The Zoo!

This week is spring break. I've tried to have something fun and out of the ordinary on the schedule for every day this week. Most of the things are small and simple (a picnic at the park, being watched by a babysitter - which my kids love, having a cousin over for a sleepover, etc.), but I wanted to do at least one big activity. For us today, it was going to the zoo. I'm not usually a big zoo fan. It's not that I don't like animals, I just don't always see the point in going somewhere just to watch them lay around. However, today was fun. I had such a great time with my kids today. It surprised me a little. I do love doing things with my kids and they are usually enjoyable, but sometimes I do things because I want them to look back at their childhoods with happy memories - not necessarily because I particularly love them (i.e. - the zoo). But today was great. We all had a fantastic time. The weather started off a little chilly (which worried me because we went to the zoo once last year in the cold and we did not last long) but warmed up to the point where we were comfortable but not too hot. We were there almost three hours! Maybe that's nothing to you zoo-enthusiasts, but for us, this was something. If Sammie hadn't been with us we may have lasted even longer.

We saw all the exhibits. Clayton was the map man and had a good time being our zoo guide, Noah loved seeing the different animals and imitating their sounds (he does a mean swan sound - seriously, dead on), Josie was also a huge fan of looking at the animals - and imitating them, and Sammie loved napping almost the entire time. Here is the photographic evidence of our day:
Pouring over the map to figure out our route through the zoo.

One thing I appreciated this time at the zoo that I've never been able to experience before was having the boys actually care about the facts of each animal. Usually we just look and watch. This time Clayton would read the little plaque and we learned some pretty cool facts!

Seeing how far we can jump (none of us are headed to the Olympics for the long jump any time soon).

Usually the otters and the prairie dogs are my favorite (because they're the most animated and entertaining). Today the flaminoes were the best by a long shot!

We were walking away from the flamingo habitat when we heard what sounded a lot like a goose. I didn't think much of it because geese run wild around South Bend (seriously, they're everywhere). Upon cloer inspection we discovered that two of the flamingoes had wandered to the very edge of the exhibit and were standing by the stairs that lead to the zoo restraunt - probably looking for a snack. The kids were able to sit on the stairs and play peek-a-boo with the flamingoes. Yes, peek-a-boo. The kids would duck their heads down and the flamingoes would duck their heads behind the fence, then the kids would pop their heads up and the flamingoes would pop their heads up. They were so close! I had to remind the kids several times not to get too close (we could easily have touched them)! We stayed there and played with those flamingoes for probably 15 minutes or so. It was my favorite part of the zoo for sure!

Josie loved the flamingoes for several reasons. The main one seemed to be that they were pink. Go figure.

Such cool birds!

I'm noticing that I didn't take many picture of the animals we saw, but believe me, we saw plenty. I was just so impressed and pleased with how my kids were handling themselves that I couldn't keep the camera off them. Noah and Josie fight a lot lately. I think they're just too similar sometimes. Both opinionated. Both stubborn. Today they were getting along famously! It gives me hope for their relationship!

 Clayton and Noah watching the monkeys.

 Sammie was in her own happy place.

It just wouldn't be an outing if there wasn't at least one pout session. Fortunately this was toward the end of our visit and so we just took pictures of her and laughed. She snapped out of it.

 I love this picture!

After we'd been there about two hours Kerstin showed up with her kids. It was awesome! The kids had been waiting and waiting to ride the train until they got there. Kerstin was the brave one who rode the train with all 7 of the older kids while I stayed behind with our strollers and the still sleeping Sammie.

 Who just happened to wake up while they were riding the train.

These cousins love hanging out together. Every time they see each other (which is pretty frequent since we live so close these days) you'd swear it was the first time in years. They get so excited. I love that they're close.

This picture just makes me smile. Josie and Tori are becoming good little friends. They held hands almost the entire time. Cute, cute girls.

 I wanted one group shot to commemorate our day. I think we did pretty good.

Shortly after Sammie woke up we left the zoo to go to the park across the street for lunch and a little bit of playing. After today I find myself wondering if we shouldn't get a season pass for the zoo. I'm looking forward to returning!

Now for tomorrow...Grandpa (or "Pumpah" as we like to call him) is coming! New flooring and new adventures await us. Best. Spring. Break. Ever!

Boys of Summer (and other activities)...

