Most Impressive of All

lions and tigers and bears, oh my!! Look at those teeth. These were the show stealers at the the zoo we went to today, a couple posts back

this lion really was this close. Yikes. He looked right at me, and i was really unnerved. I never felt more like lunch. There was this small fence between us and when you see how big they are that fence seems really small.

there were three tigers, i think. Very big, loud and close.

More Animals

ps...(i know it is added at the top not the bottom), but this emu was after chris and the camera. It was angry and wanted to bite him...and did you know that they make this awful deep growling noise that makes them even more intimidating than their size already made them.
If you are interested, these are some of the other animals we saw today...see my previous post. This was the baby camel. Very sweet, long eyelashes.
Avery and Mitchell got to feed this monkey a treat...he reached out and grabbed with his tail if you told him to use his tail.
A very scruffy little parrot. Mitch said it was like a pirate bird.
The previously mentioned monkeys before we shared a treat with them

Lots of alligators, right beside the picnic area when you first eneter the zoo.

A little lemur family. There was a baby one that could slip in and out of the gate on their cage. It nearly hopped right on to Chris.

I just think prairie dogs are cute....and this kangaroo was funny, all sprawled out having a afternoon nap.

Sunday Getaway

Today i was feeling a little cabin feverish. We had not been anywhere in awhile and it was so nice out...why not take a delayed field trip. We traveled north of here to this little zoo/game farm place. It was tucked away in the woods, and you would never know it was there.

these were one of my favorites...some kind of crane i think...not sure.

Avery loved this miniature horse...he was not even as tall as she was. When we asked her what was her favorite thing she kind of gave us that "duh" face, like how did we not know the horse was going to be her favorite.

Mitchie wanted to take this goat home. It kept following him around bleating for attention. After we left he said he was sad because he wanted the little black and white goat to live with us.

Chris had a favorite too...in with all the goats was this gnarly old tortoise. He was so cool, and when you pet him around the legs and neck he was soft in a scaly kind of way.

The Last Hurrah

Look at that dive....and that swimming? You would think that there was 6 feet of water in that almost empty pool. They sure made the most of it.
It is a sure sign that hot summer is almost over when the pool gets drained and put away.

The kids had their last pool party tonight before dinner...splashing away and enjoying the little that was left. Avery did not even bother to change into a swimsuit.

there was a lot of sibling splashing going on. It was humid so it made the frigid pool water bearable. 68 degrees!!

Goodbye hot, humid, sticky, miserable summer. We will NOT miss you. I can not wait for our first cold day. The first time i have to wear a sweater all day i am going to bake a cake and have a "Hallelujah it is Cold" party.

Mini Photographer

Today the kids went to some field in podunk with Chris to fly one of his toys. I sent the camera along because there was talk that maybe the kids would be flying something as well and i wanted Chris to capture the moment. Instead he passed the camera off to Avery who loves taking pictures.

However when she has the camera there is no telling what you are going to get. I loaded everything on to the computer tonight and found all these funny Mitch pictures.

He is like GQ in the making. What a riot they are, if i do say so myself. Him for the posing and Avery for the taking. I am pretty impressed. I like the action shot of Mitchie running to the camera...a la Baywatch!! LOL

Food For Thought

i just thought it was funny...this was/is one of the carrots we grew in our garden. The kids pulled it yesterday and we all thought it was funny that she looks like a lady, running. Don't you think?

"Eda-mommy"

i love the look that says, what on earth are these? We got edamame in our farm box this week and this was a true first for us. The kids were great little helpers and pulled the fuzzy little bean pods off the stalks with me. I wasted no time, took the directions of the farm, and boiled them in salted and soyed water for about 10 minutes. Once they cooled down a little we snacked on them all night. I think i enjoyed them the most. The kids and Chris thought that they were ok. I was compulsively snacking on them into the next day until i found the beetle...it was in the bag i had stored them in in the fridge overnight. Was this some kind of apocolypse beetle that can survive a full 10 minutes in boiling water? I did not want to know...i got all grossed out and threw the rest away. Sorry farm. The eda-mommy was good while it lasted.

W.I.P, part 2

well, i have about 2 weeks to go and i have gotten as far as laying out all the blocks. Now i have to cut the joining strips(the blue). This is the part that is killing me. I am trying not to be frustrated and push on with it. I do like how it has made it's own repeating pattern.

p.s, i am paralyzed with fear. i thought i would work on the quilt more this afternoon, but the analysis paralysis has stopped me dead in my tracks.. Chris says i just need to jump in and do it, i know that is right but i can not make myself...ugh.

Daddy's Little Helper

Whether it is finding the right screwdriver and finishing a job...

Or helping Daddy with the corn for dinner...

Or swinging the hammer in the garden to fix some landscaping...

Mitchie is always there to lend a hand. You sure are a handy little guy.

Y-U-C-K!!!!!

"I am a grub and a worm trainer."___Mitchell

This Boy

I have been feeling a little "blog-less" lately. There has been quite a lot going on but none of it bloggy stuff. We have been cleaning and painting and finishing projects galore to get ready for listing our house in the next two weeks or so. Oh, those words stress me out. I just won't think about it. Anyway, these pictures are of my wonderful, sweet funny boy. We had a funny conversation this morning that i thought i would share. The pictures have nothing to do with it...they were funny and so true to him and what he is like all the time. I think he was dressed as a motorcycle man...with his cousins leather coat and riding helmet and his scuba-steve goggles.

we were watching a kids show and one of the characters says..."i am the master of disguise!" Well, Mitchie heard, "i am master of the skies!" He thinks about this for a minute and says, "but really God is the master of the sky." I was quite impressed and asked,"Mitch, how do you know so much about God?"..."Because i heard Him from my heart. That is why i know so much about God." he says.

he is so cute, my baby!!