Disney LIVE!

On Friday while daddy was at work and Jill was at the neighbors house, I took Lexi to go see Disney LIVE at the Canton Civic Center. We took along a friend of mine and her 2-year old daughter. The girls just loved it! We were in the 3rd row on the floor and we could see everything so close. I couldn't resist to get Lexi some Mickey ears (and of course the cotton candy that came with them). I will let you enjoy the pictures - to see more go to my facebook page. A huge thanks to Shelby and Ava for going with us and also to the Wade's for watching my fussy-in-the-evening baby for me so I could spend some special time with my big girl!

Yet Another Zoo!

Yes, we added one more zoo to the list for this summer. Lexi, Jill and I met up with the McClure family (except Jarrick who was working) for a wonderful trip to the Columbus Zoo. Anita, Jack, and Anna joined us for over 4 hours of seeing almost every animal and even squeezing in carousel and train rides. We met up with them at their house right at 10 am. Jill downed a bottle and then we were off to the zoo. Lexi and Anna clicked very quickly and wanted to hold hands right off the bat - How Adorable! All the kids were troopers. Not too much whining and they actually ate their lunches (we packed our lunch). Lexi even got to see her favorite animal - the bears! Jill was extremely good and didn't cry at all. She happily rode in her stroller almost the entire time! I did take her out to ride the train and also to feed her at the aquarium while the older kids were touching starfish in the "touch tank". We also got to see manatees and even the new baby elephant (sorry, no pictures of him). Lexi was only upset when we had to leave the zoo and she found out we were NOT going back to Anna's house to play... she still gave Anna and Anita big hugs. Maybe we can play next time! Thanks so much to the McClures for a wonderful day at the zoo and we hope to come back and play real soon!

Summer Splash!

On Wednesday of this past week, we had a great day at the pool! Rachel and Sarah came over for one more day of freedom before school starts. Then Amy and her 3 kids Alexis, Austin and Adam came to join us. We were at the pool for over 3 hours! We even packed a little lunch to enjoy on one of the mandatory breaks every hour. Lexi would swim all day if we would let her. She LOVES the water. Jill is also becoming a water rat and never objects to being in the water, either. She also loves her baths, but that is not quite the same as a cool pool. Then on Friday, I filled Lexi's mini backyard pool because it was so hot outside! The neighbor twins - Suhan and Sahi - came over and enjoyed about an hour of splashing and dumping water on each other. I don't think Lexi's little pool will hold the three of them much longer. Time to get a bigger pool! Then, they even enjoyed popsicles after they were done playing in the water. What a fun time!

Terrible Twos!

I guess I should be greatful that Lexi's terrible two stage is just now emerging! She will - after all - be 3 in November! This past weekend was a true experience in the "worst of Lexi" times. We decided at the last minute to visit my brother Benny in Cincinnati. Well, I will just let you read for yourself how the weekend went by checking his blog entry: There's Treasure Everywhere - "Faith Like a Child". I will just go on to say that her fine mood didn't stop once we left his house. She continued to be a pill on into Sunday night and even on Monday when I took the girls to Wal-Mart for groceries. I guess it had to come sometime... I have been spoiled with a very good little girl for 2½ years now. It's just a good thing Jill decided to be extra good this weekend! Anyway, here are a few pictures to go along with Benny's run-down of the weekend.

Picnics and Cereal!

I can't believe it is already August! This summer has gone way to fast. Last evening, the Sam's Club that I work at in Fairlawn had our company picnic at the Rinky Dink putt-putt park. It was geared toward families with older children, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. Lexi did find one thing she could handle - The Jurassic Adventure moonwalk! Once she figured out how to climb the "rock" wall, I bet she made about 50 trips up and back down the slide. The park also has go-karts (Lexi wasn't tall enough to be a passenger yet), batting cages (I didn't even show her), mini-golf (she hit one ball one time and was done), an arcade, and bumper boats (which she liked). If you dare to drive the bumper boats, be prepared to get a little wet. Each boat is manned with a "gun" in which you can shoot water about 20 feet in front of you and get everyone else who is boating on the pond wet (and even some people who aren't in a boat)! Sam's Club covered all the expenses and even provided us with supper. Pretty fun and SO close to home!

Then on Monday morning, Jill attempted to eat cereal for the first time! She did pretty well considering it was her first time. Maybe we will try again tomorrow?!

Kaitlyn's TWO!

Even though her actual birthday is on the 31st, on Sunday this past weekend we celebrated my niece Kaitlyn's second birthday. She is so stinkin' cute (and ornery, too). I volunteered to get the cake and we ended up with a Dora cupcake-cake. She loved it! She also enjoyed eating it (along with Connor and Lexi, too). I think they all wore more frosting than they actually ate. Nola and Gary had the whole clan (both sides of the family) at their house for lunch. It was chaos, but really great to see everyone. They had the pool filled in the backyard, but only a few brave soles were willing to take the plunge in the frigid water. Kaity got some great gifts including Dora sheets for her "big girl bed" that she isn't yet sleeping in. Jill also made it into several people's arms that she hadn't yet been in. Jace, Don, and Papa Bud all held her for the first time this weekend! Don even had the honor of giving her a bottle. For those of you who made the trek to Haviland for this party, thank you so much. I know it means a lot to Brittany to have so many family members present to help celebrate Kaity's birthday! For more pictures, check out facebook or the kodak site.

Fort Wayne Children's Zoo!

While visiting Gra-Nola and Papa Gary for an extended weekend, we decided to visit the ever-changing Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo. Let me tell you, it is so much bigger than I remember from when I was little. It is also now ranked as one of the top 10 zoos in the country! We started out by picking up my cousin Cody (he is in New Haven from Winchester, Kentucky visiting Granny for a few weeks this summer). We thought he would enjoy the zoo, too! Lexi got to ride a carousel for the 1st time, rode on a real pony named "Sadie", and had a goat try to eat her shirt! We all got a laugh over the hungry goats 'attacking' Papa Gary... so funny! Lexi also saw a penguin 'up close' and pretended she was a joey! Jill enjoyed her long ride in the stroller and was a very good baby. After a tiring few hours at the zoo, we returned Cody to Granny's and visited for awhile. It was so cute to see how Cody quickly became Lexi's good buddy. I would highly recommend visiting the zoo to anyone who has a few hours to kill in Ft. Wayne. Enjoy the pictures!