if i ran the zoo

if i ran the zoo ...

i would make sure that little kids always had lots of fun when they came



i would make sure there were a lot of exciting animals ...
you know ... the ones that swim, wrestle, and make funny noises - preferably all 3 at once.

i would make sure there were always LOTS of baby monkeys and dolphins
because like my kids ...
they are SO cute AND so unpredictible ;)



i would make sure the weather was ALWAYS perfect

and i would ask the 'seuss on the loose' people to bring their fun statues and scenes to my zoo



because the kids seem to love seeing their favorite storybook characters around
and they ESPECIALLY love getting their picture taken with them!

i would make sure there was a LOT of ice cream
a LOT of cotton candy
and most importantly
cheese curds ;)

i would have a LOT of fun things to do
BUT
i would not let any mean people enjoy them.

if i ran the zoo.

catch and release

THIS ...



is how drew and ben have been keeping busy lately.

the boys LOVE going down by the lake
and are SO excited about fishing



BUT thankfully ...
just the catching
and
not the eating ;)

you see ...
i love our boys
and will do MOST things for them
BUT ...
touching fish
and
eating fish
do not make the list.

SO ...
having neighbors who
help them, are patient with them
AND
then take, clean, and eat anything they might catch is quite a bonus :)

thanks j, t, a, b, and e :)

this week in baseball

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

track n field part 2

thanks to the rain last friday ...
the team events of track n field day were postponed until today.
we ended up with a gorgeous ... and busy ... afternoon



the 2nd graders started things off with the tug of war

ben's class struggled at first
but then found their groove and won back to back

and what victory would be complete without a chest bump ;)

they ended with a 2nd place finish in the tug of war
and
a photo finish win in the class relay
a race where EVERY person in their class gets a chance to run



and just as they were finishing up ...
the fourth graders were making their way out.

this 4th grade bunch is VERY athletic
and the teachers are very competitive ...
so it was exciting to watch :)



drew had a quick run
he said the beans he had for lunch helped his speed ;)

but ...
their team still took 2nd.

THEN ...
in the tug of war
i expected an easy win.



with a good chunk of the football team representing ...
how could they not?!

WELL ...
i forgot that the other 1/2 of the team was in the other class :)
AND ...
it didn't go so well.

BUT ...
they didn't have to be in class



SO ...
win or lose ...
the afternoon was still fun.

nice job, boys!

perfect reasoning

so ...
drew told me that he knows why he likes a certain girl

his reason ...
'because she reminds me of you, mom'

: : :

have i mentioned how VERY much i love this kid ;)
ALWAYS thinking ...
ALWAYS telling me what he is thinking ...
and
although sometimes bedtime is very welcomed
i wouldn't change it for the world.

lakefront property

who would've thought that we'd come home
to find our house was lakefront property ;)



and that all it took was 2 days of rain

and the boys would be doing cannon balls



in the middle of our yard

even the ducks were confused



God sure does have a sense of humor ;)

6 * 0

on wednesday my mom turned 60

for the past few months we have had a secret brewing
and it took everything in me to not let it slip that
a. we would be visiting for the weekend
and
b. we would be having a huge party!

i even let wednesday come and go
without letting the boys talk to her
because i was so nervous that one of us was going to slip!
thanks for not taking it personally, mom ;)

FINALLY ...
friday came!

we ended up getting into town JUST in time to
join the group in surprising the most special lady ever! ;)



it was so fun to have a night that we could all be together

and join other special people in her life



in celebrating just how special she is!

we even got an extra special picture delivered
just in time!



we love you SO much, mom



AND i am SO glad that we were able to surprise you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
60 looks GREAT on you!

track n field

friday was our track n field day

rain was in the forecast
and i was secretly hoping for it
as we had a surprise party in WI to get to
and i felt terrible pulling the boys out early ...
BUT ...
it only drizzled
and the morning of track n field day went on

the hurdles, the 1 min jump rope, the football toss, the 50m dash
tug of war ...



the obstacle course, the target throw, the 100m dash,
more tug of war

both boys had a full schedule of events that lasted them through the morning
and THEN ...
as if God knew EXACTLY how long it takes us to get to WI ...
the skies opened and the rain POURED
AND
the afternoon events got cancelled!

it was PERFECT!

of course i feel a little bad for the teachers that have to reset everything
for the 2nd half of events which will be made up this thursday
BUT ...
the fact that we don't miss any of it
AND
were still able to yell SURPRISE to my mom
made my day absolutely WONDERFUL!