A Family Trip To The ZOO!!!!

After the hustle and bustle to get out the door and on our way we get into the car and take off! We make a brief stop in Keizer to pick up Poppa Mike, Grandma Jo, Uncle Eric, and Aunt Cagney then we are truly off! The kids were so wonderful in the car, it always helps to have Grandparents to keep them occupied while you drive. Finally get there and park, load up the stroller with all the necessities of 5 adults and 2 kids and make our way up to pay. The line was extraordinarily short which was a relief. Pay walk through the gate and there is a mountain goat sitting there hanging out for us to see! It was exciting for the kids to see something as soon as we walked in! Next we make our way down to actually pass the "ticket takers" and truly enter into the zoo. At this point the path splits two ways: to the left you can go through Eagle Canyon and to the right you can make your way down to the Steller Cove. We decided on going through Eagle Canyon and proceeded on. We made our way a little down the path and came to a Black Bear. He was taking a snooze in his cave but he was cute to look at all the same. Moving on, we make our way down the path on our way to the Eagles! Dylan was really excited to see the Eagles so we make our way through the throng of people and strollers to get to a spot where we can watch the Eagles. Finally we park the stroller and the kids jump out, normally you go into an observation area to see the Eagles but they were in an awkward location and you could see them better from outside the observation deck. So we sat on a couple rocks lining the walkway and were able to see the Eagles checking out all that was going on around them. After watching the Eagles for awhile we decide to resume our trek down the path. Making our way past the Eagles we continue on to see the fish, large and small alike. My kids love fish! They were so excited and animated as they watched the fish swim to and fro. They loved as the fish would swim right up next the the glass they would point and laugh excitedly! Just past the fish was a warming tank with baby turtles. Then around another curve was a larger tank with bigger turtles. Ally really felt connected with one turtle especially! After watching them for a bit we decide to proceed down to find a restroom for a potty break. So I wait in line with Dylan for around 20 minutes, meanwhile Grandma Jo is busy keeping Ally entertained.After our brief break we carry on our exploration. Our next stop was the Bear again, their habitat was on a hill so you could see them at the top and again at the bottom. One particular bear seemed to be a little wound up...he was pacing back and forth, back and forth, back and forth....entertaining the kids beyond belief! Ally was a little nervous every time the bear would come by and turn around his nose would almost touch the glass and Ally would back away a little each time. Dylan did something next that just about made me cry... he went over to Ally and said, "Come here Ally, its ok." In the process of saying that he gently laid his hand on her back and brought her back over to watch the bear more. WHAT GREAT KIDS I HAVE! Onward we trek the next attraction. The farm is the next segment in our busy and fun day. The first thing the kids see as we round the corner is the tractor! As mentioned in a previous blog Ally loves tractors and Dylan is pretty excited about them also! So we climb them up there and take pictures and Dylan "drives" it for a little bit. Next Poppa is being silly and bouncing on tractor seats they have attached to the ground and we put Dylan up there to take a picture with him, except as soon as I go to snap a picture Dylan spots the sheep! Dylan loves animals so very much, this whole zoo thing for him is just awesome! After admiring the sheep we wander our way into the barn. In the barn they have wooden horses to sit on and pretend to ride, also because of the weather all of the goats were inside so we admired them as well. Just across the way is the Elk Meadow where the Elk and a Wolf is. So we cruise our way across the train tracks to admire the Elk and the Wolf. Aunt Cagney and Uncle Eric helped lift the kids up to see through the tall grasses and see how cool the wolf was, he looked just like a dog relaxing, although I wouldn't want to go pet him! Next we hear the train coming so the kids jump in the stroller and I pop a wheelie with the stroller and run down the ramp so we can go see the train. As I turn the corner and run down towards the bottom there is a boy waiting to come up, he looks at me and says, "Cool wheelie!" Wow I am such a cool mom doing wheelies with the stroller!! Moving on....next stop is the Polar Bears! The polar bear exhibit was remarkably un-crowded. So we pull up on the ramp and watch as one of the polar bears paces back and forth from us to hiding behind one of the walls. After watching him for a bit playing and pacing all of a sudden some fish comes flying for the top of the rock ledge that surrounds the exhibit....it was feeding time! He was being pretty persnickety though if the food didn't land close enough to him he would just stare up until she would throw more food. Dylan thought this was the height of hilariousness! Ally was just quiet and fascinated just taking it all in. We spent about 30 minutes or so just watching Mr Polar Bear play and eat, we were very lucky we saw quite a few things during this trip to the zoo that we normally don't see. Our last stop before lunch was going