Zoo - BABY!

So what's living in the wonderful Northwest without going to the zoo - in the POURING RAIN........ in August?! You betcha - we were there yesterday! Chris' company had their picnic there - all was good until we walked up to the food tent... We even had the kids wear tennies and sweatshirts - we on the other hand had flip flops and t-shirts on and decided to leave our sweatshirts in the car.

Chris looking over the water as we park: "Does that look like a wall of rain or is it haze?"
Carlee: "Ah, its too solid to be water, I'm sure its haze."

Um - its safe to say it was a big honkin' wall of rain.

We didn't let it get to us. We enjoyed the picnic, face painting and bouncy house then went on our merry way pumped full of Mountain Dew (it was so thrown away once discovered someone cracked into it - our kids are good enough W/O a mega caffeine overload) Dove Bars & Ice Cream sandwiches, Animal Crackers and Licorice Ropes. And went to discover the different animals the zoo had to offer.
Leave it to my Carter to spice things up a bit - seriously should have known this would come...
We came up to the Hippos - lounging in the water in the rain - their big massive bodies soaking up...the rain. We stood and studied these Hippos for a few minutes (they are sort of entrancing because even though we were standing in the rain, and they were doing pretty much nothing - we kept standing there just staring!) As Carter was walking away with Chris he said: "Mom, I wish you were a Hippo"
Oh Sweet child!! He said WERE - as in you aren't right now - Bless you little boy - you totally made my day by not calling me a Hippo! That is the biggest complement I could ever receive!
**Babe - take notes, if I ask you how I look - just say you don't look like a Hippo!**
Of course the monkeys couldn't be passed up - he wished to become a monkey too - why not, I'd like to swing from trees too :)

We ended the trip by dragging our soggy bodies to the car and heading home to hot chocolate and tea and warm pj's...Mmmm (little one asked if we could start the fireplace - it was that bad :) Each child remarked that next time we should take our own advise...wear appropriate NW gear :) Will do.

Your Amazing

I'm pretty sure you know who you are.

This was too spot on to hide in the comment section.
Read it. Read it again - then think about it and KEEP thinking about it.

For you...let it go...anger and hatred are toxic...
Do you see your features in theirs?
How can you not?
Do you care?
How can you not?
Do you miss your role?
How can you not?
Do we remind you of her?
How could we not?
Do you feel left out?
How can you not?
Do you think you don't have a choice?
How can you not?
Do you think we don't care?
How can we not?
Do you think it's been too long?
How could it be?
Do you think there is love lost?
How could you?
You instilled love...compassion...integrity...We remember...We still do...How could we not?
You have a choice...

Verizon you make me CrAzY!

No biggie that the last cul de sac I was at (one block down) got to have these kind, kid cautious(they'd bulldoze their "monster truck" *according to Carter* up and down our street - fast), lawn caring (they parked their massive machine IN the yard), mail abiding (our mail people are finicky - if you dig a massive hole in front of and under the mailboxes - our mail guy wont deliver the mail...for days), summer time morning noise - men - for TWO weeks jack-hammering at 6:30AM (summer time folks)
BUT I now get them here too!! This is the sight I came home to today - notice I'm parked on the street...

Bummer it was rainin' on ya boys today. Yesterday I went out to ask if they maybe did something because my internet had stopped working. I walked up to the guy who was packing up for the day - smoking. As he was hopping out of his truck walking over to the many holes in the street "oh wait, when we were digging we smelled gas - I should put out my cigarette"

Yeah, thanks I'd appreciate that.
These ones are nice - but they really suck right now.
Can I not salvage the last few days of summer I have left?

Proud Navy Sis!!

We're back from Chicago...well two of the three - because of the ash all the flights were delayed or cancelled, Sadie and I barely got on, but Krysta is still there - so sucks for her!! I finally laid my head on my own pillow at 4:00am this morning. Here are just a few pics of Michaels Navy graduation - I kind of feel like it doesn't do it justice! I'm Proud, Honored, Patriotic and thrilled to have been able to be there to support Michael in this honorable journey! It gives me goose bumps to listen to the video of 987 proud men HOO-RA - seriously - its AWESOME!!
I have some great stories and pics... more on that in my next post.
Sailor - Job WELL DONE!

While taking this shot, I hadn't found him yet - I was shooting with my big camera with one hand and my small camera in the other taking video - that would be why its crooked. He's in the center, sticking out a bit, facing forward.

Walking around Navy Pier (isn't he cute!!) There is also NO PDA allowed, but can link arms like this - he was a stickler for the rules too (but is still a rebel at heart - oh, the stories!)

Well, that's it for now - I'll sift through ALL my pics and video and put them up later...I'll have to take a pic of his official Navy picture too - the glasses are sweet! (my mom sent him his contacts and they let him wear them this week) Oh, and the Navy base was incredible and beautiful - but you are NOT allowed to take pics of it, we were only allowed in this room. In fact when we pulled up the morning of the grad. Krysta pulled her camera out to check the battery, a guard thought she took a picture, we had to pull over and he had to look through our cameras - crazy!

Carter-isms

I have to say, my life was WAY boring when the kids were in Ga... When Chris called after I got them from the airport the first thing he said was "I missed all the kids - but I missed all of the crazy things Carter says or does, has he said anything funny yet?" Well, he didn't have to wait long...
I took the kids straight to the beach house after the airport, I was chatting with my mom, Sadie and Krysta out at the pool before going into the house to change, the boys headed into the house to go to the bathroom...until we heard the worst blood-curdling screaming cry - the type where you think your childs arm is being sawed off - I take off booking it into the house, running to the cry: Carter is standing in the dining room - "I couldn't find my way out!!" Really? Aah kid - your killing me!

Oh, there's more...same day, that evening, we're on the back porch -
Carter: "Mom, what's his name again?" pointing to Levi - basically such close cousins they could be brothers!
Me: "Really? You don't know his name?!

Carter: "No, I cant remember"
Me: "Bud - you cant remember your cousins name?" (kinda trying not to laugh cause he was totally serious!) "Did they brainwash you while in the south - or too many cousins names to remember? Its Levi"

Carter: "Ooooohh, that's right" walks off.

Same night, minutes later - points to Greyson (who was just wearing a swimmer that had a tiny bit of pink on it, so I'll give him that at least)
"Mom, is that a boy or a girl?"
Me: "Ok, your kidding right??"
Carter: "MOM, what is it?"
Me: "Boy bud - Greyson is a boy" Wow!

Yesterday morning, Carter had been curled up with my mom, then starts to hop down...
Grammie: "You done visiting?"
Carter: looking at her sort of stunned "I'M not the one visiting - YOU are!!"
I suppose he's right!

I finally about two years ago got a little notebook and titled it Carter-isms, because I knew I wouldn't remember all the crazy things this kid says!

I'm tired...

Ditto what she said :)
**Minus the tree incident - insert my children playing 'Monkey in the Middle' in the house and breaking one of my glass hurricanes** (this was thursday, so my brain was a bit fried by this point, I think the quiet "go to your rooms" was a way better punishment than me yelling)