Dallas Zoo

Today we took Aunt Marie to the zoo. It was perfect zoo weather! Warm--but not too warm--and not too bright. My kids have been to the Fort Worth Zoo before, so I thought we'd give the Dallas Zoo a try. It was fine by me, and we had a great time!

The African penguins checked us out.

I had to include a picture of a gorilla. This is the Dallas Zoo, after all, which has a long and recent history of escaped gorillas.

I thought these giant tortoises were neat.

We took a stroll on the African Nature Trail.

The meerkats were a favorite.

The monorail ride was a big hit.

We saw okapis, ibex, bongos, pelicans, and various other animals on the ride.

A creepy vulture kept an eye on my kids.

David thinks elephants and giraffes are boring. But the reptile house was a hit. I thought the albino alligators were super creepy. The picture doesn't do justice.

We also liked the huge snakes, poisonous frogs, and blind salamanders.

Our last stop was the children's area. Fun, fun! And good thing there were extra clothes in the car.

It was a great outing! We're so happy Aunt Marie was here to come along!

Three peas in a pod

Easter 2010

This post is primarily for Greg.

Here are some of the things we did on Easter.

Aunt Marie is here, and she brought some foam eggs and stickers, which Mary enjoyed and happily carried around in her Easter basket.

Like most Sundays, the kids Skyped with Daddy.

Notice David in the background getting dressed ALL BY HIMSELF!! (An Easter miracle!)

We had an Easter lesson, with lots of pictures of spring and Jesus Christ. I also pulled out my new favorite Easter visual aid (from this lesson), which I LOVE for telling the story of the Resurrection. So simple! If you have small children, print it on some card stock, color it, cut it out, and I promise you will love it too.

The kids also got surprises in (and under) their Easter baskets.

As I had hoped, the surprises kept them somewhat entertained while we watched Conference.

In the afternoon we dyed eggs. For Mary, it was art. For David, science.

Mary helped Grandma Evie frost the cake that would top off our yummy Easter dinner.

That evening we hunted eggs in the backyard, girls against boys. Tio and Tia were here to celebrate.

Ready, set, go...

Of course, one round is never enough. So the eggs were hid, found, and re-hid several times. (With the help of Aunt Marie.)

Bubbles are a good way to end just about any event.

It was a happy Easter!

***

Greg spends weekends scuba diving, white water rafting, and horseback riding. Somewhat surprisingly, I'm not jealous.

But this weekend Greg got to watch two days of General Conference without any interruptions. Now, THAT is something to be jealous of. I'm trying really hard not to be bitter. (Somehow, being bitter about General Conference seems to defeat the purpose of an event meant to spiritually renew one's soul.)

Greg's Sunday may have been peaceful and quiet. But I think ours was at least more fun.

Lubbock and the lost cousin

The best part of Lubbock was the cousins! Technically, second cousins. But a cousin is a cousin, right?

I got to see my cousin Nicole for the first time in...ten, twenty years? David thought it was funny that mommies have cousins too. (By the way, it was Nicole's sister Melinda that was going to win a silver medal at the Olympics. To be fair, I'm pretty sure Nicole could do a back hand-spring too.)

The older kids arranged for an Easter egg hunt in the basement for the little ones.

It was while we were all hanging out in the basement after the hunt that I realized I wanted to take Emily, the oldest, home with me. She is super smart, cute, responsible, fun, talented, and positive. Seriously, do you know any seventh graders with a positive attitude?! Well, I've met one. Now, how do I get my own?

Nicole is a wiz when it comes to building Geo-Trax, and David was thrilled to play with the finished product. Occasionally, Ryan, Abigail, and Mary joined him.

David and Mary loved running around with Emily, Tyson, Justin, Ryan, and Abigail. But at some point, David became CONVINCED that among the bunch there was a cousin named Austin. We assumed he had mistaken Justin's name for Austin. But, no, David knew Justin was Justin. He also knew Tyson was Tyson and Ryan was Ryan. He KNEW there was another boy in the house, and his name was Austin. He pressed Nicole to admit she had another son named Austin. And several times he spoke to me about Austin. He also insisted he was real (unlike his three brothers named David who are imaginary). It was all a bit of a mystery. Oh well.

I love these pictures of the little ones.

What cute kids!!

You already know David and Mary.

Ryan is four. He was such a happy little guy with my kids. He put up with David's bossing and helpfully found Mary's lost princess wand. Mary especially enjoyed following Ryan around. Abigail is a few months older than Mary. She is so adorable. ADORABLE! It took all of my self control not to snatch her up and squeeze her tight.

I don't have pictures of Emily, Tyson, and Justin. But you can see them here. What you will not see, however, is Austin the lost cousin. (Nicole, if you ever notice you have a sixth kid in the house, let us know.)

Lubbock science center

One morning we went to the science museum in Lubbock. It wasn't especially big or fancy--but it was really fun. There was plenty to do, the crowds were minimal, and it was educational. What more can you ask for? We had a great time!

[By the way, I got a new camera over spring break. It's smaller, doesn't have a lens-cap, and isn't a battery-hog. Also, it's a pretty sweet little camera. BUT I haven't been especially pleased with the settings the camera uses in Auto mode--which, hello, isn't that the whole point of a point-and-shoot? To basically trust it to take somewhat decent pictures in Auto-mode? BUT BUT BUT, for a point-and-shoot, it takes GREAT pictures in low-light. (My goal in life is to never use the flash again.) Which means it takes quite good pictures at MUSEUMS. Now I am even MORE tempted to post a thousand pictures every time we go to a museum. Don't groan. I will try to control myself. And at least the pictures won't be as grainy.]

The toddler roller coaster was a favorite of David and Mary.

They also liked the water, of course.

Mary talked David into riding the see-saw with her.

David loved this race car.

Cousin Abigail (in pink) showed David and Mary how to make big bubbles.

Not surprisingly, we spent lots of time at the construction equipment.

There was also an aquarium in the basement that we enjoyed, as well as a few other exhibits we didn't have time for. David was inspired by what we saw, the reptiles in particular. He was even brave enough to touch Carlos the snake! I almost can't believe how much I loved Lubbock's science center. It was PERFECT for our little family. Who would have guessed?

Maybe the bogus fortune-teller should have send Pee Wee to Lubbock after all! The science center even has a basement.

April Fool's Day vacay

Thursday was April Fool's Day.

Thursday we went on vacation.

To Lubbock, Texas.

It wasn't a joke.

Although, if you know much about Texas geography, you probably think it should be a joke. Let's just say that wind-blown Lubbock isn't usually on a person's must-see-in-Texas list.

Thursday afternoon David, my mom, and I picked up Mary at school and then drove to Lubbock. My aunt Marie was visiting my cousin Nicole in Lubbock, and we were driving out there to pick up Aunt Marie and bring her back to play with us for a few days.

This is what it looks like on the road to Lubbock.

There were wind mills, cotton farms, cattle ranches, oil wells, and plenty of nothing. (To be honest, the drive and scenery were much better than I had expected. Low expectations can go a long way!)

We found that the oil wells provided the most entertainment.

Compared to the above picture, Lubbock itself is much flatter and dustier.

At least that bogus fortune-teller didn't send poor Pee Wee to Lubbock.