Thursday, June 30, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROLYN!



JUNE 30, 1980
The Love of my life was born and I have been
privileged to share this life with her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HON! Love ya tons.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Out Of Africa

I hadn't been to Out Of Africa in a REALLY long time and my kids had never been.
We decided it was about time.
Jeff's brother, Shaun, and his family came with us. Having favorite cousins around make everything fun. I'm not sure the boys would have liked it as much otherwise.
It was a hot day and it was a lot of walking for not too many sightings of the animals. The habitats just weren't ideal for showcasing.
If anyone has heard advertisements for this park, the main claim is,
"We are NOT a zoo or circus. We are an experience."
That's for sure.
Their website says,
"See hundreds of animals from all over the world!
Lions, Tigers, Giraffe, Rhinoceros, Black Bear, Camel, Ostrich, Cobras, Zebra, Exotic Birds, Tortoise, Wildebeest, Jaguar, Leopards, Wolves, Hyenas and more!"

Hundreds?!! Really?!! I was so hopeful.
But the only animals we saw were the ones listed and even then, most were too far out of view.

They should also say, "Even though we are 4 miles away from Camp Verde, it will be WAY too much of a hassle to leave for lunch and come back, so plan on buying our $8 hamburgers and $6 kids meals."
The bacon cheeseburger I had, however, was one of the best I've ever tasted. Seriously.

The Tiger Splash Show was pretty neat to watch. It was MY favorite part for sure... and not just because it had shaded seating.
The trainers would play with the white tiger, teasing with huge aluminum balloons to make her jump in the pool.

Griffin had another notable quote that day:
As us adults were walking back down the hill, the kids ran over to stand on a lookout platform.

Rebecca: "What do you guys see? Anything cool?"

Griffin: "No. It's just.... a beautiful setting. That's all."



I'm glad we went, because I've always wondered if my kids would enjoy it.
Now I know. Next time just go to the zoo.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Long Live The Queen

Jeff and the boys were sitting at the dinner table, waiting semi-patiently for me to get my plate dished up and join them.

Jeff: "Did everyone say 'thank you' to mom for dinner?"

Boys: "THANK YOU MOM."

Jeff: "You guys need to be nice to Mom and treat her like a queen. Because she is the queen of our family. Did you boys know that?"

Boys: "No." "What?" "No she's not."

Jeff: "Well she is. She's the queen. So if Mom is the queen, what does that make you guys?"

Griffin: "Servants."

Friday, June 3, 2011

Watch out Michael Phelps!!

I'm sorry, maybe it's just a mother's pride, but....

....have you EVER seen such beautiful form?!

The HORSE MOUNTING DIVE:
(Not used HARDLY enough in top notch competitions)

The coveted FLOATIE BELLY FLOP:
(Makes all the usual tummy slapping sounds while keeping your face
safely marshmallowed between two inflatable sleeves.)