Lions, Tigers, and Bears Oh My

Last Sunday we decided to take the day and head to the Fort Wayne Zoo. Since Daryl refuses to spend any time at our local zoo, we had to head out of town. We did the Indianapolis Zoo about 4 years ago and it was a good time even though it was hot. My husband and eldest child do not handle heat well so I wasn't sure what the day would be like but it ended up being great.
The kids had a great time. I am pretty sure we saw the entire zoo, though we were rushing that last part of it to beat closing time. We took a train ride, watched a sea lion feeding, Allison and Rachel rode ponies, and Allison had a kiss from a sea lion. The kids all did great, Tyler walked probably 90% of the time and there was only one moment of "it's a little on the hot side". The zoo has lots of shade which helped keep everyone happy.

"I think we are safe behind this gate"

They had a African area where you could take a safari ride, we opted to walk, but they had lots of animals that you could get a close up view of.

Tyler hanging out waiting for the sea lion feeding.

Allison riding her pony.

Rachel riding her pony "cookie".

The train ride that we took, they also had a boat ride you could go on, but the kids opted for the train.

Lots of memories were made, it was a great day!

Whatever You Do

Don't drink the water. Unless of course you want to get pregnant. So you may be asking why in the world I am talking about this? Why, because I know about 4 people who are pregnant right now and due about the same time. I am not sure what is going on or should I say what was going on in April and May, but come Jan/ Feb. there will be babies everywhere. All joking aside I am really excited for the Mann's and the Ruth's. Corey and Debbie are due with their second in January and Jami and Todd are due with their second in February. I cannot wait to meet these new little additions to their families, it is so much fun to hold babies especially when you know that you aren't the one getting up every 3 hours in the middle of the night. Once these babies are born there will be just as many kids during our Saturday night gatherings as there are adults...yikes that is scary!

There are moments when I think "oh maybe we should have another", but I very quickly come to my senses and remember that is pretty much impossible at this point and why would I want to do that when I can just hold other people's babies. As much as I will miss "having" babies, yes I am weird I actually somewhat liked the birthing process, I am enjoying our kids as they continue to grow into the adults they will someday be. So whenever I need a baby fix I will now have 2 little ones to hold.

Congrats Ruths and Manns, we are so excited for you guys and are so glad we get to be part of your lives.

"The Perfect Day"

Yesterday was a absolutely perfect day. I was able to get away with the girls for part of the day. Becky, Jami, Pam (Beck's mom) and I headed up to St. Joe, MI. to the Venetian festival. We normally head up to the Venetian for the fireworks every year, but this year we decided to go up early and make a day of it. Originally it was supposed to be the girls and guys, but Adam and Daryl had to work and Todd was out of town, so it worked out that it was just the girls for the day and then Adam, Daryl and the Verduins headed up for the fireworks.

When we left it was 90 degrees and HOT. We figured we would be sweating like crazy and have to sit in the shade all day, but that was not the case. We got up there and it seemed cooler than it was when we left. We did some walking around, eating, walking around, eating, swimming, laying on the beach, walking around and eating some more. The weather was perfect, the water was warm and the company was great. It was so nice to just have some time to relax without kids and hang out with the girls. I am a true believer in taking time to just get away and relax without having to take care of the kids. It makes me a better mom to have that distance sometimes, I am refreshed and ready to jump back into motherhood with both feet. I also love the time to hang out with the girls. Don't get me wrong my favorite thing to do is spend alone time with my husband, but it is also nice sometimes to just hang with the girls and talk about girl things :) If you are a wife and a mother I highly recommend time away for yourself, I am a true believer that it makes you a better wife and mother.

The weather was great, the food was awesome, the fireworks were top notch, time with my friends was refreshing, laying next to my husband while watching fireworks was romantic, it was the PERFECT DAY!

The (Hot) Dog Days of Summer

Cost of Pool Ownership:

• Pool itself over $100
• Lawn will die (round dead spot in the fall)
• Grass that gets wet will die (due to chlorine)
• Hours spent maintaining the PH balance
• Electrical cord running across the yard
• Mowing hazard #2
• Can't weed-whack around the pool for obvious reasons...

Spending an afternoon in the pool with your wife and three kids: PRICELESS!

I must admit I was a killjoy when Tammy first talked about getting the pool, mostly for the reasons listed above. But today it was all worth it. I put four anchors in the ground to keep the swingset from tipping over when the kids swing, and by the time I was done I was as wet as the kids in the pool. So I got in and played for a half hour or so. The kids were overjoyed that daddy was actually in the pool with them. And I'm glad I didn't miss the opportunity to make another memory with these kids that are growing up so fast.

Sand + Water = Fun

We spent the 4th of July weekend at the lake and had tons of fun. The kids had lots of time to play in the water and sand. We had lots of good food to eat. We spent a day with family and got to see some relatives we only see a couple of times a year. Daryl got injured in the annual wiffle ball game. We spent a day with our friends. We played in the water, rode the jet ski and canoe and I even water skied, I had to prove to myself that I still had what it takes to do it. The kids stayed up way too late and as soon as they got up wanted to be in the water. Overall it was a great weekend and the kids are asking when we get to go back.

We are on our way

Allison practicing her swimming

Rachel swimming with her new goggles

Tyler contemplating the finer things in life

Allison doing some water ballet (I absolutely love this picture)

Rachel doing her sand pose

This girl along with Abby had sand in places that no girl should have sand, but boy did they have fun.

Don't ask me why but I never got the camera out on the day all of our friends were there, which totally bums me out but there is always next time. There were parts of the weekend that were hard, but overall it was a good time had by all.

Off To The Lake

Well, we are heading out to the lake for the weekend. This is one of my favorite weekends of the year. We always have a big family get together and just spend time swimming, boating, and hanging out with the ones we love the most. We have some friends headed down and I cannot wait for that. Things will be a little different this year, maybe I will fill you in on that when I get back. Last year we had computer access, thanks to a neighbor, but we may not have any this year. I am sure we will have lots of pictures to post when we return.
Have a great weekend.
Happy 4th of July!