First Day of Second Grade

I can still hardly believe that today was the start of a new school year, and that Ariel is now a second grader. There was so much excitement at our house this morning. She absolutely loves school. She could hardly wait to get out the door and to the bus stop!

We went out last night to get her new sneakers, and her excitement just overtook her. She wanted them to be just so, and she was not happy that Mommy wouldn't let her get whichever she picked. They had to have flexible soles and no elastic tabs, no loose fitting heels, etc. We finally agreed on a pair, and she just beamed!

This morning she was happy to show them off, and since today's special was gym, she'll break them in good, I'm sure. I'm looking forward to her report on the day's activities and who is in her classroom this year.

Binder Park Zoo

The trip to the zoo was a nice little adventure that my mom and I took the kids on. It's been YEARS since I've been to the zoo back home, and this year they're celebrating the 10yr anniversary of Wild Africa. This is the first time I've seen the Wild Africa exhibit, and it was nice. They had a short trolley ride to get there, and then they had an outdoor museum type thing set up to make you feel like you might actually be in an African-European settlement. They had drums for the kids to play on, and a view of the field with deer and zebras and birds of all sorts.

We followed the path and found the giraffes- quite the hysterical thing. They were going crazy trying to get the lettuce that everyone was feeding them. I bought some lettuce so that the kids could feed the giraffes. They thought it was fun and so gross! lol

The rest of the hike had various activities to keep you interested thru the hike and I especially liked the bird sanctuary with exotic birds. After we were done there, we took the trolley back to the main part of the zoo and the kids rode on the carousel. Nathaniel picked a Panda, and Ariel chose the Red Panda. All in all we had a nice time visiting the zoo!

South Haven

While in Michigan, we went to South Haven to enjoy the beach on Lake Michigan. We went to South Beach this time and it was just lovely. It was the kids' first time going to a beach, and they just loved it! The sand, the waves, the weather... everything was perfect and went well. The expressions on their faces were priceless and worth the time to get there. They were so happy! I don't have any pictures of them on the beach, as I didn't want to get my camera ruined with sand, damaged by heat or water or stolen. But their happy faces and little giggles are close to my heart!

After swimming, we had fun changing in the car, and then we walked the quaint little town, trying to decide where to eat. We met up with my parents for dinner and then afterwards had some good ice cream. The kids gots Blue Moon and loved it. Then it was a long drive back to my parents' house for bedtime. Gotta love summer days like these!

Michigan

Michigan. Ah, yes. It's far away in a land of bugs and strange people, water that smells and a mixed-up place all around. But it is where the family is, and so we went there to visit once again. It has been 2.5 yrs since we last had ventured there, and the kids didn't really remember going, let alone the effort it takes to get there. They were NOT happy to discover that when Mommy said that it'd take all day to get there, that it would actually take all day to get there!

We had a fun time visiting with family and friends. The kids were happy to discover that legos do exist there, and that the bazillion cousins they have are lots of fun to play with. They also enjoyed playing with Maddy the dog and Coonie the cat. Driving the tractor was loads of fun too, but they were not convinced about playing outside all day, especially with the bugs. The mosquitos were atrocious, and the result was a hundred itching spots on us all. I do not miss that in the least! Unfortunately, Ariel had an allergic reaction to them all, and her spots turned to blisters! Poor baby!