Ft. Wayne Zoo

It has become a tradition for Vicki and I to take the kids to the Ft. Wayne Zoo every summer. My Grandma Rose has a grandparents season pass so we all get in free, which is a nice bonus! Last year the African branch of the zoo was closed for remodeling which was a bummer because that is my personal favorite part of the zoo. We made our annual trip last week and the African part of the zoo was reopened and boy was it AWESOME! It was by far the best zoo experience I have ever had. Our Uncle Mark was here from Thiland when we went so he came too and took some awesome pictures!

It was a cool day so we actually got to see the animals that are typically hiding in the shade. We got to see the lions. The male was just on the other side of the glass. I couldn't believe my luck!

The kids got to feed the giraffes and play drums. We finished up the day with the usual ride on the carousal. It was a great day!

Louisville

We went t0 Louisville over the weekend and went to eat at a restaurant on the Ohio River. It was a very kid friendly place. They had a playground complete with swings and a slide.

There was a large hill and we thought the Ohio River was on the other side, but when we got to the top all we saw were railroad tracks! The kids thought they were pretty neat so it all worked out. We opted to not walk through the woods to the river because the trail was very narrow and we didn't want anyone to get poison ivy.

After lunch we went back to Jeff and Mary Lee's and played crochet and the kids had their first encounter with the ice cream man. Ari had a Tweety Bird ice cream bar, Piper had Sponge Bob ice cream bar and Em and I shared a chocolate eclair bar. I hope they don't realize the ice cream man drives around Kokomo too!

All in all, it was another great Louisville Trip!

Busy Weekend!

Boy did we have a busy weekend! Saturday morning we were up and running, we went to the farmers market (which was pretty lame) and got a cantaloupe and then went to Top Banana to get what the farmers market lacked and then we went swimming. Em took a nap and then the kids were off to Nana's so Luke and I could go play cards at Jan & Marty's. I successfully lost most of my money there for like the 3rd time!

Yesterday we were off again to the Anderson's for a cookout and then back to Jan & Marty's to swim! Ari is big enough this year to really enjoy jumping on the trampoline and Piper got into the action too.

The kids also got some volleyball lessons from their Dads.

As for Em... you know her... she is too girly for this stuff!

Slide Away

One of the best things about the summer is playing at the park. Who doesn't like big fast slides or swinging high? This summer I have spent more time at the playground than since I was a kid. Angela and I meet every Tuesday morning at the park and the kids play until lunch time. Sometimes we will walk around and look at the ducks and squirrels. A couple of weeks ago Ang brought some walnuts and we actually fed the squirrels. The kids really liked that. I will miss these days as the summer draws to an end, but maybe it will stay warm enough that we can keep going for awhile.

What a mess!

Today I had my niece Piper for a couple of hours and my niece Lilli the whole day. It is now nap time and I am enjoying the silence, well maybe not silence, but it is definitely quieter. My friend Mary called this morning and she asked if she and the boys (they are 3 and 1) could come by for a visit since they were in town and I said sure, but I warned her of the chaos. She said they would be by in a little bit. Ang and Piper were just leaving when she got here and the house was a disaster. I don't think you could imagine how bad it was. Four kids 3 and under make a HUGE mess! There were toys strewn from the living room into the dining room and the kitchen, not to mention the den. Mary walked in and said "Oh my goodness!" She immediately said, "We will help you clean this up" and I assured her it wasn't necessary and I would get to it later. She began cleaning up anyway, which isn't a surprise if you know Mary (very organized!). The only bummer is I was going to take pictures of the mess to post and now I don't have any. I thought if I asked her to stop so I could take some pictures she would think I was crazy.
Thanks for the help Mary!