Zoo Too

I have some pictures from our most recent trip to the zoo. (Last Wednesday)

We went with Art's extended family. (His parents, siblings and nieces and nephew.) It was hot, but fun. The children had much, much more energy than the parents did.

This post is mostly pictures, so if you aren't family, you may want to stop right here. I understand.

Here's Mim being very excited about something at the aquarium. The electric eel, maybe? I don't remember.





Zaya had a great time, but was difficult to catch on film, as usual. Every time I thought I had a good picture lined up, he would disappear. Here he is looking very serious. I don't remember him being serious, so it must only have been a transition from one excited expression to another.





This is my niece Addy. As you can see, she's super cute, and almost three. She also has unlimited energy.





And here is my niece Jaida, and Grandma Teeson. Grandma looks very tired in this picture, or maybe like she's asking for divine assistance to get through the day. Don't let it fool you, though. She enjoyed it very much; I'm just a terrible photographer and didn't tell her I was taking her picture.



Jaida and Addy check out a Lorikeet.

Don't Worry Mom, She's Fine

Is this a victim of Grimace?



No, it's a sleeping four-year-old. Last week Mim was quiet for a while, so I went looking for her. She had fallen asleep on the trampoline with one of her favorite blankets. I sneaked up onto the trampoline myself with an umbrella to try to shade her a bit, but she woke up.

We all rested on the trampoline for a while, staring up at the sky and watching some of the town workmen digging a hole in the field behind our house.

Sweet summer bliss.

Reminder

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

This is one of my favorite hymn passages. It always makes me tear up.

I needed a little encouragement today. Anyone else?

Go Play Outside!

I had to take this picture, because it cracks me up, but don't let it fool you. They really do love jumping on their trampoline too. They literally spend hours on it every day, especially Zaya.

Today it has been a gloriously 'outside' kind of day, with jumping, biking, splashing, sliding and generally living life to its fullest. I am looking forward, with cautious optimism, to the summer.

Only two days of school left, and they are really just picnics. All the parents and teachers are praying for good weather and happy children. Tomorrow night Zaya graduates from Kindergarten, complete with hat. Silly, but oh well. It won't hurt the little guys to feel some pride in their academic achievements.

Anyway, here's to summer, and all the sweet sunshine!



Guess what Mim is eating. Go on, guess. Give up? It's a bell pepper. She loves them. She told me today that there was no need for me to cut it up. She just ate the whole thing.

Checking In

School is almost over, which means that time is speeding up and slowing down at the same time, as usual for this time of year. I hope to have a few posts up soon. Until then, know that we have not dropped off the edge of the planet. We're just trying to keep up with our schedules.

I also wanted to mention that I've started a blog for writing prompts. (That's when someone gives you a brief idea of what to write about, and you use it to write a small poem, story or article.) Please don't feel obligated to read it. I'm just letting you know that it's there, and giving you the link so that none of my friends and family can claim that I never told them about it, in case I become famous someday.

OK, I'm kidding. Mostly I'm just telling you because I would want to know if my niece/friend/cousin/sister/grandaughter had another blog. In the interests of full disclosure, I must say that it does not involve cute stories about my children or pictures of them. I know, I know...I've already lost most of you.

Anyway, without further ado, I give you...

A Part of the Main

Please don't feel obligated to click on it, or read it. Really.

Track Meet 2010

We had our track meet this Monday, and, as usual, there was a mixture of heartbreak and victory.

Both kids lost their races. As in, they were the last kid to cross the finish line, and they were both in tears. Mim insists that she wasn't crying because she lost, but because she was scared, which I believe actually.


That's Mim in the pink skirt and brown shirt.



Mim got first place in the standing broad jump, though...


And yes, we did change clothes half-way through the day, because Mommy overdressed her daughter. I keep forgetting that she gets hot about 10 degrees before I do.

Zaya got second and third in the standing and running jumps respectively.




Check out those fantastic actions shots! First of their kind coming from this camera. I finally figured out how to wait for the right moment.

The jumps were always my favorite part of track meet, too, so we talked about that and they felt much better. Mim also received several other ribbons, but she was one of only four little girls her age, while Zaya was competing against 12 or 13 other little boys, so I tried to cheer them equally, and explain the difference.



Zaya doesn't have his ribbons yet in this picture, but he does have a gigantic lollipop, because there's nothing to console a despairing athlete like a piece of candy the size of his whole mouth.

After they received their ribbons, we left to tour the local cemetary, because that's what they really wanted to do. They asked all sorts of questions about the graves, and we had various spiritual and biological discussions. What better way to put a little perspective on some silly games.