to be the elephants, since it was somewhat drizzly there was only one outside, so we went into the building where you can view the elephants. This for me was THE COOLEST PART OF THE DAY!!!!! We got a great spot right up by the window and proceeded to watch the most fascinating thing. The elephant would take a DEEP breath and stretch his trunk all the way out so he almost touched the glass. He would then point the tip of his trunk toward the ground and blow out all his breath to push all the hay and carrots of the floor towards him. Next he would use his trunk to gather up all of the food into a little pile then lift it up and stuff the whole pile into his mouth, which, surprisingly, he was very neat and very little to no food fell out of his mouth. The kids and I were so entranced I forgot to take pictures during, but Poppa went back and took a picture of the elephant walking around after we left. Our stomachs were rumbling by this time and so we searched out a spot to eat lunch. All of the tables under cover were taken, so we ended up on the balcony by the AfriCafe. Luckily it wasn't raining at this point, just pretty windy at times. So we gobbled down Pb&J's and cheese crackers. All of the food the zoo sells is ridiculously expensive so we went to the vending machine for dessert. The kids had chocolate chip cookies, well Dylan did Ally only really wanted one bite! Oh well, she apparently was full and knew better than to eat more than she needed. Right around the corner from where we ate is the atrium and the beginning of the Africa division. So we make our way in to the atrium as soon as Dylan is finished with his cookie. Once they were able to locate birds this became an interesting stop. Some of those birds are tricky little guys and can hide pretty well. Ally really liked the waterfall she was hanging out by that mostly. Our next stop was right outside the door of the atrium where the Rhinoceroses were sleeping in their pen. He was in a good spot where the kids could see him without having to be lifted up. Continuing on down the path we come to the Hippopotamus's next, the first viewing location you couldn't see them very well. The second viewing location for the hippo's you could see them very well just sleeping up under the rock overhang. The kids were really interested even though they were not doing anything exciting. I look at this picture and they were just so interested in what each other had to say and they were just being so good, even though they should have been getting tired and grumpy by now. Moving ahead our next stop on the dry river bed path is the zebras! After observing the zebras for a brief bit, we move on to trek up the hill up to see some monkeys....we stare at them and they stare right back at us. Moving on to the giraffe, there was only one that we saw and he was inside eating some lunch. Zig-zagging our way back down the hill we head towards the bats, snake, and the Ranger station. Ally wasn't quite sure that she liked the bats, she was more interested in watching the zookeeper in the exhibit cleaning it out....and I mean in the exhibit.....with the bats! Thank you but NO! Next, the animal that I skipped was the snake but Grandma Jo hung out with Dylan and got to see the snake get fed...a giant DEAD RAT! Thank heavens I did not see it! Dylan thought it was cool though! Next we hung out at the Ranger station for awhile playing, climbing all over a jeep and some faux ivory on display. Weaving our way back through the African Rainforest, we make our way back up to take a quick break to rest and play on some statues and then make our way into see.....THE PENGUINS!!!!! This was another of Dylan's favorites. at this point of the day the crowds were thinning a little so we didn't feel like we had to move on our way too quickly so we watched the penguins waddle and swim for a while and got to rest a little also. After coming out of the Penguins we look around and decide that our last stop would be the Steller Cove. What a great place to end the day! We walk in and the Sea Lions are swimming in circles and every time that they come to the windows they slow down and swim right up to the windows as close to the kids and people as possible! The kids were so excited to see them, then we notice after awhile that they are jumping out so we run around to where we can see them at the top and they are doing tricks and getting treats. We also get to see the sea otter get a few treats too, then I notice some little girl I don't know carrying Ally around and decide ok...its time to go....! So we load up into the stoller and huff it up the hill to the exit. Up at the top there were so cute statues that caught the kids eyes, so they got out and were playing with them and taking pictures with them, although Ally seemed to want to choke this one!!! Poppa wanted to get a picture of himself with the goat statute, but then the kids wanted in on it....what a great picture of the 3 of them....you could never tell by this picture how much love Poppa has for his 2 grand kids, could ya??? By the looks of this picture it was definitely time to go.....this is how we all felt I think by this time.... One last stop at the gift shop, I found the kids cute little mugs and Poppa and Grandma got them little sea turtles. Ahh what a fabulous day...even with the not so great weather! Ready for next month?? Join us July 8th...Its the cheap admission day...only $2 bucks for everyone over 2, 2 and under are free!! Until next time.........................

