The Phoenix Zoo.

Saturday, we went to the zoo. It is really an amazing zoo....a lot of fun things for everyone.....when the weather is not 112 or so. Although it was super hot, we made the best of it. There was a really fun treehouse that the kids really enjoyed.
Making a decision together....to go up or go inside and slide down?
An unanimous vote for climbing up! I love that Lindsey is following her brother for once. Are the control tides turning?
Lindsey let us know that it was her castle.
I L-O-V-E this picture. The way her skirt is fanned, that they are sitting together and watching the turtles(never seen them with algae all over their shell before), or how Michael is trying to emulate his sister.

I may be out of it, but I have never seen a flower like this before. Isn't it gorgeous? Very unique. To me anyhow:)
After a long walk to the petting zoo, where no one wanted to pet the animals, a slurpie was necessary to cool off. Really, we fed Natalie ice chips. She was so hot, poor baby.

Grandpa Duryea would be so proud of his tractor driving grandkids.
Taking a much needed break.

Photos got mixed up....sorry. Here is our cutie at the hotel after the hot zoo trip. Her cheeks were still rosy red.
Bonding over a moose.
The best part of their day.
This is Michael when the carousel started. He was so excited. Notice he hopped on the triceratops or as he often calls them "tree-horns".
At the gift shop, trying to cool off. They decided on Safari kits. They have really gotten alot of enjoyment out of them.

A quick getaway.

Friday we decided to go to Scottsdale for an overnight trip. Once we arrived in Phoenix, we went to Ikea for Michael's mattress. I'll have to tell you that crazy story another time.....but oh, Ikea. It was beautiful. I wish I could have stayed longer and was alone or with my girlfriends. So much to see and buy. Living only 2 hours away, you wouldn't think the temperature would matter so much, but boy, did we notice it. It is HOT there. We made our way to the hotel. We got a great 2 bedroom suite with a full kitchen. It is really necessary with the littles running around. After dinner, we went to the Arizona Mills Mall....the kids had a good time in Gameworks. The kids were in a real weird funk. No one was cooperating. Everyone was high-strung, we went to bed hoping for a better day at the zoo.

June 15th~~~~~~In rewind.

June 15, 2002

Enjoying my baby shower for Lindsey. Not an appealing photo of me, but proof that I was pregnant!
Tea sandwiches...don't you love the cut-outs of different types of bread?, my favorite salad ever...Mandarin Orange Salad, and fruit. I love fruit, but while pregnant with Lindsey...I could not get enough.
A beautiful handmade carriage cake made by my friend....
The hostess with the mostess, Janice. Charles has been friends with Janice since high school. What a wonderful benefit to find one of my closest, dearest friends through my husband! Thanks for everything, Janice.

June 15, 2003 Lindsey is almost 1 and getting ready to eat at Grandma Nev's. I love when babies clasp their hands like that. So cute!


June 15, 2004

Lindsey almost 2, reading a book. Funny, I thought her hair would never grow in...it was taking forever...or at least I thought it was.

June 15, 2005

Michael, the cowboy, at 1 1/2. On this day, I started blogging, thanks to Stacy. I am so glad she filled me in. Check out our first posts in our Remember When archive.

June 15, 2oo6

Natalie looking just like a doll at 3 months old.

June 15, 2007
Lindsey ready for our overnight trip to Scottsdale. She was pretty pleased with herself.

Happy Birthday Sam!

We love you!

Good mail along with some goopy fun.

It was a good day. A summer blogger cookbook in the mail from Elizabeth....can't wait to try all the great recipes and a beautiful card from Jill. It's a photo from her fun trip to Paris. Her picture made me feel like I was there. Thanks!

Decided to try some cornstarch "goo" to see what they would do. Michael and Natalie really got into it. Lindsey decided to be diva and not get "white".

Extreme close-up .....had to show those blue eyes off, along with those 2 shiny teeth....still the only teeth she has in her mouth.
Michael enjoying himself in what was left of the goop.
Am I the only one who thinks Lindsey looks humungo in this picture? It's almost as if some other girl was here. Weird.
This picture for two reasons.....she is standing up and holding her sippy cup and the little bit of a curl by her ear.....her hair is really starting to come in.
Michael and Natalie playing together......with NO FIGHTING!

So intense....if you look closely, her eyelashes are touching her cheeks. What I would give for those lashes.
Listening to her big sister. So sweet.
After all the goop was practically gone, we filled up the little pool with water....chaos ensued(in a good way)

Thursday was a smashing success.....now what am I gonna do next week? Eek.

Summer vacation Day 20.

And I am doing suprisingly well. WE are all doing suprisingly well. Monday, Lindsey was off to Fine Arts Camp at her preschool. It was a 3 day camp??? Never heard of that before, but it was a fun time for her nevertheless! So, tomorrow we are back on track with finding something fun/different to do.

Other highlights of the past 3 days..................


