The Zoo

The first week of summer my mom invited us to join her and Lisa at the zoo. We had so much fun!

The boys both had maps. They decided they were going to lead us through the Zoo. Our first stop was monkeys. *Notice in the pictures that Kayann, Raymond and Kobe are all wearing the same shirt.....this was not planned some how they all put it on

Next we saw the elephants. This was a favorite. We spent alot of time here.

Maybe because of the baby Zuri. She is so cute running around

There is a huge wooden elephant that plays music. It will make a sneezing noise and mist will come out of its nose. Kayann didnt know this. She got sprayed right in the face. She was freaked out!

A grandma, grandkids, and Kobe picture

On to the bigger monkeys...... Orangoutangs and gorillas

A little snack and sunscreen

Raymond and Kobe loved the snakes, spiders, and bugs!

Kayann couldnt wait to see the giraffes. This big girls behind us kept wrapping her tongue around the pole. It was pretty cool

The newest animal at the Zoo are 2 crocodiles.

Fishing......maybe

Derek recently got a new fishing boat. Sorta. It is a blow up fishing boat. I have never heard of them but now I know. He also got a trolling motor for it. He wanted to go to the lake to "test" it out and fish. His friend Brady and his 3 girls came with. However this has never done so with so many kids!

The kids were so good while they waited for Derek to set up the boat. Of corse there was plenty of snacks to help with that.

Ashlynn loves the boat but HATES her life jacket. I'm pretty sure that had something to do with the effect it had on her ability to eat.

No bunny ears here. Just feathers!

We took the boat around to a different part of the lake to eat lunch. Derek and Brady took turns taking the kids out for rides. There were lots of campsites. We found a playground for Ashlynn, which she loved. I figured the water would be too cold for the kids, which it was, so I didnt bring their suits. That didnt stop them! After lunch the played in the shallow area of the lake. Whenever when was done we rode the boat back to the dock. That's when the really fun started. My crazy children were jumping off the dock into the freezing cold water. Kayann says "mom, can you teach me to swim in freakin' cold water"

Ashlynn loved throwing rocks in the lake. She loved putting her feet in the water, and hanging out with uncle Brady

It was so much fun to be at the lake. It made me think of all the fun we had at Lily Lake, and other lakes, growing up. It is fun to see the kids run around so happy.

PS no fish were caught. I'm sure the poles were out for 3 minutes total

A new trick!

This video seriously cracks me up! This is a normal game at our house.

*Note Kayann's awesome red dress up shoes and purse she never puts down

Yes that is a dog chew toy. No matter how many times I tell Ashlynn it is the dogs, she still plays with it. And yes she puts it in her mouth, and so does the dog.

A parade for the day

Now that Raymond is home from school he is always organizing the girls into something. This is a video of his first parade. Notice there is even a princess waving!

This cracks me up (and probably my mom, and JoEllen) because JoEllen used to do this to us ALL summer long. Maybe not parades but something. We used to make dance routines to disney songs, or go to "school" where she was the teacher. It is undeniable the oldest are the bossest.

Summer sunshine.

We recently got out the pool. The kids absolutely love it! They are in it everyday, as long as the weather permits.

Of corse Ashlynn LOVES to splash like a crazy kid

The kids love to jump into the pool from the patio. Derek doesnt think it is the safest thing. And I encourage it. It is so funny to watch.

This day Raymond wasnt home to enjoy the pool. But there are always more days.

School is out!

Raymond is finally out of school. He received the award at school for reading the most minutes and books during the school year. His grand totally was 7,089 minutes and 455 books! The is the most out of all the first grade classes.

GOOD JOB RAYMOND!

Really?!

It is no lie that Ashlynn loves food......but really?!