Couldn't Possibly Bring Anymore!

Hope we didn't forget anything...

CannonBall!!!

So, here we are, just hanging out in K & K's pool the other day, when Kayli just climbs out of the pool, walks over to the water wall, climbs up and looks over at me with a sly grin on her face, (I grab the camera) then she jumps in, pulling off a "perfect cannonball" with all of her 32 lb. weight! It was so unexpected AND funny! Then, her cousin decides to follow suit, just a little too soon and almost lands on top of her!

My Pretty Flower Girl

While sifting through the dress-up clothes, Kayli decides to choose the hot pink flower-petal dress to wear for the duration of the day...

Kayli also chooses an assortment of accessories, including the Royals' sweat band on her knee...

Looks like our flowers need "a drink, mom..." What? Is this pitcher already empty, what should we do now?

I know, let's go visit Grandpa and take him for a walk!

...and I'll bring along this bird watching chart

oops, I tripped and fell and skinned my knee...

this is just pitiful, I can't go another step...Do you think I should get a bandaid, mom?Ok, back to Grandpa's for a bandaid and some candy!

A HOT Day at the Zoo!!!

Marion and I have been wanting to try out her new gold membership to the zoo card, that allows members to have free unlimited carousel, train, and tram rides. So, today, very spontaneously, became "the day". Whooo Boy, though, we did not realize or remember how HOT and HUMID it gets at the zoo in July in the afternoon!!!

We're off to a great start with a Carousel ride!

Upon walking by this beautifully landscaped area, we just had to stop and pose for some pictures...(By the way, Kayli found that hat in her toybox, all rolled up and stuffed under a bunch of dinosaurs. She pulled it out, shook it and "shaped it", and proclaimed it as "perfect" as she placed it on her head, as if THIS was the finishing touch, and headed for the car!)

We can't pass buy the Buddha without rubbing his tummy for luck!Oh, yeah, a nice relaxing ride on the tram with a TINY bit of breeze...

Kayli can't muster up a smile when she's thinking she might fall off this railing and get eaten by cougars...of course, there is so much distance here between us and the animals that I was using a 24X zoom for pictures!

Ahh, Aunt Marion will hold Kayli while I take pics...

Ohhh man, can you see how hot everyone is?

AHhhh, at least there's some shade in our wagon with the canopy...

Now this guy sure knows how to pose!

And, here's an equally pensive pose...

Back on the tram to our last stop, the sea lions...

The Sea Lion put on quite a show. Our timing was perfect, since we didn't even plan to be here at show time!

We stopped in the gift shop and bought a "small something" for everyone. Kayli chose a tiny soft, stuffed lion. Then, we took one last picture on this "quarter ride" and decided we were heading to M*c*Donalds for ice cream. We thought this would be the most delicious way to cool off from this very HOT outing!
(I took this picture straight into the sun, but had my forced flash on, and the picture turned out great!)

The Magic of Fireflies!

So, I didn’t happen to have any mason jars around the house for the perfect “Norman Rockwell Moment” but I did have a nice little ziploc container that I sacrificed for this momentous occasion!

COOL, it’s glowing! Time Time to turn them loose, that was fun! What’s next?!!!

Fun & Fiascos on the 4th!

Kayli and I decided to accept an invitation to come and hang out with Aunt Eileen, Uncle Gary, and cousin, Anna, at their cabin in the Ozarks, for the weekend. Amazingly, we managed to dodge any rain that came through the area, with the exception of one brief downpour while making a "grocery run."
THE FUN...
Kayli and I arrived late afternoon on Saturday, settled in, swam in the lake and had dinner, before heading out to a beachside restaurant, where there was going to be a fireworks show tonight. We sat in beach chairs, on the edge of the water, relaxing with a margarita, while the girls played in the water and the sand. The weather was BEAUTIFUL, and well, with our feet in the sand and a drink in our hand, life was good!



THE FIASCO...
It was late when we arrived back at the cabin and quite dark. We had to use a flashlight to see our way from the car to the back door. Kayli was taking a turn holding the big flashlight and shining it on the ground ahead for all to see where they were walking, all except herself! She suddenly tripped and fell flat on her face, unable to catch herself because she was holding the big flashlight. Of course my heart skipped a beat when she immediately cupped her hand to her mouth and began to scream. I scooped her up and got her inside to discover that she had split open her bottom lip. I feared for her teeth, but thank goodness they were intact! She had been talking all evening about sleeping in the bunk beds with her cousin, but now all she wanted to do was snuggle up to her Mama, and so she did, and the bunk beds would have to wait for another time.
You can see a little bit of that fat lip in this picture...

MORE FUN...
Sunday morning was overcast. Perfect weather for taking the boat out! No boat traffic yet. Maybe everyone is afraid it will rain. OR Maybe everyone is still sleeping off last night's alcohol? Regardless, we were ready to go. Both girls were excited to try out a ride in the tube. This would be Kayli's first time to do something like this. Eileen took Anna out first, riding the tube with Anna in her lap. Then she did the same with Kayli. Then, Kayli wanted her Mom to come with her, so, in the tube I climbed. The tube had a "slow leak" so it had lost enough air by now that we were riding low in the water and, in fact, taking ON water. Oh well, a few times around the cove and we called it good. Kayli was thrilled!!!







THE FIASCO...
We're all on the dock, loading stuff in the boat, towels, bags, kids...and as Gary lifts Kayli from the dock to the boat, one of her all time FAVORITE Little Mermaid heavy plastic Flip Flops, falls off her foot into the water, and, of course goes straight to the bottom!!! Oh, my, there were tears and more tears. It was so sad!

SHE DOESN'T FORGET...
The next morning, as we are waking up, Kayli says to me "Hey Mom, remember my shoe, sinking to the bottom of the lake?" Yes, Kayli, I remember. "That's so sad, Mom." Yes, it is Kayli. But, then she goes on to remind me that it was just as sad when we told her that story about Eileen getting knocked off the dock when we were all little, and how she sunk to the bottom and had to hold her breath until Grandpa dove in with all his clothes and shoes on, to save her. "Good thing Eileen could hold her breath, right Mom?" Yes, Kayli, it was a good thing. "But, too bad my shoe couldn't do the same thing!" Yeah, too bad.
MORE FUN...
We had lots more fun, going to a playground, eating hamburgers and fresh corn on the cob, playing with the dog, and taking the boat out Sunday night to watch fireworks over the water. Too bad Kayli missed the show, as she fell sound asleep once that boat started moving! She was exhausted from all this "non-stop activity" and by the time we got home, so was I!



Yes, Kayli has connected the dog's chain to her necklace. I wouldn't let her keep putting it on the dog, so I guess she decided to put it on herself!



The girls found a very furry caterpillar and were playing with it!
It sure was nice to get away for a weekend and forget about the "house selling" for a while!