Pug-a...

This dog just slays me sometimes with his face and the way he looks at me.

 

 

 

Perhaps he's a Pug-a-fish here on the dock while we were fishing? And by we I me the royal 'we', just for clarification.  LOL!

Kokanee

 

 

 

 

This is from our camping trip this Memorial weekend.  Eli went fishing for the first time this year and he caught something.  When asked what he caught this is what he said:

 

Eli: "This is Batman.  He is a coconut (what he caught was a Kokanee salmon)

 

I about died laughing it was so cute! By the end of the trip though he had caught on to the fact he'd been saying coconut and not Kokanee.  I hate it when that happens! 

 

However, he didn't stop calling his fish Batman.  He was all about smoking Batman and giving a small piece to each of our dogs...he wanted to share.  They were thrilled, that kid is always looking out for them!

 

 

 

 

**FYI I have no idea if I'm spelling the name of that type of salmon right...it's a fresh water salmon if I remember correctly.**

It Pays...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...to have a super hero for a big brother!

Zoolicious

Well I'm still trying to play catch up with my blog, seems to be pretty standard these days much to my annoyance.  However I guess that means I have a life? I hope?

 

Earlier in June (seeing as how we are now in July, can you please tell me how that happened?) my friend Nikki and her brood (OK well a 1/3 of her brood) came and stayed with us for the weekend.  We planned on going to the zoo (love my passes!) and visit with each other. 

 

As always we have a good time together and our kids manage to create chaos in no time flat.  Now if they could put that much energy into something more productive that would be something for the ages! 

 

Off to the zoo we go, 2 moms and 6 boys ranging from 14 to 4..., let the show begin!!

 

We had much to see as the zoo has a new sting ray exhibit they just opened and a new baby tiger, Kali.  I was also hoping to get a sneak peek at the new baby snow leopard too but no such luck on that one.  Actually we were pretty lucky to have seen the tiger cub, Kali.

 

That is Kali below and I managed to get that picture WITH OUT the 'nanny' or zookeeper there. I have to tell you it was really hard to get a decent one with the keeper constantly holding her.  On a side note, they(keepers) don't really care if you are taking pictures either, because they don't try and get out of the way. 

 

 Ian, our friend, and Lee

 

Dru, Eli, Nikki, and her son.  We are waiting for the show to begin at the Outdoor theater.  I like watching this show and I LOVE how they incorporate different animals in their show.

Dr. Do-Nothing

                                                              Captain Adventure

 

                Wonder-Dog!!!! We all think this looks like Snoopy going after the Red Baron

 

One of our fave places to go is to see the animals that live in the water and we LOVE watching ET!  How can such a massive creature seem to fly in the water? 

These guys crack me up! I forget their names but they waddle when they walk and they get to these cliffs in their exhibit and then it takes them forever to decide if they are going to jump or not into the water...OR they just sleep.

Musk Ox...I want to take a comb to these animals!!!! On top of the hair issue they stink! 

 Red Wolf, I love taking pictures of these guys because when they cooperate I can usually get a decent one.  I managed to get this one before he set off pacing in at the door to go in or get dinner.

 

It has been really fun having my friend and her kids up, probably a nice change for her to being as we always went to her house.  Why it didn't dawn on me until a year or so ago to have them here I don't know! Special aren't I?

Anyway, we are looking forward to seeing each other again next week and going hiking and letter boxing with 6 boys.  Trying to get them all on the same page and engaged in what we are doing will be no small feat that's for sure! 

Thank goodness we are the Momma's and they are the Little's!!!

 

Memorial Memories

Alright Ms. Lange, here is your new update!

 

These pictures are from our camping trip Memorial Weekend. This was one of the  nicer days we had all weekend.  Apparently, we have a damn close by (anyone else having the lines from that Chevy Chase movie go through their head?).  We are at Lake Alder which isn't terribly far from where our home is.  So our drive time for this years trip was about an hour less.  My vote for next year is to go over the mountain.  For a lot of reasons this was not my fave trip and I'd rather just not come/go back.  I'm good if I never see this place again.

 

Here are the boys that I had with me, we were waiting for the rest of the families to get there. 

 



 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

With the Grandparents here.  This picture is an accurate portrait of all of us...pretty funny really at that moment.  Some days not so funny.

 

 

This was our palace, and what a palace of 1 room and many sleeping bags and dirty socks it was!  I won't knock it too much, my FIL did awesome helping me and we really did stay much dryer than I anticipated.  However, I am not a blue-tarp camping camper.  It was insanely cold at nights and with the rain and wetness it just added to, well the un-fun.  And people when I'm cold...well I'm cold and I'm cranky and unhappy, DUH!

 Here are Grandpa Lee and Lee cooking breakfast for everyone.  Grandpa Lee is making jam filled Dutch pancakes (please don't ask me to spell OR say the word for that out loud).  They were delish and Lee was cooking eggs for Grandpa.  Again what this shows is people have more patience with my children in a kitchen/cooking setting than I do.  WHAT is wrong with me!?!

 I asked them to look up, the looks crack me up.  Do either one of them look awake and they both have the same puffy eye...related???

We are out on the dock now, fishing.  Well not really fishing as untangling lines and hollering at kids to knock it off.  Constantly casting and reeling and not really fishing...although I'm told this is what fishing looks like.  I'm not a fisher I think...would drive me crazy.  And I might add too that fishing is not for me and if I see another tangled line it will be too soon.  This is why there are dads around (now I know moms out there really rock this area, its just not me), again another place Frank has the patience I wish I had . 

 

Eli (gotta love the Kool-Aid lips)

 Waiting for dad to bait the lines for them.

 This was Mighty's first time camping and he did really, really well! Which I'm very happy about because I had my doubts.  But he was with Charlie 99% of the time and hardly barked...well no more than any of the other dogs out there.  I did pull out my squirt bottle and he was not impressed with me.  Kept looking at me like "what did I do!?! I'm just cute and you go and do that??"  He really just liked going everywhere but he was so embarrassing to take anywhere.  The dog sounds like he has doggie asthma or Darth Vader with some serious allergy issues or something!  But darn it he's CUTE!!! (and he's mine no matter what Eli will tell you!!!)

 Eli getting some help from dad.

 And Dru...this kid was going to send me to an early grave while fishing!  He was the one that would cast his line and then immediately reel it up and cast again...and again...and again...THEN have the audacity to say to his dad, why hasn't he caught any fish???  Really son?? Really?  Oi!

All in all the kids had fun and loved it there...all in all I'd rather not go there and spend my time somewhere else.  It did get better when my husband got there but it just wasn't really fun and didn't trip my trigger.  But I'm glad we all branched out and tried a new place because it's always fun to try new, let's just not commit to this place for the next 5-10 years...please!

R.O.U.S's

 

 

 

 

 

              Pretty sure this guy is a close relative of ROUS's...might as well be or one big rat!!

Fowl

 

 

 

 

OR