Family Outings

As soon as school was over, we made a list of things we wanted to do this summer. We have been packing in as much as we can before the summer really gets crazy with grad school and a cross country trip. So far we have done Tball, swimming lessons, played with friends, camped in the backyard, and walked to the library. Our bigger outings were to the zoo and the children's museum. I think we will all be exhausted when it is time for school to start again.

The zoo is always at the top of the list of fun places the kids want to go. This time it finally worked out to do the bird show. Brook and Ally were a little bit nervous about the birds flying over head. It was pretty cool, actually. They even talked us into a donation so Zac could have his picture taken with a bald eagle. It was a great start to our day at the zoo.

Sariah loves the zoo. This time she walked the whole way. Way to go, Sariah. She got to spend some time with the camels and even got to talk to a keeper about them. We learned that the camels' names are Mabel and Gobi. We got to watch Mabel eat a treat that was supposed to lure her onto a new scale that she was not wild about. Smart girl. What woman is excited about getting on a scale?


Sam loved the zoo, too. Especially when we let him run on his own.

One of Brook's favorite things this time was the egg at the playground. She was quite content to crawl in and out and sit inside. Maybe it was nice and cool in there. The weather was actually perfect and the zoo was not too crowded either.


They do have a new exhibit of sorts. There are animated dinosaurs all over the zoo. Some made noises and others sprayed water; they all move. Ally and Brook were a little nervous, but Zac thought they awesome. So did I. If you are headed to the zoo this summer, be on the lookout for the dinosaurs.

I love spending time with my crazies. We fit right in at the zoo, loud and wild!

A friend also gave us a pass to the children's museum, so we decided to squeeze in a trip. Zac asked if we could ride the train into downtown. We thought, why not? The trip up was great. The kids kept saying, "This is so fun."

Sam was not as impressed. Probably because he filled his diaper right before we got on. The trip home was a little less fun. We hit all the after work traffic. The train was crowded and we could not all sit together. But the kids were very well behaved and made new friends. They were cracking people up with their very "candid" report of our outing.


The museum was amazing. The kids all enjoyed the Life Flight helicopter on the roof. They could climb inside and pretend like they were flying the helicopter. There was even a button that made chopper sound effects. It scared Brook as it was fairly loud, but she was brave enough to get back in and take a turn at the controls.

Sariah about came unglued when she saw the grocery store. She was definitely in her element as cashier. She enjoyed scanning groceries for several of the kids in the store. It was fun. I secretly wanted a turn, too. Play is an important part of life for all of us.

Ally was excited to play mailman, but before she could deliver any mail she was off to the construction zone where she made fast friends and built amazing structures with them.

Zac liked the construction zone, too. He was also pretty excited about the rock wall. Coming down was harder than it looked. Little Sam wanted a turn, too. That is him in the green shirt.

Brooklyn would have spent all day in the playhouse. There was a little kitchen and a pink mommy dress, all just her size. She also loved the grocery store. Life got even better when she learned that you could shop at the store and bring the groceries back to the house to put away in the cupboards.
Sam loved the museum, too. There were lots of balls and places to run. His favorite was the water play area. He cried when it was time to leave. I missed the photo op since I was keeping track of the others. But here he is drinking water. Does that count? Probably not. All in all it was a fun day. While family outings get a little hairy sometimes, they are totally worth it. I am glad we a building a treasure trove of memories together. Family time is always time well spent!

Kindergarten Graduation

Ally hit another big milestone -- Kindergarten graduation. Aunt Nicole got to come with us. She was a life saver, wrangling kids and taking pictures and doing things with my camera that I did not know my camera could do. Hence the way cute picture above.

The kids did a great job with their program. My personal favorite is "The Rules of the Classroom." There is something too fun about watching little bodies groove to the music. Ally was so excited to perform for us. We were treated to several pre-performances at home at the dinner table and in the living room. Still, the actual day was a treat. We really do have a great elementary school and amazing teachers. At the end there was a slide show. I have to admit that I got a little teary as I watched and the country song, "Let Them Be Little" played in the background. Life goes too fast and we do need to let our kids be little. All too soon the messes and noises will be over and I will long to have my happy little kids climbing all over me.

Sariah, Brook and Sam got to come watch the program, too. They were very patient especially since they could not see very well.


Ally is a social butterfly. She makes friends wherever she goes. So it is only appropriate that we snapped a few pictures with friends.

I love you, Pal and I am so proud of the great kid you are. You will conquer first grade just like you have everything else. There is nothing you can't do!

Haircut!

Yes, Sam was in serious need of a haircut. And yes, we needed some good "before" pictures, aka blackmail for later:) Most of them were in the tub. Sam, you can thank me later for not posting those.



As you can see, Sam was thrilled about the whole process. We took him to see Tisha, who really is a professional. He sat very still through all the tears. Brooklyn was with us and was very concerned that Sam was so upset. Tylie had to take her for a little walk. Thanks, Tylie.

In five minutes, Sam grew right up. It still amazes me how much more grown up they look after their first haircut. Now Sam really is my little man. Thanks for humoring me, buddy.

Numero Uno

Our Sam is officially one. It is hard to believe that he is a whole year old. On the other hand, he is such a part of us that it is hard to imagine our life without him. He was definitely meant to be part of our family. We had fun celebrations for his big day. Two days before his actual birthday, we were at Pack Night. Our friend fed him little pieces of her cookie and then gave him is very own, whole cookie. He was delighted. I wish I had taken a video. He has this infectious little giggle. (According to Grandma and Grandpa, Joseph used to giggle like that, too. I know, it is hard to imagine Joseph as a giggler.) Sam had us all laughing along with him. If only we were all so pleased with the little pleasures of life.


Backing up a few more days to Easter Sunday . . . When we were all together for Easter dinner, we celebrated with Sam and Brook. Sam was not to sure about unwrapping presents. He tore off one small piece and then tried to put it back on. How cute. He liked his singing puppy from Grandma. He also like Brook's toys. We had to keep luring him away from all the pink stuff.

Finally his actual birthday arrived. He still did not quite know what to do with the wrapping paper, but he liked the toys. So did his siblings. I was excited to give him this little racetrack, but he hardly got a turn with it. The big kids took over. Zac was the worst. Now Sam just sits in it. Oh well. It's the thought that counts.

Sam knew exactly what the puffs were and knew just what to do with them.




As per tradition, he got his very own cupcake all to himself. He was not hesitant at all. He pulled the candle right out and as soon as the wrapper was off, he started shoving it in his mouth. His bandaged hand did not slow him down by any means. We got some great video that will hopefully be on the blog soon.

We love you so much, Sam. We love your smiles and growls; we love your toddle waddle and side-to-side head bobble. Please don't grow up too fast. We don't want to miss a thing!