To the ZOO

 

Alison went to Riverside Zoo Monday morning...so we decided to tag along. It was a perfect zoo day, sunny, warm, and not windy. We met around lunch time. The kids "ate" lunch then ran through the splash pad to cool off. We love the new play areas at the zoo. Someone was brainy enough to install water near the sand park and supply buckets for making castles. The sand pit drew quite a bit of attention!! We visited the animals between splash pad visits. This time the tigers were up and prowling their enclosure. They are huge animals. A new animal petting area is open now. The kids got to feed a donkey, mule, and llama. Inside the barn the kids could pet and feed goats. Everett is my animal-friendly child. He has no fear when it comes to feeding and petting animals. He was in heaven! When a goat tried to climb on him he pushed it away then gave it a hug. Phillip was not keen on the idea of an animal eating out of his hand. He finally got up courage to flatten his fingers so the goats could snatch treats. The goats were pretty friendly! I enjoyed watching Phillip figure out a stationary tractor. He pulled every lever and pushed all the buttons he could manage. I love when kids get in their investigative modes. Thanks to Alison for going and letting us tag along.  The Sonic in Scottsbluff is horrible. This time the store was out of kid, small, and medium cups, vanilla syrup, root beer syrup, and hot dogs.

For FHE we took the family to see the new How to Train Your Dragon II movie. Phillip loved it, until it got scary then wanted to leave, then wanted to stay, etc. Ironically, he is sort of a scaredy cat. Evelyn and Everett lasted about half way through the movie. I was grateful for the lollipop that kept Evelyn busy for a good 20 minutes. I thought the new movie was pretty darn cool. We like that Hiccup character and his dragon. 

Tuesday and Wednesday I spent a good portion of time editing three photo sessions I had the previous week. My goal was to have them edited and posted before we left for Utah. Goal met. I farmed out the kids to have playdates with friends so they were not stuck at home watching TV. Evelyn is feeling much better. I took her to the DR on Wednesday just to make sure she did not have an ear infection. She did! After a couple days she is starting to feel much better. She learned how to say mmmmm, and mum, and mama. Justin and I got a new bedding set. He actually found the set on Overstock! He knows what I like! I was quite disappointed in the sheet set. The elastic snapped while I put the sheets on for the first time. Grrr. Wednesday three of my Webelos boys graduated to 11-year old scouts at our Arrow of Light ceremony. Bro Hill made a bridge for the boys to cross over. I am so proud of all they accomplished.

Thursday the kids attended the science experiments for the reading program. This time the boys completed the program. They all wore cute buttons on their shirts and got a $5 gift certificate for the local bookstore. This time the experiments were based on vinegar and baking soda experiments. 

Friday morning I need to get stuff packed and ready for Utah. I decided the best way to keep the kids entertained was to let them have a lemonade stand. Amelia invited over three friends for the event. I am not sure how much money they made. I do know one guy tried to buy a 50 cent lemonade and paid with a $5 bill, he got a dollar in change back plus a lemonade. I think that might be considered shady economics. I got the clothes and everything else packed and the van situated before midnight. Hooray! We left for Utah precisely at 7 am the next morning. All the kids were very excited. I prepared my little iPod for Amelia with Annie, Frozen, and Secret Garden music. She was over the moon excited to listen to music on her own. She rode with Justin most of the trip. All in all the trip was uneventful. YES!!! I did have a scare when the check engine light came on with the traction control light. We checked it out at NAPA, their little device must have turned the error off or reset the error. It went away (so far). 

Now we are just enjoying the chaos of visiting family. My kids love all the fun toys and older cousins at James and Miekka's. Everett was so tired last night he climbed into bed on his own and went to sleep. Zzzzzzzzz.   

**John and Courtenay welcomed a beautiful little daughter, Penelope Jane on Friday the 20th. We are so excited they are moving back in the next month. I get to take some photos of little Penelope.

**Dad got a new job in Saudi Arabia writing curriculum for a university there. He leaves around the 6th of August for 12-24 months.