thought all this is about a nano-second.  The brain is really an amazing thing.)

What I said was:

"I've been vomited on multiple times today but if you want me..." (I even held my arms out to demonstrate how willing I am.)

Brock gave me a deadpan look and said, "Wow.  You really know how to turn a guy on."

Years of practice my friend.  Years of practice.

Easter

So, I have a little problem.  

"Little?" you think. 

Sarcasm is not helpful here.

My problem is that I declared on my blog (i.e. to the world as a whole) that I would be posting more often.  What that small declaration has lead me to is a realization that my life is not fraught with excitement.   For instance, today I took the girls to get their haircut.  That is really not worthy of blogging.  (Can you believe there was a time when our days were NOT measured by their blogging potential?  Me either.)  Maybe if it was their FIRST haircut... but it wasn't.  We have done this many times before.  Maybe if I had tinted their hair various colors.  But... I didn't.  Ellie got an orange barrette in her hair - a butterfly.  Not that interesting.  I didn't even take a picture.  Maybe if there had been singing or dancing by the beauticians, or my children for that matter, but again, there wasn't. By either.  

After the girls got their haircut I took them to McDonald's for a treat.  Still not worth mentioning really. (although I still will - mention it I mean)  We got our food.  We ate our food.  Ellie sat in the booth behind us and cried.  (I chose to sit between her and Liv instead of sitting on the other side of Ellie so I wouldn't be by Liv at all. Dad sat by himself on the other side of the table with its incredibly long bench trying not too feel too unwanted.)  Liv sat next to me and moaned that we were eating too slow and she couldn't "sit here this lo-o-o-o-o-ong".  (I didn't realize sitting required so much energy.)  Ashton ate his nuggets and grunted periodically when they got stuck in his ketchup cup.

But then!!!  I had a sudden moment of inspiration and I thought about the following. 

This is our Easter story (hence the title).

The Grayson children scored big this Easter.  Not "big" as in lots of presents but "big" as in awesome, rock your world presents.  Yes, the Easter Bunny knows my children well.  They all got candy, of course.  (Note: Ashton likes na-nee, very much.)  They also all got kites and - wait for it - nail polish.  Ok, Ashton did not get nail polish.  He got a puzzle but he is only 1 and doesn't really care that much anyway.  The girls however, were in heaven.  AND!  As if the nail polish were not enough, they also got little flower stickers to put on their nails once the paint was dry.  Red for Ellie and Pink for Liv.  It was such a good gift getting session that the girls disappeared with nary a complaint.  I finally had to call them for dinner.

Side note here:  How often have your children disappeared for an hour without a peep?  Me either.

Back to my story.  I called them to dinner.  Ashton and Liv came right away.  Ellie eventually showed up and informed me  that she was going to be a little late for dinner because she had to finish her toes.  I paused and thought a moment.  Finish? That can't be good.  I looked down and sure enough all 10 finger nails (to the first knuckle on some) and 5 toes were painted.  I panicked.  

"Where did you paint them Ellie?"  I asked with a note of hysteria in my voice.  Ellie picked up on my panic at once and stopped talking to me.  "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law" was, I'm sure, what she was thinking.

"Please, Ellie.  You're not in trouble.  Just, please tell mommy where you did your nails?" I pleaded.

"Your closet" was the whispered answer.

I flew across the house to my carpeted closet and found.... nothing.  There was the polish - open - and the stickers, but nothing had spilled.  I am not sure how my 4 year old managed to get the bottle open and paint 15 of her 20 appendages without spilling a drop.  The carpet gods were smiling.

Here is a picture of Ellie's first attempt at self beautification.  She didn't do too bad.

books

Ok, I have a favor to ask the blogging community, or at least those that read my blog.  I have just finished reading the twilight books for the second time and am tempted to begin again mostly because I have run out of ideas.

So in this vein I am asking for your help.  If you are reading this could you give me your 10 favorite books or authors (which is how I usually decide)?  In return here are some of mine.  These are just fun books, of course if we are talking about life altering books the scriptures would be top of the list.  (In no particular order.)  

1. Twilight books

2. The Alchemist (small, simple read that for me was very profound)

3.  Spencer books by Robert Parker (these are PI books that are also simple reads but they are great get away books)

4. Harry Potter

5. The Prey books by John Sandford (these are very disturbing books - definitely rated R.  they are all about serial killers and the cop who tracks them.  I love them but they are offensive to some)

6. Wheel of time by Robert Jordan (if you like fantasy)

7. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson (this is actually a travel book - I never read travel books - and was one of the funniest books I have ever read)

8.Much Ado about Nothing by Shakespeare (because I can relate)

9. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (I thought the language was beautiful however parts of the story are hard to read)

10. Timeline by Michael Crichton (this was a great concept - the movie was terrible)

Anyway, this is my list.  It was actually kind of hard to put together because I can't remember all the books I have ever read.  I may do this again sometime.

I have a dream...

**Note:  This post is long.  Really, really long.  Read at your own risk.  (This is what you get when you ask me to post more often.  I can get a little carried away and no one has ever accused me of being succinct.)

