Just Another Day at the Zoo!

The kids and I decided to kill a couple of hours at the zoo today. It was super humid but no wind and no rain so we grabbed the cooler, some sodas, ice, and a bag of chips.

The polar bears were really active.

This one repeatedly swam right in front of us and turned

a perfect back flip! It was really fun to watch him do it

over and over again!

After a quick stop at the polar bears; we focused on getting to see the things we've missed in our past few visits.

We rode the train through the African Savana exhibit!

$2.00 per person/money well spent!

The giraffe enclosure was so tall, it was hard to get a good shot of the giraffe's. I had to try, they are my favorite!

I wish I would have taken notes on all the birds and animals.

But I was too busy taking pictures with my super awesome camera!

The zeebra and wildebeast were in together; Brady and Lexie had to make a lot of Madagascar 2; Escape to Africa comments! We even saw Mort! Not on the train ride though! :-)

The guide was very informative and it was so cool to see so many animals and birds up close!
This was our 4th trip to the zoo since we moved here & someone always poops out before the primates and fish. So today we were determined to get those two thngs in before we got tired!

The male silverback was worth the wait! The Orangatans were behind glass and there was a super bad glare--I am now on a mission to get a decent pic.

I got an ok shot of this one.

One of the Orangatans was the hugest, ugliest thing I have ever seen. I did get a shot of his hand and part of him.

They have the exhibit set up so that the Orangatans can push a button to spray the crowd with water! They weren't over by the button so we are anxious to go back and see if they ever do it.

I was really happy with this shot of the octopus. It was super dark in there and my flash didn't glare.

Both of these were taken in the darkened acquarium with only the tank lighting for light.

I tried my mini tripod with this one. I think it came out ok; too bad the dollar store P.O.C. broke! Grrrr... Oh well, the shots are still awesome and it was a great day at the zoo!

The Last --First Lost Tooth!

She didn't actually lose her tooth;

she worked at it for about 90 minutes

and was rewarded with a nice gaping grin.

The one next to it is loose too. She wisely chose to wait a few days to tackle that one. :-)

A bittersweet moment; another on the list of "The Last First's"

Fishing at Lake Erie/Marblehead Lighthouse

We waited to go fishing at Lake Erie until Grandma and Grandpa could come with us.

It was worth the wait. They spend a lot more time fishing than we do. They helped the kids get geared up and learn to avoid the rocks.


The rocks were REALLY SLIPPERY!

Alyssa caught the only keeper of the day, a white bass. But everyone still had fun.

It was a beautiful day, perfect weather!

Lot's of good fishing spots. It didn't start to get crowded until later in the day.

Lexie became a little pro at waiting for the wave to crash before she reeled in so her hook didn't snag on the big rocks.


Brady putting on his worm. Not his favorite thing to do but he never complained.

It was a perfect day to spend with family. Mom and I snuck away for a few minutes and went to "Cheese Haven". The cheese was ok, the company was better!

Hangin' with the Grandparents

The kids adore playing yard games and Rod is always a happy participant. They really looked forward to their Grandpa and Grandma visiting and wasted no time in getting Rod up and at 'em.

My mom's dog, Spike, and Ginger get along very well. They played together the entire time. When we had to leave them at home, they didn't tear up my house or get into trouble. Ginger spent the entire day sleeping after Spike left. I think he tired her out.

Lexie dressed, combed, brushed, polished, primped, and cleaned all day. She was very happy to dance for the camera so Grandma could take her picture.

Mom and I went to the basement to look at some fabric and randomly, I had a leak. She spent the entire day (and 3 trips to Ace Hardware) to fix it. Disaster averted! :-)

I was so grateful to both mom and Rod for all the "honeydo's" they did for me while they were here!

The last day of our visit, we decided to just hang out and go to garage sales. Brady has wanted a chocolate fountain for several years.

Mom and Rod found this one at a yard sale and Brady could not have been happier!

The rest of us were pretty impressed too! Man, a strawberry never tasted so good!

A Day on the Maumee!

My mom & Rod came for the week. On Wed. Alyssa and her boyfriend kidnapped Rod to take him fishing.

They caught white bass on the Maumee River. Rod taught Alyssa and Branden how to filet them.

We bbq'd them in a foil pouch. YUM!

The kids and I took my mom to Grand Rapids.

It is such a picturesque little old town right on the Maumee River. Lots of good photo ops.

It only took Brandon about 10 seconds to get to the top of the playground equipment!

We explored the river, the really cute little town, and the wonderful playground.

I LOVE this picture of my mom! The kids had a blast spending the day with her.

There is a canal that runs parallel to the river. The river is just beyond the picnic shelter.

There were a bunch of herons eating minnow in the river. Mom and I had a lot of fun sneaking up on them to get close up shots. Double click on any of these--it's pretty cool!

After a yummy pizza and dippin dot lunch, we went to explore the other side of the river--it was just as cool as the South side!

PROM, PROM, PROM, PROM!!!

Gary was so excited to get his picture taken for prom, oh.....wait!

Just kidding, but Alyssa set him straight on who was the princess for the night.

Love this group shot!

It took 1 1/2 hour to put all those ringlets in that hair!
Oh, you know she's havin' fun now!

This one's for you Aunt Lisa--more on Fb!

They are just so stinkin' cute.

These were some fun pictures to take. I used my tripod so hopefully I can enlage them and they will still look this nice! Try double clicking--I think they look great!