What a Zoo

First of all, let me just say that I am glad that my computer and internet are in perfect working condition once again. For the last week, things have been off and on and I have missed checking every one's blogs. And secondly I have come to realize that going to the Zoo on a Saturday towards the end of summer is not always the best idea.

My niece and nephew who are adorable (check out my sister-in-law Debbie's page) have been staying with my mom and dad for the last week and we decided to meet up with Rich and Deb at the Zoo in Portland on Saturday to get the kids back to them. So into my parents mini-van we went (mom, me, Morgan, Kendle and Zack and Maelin), and everything went ok until about the last hour of the drive when the kiddies started to be a little unhappy sitting by each other and did their part to fight and whine because they were a little too close to each other. Well, ok to be truthful it was mostly Kendle doing the whining.

But hey, at least one of my kids enjoyed the ride-

By the time we got to the Zoo there wasn't one parking space to be found so were forced to drive a mile or two down the rode to the shuttle parking and ride a big old school bus back up to the entrance, which the kids loved #1 because they have never ridden a school bus before and #2 because they weren't the ones packing a baby, stroller, camera, and diaper bag onto the said school bus. Did I mention it was also starting to get really hot? It seemed like there were a million people who all decided to come on the same day.

Ok, so we're finally inside the Zoo, guess who's ready for a bottle? Little man Morgan has woken up and so 2 feet into the Zoo me and my mother sit on a bench and wait to feed Morgan while my awesome brother and his wife go on ahead pulling the kids in a wagon they rented. Ah yes, I'm starting to remember why most people don't take their 2 month old's to places like this. After he got a good chug we were back on our way and found the other guy's not to far ahead. It turned out to be a great day despite the constant stops for food, changing diapers, tantrums, drinks, and the hot weather. Here are some of the inhabitants we saw:

Kendle's favorite exhibit was the penguins, and I think she could have stayed there all day. They were quite the performers for us but the kids were surprised to find that they didn't surf, sing or dance. Kendle also enjoyed the petting zoo and the African safari station.

Through it all Morgan was such a good sport, and so was my mom for giving me a break and pushing the stroller the majority of the time.

And let's not forget Rich and Deb for pushing and pulling the wagon full of kids the whole time. I think they got quite the workout, especially towards the end where we had to head all the way back uphill to the entrance! I don't know if we would have made it as pioneers.

Before leaving we stopped in at the Gift Shop and got a few souvenirs and took this outside next to the big bears-

Needless to say, after all of that walking and fun in the sun, we needed some food before there were some major meltdowns. So we made our way over to a family favorite of ours. They make the best burgers!

What a fun filled day, we didn't get back to my parents until very late and we were completely exhausted. I can't believe what good shape my mother is in, she is amazing to go all day like that. At Fuddruckers she used her "senior" discount for the first time, and they thought she was lying that she was 55! She is so fun to go on these little excursions with, and I hope I can be half as good of a grandmother when my time comes.

For those of you thinking about taking your family on a trip to the zoo in the future here are some helpful hints:

-don't go on the weekend

-bring your own food, drinks, or snacks

-forget packing your own stroller since you can rent them or rent a wagon (if you can pull one)

-bring sunscreen

-and don't forget your camera to record all of the great memories you'll make

And the list goes on and on and on.....

Thanks Danyelle for the tag!
You've seen them around, here's my list:

Yourself: strong

Your partner: go-getter

Your hair: thick

Your mother: compassionate

Your father: hardworking

Your favorite item: piano

Your dream last night: sad

Your favorite drink: DP

Your dream car: limo

Dream home: country

The room you are in: quiet

Your fear: heights

Where you want to be in 10 years: healthy

Who you hung out with last night: hubby

You're not: selfish

One of your wish list items: this

The last thing you did: eat

You are wearing: pajamas

Your favorite weather: 80 degrees

Your favorite book: Cloudy with a chance of meatballs

Last thing you ate: cupcake

Your life: adventure

Your mood: exhausted

Your best friend: mom

What are you thinking about right now: sleeping

Your car: Durango

What are you doing at the moment: breathing

Relationship status: married

What is on your t.v: dust

When is the last time you laughed: tonight

I'm tagging Debbie, Tallia, and Kristen G.

Where does the time go?

I can't believe that Morgan James is almost 2 months old. Time has been flying by. He is such a fun little guy and keeps us laughing at his cute little smile. Take a look at this slide show of new pictures.

Rainy days are here to stay. Family Reunion '07 Part 2

The second day of our stay at the coast I really wanted to get some family pictures down on the beach, I had picked out matching clothes for us to wear and everything. We get all dressed up, my sister curled and styled my hair so it looked awesome and Kendle was actually staying clean in her white shirt if you can believe that. It was drizzling all morning, so we waited and waited and waited some more. It didn't stop raining one time before we had to go to the family reunion lunch. So much for my plans of getting some beautiful pictures on the beach. We all changed out of our nice clothes and headed to the family reunion lunch and ate ourselves sick. I ate so many different kinds of desserts it was obscene. The kids made homemade icecream the old fashioned way and everyone took a turn cranking for a while. Nothing beats the taste of homemade icecream that you've slaved over for hours.

















My uncle attempted to organize everyone by family to get their picture taken, our picture was missing my two sister-in-laws, my mom and my nephew so it's not the full fam, but for some reason our family cannot take a good picture if our life depended on it. Me and Riley always have our eyes closed and my dad is always doing something funny...check these out:

What a train wreck!

After the lunch we headed back to the beach house to relax for a bit. My brother's had been up late the night before getting the new Harry Potter book and they were reading at light speed all day trying to finish it. I kept annoying them by asking them about all of the rumors about what happens in the book and how it ends. Me and Riley decided to go shopping for a bit at the Outlet Mall there in Lincoln City.

We got there with only about an hour left before they closed so we hit two stores and were done. I love finding good deals. I have almost all of Kendle's school shopping done. When we got back Riley took Kendle down for one last walk on the beach. It was just starting to get dark and was very pretty.

Later that night we watched a very funny movie and got packed up to go home the next day. It's amazing all of the stuff you can accumulate. Shells, sticks, toys, sand....it all found it's way into our car for the trip home somehow. Kendle is one of the worst pack rats I know. The next morning we packed up and headed to the Pig 'N Pancake for one last meal together. I have to say that they had the best pancake's and hash browns I've ever had. DELICIOUS!

I sat in the back with the kids on the drive home and we were all passed out two minutes into the drive. I'm sure Riley appreciated the quiet for once. When we were almost to Pasco, Kendle started getting excited that we were almost home. Even after the best vacations, it still feels good to be home in your own bed safe and sound. Back to the hot, hot weather.

This is what our car looked like when we got home - can you believe we took that much stuff?

Pretty scary huh? I'm still putting stuff away from our trip.

Well, that about wraps it up. Looking forward to next years family reunion, I think it's in Wyoming where our family is dedicating a pioneer trail marker or something like that. Hope all of your families trips this summer were/are as fun as ours!