***A special thanks to Poppa Mike and Aunt Cagney for the use of some of their pictures in this blog...! Love Ya!

The Strawberry Festival Parade

So this was originally going to be a blog to give Grace a time to shine, unfortunately she has been sick with a fever and was not able to be in the parade with Grandma and Grandpa Hotrum. This is where Dylan comes to the rescue! So we all got ready and took off at about 9:45 to head over to Lebanon and drop Dylan off with Grandma and Grandpa. Then to go and park and get a good place to sit to watch Dylan reprise his role as passenger extraordinaire in the Model T. So we park off of 2nd street and walk down W. Milton Street to get to the corner of Main and Milton where we were meeting Kaydi, Grace, and Jude. As we are walking down the street I look up and there is a guy throwing up in the bushes as we walk by, then goes back to smoking his cigarette like nothing had happened! Needless to say I picked up the pace a little to get where we were going! We get over to the street and got a great place right on the front line! So now comes the waiting part.....after about 40 minutes or so we see the beginning of the parade. There were a few cool things like old cars,big rigs, strawberry festival princesses, pt cruisers with Dog or Bear mascot in the back....we couldn't really tell what he was??! Next came the fire trucks and then I realized the Dylan and the Grandparents were right behind the fire trucks! I welled up a little like always....then ran up to get some pictures as they drove past. After the excitement of Dylan passing we decided to sit for a bit longer then go and collect Dylan at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We got to see more old cars, a marching band, Smokey the Bear, and Ally's absolute favorite.....TRACTORS! She was so cute Daddy went over next to her and would squat down to her level so he could talk to her and then she would squat next to him....it was hilarious! So after the tractors we decided to head on out as it was lunchtime....even though we maybe say 1/4 of the parade....of well we saw the best part! We got to have lunch at Grandma and Grandpa's then loaded up and headed on home for NAP! What a great day!!!

The Sandbox That Daddy Built!

So about a week ago I came up with the idea of making a box to play in. The debate after we decided to make a box was what to put into it. I was thinking something like pea gravel and Darrin was thinking sand... So we did some research, our neighbor has a pea gravel box, so we went to look it over and see what we thought. The discussion continued and finally I saw the light. We decided on sand. All the while we were busy staining and painting the box that Darrin had put together. We got the main box stained jointly, then Darrin started painting on the lid and I finished the painting over a day and a half period. After the painting was done and dry Darrin went about attaching the hinges so that it would accordion as we open it. After attaching the hinges to the lid piece Darrin brought the pieces out and attached the pieces to the box. There ending up being the slightest space where the boards met so we attached a 1x6 to serve as a handle a seal. Darrin went and got the sand this afternoon and filled the sandbox, taking a small break to rest and enjoy what he had built. After his break he went a got a little more sand we finished filling the box and let the kids loose....they played like crazy for over an hour and a half!!! Come check it out sometime!

Dylan's Last Day of His First Year of School........

Today is my "baby's" last day of his first year of school. For some strange reason the end is harder than the beginning for me, and I have been thinking of why this could be. The only thing I can think is I am not the sole caretaker for him now, I am not the only one shaping who is is and who is going to become. This is very difficult for me and I know it is for the best but still it makes me sad. On Tuesday I told him that I was sad that today was his last day of school and he replies, "Not me!" A big smile came over his face. I am not entirely sure he understands what summer break is because as we were leaving school he said I want to bring my shovel for sharing. So I said you will have to bring it next year. When we got home I said I am so happy school is out now I have you all to myself, to which he replied, "I want you to share me I like my teachers!" So to Mrs Alisa and Mrs Tanya and all the teachers to follow I say, "Thank you for doing this job you do....you are helping the next generation to becoming what they are destined to be!" Here is the beautiful book Mrs Tanya made for each of the students in their class. And thanks again....its been fabulous!

The Slow Release of DD....*tear*

So for those of you who are unfamiliar with who DD is, let me explain. DD is a comforter, companion in sickness, best friend, tear collector, first love, patient great listener who is game for anything....also know as my son's lovey or very favorite stuffed animal. I just recently have noticed DD being absent from alot more playtime activities than he used to be, you see DD used to go everywhere all the time no matter what, so much so that there are actually 2 DD's, just in case the unthinkable would happen, although after he discovered that there were 2 one of them still remained his favorite more loved on one.

We received DD from Grandma and Grandpa Hotrum a little while after Dylan was born. It had a beautiful scarf around his neck and a music box in his belly that played Jesus loves me. While one day something that ended up being completely un related happened, Dylan broke out in this insane rash....and while I know you are not supposed to wash toys that have music boxes in them, I did. I was so anal (and still am) about washing things I figured it would not be that big of a deal. While Dylan slept with DD every nap all night constantly, so when he broke out in the rash my first thought, don't ask me why, is that battery acid was somehow leaking from DD and on to him. By this time I should tell you that DD had lost some of his fluffy-ness and his scarf (choking hazard?!?). While in my haste and not realizing the possible other causes of the rash of the devastating effects of what I was about to do, I threw DD in the garbage. (*tear) While what happened next was devastating....turns out the rash was from a strawberry sensitivity and Dylan would NOT sleep without DD....Thank the Lord for my mother in law though....she had also bought one for my sister in law Kaydi for the baby they were expecting. So I hastily call Kaydi and frantically explain the situation and ask if I can come down and take theirs and that I would replace it. She says yes of course because she is the BEST EVER!!! (yes, you Kaydi Belle Hotrum!) So I drive all the way to Lebanon with a screaming child thinking that my redemption is near....get there run in and grab the dog, cut off the scarf and back out to the car. I try to give it to him....he throws it down he knows it is not the original, I try to play the music and that freaks him out more. By this time mostly he is crying out of complete exhaustion. So once we get home I do very quick and major surgery on DD to remove the music box on the off chance that it was the battery acid. And by that night he is happily doing much better!

