Potawatomi Zoo

Finally was able to make a trip to the Potawatomi Zoo here in town locally. I took Gabi, Tyler, Abby (Tyler's gf), Presley and Addy. We were a little concerned about bad weather considering showers and thunderstorms were forecasted. It was cute because Gabi, Presley and Addy said a short little prayer on the way to the zoo as it started to sprinkle..."please God, don't let it rain so we can go to the zoo and swim at maw maw's house. Amen." As soon as we arrived at the zoo, the sun came out and we were ready to go! Favorite exhibits included the prairie dogs (mine), the new butterfly exhibit (very cool!), the monkeys, and the carp (I never quite understood why out of all the animals, these are usually a favorite of the little ones).
Picked up McDonalds on the way back to my parents' house and the kids were able to swim for a couple of hours afterward. A very busy and fun day indeed! Thanks Chad and Amber, for letting us borrow the girls.
Left for home about an hour ago (3 ish) and guess what...the rain started on the ride home. Thank you God, for listening to the little ones and giving us such a great day! :)

Pammy

Happy Birthday to this beautiful woman who happens to be my sister in law! Just look at that glow she has about her...the awesome thing about it...she has it all the time, not just when she is pregnant! Pam has such a sweet, sweet spirit. We love you, Pam! We hope you have a great birthday!

Christmas In July 2009

We stuck to our annual tradition of camping at Jellystone in Fremont for Christmas in July with Chad/Amber & family and my parents. With the temps lately, it almost felt like it could be Christmas so we were a little nervous about the weather. It ended up being nice though. It rained heavily around 4 am on Saturday and was done by 5:30 am ish. Other than being a little cloudy, it was a nice weekend to camp. My parents had originally opted out of a cabin (booked anyways) but when they arrived on Friday and with the unknown weather ahead they really didn't want to camp in a tent. They checked in and found out someone had cancelled just a bit prior to them coming in. My parents jumped on the opportunity and would you believe it ended up being the cabin straight down the road from where we were set up! It couldn't have worked out better! Since we knew rain was forecasted and my parents had the room they allowed the boys to stay in the extra bedroom in the cabin so we didn't have to worry about a wet tent. Saturday morning we had breakfast planned together and it was a smorgasboard!! Eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy, potatoes, coffee, juice, danishes. Lots to do on Saturday morning...get our snowman ready for judging (thank you mom!) - we ended up getting the "Mr. Cool" award!

We decorated ornaments at craft time, rides on the golf cart, visited with Yogi and Santa, played cornhole, splash pad time, and walks. Alayna (Trenton's gf) came up right after breakfast for the day and Abby (Tyler's gf) came later in the afternoon and got to stay overnight with us.

That evening we fixed our annual dinner together with our Christmas gift exchange. We had my dad's famous ribs and chicken, potatoes, pasta salad, watermelon, corn and brownies from Alayna. Got some great gifts during our gift exchange. I got a pretty shirt from Addy, Ben got a shirt and money from dad, Trenton got a shirt and money from maw maw, Tyler got a shirt from Aunt Amber and Gabi got a pretty shirt and calculator from Uncle Chad. I have to say Chad got the best gift...from Trenton...an emergency Germ Kit filled with plastic gloves, a sample sized lysol, antibacterial lotion and wipes, and a facemask (LOL)
After dinner we snuck in a game of volleyball (complete with a pretty rainbow overhead) and ate lots of smores and pudgey pies!!!! YUMMO! Favorite part of the night!Sunday was beautiful with sunny skies and a bit warmer. We got picture time with Yogi, took some more golf cart rides, played at the park and splash pad and got around to leave. A nice weekend and a reminder of how much family means to me and how much I love camping! With the boys getting older it just gets harder for us but we cherish everytime we are able to go. We wouldn't trade our memories of camping for the world!

Vapor Jets

Can I just say that Tyler is excited about getting these new shoes via the mail from Eastbay. Personalized Vapor Jets 4.2

Ordered today...should come within a week.

Preseason Prep

For hunting that is. Yes, this fall like weather...cooler temperatures, cloudy skies made Ben very anxious for hunting season. We decided to take a ride out to a couple of his hunting spots to make sure the stands were there and take note of soybeans or corn. Gabi, Maizy and I hopped in for the ride and off we went...and of course, you know me...I grabbed my camera for any photo opp that arose. And I found some...Maizy following her daddy like "a lost puppy dog" - literally. That dog whined every time he would climb up in a tree stand. She never left Ben's side for a second.

Then there was the railroad tracks that ran through the middle of the woods...photo opp big time. Loved it!