It's a Zoo Around Here...

Plotting the course... they all had their own ideas of which way we should go and what we should see...

Momma Otter and her babies(twins) born this summer... A Monkey...??

More monkeys.... Stroller buddies... Mia had fun riding beside her friend,but she didn't stay put very long...too much to see and explore...

Three beauties...

Look what we found... a slippery lizard... Our picnic lunch... Send in the clowns??... They were in silly moods...Do you have a boyfriend,N...? Levi thinks he has a new "gewl fwend". Mandy thinks she needs a "baby" sister...

Meet Stretch... the kids love this giraffe. He has been there favorite since our first zoo visit in this area when we moved here 6 yrs ago.

Kisses anyone???

"Hey, where did all those kids go...and just what did they do with the crackers they were feeding me?"

What do a bunch of boys do when they get together... act very strangely? ...full of silliness?... do daring acts of courage?... all of the above?.... They were contemplating if they could get into the bear or fox pen...to bring one home for a pet?...NOT

A ZOO...not really(well sort of), but I just liked the creative title to go along with our fun trip to the zoo this past week. Some other moms and I joined ranks and took the kids to the zoo. It was a beautiful day, and we had a fun filled time exploring. The big kids got kind of crazy silly and just had a fun time goofing off. The little ones each found their favorite animals, and they enjoyed walking throughout the zoo finding other animals they liked. It was interesting to hear their conversations as they ranked the animals they liked from very best to the least. In addition to finding the animals,my kiddos were supposed to be exploring the plant life around the zoo. Our zoo has many different and beautiful garden areas. The groundkeepers take great pride in their care and upkeep of these beautiful grounds. Our science studies are on botany this year, and we were on the lookout for monocots,dicots, and angiosperms(know what those are?). Mom ended up taking lots of pictures of plants/flowering plants for the kids to add to their science notebooks. We had a picnic lunch out on the playground/park area, and then returned inside for a bit more exploration. We just had a blast being out in the near perfect weather. We made our way home about mid afternoon in order to get Mandy ready and off to dance class. All the kiddos were tired and in bed early...Mandy was wiped out...By the time I returned home from my ladies bible study,everyone was in bed and asleep for the night. I could hardly believe it!

This and That

We decided to make a weekend road trip back on Labor Day to see Brad's family. We were traveling to his sister's home and made a stop to pick up grandma,so she could ride with us. We had a great time just hanging out and playing in the swimming pool. On the return trip,when we took grandma home, the kids begged grandpa for a ride on his new scooter. They were full of smiles as they rode up and down the street. Nolan was big enough to ride be himself and quickly got the hang of the scooter (maybe a scooter might be his future mode of transportation?). ...and everybody knows that Brad had to take a turn at it...he thinks a motorcycle would be more fun.
We enjoyed our weekend, but the new week brought even more school work. We have spent the week studying hard and getting our house back in order after all the summer travels. It sure makes for a quick week...

Levi was grinning from the minute he got on the scooter. He laughed and laughed. Don't you just love that grin?!
Nate was a bit apprehensive, but he didn't want to miss out.

It wasn't so bad...Mia was all smiles...(remember, she is my "biker babe")Garrett is ready to ride... Nolan looks pretty comfortable... he's gonna want one... Brad taking his turn... "Let's get a motorcycle..." Levi decided he needed to fix his cousins hair(after swimming). He brushed and upswept, and he even named his hair design..."the Dolphin".

Nolan is "perfecting" his back flip off the diving board

"Cousining" around the swimming pool...

Levi is contemplating his next dive... a front flip,maybe?

Elvis is trying to decide if he wants to swim again. He made a dive in the pool earlier...loved the swimming,but...he got a bit frightened trying to find his way out of the pool.

Fun Photo Friday

Heading to the beach...

Building sandcastles...we never could get one finished before the waves would break down parts of it...Mandy kept trying though. Our visit to the Naval Aviation Museum...Nolan a chopper pilot?

The Blue Angels...we missed their flight practice by half and hour, but saw them flying at a distance on our way to the museum... Nate...a Blue Angel Pilot?The whole crew exploring the airplanes.

Levi liked flying the big cargo planes. Our Dolphin Hunting Boat Trip...Mia wasn't quite sure she liked the wait.

A baby dolphin ... quite the fisherman.

This is Yamaha... he is a dolphin that frequents the bay and legend has it that he lost his dorsal fin when he was hit by a Yamaha Wave Runner when he was a young dolphin. So all the locals called him Yamaha. He has been around the bay for some 15 or more years. A momma and her baby... Another dolphin family... their patriarch is Yamaha...

Exploring the beach... we spotted several rays floating near the beach.

Do you see the ray? Nolan body boarding...

Fun on the Beach...

A Bathing Beauty... Here are a few of our vacation photos. We are having such a good time, but all things must come to an end. We will be returning home on Sunday, and then back to our school work on Monday.

Hope you enjoy the pictures, and I am sure that I will have even more to share once we are back home.

Wordless Wednesday

Happy 5th Birthday,Princess Mia!

Yesterday was Mia's official birthday, and I am a day late, but I must do my traditional birthday post for my special kiddos.

Sweet Princess Mia

Sunshine, Joy, Happiness all describe this special little girl. It seems as if Mia just radiates joy. She almost always has a smile on her face and laughter comes easily. She lights up a room the minute she enters. She is friendly, kind,compassionate, and gentle in manner. She loves people and never knows a stranger. I love to watch as this special girl interacts with people, and I stand amazed at the gifts/talents that God has given her. She loves to entertain, and she is constantly dancing and singing. As Mia goes through dance classes, we have seen her become much more graceful in all that she does. She sparkles and shines. She isn't afraid to attempt almost anything and approaches every challenge with excitement, adventure, and a joy filled spirit. She has filled our lives with such blessings. She is our beautiful gift from God.

Happy Birthday Princess Mia!!

Mia's Birthday Beach Bash

Dinner with the birthday girl...

Mia and her "beach" cake... Mia and her gift...

Mia and her brothers and sisters...(the chili peppers)

Mia turned 5 years old, yesterday. She got to have an extra special birthday celebration. Since we are on vacation, Mia got to have a beach birthday bash. Our day started with fun in the sun, sand, and ocean. We played,splashed, and built sand castles until we were all a pale shade of pink(and yes, we did use sunscreen). We spent part of the afternoon resting in front of a movie, and then by popular vote, we decidced to explore some of the local shops. We found a quaint little shopping area and want to make another visit there during our vacation week. Mia did not let us forget that we had to pick up "The Birthday"cake which we ordered for her party. After a quick stop at the store, we made our way to dinner. We always give the birthday person the opportunity to pick their favorite place to eat out. Mia decided she wanted "Seafood", and so we found Bubba's Seafood. It definitely turned out to be a "find". The food was simply delicious, but do you want to guess what Mia picked for her meal?...Mac n Cheese, sigh!, at least she ate it all and finished her plate(she eats like a bird most days). I think she even coerced her big brothers to share a few shrimp and a few bites of crab in addition to her standard fare. After dinner, we made our way through a few souvenir shops. We were really just window shopping;however, Nolan did find a "skin" board to ride the waves. After enjoying the pleasant evening out, we came back to the condo and had a fun birthday celebration with plenty of cake, ice cream, and presents. After all the cake and fun, it didn't take long for this tired crew to call it a night. It was a special, joyous, terrific day to celebrate our sweet Mia's birthday.