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; 'and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.'"

This is, arguably, the most famous speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963.  It is one of my favorite orations of all time.  No matter how many times I hear it or read it, whether partially or in its entirety , it raises goose bumps on my flesh and brings tears to my eyes.  

I love his eloquence.  "With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope."

His simple phrases that inspire humanity to reach to a greater height than they may think possible. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."  (this is my absolute FAVORITE line of the whole address)

His compassion that encourages others to kindness when they have so much reason for hatred.  "Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred."

It is with all these things in mind, with the greatest regard and the upmost respect for the man and his vision that I post the following....

I too have a dream.  Mine is not grandiose.  Mine will not alter the fabric of society nor change the destiny of a nation.  Mine is not filled with the passion of years of injustice, the burning of righteousness or the nobility of truth.  

No, mine will do none of these things.

It is simple. But, to me, it is profound.  I have a dream that one day I may be able to use the bathroom all by myself.

I have a dream that one day I will be able to use the bathroom without a small voice calling to me, "Mommy, did your pee-pees wake up?"

I have a dream that one day I will be able to use the bathroom without someone barging in and announcing passionately, "Mommy, it stinks in here!  I'm getting out of here!"

I have a dream that one day I will be able to use the bathroom without watching the door handle turn and a head pop-in to ask, "Mommy, can you get me some more milk?"  I can't right now.  Obviously.

As I said, it is not profound but it is my little dream.

Pink

Pink is an interesting color.  It brings to mind spring time, Easter, flowers, and bunnies (although I could not begin to tell you WHY pink makes me think of bunnies - I have never seen a pink bunny).

However, this past week my kids have contracted pink eye which, to be perfectly honest, does NOT bring any of the afore mentioned sweetness to mind.  In fact, it brings to mind much nastiness. Pink eye is NOT a symbol of new life and baby animals romping playfully through a meadow.  It is NOT a reminder of time spent with family frolicking in warm spring days.  I do NOT revisit the cotton candy moments of my youth where birds sing, butterflies flutter and kites float lazily on the breeze while children squeal in delight.

  

No, pink eye is none of these things.  Putting the word "pink" in front of the word "eye" does NOT in anyway make the word "eye" more pleasing.  Just the opposite in fact.

Pink eye has made all three of my children look like they have lost boxing matches against really famous boxers whose names I will not even pretend to know.  Their eyes are red and swollen and incredibly foul things leak out of them.  To top it all off I get to line up all of my children for eye drops.  It worked great - the first time.  Now they know it is not a pleasant experience to put stinging, itchy drops in sore eyes.  (You can't say my kids aren't bright.)  As if the drops are not enough the kids are not allowed to touch their eyes.  So here I go...

 I put the drops in. 1 drop 3 times a day.

"Don't touch." I say.

Instantly little hands and even littler fingers leap up to the eye region of the face.  

"Don't touch." I repeat as I attempt to block their ever increasing attempts to reach their eyes.

  Little hands and even littler fingers continue to move with dizzying speed as they eventually break through my defenses and attempt to pop their offending eyeballs out of their ocular cavities.  

"Don't touch." I repeat again as I remove their hands in an attempt to preserve the eye.  

It is at this point that my cute, precious little angels turn into little creatures of pure malice that seek to take my life.

Pink eye is not my friend.

Field trip to the zoo

In the spirit of my brand-new, blog more frequently, resolution, here are pics of the kids at the zoo.  This was their second ever school field trip.  I didn't post pics of the first.  As Aaron would say, "I fail at life".

Here is a pic of the entire class.  Ellie is on the far left of the picture chewing on her Diego sport cup.  Liv is hiding behind the little red headed boy - you can't see her.  Can my kids pose or what?

Ok, seriously.  What is this?  Cheetah?  Jaguar?  Leopard?  How does one tell?  Apparently a trip to the zoo did not help ME at all.

My girls posing again.  They refuse to put down the cups and Ellie wont look up.  So much for a career in TV.

We went to the Wild Zoo which was really a lot of fun.  As you can see the kids are able to get pretty close to the animals.

Sad when the kangaroo poses better than the children.

This was BY FAR the best part of the zoo.  The lorikeet feeding.  The kids were able to hold a piece of an apple and the birds would fly down and eat it right out of their hands.  It was really neat.  Liv loved it.  Ellie, not so much.

Picture of the class before the train ride.

The girls were enthralled by the tortoise (the large, flat, rock looking thing in the upper left hand corner).   Now, I myself am an animal lover and the tortoise was cool and all but this picture captures all the excitement the tortoise has to offer.  This is it.  I finally had to drag them away.  


This was our next big adventure.  Feeding the giraffes.  The girls would not do it so I had to hold them up while I fed the giraffe.  "You will have fun so help me......"

Is it just me or does this camel look dead?  The girls were quite concerned.

I was thinking of doing this with Ashton's hair.  What do you think?

This white tiger was beautiful.  He was sleeping until all the kids came around.  At which point I am thinking, that he was thinking, "Lunch".