Another fun time was when DD took over Mommy's camera, he got one of the best pictures of Dylan ever!! Here is his work! The day he discovered there were 2 DD's was absolutely hilarious, we had done a little switcheroo so that we could wash the one since it had been a little while. So not thinking about what I was doing or the trauma I might cause I load up the laundry basket with everything and bring it into the bedroom to dump on the bed and begin folding. While out flies DD. Dylan's eyes get really big and he looks down to make sure he is still holding his DD, the he exclaims, "Mommy, there are 2 DD's!" Luckily he thought it was cool and it didn't upset him in the least, these days after he is sick or its been awhile he informs me that DD needs a bath and he will bring it to the washing machine and put him in to get clean. My kids amaze me!

As I have browsed through pictures while writing this DD has been a constant companion to my son, It makes him feel secure and happy. I will leave you with a small sampling of pictures of our DD. Pray that he will want to keep him around a while longer at least for bedtime....let him stay small for me a little longer!!

A little preview of Blogs to come....

Coming soon....the building of a play pit....also the slow release of DD.....Strawberry Festival Parade.....Baby Jude's Dedication.....and next week(hopefully) our Zoo outing! Enjoy and hope to hear from you soon!

Thanks for the Win Mariners!!!

So Saturday we drove up to Seattle for the Mariners game against the Detroit Tigers. The kids were excited and very good on the drive up. They read books for about an hour until we had a pit stop, then I started a DVD for them to watch for awhile, (thanks Uncle Nate and Aunt Kaydi for the priceless use of your portable DVD player!!!) After it ended we decided to stop for lunch at a Rest Area, mmmmmm PB&J's so yummy along with Cheez-Its! We hit the road one more time and Dylan was doing well, Ally was little cranky...eventually she fell into a little snooze. Finally we glanced out first look at Seattle in the distance, then a little bit further down the road we got our first look at Safeco field!!! About 20 minutes later and weaving our way down some streets we finally found our typical parking spot and loaded up our backpack and headed out. About a 10 minute walk later we got to the Home Plate Entrance of Safeco field. As we made our way up the stairs we hear the cheers of the crowd rooting the M's on! We stopped a little off the 3rd base side to watch a little before making our ways to our seats. As we made our way to our seats we passed the Kids Play area, which was remarkably empty, so Daddy dropped the kids and I off and went up to enjoy the game while the babes played for a bit. So Ally was not so much interested in playing but Dylan once he figured out where to get up to the slides had a blast! So after playing for a little bit we decided to head up to our seats and have a little snack. We watched the game for a little while eating and hanging out. After a bit we decided to get up and walk around and get another little snack, so off we went down to get some Cracker Jacks.....small bag....yet expensive....$3.75 later we went back up to enjoy. At first Ally wasn't interested so she would just feed it to me but once she got a taste of it there was no going back! After a bit a family got up to leave and asked if we would like to use their play area passes, we said yes that would be great since we hadn't signed up for any times, so they graciously gave us their passes. So about 15 minutes later we went down to play some more. This time Ally figured out where to climb up and how to get going....she was having so much fun! Dylan was running back and forth from one play thing to the other climbing up and sliding down. We got 15 minutes of play time then went back up to watch the end of the game. This was one of the quickest Mariner games I have ever been to lasting only 2 hours and 28 minutes!! Oh well probably for the best with two little ones. As we sat in the stands in the 8th inning and everyone was chanting Ic-I-ro....Ally got into it, Daddy had taken Dylan to use the bathroom and I got the question of the year from the guys sitting next to me...."Are they twins?" Ok so maybe I am just irritable but Dylan is like 6 inches taller!!! OK moving on, JJ Putz came in in the 9th inning to close out the game and it was a 3 up 3 down inning! So after a dismal loss on Friday they came back and rallied for a win for us on Saturday, so THANK YOU MARINERS! The ride home was not so pretty so I will spare you the details.....we made it home in one piece around 9, both kids still awake and went pretty much straight to bed! Lets hope the Mariners at least break 500 this year!?!?