We're Going To The Zoo, Zoo, Zoo.....

We finally made our first visit to a Zoo! I know, Madden is almost TWO and he hasn't been to the Zoo. Neglected child. So, we decided it was time.....packed up and headed out one Saturday morning bright and early. We had tried to go once before and the parking was horrendous, so we went to our church playground instead. We learned the key to going to the Zoo is to get there EARLY.






We were greeted by a nice Zoo worker who enticed us into purchasing a Zoo membership. So, now we are MEMBERS of the Zoo and can go for FREE anytime for 1 year. It actually is a nice perk for us - we can go for just an hour or two and not feel bad since it's not really costing anything.



We decided to check out the NEW exhibit "Giants Of The Savanna".

Looking for the gorillas......

Acting like a monkey.....

THERE'S THE GORILLA!!!!!

After spotting the gorilla, we took a little potty break.....

Then, it was off to see the elephants.....

.....and the warthogs......

....take a drive in the jeep......

....and feed the giraffes......

After seeing the exhibit, we took a little water break. It was getting hot and after 1 1/2 hours, Madden was done......and we were OK with that, because we can come back anytime!

Looking forward to seeing what else the Zoo has to offer on our next trip!!

Happy Fathers Day!

We celebrated Marc today - for being such a great daddy! Madden is CRAZY about him! Daddy is the FUN one and I love to watch them play together.

We went to church, enjoyed lunch at Herraras (Marc's favorite Mexican food) and headed home for naps!

After naps, we opened a few presents......

Madden got Marc the Texas Tech Legacy Statue. I found it around Christmas time and knew this would be a perfect gift for Madden to give Marc for Fathers Day. I think Marc liked it.....

I got Marc a new pair of sandals and a couple of CD's.

I think Marc enjoyed his day and felt honored! We love you, daddy!!!

Unrelated to this post: Notice the new plantation shutters in the background! Love them! We just got them installed in our kitchen and it makes all the difference. Yay!

First Dip In The Pool

This past weekend we spent some time at the pool. Madden hasn't spent much time in the water in past summers - not sure why - but we just haven't.....but this summer I am determined to make some time! We've already been in twice.....and Madden is getting used to it. I hope to get him in some swimming lessons at school. They have an indoor pool there and teach them during the day, which is so convenient for working moms! One less thing to juggle into the schedule.

When we get in the pool, Madden immediately wants OUT. But, I started swirling him around the water and doing some things to make it FUN and he lasted for about 20 minutes!


Putting his face in...


He HAD to have his cup with him at all times. Kind of hard to swim while holding a cup!

Aunt Care Care and Lainey have been here all week - so we enjoyed a swim with them too!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame...

Call us crazy....but YES....we did join our church and take our 22 month old to a Ranger baseball game this week. It was a last minute decision, but the weather was cool and we just decided to give it a try. Overall, it was a SUCCESS! We made it through the first 4 innings and enjoyed lots of good baseball food.....hotdogs, cotton candy, ice cream, nachos and lots of Sprite! :) Madden was on a huge sugar high! He sat in our laps most of the time until he noticed a little girl about his age climbing the stairs....then, he wanted to try. Once that started, we decided it was time to leave and it was getting close to 9:00.

Here are some pictures of our first trip to the ballgame! They are VERY foggy. I didn't take the good camera and it was humid, so I am guessing the lense fogged up. Oh well.



On our way to the "b-baw" game!


CHEESE!


Cotton Candy! Yum! He wasn't too sure about it....

Here Mommy!

Ice Cream in a plastic hat bowl

The long walk back to the car.....

On the way home......getting sleepy.....

....and he's OUT!

What a fun, spontaneous night out with friends, good food and baseball!

Our *Memorial* Weekend

Memorial Day weekend came and went - we had some GREAT times and some not-so-great times - but overall it was a good weekend to be home and we enjoyed an extra day off of work!

The highlight of the weekend was Saturday night. We had our neighbors over for dinner. We have lived in our house for almost 4 years and just in the past few months have really gotten to know our neighbors behind us! They are wonderful - our age with young kids - and we are really enjoying our friendship with them!
Marc grilled steaks and we let the kids play. The evening was filled with chaotic conversation, rallying kids, flipping on/off the couch and more! We got to know each other more and just had a nice evening.

Then, Sunday morning came.......and I woke up at 5am throwing up. Then Marc started. We spent Sunday in bed while Madden tore up the house and did whatever he wanted! Oh my! It was short lived and we all felt better on Monday. The bad part is that our neighbors were sick on Monday. I felt so bad that we 'shared' our sickness. :(

Monday, I was determined to have some fun. I took Madden to the pool and then we came home and had popsicles. Yes, that was our FUN for the day.....it's amazing how your idea of fun changes when you have kids! :) We just enjoyed being outside and playing together.

Happy Summer!