Petting Zoo

I had the zoo bug again so Jesse took Friday off and we headed to the petting zoo that we went to as kids.  This zoo has grown so much since we were little.  They had zebras and a camel and tigers.  You couldn’t pet those – but you could see them.

When we entered we were greeted by the hungry goats.  So hungry that they jumped up on you while you opened your package of crackers to feed them.

Mally liked to feed them.  Max did not.  When we first entered he was holding my hand walking and squealed and walked right up to them and started hitting petting them.  Then we gave Max a cracker to feed the goats and they came by him – he cried and climbed into my lap and arms.

The pigs!  You can’t even see their eyes!  I don’t think they can see either.  When Jesse went to feed them they snouted around sniffing for that cracker.

Apparently they felt really weird.  But I’m not all that into animals, so I don’t pet them.  I just took Jesse’s word for it.

Feeding the otters. 

Attempting to give bear juice to the bear.  You can buy a bottle of juice to feed the bear.  There were two bears.  One was huge, has had plenty of bear juice.  The other was smaller and so we wanted to give him the bear juice.  Trouble was you could only feed them on one side of their pen.  So we were trying to get him to come over to the right side and Mr. Big Bear wouldn’t let him come.  He sat in front of the way on his butt with arm up blocking the door.  (Literally!)  And if the littler bear would try to come Mr. Big Bear would stand up and they would have a little friendly fight.  Then Mr. Big Bear would could plop himself back in front of the door on his butt with arm up resting on the door jamb. 

So we held onto our bear juice and thought we would try to come back later.

Max walking to me.  He started walking this past week.  He is not a full fledge walker – but he is taking some risks.

Mally by the camel pen.

There was a bird place where you could go in and feed them.  I’m not all that big of fan of birds.  So I stayed on the outside with Max.  Then Jesse got a stick with bird seed on it for him & Mally.  I was going in to get pictures of this.

Mally was okay with it until they started to fly. 

Then she was done and didn’t want to do it anymore.

Max was too aggressive.  He swatted at them and attempted to squish them.  We also had to watch were we walked because they wouldn’t fly away – they would just sit on the path.  Which to Max meant – step on them.

Jesse had three on his stick and I wanted to get a picture – but they flew away and they got too close to Mally and she was done and wanted out of there.  But I got one quick picture before we left.

There was this friendly deer that Jesse & Mally got to pet.

We came back to give our bear juice to the bear and well… Mr. Fiesty still wouldn’t let the other bear out so we gave it to him.

We also got to pet some bunnies – which Max was way too aggressive with.  Armadillos, little baby foxes and a chinchilla.

I wanted to get the kids picture before we left.  I couldn’t get anyone to take a decent picture or to sit still… but I got this momma goat! 

As we were leaving they had this little train on this very tiny track.  I mean very tiny track!  And they wanted $4/person!!  Did I mention how tiny the track was?  It was tiny.  Well Mally wanted to ride that train badly.  And if Mally is going to ride it – Max is going to want to too.  And if Max is going to ride it – I’m going to have to go with because he is too little.  $12 later!  On this tiny little train track!  Tiny!  We are riding!

And we are having so much fun!

She loved it!  She “drove” the train!

We followed behind!

Then when it stopped (thank goodness I was getting dizzy) Mally says… now you drive Mom and I’ll ride behind you.  Um, no thank you.  One time is plenty! 

It was a perfect family day and both of the kids were so good!

Ni-Night Mr. Max!

Max loves to sneak down to their bedroom and climb into Mally’s bed.

He usually climbs in and throws all her animals and pillows out.

But before the animals get tossed out he usually grabs them, hugs them, gives them a little chew, and then gives them a toss out.

He figured out how to get out without falling out and here he is getting into her books that are in their room.

Then Mally joined us and decided that she would read Max a bible story.

But he can’t sit still long enough to listen to a story.  He has created a mess in this room and now he needs to go destroy another room.

A Rare Date Night

We had a wedding to attend a few weekends back and we originally thought we were going to bring the kids with us.  Then a few days before the wedding we did the… are we sure?  kids at a wedding?  um, maybe not.  We got a hold of Grandma Mary & Grandpa Dave and the kids were off for a night of rides on the golf cart and fishing in the pond.  We were going to the wedding alone! 

