There is a Good Reason Why He Does This Shirtless!

Ooooo... Sweet Cherries are SOOO GOOD!

Luckily, we've found they don't stain skin quite so easily as they stain clothes.

Love, Us.

The Animals of Africa

Well, you've seen the people of the zoo... now for the Animals!

But before them, I want to share one plant we saw "in Africa". Isn't this water lily huge and beautiful!?

In fact, it was obviously so stunning to me that I failed to take a picture of the giraffes and ostriches behind it!

 This zoo was awesome! They had four lion cubs Romeo's age... and to them it wasn't a huge deal!

Daddy, hanging out on his "Mufasa" rock.

Now, my husband is VERY fit... but I dare say he may have a challenge going against this guy in a WOD!

That, and he seems to have a penchant for the taste of balls, like a little red-head who hangs around our place.

Lemurs... being lemurs.

Flamingos!

... proof that God sat back, looked at creation, and said "I think we need a little more pizzazz here".

 Anyone in need of a poison dart?

OK - so this may look like an everyday bird. Wrong-O! It's from Africa! 

(Really... I'm not joking.)

However, I'm pretty sure this critter is NOT.

Did I mention that I LOVE elephants? T said this guy looks like he is smiling!

However, I also must admit that these guys were the ones I was MOST excited to see. 

Who gets to see a live rhino? So cool!

This guy is also not from Africa, but he was bidding us farewell as we were leaving the zoo, so I had to snap a shot.

Love, Us.

Our Visit to Africa

Daddy's gone and is completely unavailable for a bit. 

Also, we'd bought a membership at the Zoo over a month ago... and hadn't used it.

So... when he left, we left as well - to the Zoo!

It. Was. Huge.

We were there for a solid 5.5 hours. We saw HALF of the Zoo.

Specifically, we saw Africa. We need to return ASAP to see North America.

Tomorrow I'll share the amazing animals we saw.

For today, the pictures of us enjoying this beautiful place. 

The Crew

 Romie started out really alert and excited!

The kids are shiny due to sun screen's recent application. 

We actually picked a GORGEOUS day to visit!

The kids really enjoyed this volunteer who taught them about meat eaters, predators, prey, etc.

Great news! Patrick BOTH kept his crocs on all day (a mini-miracle) 

AND we found him an awesome pair of tennis shoes at a thrift shop on the way home!

 As usual, an animal that was NOT part of the zoo captured their attention for quite some time.

After lunch, Romie decided there were more important things to see inside his eyelids.

They had these gorgeous bronze, lifelike statues all over the zoo. 

This snake looked so real that all three kids were very timid to even walk near it at first.

The crew taking off to go track some elephants...

... and cooling off at the elephant's "misting tree".

Elephants are easily one of the favorites around our house.

This rhino was a definite favorite!

We even got to ride a bus AND a trolley!

It was a GREAT day at the Zoo!

Love, Us.

They Passed!

It's official. Both of the big kiddos passed two levels of swimming lessons this summer! 

D is now ready to officially start Level 1 next year, and T passed Level 2 on the first try.

For those of you not knowledgable of Red Cross swimming lessons - that is a big deal!

She worked really hard, and will continue to practice in order to make sure that she is ready for Level 3. 

However, today's video is of something totally not required of Level 2 swimmers.

T (who is SUPER scared of heights) jumped off the high dive TWICE ALL BY HERSELF!

Way to go, T!

You can see how scared she was the first time around.

And look at the confidence she gained just after that one jump!

Love, Us.

Aaka's Blanket

First of all, I have no idea how to spell the name of our second favorite baby doll around here. 

The favorite is Aana, and the second favorite is the same name, but with a "K" sound instead of an "N". 

Anyways... T made Aaka (or whatever his name is - yes, he is a boy) a blanket last week.
It was her first officially completed sewing project!

Yes, she has started other projects, but they have gotten lost in the pile of forgotten projects. 

This one was actually completed... and only with a teeny bit of coaching by yours truly here and there!
Because of this, she was able to get her first $10 in her "Sewing Fund" jar.
She gets $10 for each completed sewing project, so after much practice and enjoyment she can earn her own machine.

She based this blanket design off of the baby blankets she sees me sewing for new moms all the time. 

She had a patchwork side, a plain side, and "fancy" stitches next to every seam, just to make it pretty! 

Well done, T!

Aaka is mostly "David's baby" when they play "real people", so D was close by during the entire process.

The finished product - minus ironing!

 David (and Aaka) love it! Thanks, big sis!

Love, Us.

Our Class Pets

I think I promised pictures of these little guys quite a while ago. 

Sorry it has taken me this long to show off our first little classroom critters - our busy little pillbugs. 

We've had them for about a month and a half, and there are lots and lots of teeny new little guys in there now! 

So... the report card so far for the Escriva Catholic Academy is as follows: Green Beans - F, Roly-Polys - A!

Love, Us.

Watermelon Days

They have definitely arrived... the Watermelon Days of summer!

We go for the seedless ones. 

However, I think half of the fun eating them growing up was getting those seeds out...
 and, of course, the resulting seed-spitting contests! 

Maybe we'll switch over at our next grocery run... spice things up a bit for the kiddos. 

Mmmm... Watermelon!

Love, Us.

His #1 Gal!

Romie loves T!

When he is in my arms, he often reaches out for T in order to get some good giggles in with his big sister.

Here are some recent giggles for your enjoyment.

Love, Us.