Summer's Last Hurrah! - Part II

Only one way to describe it..............

OUR VERY OWN JURASSIC PARK ADVENTURE!!!

We made the (LONG) trek to south Louisiana - Folsom to be exact - which is near New Orleans and visited Global Wildlife Center where we had a blast on our safari excursion!4000 animals over 900 acres, need I say more?Getting ready to go on our adventure!
Poor baby Hudson was beginning to develop a case of the sniffles here :( These boots were made for walkin' stompin'... Little Cowgirl Handsome fella! Seasoned travelers Novices We rode one of these: And got to feed some amazing animals like Sally, the Camel: And a bunch more! Grace LOVED the "Bambis" Hudson was mesmerized! My attempt to have Hudson feed an animal...
Looking at the animals-YES!
Feeding them-No way Jose! Maybe it was this guy that scared him! S-t-r-e-t-c-h!!! She was so happy to have touched a bull!
"He's rough and scratchy, scratchy." There's nothing like seeing these animals up close and personal...and happy...and well taken care of...and roaming free.

We didn't get to see the giraffes up close...they were - ahem - having some adult time :) Winding down...
There's something about this picture...I just love it! Keeping it real...
Me: "Grace, did you have a fun time???!!!"
Grace: "YES! Now can we go swing on Papa J's swing?" ;) What a fun trip this was!
THANK YOU NOONIE & PAPA J for this amazing adventure!!!!

Summer's Last Hurrah! - Part I

Taking advantage of the long weekend we packed it up and headed out to see my folks Saturday so that we could go on a "Safari" excursion we've been talking about for what seems like forever.

But I think even more than the safari THIS was the highlight of the whole trip: Papa J surprised the little pumpkin by setting up a good 'ole fashion tire swing in their backyard!

Checking it out for the first time... She wasn't excited or anything... Ready...Set... GO!Oh my! She L-O-V-E-D the swing!!!!! Papa J even taught her how to turn in circles! Even Papa J had a turn! This little guy wasn't too sure.
Next year Hudson, next year. This is what summer and childhood are all about! Thank you Papa J for the wonderful memories created in your backyard this weekend!
We love you!!

Pumpkin Painting Party???

I'm trying to decide whether we can swing a little Pumpkin Painting Party (much easier for little ones than carving!) mid October. It's a busy month for us with lots of activities and other commitments but I'm hoping!

We have the perfect spot right in our neighborhood too! Eenie Meenie Minie Moe...can we have a Pumpkin Party come this Fall? Hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend! We're off to spend it with my folks and take a mini "Safari"
...should make for some pretty funny pictures to share when we get back!

little senorita

To wrap up "M" week at preschool, Grace's class celebrated Mexico Day (what happened to Cinco de Mayo??? :) today. They were asked to dress in anything that was Mexico-like and to bring any Mexican items they had to class.

I tried to find the "loudest" dress in her closet and we added a flower hair pin instead of a bow to her hair. The shoes were a compromise since I had to skip the cute ones I wanted her to wear in favor of some that could (barely) pass the "P.E. tennis shoes" requirement since today was a P.E. day. And then we found one of the maracas Noonie & Papa J had given her from one of their cruises. So...witout further adieu, I present to you...Little Miss Senorita! They made the shawls in class this week and they each got a hat to keep. She wasn't too happy about the hat...said it was hot and messed up her hair (Miss Priss!) but I thought she looked so cute in all her Mexican gear! Couldn't resist taking a pic of her star from Week 1: They made quesadillas during class and then enjoyed them as a snack. Of course the pinata was a big hit - no pun intended! And they even made mini donkey pinatas to bring home - so cute! They dressed up in class and when we got there to pick them up they came out and modeled their outfits for us. She was a bit shy :) I love this picture...makes me think of one of those little Mexican trinket toys of a Senor taking a siesta by a cactus - he he he! She wanted me to take a picture of the sombrero because it did have pink in it after all! "Mama...it IS itchy but it's a little bit cute because it has pink & aqua blue...like cotton candy" Silly girlie! I'm so glad you had fun my little Senorita! Next week is Colors, the letter T, and Grandparents Day! Grace is so excited to have her grands visit her classroom and eat a special snack with her!!

from scrappy to sweet & sassy!

So...............remember these hats???? Well after making them, I ended up with this:Yes, scraps.

So I decided to turn them into something fun and ended up with this: Pretty cute, huh?

And what exactly are they?

Here, see for yourself: That's right, little girl hair pretties!

For some of my favorite little girls.

Happy 5th Birthday,

Emily & Allison!!!

Hope you're having a fab day!

Hudson's turn!!!

We've decided to let Hudson try out
Mother's Day Out 2x/week for a couple of hours. It's the same MDO program at our church that Grace went to when she was 18 months so I know it's a WONDERFUL program full of sweet teachers...but...he's my baby boy...and it's still so hard to think of having anyone watch him other than me, my mom, or my MIL. We'll see...

Anyhow, today was Meet & Greet day so we got ready and headed out the door. Doesn't he look handsome in a school boy kind of way???? he he he
Thank you Angel for the adorable MJ shortall! The first thing he ran to when we made it to the room was the kitchen! Hmmm...does he have a big sister or what?? :) Checking out the new toys with Daddy Gotta love those cheeks! I think I like this place! Wait a minute!
It's not so much fun when they take my stuff!.... and there's TWO of them... we'll have to work on that... Daaaaaddyyy! Oh, my sweet boy!
We love you so much!!! Here's to new discoveries and adventures!

XOXO,
Mama, Daddy, & Grace