African Elephants

Wow are these elephants huge! We went to the new Elephant Crossing exhibit at the zoo yesterday. It was quite unique and tons of fun! I was so surprised at the size of the male elephant. This picture does not do it justice!

We saw four giraffes just hanging around. Every time I see these animals, I'm amazed at how graceful they are for their size and their skinny legs!

Then off to Dawson's favorite place...the greenhouse to see the butterflies.

Here she is actually touching a butterfly. I have no idea why it didn't even move! They are just very used to people.

Goodbye zoo!!!

A Play Date

We had a play date at our house with Grace. Her mom was busy for a whole day so we cut loose and had a little fun.

We rode bikes....

We ran......

We played with a new sprinkler Grammy bought the girls. Here's Grace running through the sprinkler....it was nonstop fun!!!!

Funny Bugs

Last night concluded our 10 week session at The Little Gym. Each child had 3 routines to perform for the parents. Dawson did the bars, beam and the floor. Here's a little background on how we got started .......The very first week Dawson came home from Guatemala, we were at The Little Gym. My friend Gretchen owned two at the time and of course, we had to join! Our classes started out as mom and me and then moved to just Dawson. Often times, Gretchen would watch Dawson while I ran an errand or two and they would just hang out at the gym and explore. We even invited our friend Grace and her mom to join us for a class one day. They fell in the love with the gym too! I really love the concept of their program because it provides an environment for kids to succeed at whatever level they are comfortable with. The program also bases it's teaching and skills on the United States Gymnastics Federation.

Look at Dawson on a regular high beam...on her toes. She does not really need anyone to hold her hand. She has no fear of this at all! She's just like her Aunt Kim!!!

Nice balance!

And the dismount!

Good friends chatting!

On her bar routine, she pulled herself up and was able to hold herself still. Not bad!

Following the routines, everyone gets a gold medal and the chance to wave to the fans! I never thought she would do it but, she surprised me and did!!!

The group photo....

And two Funny Bugs trying to strike a pose with attitude....I think Grace has this down!!!

Memorial Day 2011

We spent a fun filled, nonstop weekend at the lake. From camping to boating, we just never had any time to rest. Come 5:00 tonight, the house was quiet and our weekend came to a quick end!

Birthday Balance Bike

After much research and the dreaded idea of training wheels, I decided to try a balance bike for Dawson's early birthday present (actually from Grammy and Papa). If you look carefully, you will notice these kinds of bikes have no pedals. The idea is to scoot around and then eventually start lifting your feet and cruising along with balance.

Grammy also attached a basket for teddy to go along for the ride. They both love the new bike!

We just scooted along down the sidewalk. At first, it looks kind of silly walking along with a bike. Then, I noticed she was picking up her feet a little. She was feeling out the balance right away. I didn't know how this would work but, now I can see it's going to be a good thing!

And down the sidewalk we went.

This is fun mom!!!

If You Give a Mouse....

A COOKIE....written by Laura Joffe Numeroff

Lynn and Grace took us to the theater to enjoy a well known children's story. We had a fantastic time with two little girls full of laughter and smiles! If you have never read one of these books they are better know as "circle" stories. It starts out with a mouse who gets a cookie from a little boy who is home alone. After the cookie, he becomes thirsty, then he needs a straw, then, then, then...you get the picture!

The girls were checking out the larger than life size of milk and a cookie on the floor. The props were all super sized since the story was from the viewpoint of a mouse!

A quick picture after the play. I love these two happy girls!

Thanks for our special day Lynn and Grace!

Sick of the Rain

We were in Columbus for the weekend watching my niece and nephew and we were all talking about how sick we were of the rain. After about 10 minutes of complaining, we made a plan to visit COSI, a hands on science center. I wasn't sure how this was going to work with a 15, 12 and 3 year old but, it worked out perfectly! All three of them had a blast!

This was a lot of fun. You had to put the ball on top of a stream of air. It looks easier

than it really was!

All three kids loved the water table.

This exhibit had funnels, balls, tubes, boats and all kinds of fun things to explore with in the water.

The had a cool hand dryer to use when you were finished.

This was supposed to be an electricity exhibit but, the three of them were pretending to be on American Idol.

This was a cloud experiment. Very cool to touch and see.

Breea and Dawson were playing a lovely tune on the invisible harp.

Unfortunately, we did not get through the whole museum. We did a lot of experiments and also saw the movie "Dolphins" at the IMAX theater. We will be back in Columbus for a graduation in a few weeks so maybe we can make another visit!