I had a friend take our picture since we were both all dressed up.

We don’t get sitters very often at all. So when it is just the two of us we talk about… we can eat by ourselves – Max will not be grunting at us for more food before we even have gotten our first bite! I don’t have to take anyone to the bathroom and the entire time saying “please don’t touch – don’t touch that – please don’t touch! I can give my arms a rest and not carry anyone – I almost a pro weight lifter with this son I call Maxwell, who loves to be held! : )

But I’m always ready to go get those kids back in my arms!!  And when they were back in my arms – Mally’s first words were, I got to take a bath in Grandma’s big bath tub.  : )

Sand, Sand, Sand and a Bug

This boy loves his sandbox!  He could sit in there most of the day if you were willing to sit there with him. 

Mally threw a bunch of sand out and she had to clean it up.  While she cleaned it up I worked on catching action.

Max likes to move the sand from the sandbox into a bucket and then dump it out of the bucket back into the sandbox… over and over again.

This keeps him very busy!  More sand action shots!  Yay!

Mally wanted me to take a picture of the sand on her feet. 

See that tiny little fly on her hand in the picture above?

Yup, she saw it too!

And she high tailed it right out of the sandbox.

She was coming to me for safety.

Safe! 

A mosquito bit Mally on the bridge of her nose and she was swollen up for 3 days… she is still swollen in this picture. We know it was a mosquito too, because I was at a play group and another mom killed it – but too late.  : )

Since Mally and I left the sandbox for a more bug free zone Max wanted to come too.

Popsicle Season

The Schwans Man came last week and I ordered popsicles.  He came while I was doing my homework for camera class… See his truck back there?

I was trying to get a sun flare in my picture and the sun was glowing on these dandelion puffs.  So I’m on my belly, have another dandelion puff that I didn’t see in my mouth, and I’m working on getting this photo and trying to figure out my settings and what setting I need.  And I remember… it is quiet.  Where did Mally go?  I look up and I see her feet on the other side of the Schwans truck.  Mally had crossed the street by herself to go by Jesse (who was by the Schwans truck)!  I was so into getting this picture that I got lost in it and forgot all about her!  Thank goodness our street has low traffic, but I still think about her crossing that street and freak.  (In case you are wondering where Max was – he was sleeping in his crib.)

Mally is constantly requesting popsicles.  I think I would be embarrassed to tell you how many she eats in a day.

Max is also a huge fan of them.  And before Max’s Aunties start fighting over which Auntie is the best… stop fighting!  It was a free shirt that another friend gave me and I thought… free… Max can wear it!

Sometimes popsicles just slip right out of your mouth!  : )

Mally was sitting right beside me and I couldn’t get her picture very well.

If only they made clear popsicles then they both wouldn’t have permanent red or orange or purple mouths and clothes this summer.

 

Today’s Mally Quotes

Setting:  Outside sitting on the front step eating a popsicle.  Mallory just crashed on her knee falling down the front step.  Crying because she scraped up her knee.

Mally: *crying* There’s a bird.  *points to bird*

Me: Yes.  There is a bird.

Mally: *stops crying and starts to go for it.*

Bird is heading for the street.

Me:  Mally, please don’t chase the bird.  They don’t like to be chased.

Mally:  Well if the bird wouldn’t run away then I wouldn’t have to chase it.

 

- - - - - - - - -

Setting:  I’m sitting on my laptop watching Sister Wives and she sneaks out of her bedroom.

Mally: I can’t sleep.

Me: Why don’t you grab a new book from the bookshelf and take it to bed and read it.

Mally:  Oh.  I can take a book to bed?

Me:  Yes, you may read a book in bed.

Mally: Then I won’t be disappointed?

Me:  Sure.  Then you won’t be disappointed.

*Seriously, letting her read books in bed is so fantastic.  We still put her to bed at 7:30, but it still pretty light out then and she doesn’t think she is tired so if she can grab some books and read she is golden.  It is her own little special time and she reads her bible and her books and goes to sleep when she gets tired.  Works at nap times too.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

Setting:  She is snuggled into her bed.  We just finished her bible story and she is saying her prayers.

Mally:  Thank you Dear God for…

Looks at Max standing in his crib full on crying at us.  He is ready for lights out.  Ni-Night time.

Mally:  my little brother Max to stop crying.

I giggled so hard!  She usually doesn’t acknowledge his crying but she has been lately.  The other morning she was watching her morning show and Max was having a melt down about something or another and she screamed “MAX!  STOP CRYING!  I CAN’T HEAR MY SHOW!”

- - - - - - - - - -

And I just have a little glimpse into Mally’s coordination…  Tonight I skipped out on our family run and let Jesse go by himself and I took the kids for a little walk.  Mally wanted to ride her new bike and I put Max in the stroller.  We walked about two blocks and she fell off her bike three times.  Honestly I am not even sure what caused her to fall off.  After the third fall I turned her bike around and said we should head for home you are having a rough night.  She got off her bike and said… Mom you can push my bike and took off running.  And oh my goodness I was so mad that I left my phone on the patio table on the deck… she was running this wild crazy wiggly run.  She never fell… but there were a few times I held my breath.

Garage Sale Season!

I want to be better at garage sailing… but I just don’t like to do it alone or with kids.  If someone is with me – I could go all day long… and I did!  : ) 

It was the annual Woodbury (Minnesota) Garage Sales today and my friend, Molly, invited me to go along with her.  She wouldn’t let me go with her last year because Max was just a few weeks old.  I can’t be slowing her down or cramping her style.  : ) 

We left yesterday afternoon and met up with her sister and hit some pre-sales and scored some great finds.  Then we got up at 5:45 this morning to hit it again.

Here was Max’s stash…

He needed summer clothes because my sister’s little guy was born in the winter so all his clothes are the wrong season.  You think it is hard to find boy clothes in the store – even harder to find boy clothes at garage sales.  I did find him shorts and cute shoes I couldn’t resist!  And a bowling toy – he loves to throw balls so now he can throw them at those little guys and it will make noise.  He will be a big fan!

My kitchen finds.  Those three glass for 75 cents total!  A dollar for the four white dishes!

Mallory’s stash!

I bought her a ballet bar, foot placement mat, and DVD and then found some ballet slippers at a different sale!  She can’t wait until tomorrow when we can dance! 

Mallory also needed pants and shorts terribly!  And I think at every stop I had that in mind and wasn’t keep track at just how many I had already bought… she now has a massive stack of pants and shorts!  And I didn’t realize that I only had bought her one shirt!  One shirt!  LOL!  And that one shirt was pinned to a pair of shorts.  Next year I will have to keep a notebook and keep inventory of what I am buying.

Now, I just have to convince her to wear shorts. She won’t wear them right now. She is going to be the one who has a hard time with season changes.

I found her a few games that I am not ashamed to say that I will wrap up for her birthday.  The bottom two are brand new!

This year I found stuff for myself.  I was not expecting that at all.  And name brand stuff that looks as if it has never been worn!

Shoes!!  And water boots!!  I loved that the water boots have a bit of a heel – but they feel like regular shoes when wearing them.  I can’t wait to be out and about on a rainy day!

Oh…and I had a bit of a hat addiction today!

I was even thinking of the business on this adventure.  : ) 

Jesse wasn’t left out either!  His were 50 cents each!  I didn’t know if they would fit… but for 50 cents I would take a risk.

Some of my other items that you didn’t get to see is a summer wreath for my front door that I got for 50 cents!!!  I was very giddy about that one.  Molly was not.  The one she picked up was a dollar.  It is already on my front door and it was too dark to take a decent picture of it.  And I wasn’t patient enough to work with the camera.

I have been talking and researching a new bike for Mally for her birthday coming up… found one today!  Perfect for her and in like new condition!  I was so excited I think I literally skipped out of that garage sale as Molly carried the bike to the van.  I also got her a scooter.

Mally hoped on the bike the second it was out of the van and requested to go on a walk so she could try it out. 

We had so much fun and I’ll be dreaming about next year.  Speaking of dreaming I actually had a dream the night before that we drove Jesse’s Jeep and we couldn’t get our stuff in it.  : )