Funny Kids

When you wear these everyday for the past two months you get...


Raccoon eyes!

When you put curlers in your hair (please excuse the chocolate ice cream face) you get...

"Auugg! I look like a lion!"
When you put Parks and Dunn awesome genes together you get... 4 month old baby sitting up all by herself!

Keeping Cool

 

We have been at the pool almost everyday for the past month and having tons of fun. Jared is quite the simmer and loves to dive for toys at the bottom of the pool. He always has his goggles on which has given him a nice white ring around his eyes. Anna started the summer off swimming with a life jacket, but doesn't use it anymore. she doesn't go far from the edge, but is gaining confidence in her swimming abilities. Audrey enjoys the water too. It has been really nice living close to the pool so we could keep cool this summer

Four Month Old Audrey

Audrey had her four month check up and weighed in a whopping 16 lbs and 7 oz putting her in the 95% for wieght and the 90% for height at 25.5 inches long. She is rolling over now and grabbing at anything that is in her eyesight. She drools a lot which makes us think that teeth are on their way. She is so much fun and loves to laugh with Jared and Anna. She received two shots today and laughed during the first shot and scowled for the second. Can't wait to see what the next few months will bring.

Anna or Audrey?

I showed Anna this picture and asked her who it was. "Audrey." she says.

"Nope. It's you when you were a baby. Can you believe it?" I reply

"Thats crazy!" was Anna's reply.

This is Audrey:

Funny how alike they look.

Washington National ZOO

"Hhmmm...Maybe going to the National ZOO isn't the best idea."


Just kidding is was lots of fun and no this lion was not apart of the "roam free" exhibit. Anyone who is comes to the D.C. area with kids make plans for the National ZOO. It is free like all the other Smithsonian's and it has a wide variety of animals. Jared and Anna had a great time.


We stopped by the petting zoo first and they got to brush some llamas, goats, and donkeys. This was Anna's favorite thing at the zoo next to the butterfly room (which by the way was the "roam free" exhibit.) We then went to a sea lion training show and that was another favorite. After that we kind of just roamed around and saw the lions, tigers, and other small cats, monkeys, birds, fish, and others


We stopped at one point and had lunch on some benches.



The one thing you have to be prepared for when you go to the Zoo is a lot of walking and a lot of hills.

Jared comparing his hand to the paw of a Tiger.

Audrey did so great on the drive and in the stroller. She really travels well.

This is Anna's concerned face as we watched some orangutans climb out of their cages and up a tower connected to other towers by cables.

This cable systems allow the orangutans to travel from one end of the Zoo to the other all on their own. It was amazing to see how they walked the tight ropes so high in the air.

Anyway the National Zoo was a lot of fun. We recommend it and can't wait to go again.

Crabbing, Port Discovery, and Baugers

We have been trying to keep busy this summer with fun family activities while we have Kevin at home. About a week or so ago we went with some friends to try our hand at crabbing. We found a public beach with a pier across from the Naval Academy in Annapolis and dipped our crab nets into the water for a few hours.


We didn't catch anything but we had fun playing on the rocks and enjoying the sunshine. Better luck next time.
Last week we rode the metro into the Inner Harbor area and took the kids to Port Discover Children's Museum. This was Audrey's first Metro ride.


Dad and Anna having a picnic

Jared and Anna "riding" a horse at a cowboy exhibit

After the Museum we walked to the Inner harbor for some ice cream. Audrey was so funny watching us all eat with her mouth open like a little bird. We felt bad and let her have a taste. She loved it!

Today we loaded up and drive to a u-pick farm for some peaches.
Riding the tractor


This farm has a nice little petting zoo also so we stopped by and visited the goats, alpaca's, donkey, cows, llamas, and chickens.


"I promise to sleep through the night. Just don't feed me to the alpacas!"-Audrey

Not sure what next week will bring, but I'm sure it will be fun.

Pioneer Day

July 24th we invited some families and the Elders over to celebrate Pioneer day with us. We had all the kids bring their bikes and scooters over and we decorated them with balloons and streamers.



After they were done decorating we had a little parade down our street.

Jared and Anna enjoyed it so much their bikes still have their decorations on them. After the parade we went in the backyard to have some gunny sack races, three legged races, and a stick pull. It was fun to watch all the kids have fun with the old fashioned games.

After the games we ate some hot dogs, corn on the cob, salads, and southern BBQ. It was all so yummy! The missionaries shared a message with everyone and then we had a really good peach and berry dutch oven cobbler with ice cream. It was a fun day.

July...

…has been packed full of fun and the month isn’t even over yet! First we moved to a new house, celebrated the fourth, and drove to Georgia and back again. Lots to post about and lots of picture so hang in there as I attempt to bring everyone up to date.

First we moved about 7-8 miles south of our previous address. It is closer to the metro, city, and most importantly friends. Kevin was at scout camp the week before the move so the kids and I got everything ready for help to move our big stuff when he got back. This is our second move in a year and I hope to not have to move again anytime soon (at least not during the month of July). The kids love our new place. There is a little yard in the back, a big basement to play in, and a community pool! The toughest part about moving to Baltimore was our loss of leg room from our home in BV. The kids really missed playing outside so this is really nice to be able to have a bit of grass to play in.
Soon after our move our friends (and new neighbors!) the Johnsons invited us over for the fourth. We headed over for fireworks. Jared and Anna had fun with sparklers and chasing lightning bugs.



A few days later we piled up into the van and made our way down to Georgia for my brothers OCS (Officer Candidate School- ARMY) graduation at Fort Benning, Columbus, GA.


My parents, Sonnet, and Blake’s wife and son, Sara and Jacob, were all there. We hung out at our hotel and played games and swam.
We went to a really great park called Callaway Gardens. They had walking trails, a few lakes, a live Butterfly room, birds of prey presentation, mini golf, shuffle board, blow up toys, and a circus.

Waiting for birds of Prey Presentation

Jacob taking in the park

Butterflies




We all had a really great time at Callaway Gardens. One day we went to the infantry museum on base and it was really interesting. They had a walk through history presentation where you saw displays of famous moments in the history of the American Army. This is my favorite picture of all.

Jared, being the serious and sensitive kid that he is, was really quiet as we were walking through the museum. In his little corner of the world war is a foreign concept and he had a hard time understanding why war would become necessary. We had a chance to talk a bit and then at one point in the museum we came to this area that had almost life size pictures of soldiers all around the world from the floor to the ceiling. It was a great experience and I gained even more respect for those that serve our nation and the world. There was room for kids where they could try on some of the uniforms and see what it is like inside of a tank. Anna is the Sargent, Jared and Jacob are the solders, and Audrey is the civilian.


Thursday was Blake’s graduation. Flash photography was not allowed so I don’t have any real good pictures of Blake on the stage, but here are a few of us before and after.


Blake asked my dad, who was in the Navy, to do his pinning and first salute. My dad ordered a uniform from his day to wear for the occasion.

Blake is an official 2nd Lieutenant in the Army now. He and his family are stationed in Missouri for his training to be an Engineer in the Army. Some of his training will take place in Georgia as well.
The kids were great traveling in the car all that way. We were amazed at how content even Audrey was for the fourteen hour drive. On the way home we stopped off at BV for a quick visit. It is always nice to visit old friends. We are home now and shouldn’t be going anywhere for a while. I guess we will see what the rest of July brings.