My last couple posts caught you up on a couple fun stories. But they didn't even scratch the surface. Now here are some pictures and quotes to better fill you in on our busy, busy summer:
Visiting with Uncle Mike
My littlest brother made the long journey home for a visit in May. It was especially exciting for Oo, who has been waiting for a long time to see him. Here's a picture of the siblings reunited and a picture of the kids totally at ease with their uncle and his friend, Alisha.
I Love a Parade
Our FAVORITE parade takes place every June on the east side of town. It's a spectacular event put on by many of the artistic communities in the city, with all of the costumes hand made. Any one can enter the parade, so there is always a wide variety of music, costumes, and ages. We took a lot of pictures of the parade this year, but this one is my favorite.
Despite the high energy of the crowd and the spectacular stuff to watch, Oo and her cousin found a woman giving away free kittens. So the two of them spent almost all of the parade snuggling with kitties.
God Is Everywhere, Right?
Oo: Is God in that banana?
Me: No, He isn't.
Oo: But God is everywhere.
Me: Yes, He is.
Oo: And He made that banana.
Me: Yes He did. But I don't think God is hanging out in that banana.
Oo: Well, I think He's in that banana.
Feeling Trashy
Our neighbors had an awesome party this summer. The theme: white trash! We did not, of course, want to introduce the term "white trash" to the kids or explain to them what it means, so we told them that we were going to "an ugly clothes party." Here is Oo hanging out with one of her favorite neighbors, Lola.
Here is T trying to abscond with a bra that was dangling from a tiki torch.
And here is the proud family. Notice how Oo is holding daddy's beer.
Oo Being Oo
Even the simplest of tasks becomes a big to-do when trying to get two goofy kids to cooperate. A trip to the post office in early July to mail birthday cards on time was supposed to be a leisurely walk to the neighborhood post office. But the "leisurely" had to be scratched from the plan once we experienced delay after delay, dilly-dallying, ill-timed diaper emergencies, and a pointless argument about picking out one's own clothes.
After all that, we barely had enough time to DRIVE to the post office before it closed. We locked the house door and quickly piled into the car. It is then that Oo declares she has to go potty. So I let her out of the car, unlocked the door, and sent her to the basement bathroom. Then I waited and waited and... (insert Jeapordy theme song music here). Frustrated, I went to see what was taking so long. I found her still on the potty; "business" was done, but she was leisurely flipping through a book. Leisurely was nixed earlier, so I pleaded, "Come on! We don't have time for that. Let's go."
We get to the post office with two minutes to spare. Since earlier I had surrendered in the clothing argument, Oo was wearing a blue, flowery dress and bright orange socks with her pink sandals. The lady at the counter took a look at her and quietly giggled. Oo was also clutching the book she was reading on the potty. The lady asked about what Oo was reading, and Oo smiled and held up "Time Management for Dummies." The lady and I cracked up laughing. Hmmm... that would've come in handy today.
The Rare Quiet Weekend
There were just a few Saturdays and Sundays this summer when we didn't have plans. We took the opportunity to hang out in our backyard with the kiddie pool, pudding pops, squirters (squirt guns), and the sandbox.
Pudding pops were definitely our favorite treat of the season.
A Trip to See Great Friends
Some very dear friends of ours moved off of our street last year, and we just haven't been the same since. A car trip this summer to spend the weekend with them was exactly what we needed. We had so much fun that I practically forgot to take pictures. But here are the few that I did take. This first one is a combined dress-up/craft session that kept the girls busy for at least an hour.
Both Adrian and Oo really enjoyed the chance to play Guitar Hero with our friends. Adrian and I have agreed that we won't get a game system for our house, but I don't mind when Oo plays a game or two in someone else's home. In the middle of playing Guitar Hero, Oo says, "Mama says that video games make you lazy, so I'm going to take a break." Then she dramatically plops down on their couch as if she'd been striken by a wave of laziness so intense that it made her incapable of standing on her own two feet.
Despite the one-year difference in age, the two boys loved hanging out together. Here they are playing with Mr. Potatohead accessories.
And of the few pictures I took, here is my favorite: Story time with Miss Nicole.
A Stop Along the Way
After our visit with our friends, but before we drove all the way back home, we stopped in Ft. Wayne, IN, for a 24-hour mini vacation. Why Ft. Wayne, you ask? Well, we learned that Parenting magazine had rated Ft. Wayne's zoo as the 5th best zoo in the country. A top-ranked zoo in Ft. Wayne?!? We had to check it out!
We arrived in Ft. Wayne late in the afternoon, and checked into our hotel. The kids jumped up and down on the beds for a while, then we had an early dinner. After dinner, we spent some quality time in the hotel's pool. The beauty of a vacation destination such as Ft. Wayne: we had the entire pool to ourselves! I am pretty sure that this was the kids' first chance all summer to play in water deeper than our kiddie pool. They had a BLAST floating and kicking around in their "floaties." We laughed and played together until bedtime.
Back in our hotel room, we put a kids' movie into the DVD player and climbed into our pajamas. The kids didn't stay awake for very long.
The morning was filled with anticipation and chocolate chip pancakes. Once we were inside the zoo's front gates, we soon discovered why Ft. Wayne's zoo was so beloved. Great exhibits! The animals were all in natural habitats, and yet we were able to get so close to them. This first pic is of our monkey having a blast watching the real monkeys.
And here is Oo on an African safari.
Judging from his reaction to the lion, I'd have to say that some of the exhibits were too close for T's comfort.
This zoo lets you feed the giraffes!
And the HUGE seal tank was a HUGE hit.
We took this picture of Oo near the tortoises. Notice how the zoo has a subtle rock wall within the exhibit to keep the tortoises from getting too close to the visitors.
Well, this one tortoise in particular was so interested in Oo, that he bee-lined (SLOWLY bee-lined, that is) right toward her and tried to scale over the rocks. His short legs and heavy shell caused him to get stuck on top of that short rock you see him on in the above picture. With his little legs flailing, his claws scratching, and the bottom of his shell scraping on the rock, he finally made it over to Oo.
T was absolutely fascinated with the tortoise, so much so that Adrian had to hold on tight to keep T from going on a tortoise ride.
Fortunately, the zoo's petting farm gave the kids a chance to finally touch some animals. We pet pigs, cows, horses, sheep, bunnies, and of course, goats. But not only did we pet the goats, we were given brushes and asked to brush them. Oo made it her personal mission to brush each one of the 30+ goats on the farm. Even after one of the goats tried to eat Oo's shirt right off her little body, she remained focused on her objective.
Milk
Oo: How do mommy cows make milk?
Me: I don't know. That's a good question.
Oo: I think that the baby cows make it when they're in her tummy. (pause) And they sing a little song. (pause) And they march up and down her bones. (pause) The baby cows make them [the udders] out of dough, and then they paint them pink.
New Bikes!
One sunny Sunday afternoon, the kids and I pulled our car into the driveway, and what did we see? Two brand new, shiny bikes—a surprise from Daddy! I could not get the kids unbuckled and out of the car fast enough. And who could blame them for their excitement? Check out the sweet rides:
And so for the remainder of the summer, there was no more kiddie pool, no more chalk drawings on the driveway, no more digging in the sandbox. There was only this:
