Happy Mother's Day

Plumbing 101

The kids received their first tutorial on how to change the wax seal under the toilet. As you can see they were all very anxious to get right in on it all. Although disgusted with the idea of what goes down the pipes, they were very intrigued with the whole process. Thank goodness for husbands who can fix things!

Fun with Friends

I just love these pictures of the kids. Maybe because they tell of the coming summer, being outside and consuming popsicles and ice cream. We had our friends Morgan and Emma over for a family night since both of the dad's were stuck at a pathology conference on Monday night.

Jacob's First Skateboard

Jacob spotted this little skateboard in target, and was desperate to have it. Our neighbor friend, who is about 10, is quite the skater and Jacob has been dreaming of the day that he could skate and jump like Cody. We helped Jacob work and save up his money so he could buy it. So finally last week he had enough money to get it. I thought he might change his mind as we walked through the toy isle, but he was determined. He was very proud to demonstrate his skills to everyone. It is such a shame that kids ever grow out of their self-confidence and belief that they can do everything great.

School Carnival

Our school had their first carnival, and the kids were very excited. Since I would be going it alone with the kids, poor Brooke got to stay and play at a friends house. The games were a lot of fun and the kids had a great time running around seeing all their school friends.

Anna with some of her Kindergarten friends, Lanie and Jonah.
(I had to include this picture since he claims Anna as his girlfriend, but don't tell)

Mary is counting up her lute to see what great prize she might be able to pick out. Unfortunately the prize did not live up to her expectations, or even work for that matter (thank you oriental trading co.) and the night ended in tears. But hopefully the great memories will win out.

More carnival

It just isn't a carnival without getting your face painted.

Beautiful Brooke

Our little angel Brooke has turned 2 years old. The time has slipped by so quickly. Brooke is such a happy and bright little girl. She is also very clever and observant, which has worked against us over the past year. She has been our busiest toddler by far. I can't seem to get anything done, but her. One moment of Brooke unattended could lead to hours of repair! (see previous entries.) Despite her creative ways, she is such a fun girl. She is now very aware of her rights as a member of our family, and she will no longer tolerate any inequality. Her favorite thing in the whole world is my make up drawer (see previous entries). She especially loves mascara. Well, actually her pacifier is the truly beloved possession. I don't know how we will break her of it. Oh well. We love you Brooke!

Jacob is Growing Up

Jacob is absolutely thrilled with his new bike. We got it at a garage sale a few weeks ago. He jumped right on it to show me it was just the right size. It took him a little while to get used to its size. His previous bike was so little he had complete control. The other day our neighbor friend was out riding his bike with training wheels. Jake raced past and proceeded to explain to the boy (who is 6) that if he practiced he would be able to ride without training wheels "like me".

Good bye Pip

There occurred a tragedy in our family before we left for Florida. Poor little Pip was a victim of weed poison. The girls took him outside to show the neighbor kids, and they let him run around on the grass. Unfortunately he digested some poison, or at least that is what we think. Fortunately it was not a slow and painful process. He just stopped breathing all of a sudden. It was an extremely sorrowful experience for the kids. They all cried and cried, even Brooke tried to join in by crying sympathetically. The girls wrote the sweetest letters wishing Pip a good time in Heaven, and letting him know how much they loved him. Despite the fact that it was just a hamster, it was a real reminder that death is so final. There is no going back. The kids still miss him, but fortunately we still have Silky to love and adore.

Pip's burial, the neighbor kids came to mourn with us.

The end of the trip

The Rides

Shamu Express was a favorite for Jacob. Unfortunately he was about 1" too short for several of the rides.

This little crab ride would pull you up and then let you drop. It was the exact same tickly feeling you get when you go over a hill in the car, but magnified by 10. It just made youwant to laugh.

This just made us sick. Around and around.

Moss' face says it all.

Feeding the Dolphins

We actually came back for a second day for the chance to do this. Feeding and petting dolphins was high on the list of expectations for our trip. You have to wait in line to do this because the dolphins can only eat so much. The dolphins were like little puppies. They would only come near you if they thought you had food. The picture below is of a dolphin swiping Anna's last fish. She was not happy about this in the least. She was planning on holding on to the little fish for a while. Needless to say, the dolphins felt like soft rubber and were much larger in real life than I imagined.

The kids

Sea World

One of the main rides at Sea World is Journey to Atlantis. It was actually quite a demented display of a variety of things, but the boat takes you on a couple of terrifying drops. Mary, Anna and I went the first time, Mary loved it, but Anna refused to go again. As we came to the second drop Anna grabbed my arm and yelled "Not again!"The best part is that they take pictures and you get to see them at the end (just in case you want to buy one for 20 bucks.)

One big plus for Sea World is all the shows. It was nice to not have to keep walking all day. The shows were amazing and very entertaining. We ended up right in the front for the Shamu show, and needless to say we were all drenched at the end. Brooke was just waking up when we were all doused with water that seemed to never end. The whale came right up in front of us on a platform. It was incredible to realize how enormous they really are. Unfortunately our batteries were drained and we didn't get any whale pictures.

The parents

I thought I would include a picture of Moss and I for good measure. Since we were there. All I have to say is that when I see those hotels and and palm trees in the background I think of hurricanes. That is the image I think of whenever the news is reporting an incoming storm.