**Cristina found out that they are expecting a little girl. Congratulations!
**Natalie decided to take 3 steps a couple of different times yesterday. Video is grainy....will try again today!
**Michael has been eating like crazy.....yes, you heard it here first, my 3 year old has eaten for 3 meals a day for the last 3 days! We are so excited we can't stand it.
**Lindsey held storytime in her room yesterday. I was a pirate, she was a fairy godmother, Tyler was the wolf, Michael was Thomas the train and Natalie was the princess. We all were in complete costume as chosen by the director a.k.a. Lindsey. It was fun to see the different stories the kids came up with. In all of them, Natalie(the princess) was to be rescued. I thought it was pretty cute that they included her.
**Tyler is bored....there is nothing to do....typical pre-teen angst.
**Natalie now says "ball, look, poopy, please, cheese, and Daddy(not da-da)".
**I spent all day Monday going to 3 different Michael's to find stands that had been discontinued. Luckily, I found enough.
**I am in love with the song "All the same" by Sick Puppies......Andthe video. Have you seen it? They stand in malls with signs giving away free hugs. It's powerful. Check it out when you get a chance.
**Oh, and I got my swap partner.....can't wait to get my favorite things together for her. Hope she likes em!

Wonderful weekend.

This weekend we were able to get so much done. 6 more bags of toys/clothes went to Goodwill. Doesn't it feel so good to know that someone will get good use of your stuff? I wish I could say I am done clearing/cleaning out, but sadly, no. Stiill so much to do. We were able to squeeze in some fun...... enjoying watermelon after an afternoon swim.
Hanging out in our pjs til noon!

Happy Birthday, Ariel!

Now you are 5!
I say it all the time, but it is so true. Where does the time go? One day, you were our little, sweet baby niece and now here you are a big, sweet, kindergartener! I hope your birthday was full of smiles, lots of kisses, hugs and fun! We love you, Ariel!

Favorite things swap!

I found this cool idea from Jill. The deadline to enter is today. Try it out, it should be fun!

What we have been up to...

Yesterday, we went on errands.....don't think the kids considered that a fun time, but it had to be done! While Lindsey and Michael were napping, Natalie and I played in the yard. Sweet, sweet, sweet!
On the see-saw with no one trying to push her off.....oh, the fun!

Trying to get the ball, but doing a split instead.

She is such a joy....

After reading about Kristi's super cool finds at the Dollar Tree. I headed there today. I was able to find a few hats, none with the fun prints she had, but a couple different colors. I also found 2 suits for Natalie.....can you believe that red one was $1? Man, what a deal....also got her a cute tee that she kept hugging all thru the store. Thanks for the fun idea, Kristi!

Then we headed to my grandmother's with lunch.
Natalie enjoyed the fun Sesame blanket she had on the floor for her.
Michael enjoyed running from room to room.....guess he is getting comfortable there.
This was my favorite photo of the day! He snuggled right into her and she snuggled him right back. Great-grandma's do give great hugs after all!

Michael on a mission

Just a couple of pics that I had of our little man. Although he can be my most challenging child, he does keep us laughing. Helping Natalie walk.....with his "gobbles" on backwards.
Our little ranger with the free hat and mask he got at the Gospel Supply store.
Mastering his skating skills....Don't you love where his knee pads are?

I got tagged.

Rachel tagged me with a personal policy meme. Never been tagged before...I feel all famous now:) By the way Rachel, alot of yours were the same as mine. Now looks who's not so interesting!

Anyway here goes:
1. I believe in courtesy....common courtesy. Open a door for someone, offer a helping hand when someone is struggling, say thanks when someone does the same for you. It is really important to me. You know, treat people as you would like to be treated.

2. Seatbelts are required for our car to go.....gas does not work unless they are buckled in.

3. Most people will laugh when I say this because they know me so well. Saying "I'm sorry". Now, I do tend to say it too often, but I am talking about when you do something really wrong. Just because I am Mommy doesn't mean I can't admit that I was wrong. I want them to know that I too make mistakes and should take responsibility for them.

4. No styrofoam......yes, you read that right. No styrofoam. I have a strange relationship with the white stuff. When I hear it, my hair on the back of my neck and arms stand up and are accompanied by huge goose bumps. It literally hurts my head...you know like nails on a chalkboard and it takes forever to go away. I have to leave the room...so no styrofoam.

5. Although I have gotten better, I can't stand leftovers. ESPECIALLY, if it is older than 1 day. What a snob, huh? With 6 of us now, I am getting better about that.

6. I like getting to the point. You want to borrow that cup of sugar, just ask. Don't say I don't have any sugar to make the cake for church and then just look at me. Waiting for me to offer. It drives me CRAZY!

7. I will never drink coffee. N-E-V-E-R.

8. I have to follow directions. I can be flexible, but with recipes...I have to follow directions. Or putting together a piece of furniture, I HAVE to follow the directions. I did this meme because Rachel told me to. See?

Now I am supposed to tag 5 people......I pick Cristina, Stacy, Kacey, Jill, and Cristin. If you want to do it just let them know they were tagged in their comments. Hope you guys don't mind!