Sunday Road Trip

Yesterday we went to my Uncle's house about three hours away for a party. The kids had fun with the cousins and friends. We went to Cabela's on the way home. Some pics of the day:






121468162" />

Camping Trip

We left for camping on Saturday and came home yesterday (Wed). We had a good time. The kids loved it. Molly wasn't crazy about it. It was pretty chilly in the mountains and it rained some on Sat. and Sun. My motto was Camping is Dirty Business, because with the mud and dirt the kids stayed filthy. It was an isolated campsite and we had a nice time just having family time. We ate lots of good food and even made ice cream in a can. I loved the potatoes in the fire and the beans we cooked over the fire. Breakfast was yummy to eat outside too. I made the kids a scavenger hunt and we did some crafts. We fished, played, explored, and relaxed. Phoebe is such a good camper, she wasn't any trouble at all and enjoyed herself. Once she bumped her ankle and said she hurt her "leg wrist". On the way home we went to the Scenic Highway which I always love, and we stopped and visited Danny's parents. It's good to be home now and I'm slowly catching up on laundry and the unpacking is done. Now to plan the next camping trip!

Camping trip

We went camping over the weekend. We drove about 3 1/2 hours up into the mountains. It was cold but beautiful. It stormed and rained hard Saturday night, but it never rained during the day. A bear was prowling about at several campsites during the nights. It came through our camp but we never saw it. We just saw where it had walked around the camper. We were careful to not leave any food out. The kids liked the adventure and have been telling everyone about the bear. They enjoyed fishing with Danny. Danny caught two rainbow trout and Owen caught a crawdad. He caught it on his fishing pole and held it up and said "I caught something!" and I was expecting to see a fish. They kept it in a bucket and played with it. Owen named it Danny. Chloe wanted to name it Nigel. Chloe said she was mad Owen caught a fish and she didn't. I told her he didn't catch a fish, and she said he caught something better than a fish. Here are several pictures from the trip.

Zoo Trip

On Sunday we went to the Columbus Zoo. It was Phoebe's first time going to a zoo. She had a good time. She liked the manatees and the monkeys the most. Owen says he liked the rhino, the slushie, and the train ride. Chloe's favorites were the red panda and the monkeys. The monkeys are always my favorite. The kids were excellent and we had such a fun time together.



This flamingo was grouchy and pranced up and down squawking at us.



I always like the flamingos, they are such a beautiful color in person.



At the aquarium the kids got to touch several different sea creatures.





The manatees are always so neat to watch. So big, yet so graceful.



There were lots of statues to take pictures with but usually the kids didn't want to be bothered with it.



Chloe at the penguin exhibit.



Chloe and I touched a rosy boa snake. I so wish I hadn't, it gave me the creeps afterward every time I thought of it.



The carousel:



Phoebe did lots of pointing at things:



I loved this gibbon monkey. It would swing from the ropes and trees.



Chloe was put out she had ride by herself in the seat behind me on the boat ride (don't you love her shades?). They only allowed two to a seat. Danny rode with Owen, and I rode with Phoebe. If only we had a third parent (preferably a mother).







This orangutan was so cute:



Chloe with the gorilla. He ate a piece of cardboard while we watched him.



These two bonobos were so cute snuggling each other:



On the train. Owen loved the train. He kept telling us he wanted to ride the train but we worked our way to it while looking at the animals. He said "If we didn't have to look at all these animals we could ride the train".



Finishing up the trip with some slushies. Owen loved this double stroller we rented. He wanted to take it home with us.



As Danny says, a good time was had by all.

Our family

Last month we had our first family portrait taken. We went to Main Street Photography where we have gone many times before. The owners are our preacher and his son, Roy. Roy does a wonderful job. I told him the kind of picture I wanted and he did exactly what I wanted. I bought a big framed portrait (20x24, I think, bigger with the frame I chose) and I picked it up today. It's just beautiful. Roy had a much bigger one made for display in his lobby. My picture was my Mother's Day and Anniversary gift. It's a gift I will always treasure.

Donuts and Family Night

We've had such a pleasant weekend. Yesterday was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. We had a picnic and we played outside all day and evening. We cooked dinner on the grill and ate on the back porch.









We had a family night planned of a movie and donuts. We watched Bedtime Stories, which we all loved.



When I was little Mom always made us these donuts. They are too delightful. Use canned biscuits (the kind that comes in a four pack) and cut out holes (I use the lid to a two liter bottle of coke to cut the holes out). Then just fry them in oil until they are golden brown (doesn't take long, keep a close eye on them), flip once until the other side is golden, and then immediately cover them in powdered sugar. I can't tell you how good they are. You can also dip them in brown sugar or fill them with pudding, etc. Our favorite way is the powdered sugar. I don't make them very often, but the kids love it when we do. (Sorry about the terrible pic, I guess too much flash or something.) They always make me think of Mom making them for us.




It's always good to take the time for a family night. The plate the donuts are on is my Family Night plate. It says: This is the night we've waited for; Always a TREAT we have in store! We love each other more and more with every FAMILY NIGHT!