Slowly but surely we're seeing signs of spring in the air. The trees are budding, flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, and the sun is staying out until well after 8:00 (when it comes out, that is). Because the weather is not quite so freezing (it's still pretty dang cold out), we've been getting out more! Hooray! The most notable thing that's been going on is that the boys have started league baseball. Because it's the first year for both boys, they're on the same team. At first, I didn't know how I felt about it. Okay, I knew exactly how I felt about it. I didn't like it. After a few practices though, I'm okay with it. It makes it way more convenient for me, plus their coach is amazing and I'm glad that both boys get to work with him. It's a good first experience for both of them. Anyway, it's been a long time since I did a good old picture overload. So here goes:
A little backyard spring training:
Josie is such a good little bat girl.

I love that when they practice, everyone gets involved (including Disco - he loves a good game of catch)!
Noah's class has been learning about 'community helpers'. For sharing this week they had to bring something that represented a community helper. Noah got to bring his daddy's old lab coat and one of his stethoscopes. Such a handsome future doctor!
Clayton wanted to try it on too!
Of course they then had to practice listening to their heartbeats.
Disco had to go to the vet to have his nails clipped. Because he gets such bad anxiety when anyone touches his nails he has to be sedated. Poor Disco. Noah was there to keep him company in his melancholy state. I thought it was sweet.
For Easter, the boys got kites. It has been rainy every day since, which has disappointed them so much because they wanted to fly kites so badly. Finally, this weekend, we got a break from the rain and the first thing we had to do was get the kites out! We picked Clayton up from school on Friday and headed straight to the park. Josie played on the playground while the boys flew their kites on the field right next to it. We had an amazing time. We laughed, we ran, we played. It was the perfect kite flying day. I'm so glad we took advantage!

The boys were surprisingly good kite fliers. We loved it and can't wait to go again!

Today was the opening day for baseball. It started with a parade to the park. Each team got to ride in the back of a truck with their coach. It was very exciting and very cute. This is Clayton and Noah's team. They are the 'Martin's Supermarket' team. Unfortunately, Clayton had to miss the parade because of a birthday party, but Noah was able to be there and loved every second of it. I LOVE his grin in this picture (he's bottom right)!
I think he's so cute!
Josie was underwhelmed with the parade. I love this picture so much. It cracks me up.
After the parade, they had some opening ceremonies and then it was time for each team to play their first game. Since it was mostly ceremonial, each team only played one inning. By this time, Clayton was done with his party and was at the game. He has really developed a love of baseball and was thrilled to play in a game today - even if it was only one inning! This is them warming up.
Clayton in the field.
He's actually a great fielder (says the unbiased mom). He really keeps his eye on the ball and goes after it and throws it right where he's supposed to. Since he's one of the oldest kids on his team, he's one of the best and it's good for him to be so successful. I loved watching him out there!
Noah struggles a bit more than Clayton (he doesn't share his brother's enthusiasm). However, I'm hoping that as the season progresses, he'll get better. He knows how he should stand when fielding (so professional).
This was his position of choice for the majority of the inning though. Still cute, but less effective.
Clayton at bat. His pants are huge. I tried to convince him to wear his jeans instead, but there was no way he was taking off his baseball uniform (and he did wear it ALL day long)!
Swing batter, batter, batter.
Noah up to bat. First you have to tap the plate...
...then take a wild swing at the coach pitch ball...
...then make a successful hit off the tee with your tounge out!
Josie was a good cheerleader (way more managable than she was last year).
She was still all over the place, but at least this year she isn't putting everything in her mouth! That alone makes her way easier to manage!
She got hold of Clayton's glove while he was at bat and raced as fast as she could to get to the field. Fortunately she's not too fast and was easy to catch! She wanted to be out there like her big brothers.
A post game pep talk from the coach! Team 'Martin's Supermarket' did great! They're going to have a wonderful season, I can feel it!
This was right before Clayton went up to bat. I don't think I can get enough of the 'tounge through the hole' pictures.
The most handsome boys of summer!
One of their new favorite past times is climbing the trees in the woods by our backyard. There have been tons of scrapes because of these trees, but the boys don't seem to care. They love climbing these trees!
My two little monkeys!
Just thought this was cute. Love that little face.
Our summer is shaping up to be a busy one. However, if this spring is any indication, it's going to be a fun one!