zoo trip

weather here in the upper midwest part of Illinois has been super springlike and not to summer-y the last week. plus, the pool we swim at has been "under the weather".... the pumproom got struck by lightening and has had all sorts of problems. needless to say, we needed some outdoor time....so we headed to Niabi Zoo (about 45 minutes away) for the afternoon...we love Niabi, not too big not too small. you can see lions, tigers, bears (oh my) and all sorts of other furry friends...and not so furry....think boa constrictors and anacondas.

perfect bald eagle

we always start by feeding the koi...

nasty creatures

we zipped through the petting zoo and "walk about" with the kangaroos and stopped to feed the birds....

this one immediately landed on my shoulder and continued to nip at my hair and collar...creepy

braden (not so sure of the whole adventure) even braved the feeding

finley, on the other hand, stood patiently.....

we toured the rest of the zoo...birds, giraffes, monkeys, lions, camel, tigers, leopards, bears, porcupines, etc....and finished with the carousel....JUST AS IT STARTED TO RAIN.

We headed out after the carousel (perfect timing) and headed back home. It was a quick and successful trip to the zoo.

phone pictures

One of the pluses of an iPhone is you can upload your pictures from your phone to your computer rather easily....I did that this weekend and was laughing at all the different pictures on there....even more funny are the videos (usually filmed by Finley). Maybe i will post those on a different day....brady riding his bike (almost has it!!), finley singing teenage mutant ninja turtles, finley filming her toys doing random stuff, brady sneakily filming me talk to another mom during swim lessons, etc......

on the train coming home from chicago

jack in sunglasses

instagram Finley

instagram Megan

chicago train again

Finley thinking she is michael jackson in 'smooth criminal'

the kids sleeping in OUR bed while Sean was in Canada

instagram of Finleys bathroom floor

cousins eating icecream from the ice cream truck

funky shoes for the kids photo shoot

Whats on your cell phone???

finley fun

June 3rd was All That Dances annual recital and Finley was pumped and ready to go....Her class was dance #2 of the evening.....we could have left after that. Afterall...it was 95 degrees that day and the auditorium was not air conditioned....but we toughed it out and stayed through dance number 15....

June 3rd also was Auntie Em's birthday....so after the recital we headed to dinner and Nana's for "cake".....Happy Birthday Auntie Em!

Her friend Kylie (family friend) was dance #3....


and here is a tball update.....she isnt doing so bad....quite the adventure the pre-K tball games....it is a free for all once the ball is hit....they should be wearing helmets on defense ;)

a glimpse of Canada

Sean (and my father and brother) have been in Canada for the last week. Technically they fished for 4 days, but travelled for 3. Although we missed him lots...mostly about dusk till dawn...he assures me he had a FABULOUS time and caught lots of fish. So much so that he has dates already for next year. Here are a few pictures my brother took from his phone and emailed them to me. I am hoping to get more from my dad who had the official camera for the trip....

wordless wednesday

end of the year interview

So I stole this from a different blog....(see a pattern?? there are LOTS of creative people out there)

Any way....

INTERVIEW with FINLEY at her completion of PRESCHOOL!!

I am really good at: Dancing

I like to: Play with my toys

My favorite thing to learn at school: How to Count on the Calender

1 person who make me laugh: MOM

One word that describes me: Funny

I am really happy when: When I pet Jack.

I am really sad when: I see sad movies.

My favorite book: The old Lady who swallowed a Fly

My favorite TV show: iCarly

My favorite vacation: Disney World

I like school when: I get to Color

I don't like school when: Lunch

My favorite season: Summer

My favorite toy: Zoobles

Things that make me happy: Dad...he is funny

Things that make me mad: when brady doesnt share

Favorite sport: Catch

I like my Dad because: He makes me laugh

I like my Mom because: Shes cute (I swear she said that)

I like my family because: They are my favorite!

INTERVIEW with BRADEN at the conclusion of SECOND GRADE

I am really good at: video games

I like to: build legos

My favorite thing to learn at school: Math

1 person who make me laugh: Teddy

One word that describes me: Smart

I am really happy when: I get to tell people jokes

I am really sad when: When I get in trouble

My favorite book: Diary of a wimpy kid

My favorite TV show: Sponge Bob

My favorite vacation: Its a tie!! Grand Bear Lodge and Disney World

I like school when: Everything

I don't like school when: I have to eat Chef Salad.

My favorite season: Winter "snow"

My favorite toy: my plastic guns

What makes me happy: Everybody I love

Things that make me mad: When Finley talks too much.

Favorite sport: Baseball and Golf

I like my Dad because: He helps me with Legos

I like my Mom because: She bakes good cookies

I like my family because: They laugh at my jokes

So the moral of this post is to be able to do it at the conclusion of every school year....

summer list

One of my MOST FAVORITE blogs I follow has an annual Summer List. We have made one before, however have slacked in recent years.... HERE is our first summer list

Half way through, Finley thought we needed a song break....seriously.
The finished list.....
WISH US LUCK!!!!

the jury is still out

First of all.....Monday was the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!! Whoo hoo!! That was Braden, not me...haha, I kid. We have lots planned...including making our summer list. We are making it tonight...should be an interesting one ;)

Miss Fin has informed us SHE wanted to play baseball too....so i signed her up for the Y tball instead of the league Brady is in. The Y has practice once a week and their games are Tuesday evenings. Since we weren't sure if she would like it, we thought the easier schedule was a better route....and as you can tell....the jury is still out...

lego night

our family LOVES legos...even the girls. we recently got a few of the new pirates of the caribbean sets and decided to split up (think girls vs. boys) and put them together this week.

fins favorite is putting all the characters together...
jack was even nearby....dont be fooled by the chew toy...he tried to steal jack sparrow multiple times







...yes some of these are switched ;)

off topic....can you tell someones favorite ice cream flavor??