Zooventures

Okay, folks, as excited as I am to post the pics of our Fun August Camping Adventure, (the one that was completely stress-free and relaxing, in which my kids stayed impeccably clean the whole time--wink wink) I promised myself that I'd get caught up on some previous events first.

So, my parents came to visit us in July and kindly treated us to a day at the World Wildlife Zoo in Surprise over 4th of July weekend. We spent the morning at the zoo and then came back to visit the aquarium at night...so much stinkin' fun despite the fact that it was so hot that our smiles and eyebrows literally started melting off of our faces. You can probably see the sweat and pink-cheeked flushiness in most of these pics, so now you know what hard-core Arizonans we are... surely we won't let a little 115 degree heat get in the way of our outdoor adventures.

Grandma and Grandpa (without the beard) and our lovely girls.

Feeding a giraffe--one of the coolest things I've ever seen

Here I am with a mysterious handsome man that I found by the flamingos.

Here's that same hottie holding one of my kids.

The petting zoo--not stinky at all on such a hot day.

Here's J ready for a safari.

Oh, so Lovely

So, today I am wearing my usual not-going-anywhere uniform (comfy sweat capris and a pink t-shirt) and Julia comes up to me while I'm making dinner and rubs my leg and says, "Mommy, you look so pretty!"

Oh, just keep 'em coming, my sweet girl!

All about the Cheese

When this girl says "Cheese," she really means it.

Long-haired freaky people need not apply

Julia and I got haircuts right before we left for camping at the beach...the arrangement was that if she agreed to a haircut before camping, then she could grow it long again if she wanted to. (Hopefully her version of "long" isn't as unmanageable and troublesome as I fear it will be.) Since she's averaged 1 haircut for every two years of her life, (two haircuts in all) she may not be getting another one until she's six, but I'll keep my fingers crossed anyway. (Just to clarify, the haircut department is just one of many in which I find that fighting against her incredibly strong will is just not worth the considerable effort that is involved.) I know, I know, lots of kids enjoy getting their haircut, but J is just not one of them. She has better things to do. Anyway, here is documented proof of Julia's second haircut in 4 years. (P.S. Craig was disappointed that I hadn't saved any of the hair that got cut off. Blech!)

So far, so good...even a 4-year-old can appreciate a nice scalp massage.

Still smiling, maybe this won't be so bad.

Okay, all this clipping back is just a little tedious for Miss J...

Good thing there's a TV in the corner with actual real channels to keep her occupied.

Alright, people, are you done yet?

Don't worry about me, foks...I smiled through the whole thing!

Synchronized swimming, anyone?

One day while we were getting ready for swim group, Miss J came out of the bathroom looking like this little tiny synchronized swimmer. We are already making plans for the 2016 Summer Olympics...she'll be 11.

Peek A Boo

Often, but not always, I get distracted enough to let several minutes go by before checking on my active, adorable girls. These pictures are evidence of one such day. You get 5 points if you can find Savanna in this jumble. Man alive, she's a cooky one!

Wonderful World

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.
I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

Cruisin' on a Sunday Afternoon

So, remember that one time that Craig and I went on a cruise....like 3 months ago? Yeah, I have been so upset about being back from the cruise that I wasn't emotionally prepared to discuss the details of such a wonderful vacation. After some counseling, I am doing much better now and I finally feel like I am in a place where I can share our lovely adventure with our few followers. (Here is where I should mention that I still haven't even finished blogging about our Disneyland trip in April. Counseling for that experience is ongoing, so you can look forward to those new-old posts sometime in the future.) Hope you enjoy as we all revisit our most vacationy vacation ever.

Our fabulous waiters and fun table mates, Easton and Grace.

This was one of the only clocks on the cruise we could find,

on the very top deck. What is Carnival running, anyway, a casino?

Tiny, tiny hallways.


So this is what the ship looked like close up.

I couldn't believe how huge it was.

Here is our tiny room...one bed, a tv in the corner, and that's it.

For our "convenience," Carnival wanted to charge us $1.95 for a
can of soda in our room. Soda lovers though we are, we refrained.

These are the robes we wore once for a picture, and didn't buy for $50. Such self-control.

Cutie honey and polluting cruise ship, taking off from the harbor.

Beautiful, beautiful Catalina Island. I could live there,

but their Vons is seriously overpriced.

Oh yeah, and I'm not a millionaire.

Golf carts are the main transportation on the Island.

I think the waiting list to have a car there is about 15 or 16 years.

Here we are on a quaint island tour bus. In the background are Grace and Easton, who we didn't actually meet until that night at dinner. When we figured out that we were on the same tour bus together, Grace said, "wow, you two clean up nice!" Hee hee.

More Island views.

On the chilly beach at Catalina. Too bad Craig doesn't know a yummy candy when he sees one.

Here's an underwater view from our semi-submersible submarine tour. Way more fun than the Finding Nemo ride at Disneyland, with a much shorter line.

Okay, so I'm not a fan of chess, but that doesn't mean that I can't

love a huge chess set when I see one.

Windy miniature golf on the top deck of the ship.

One of a few things to do for the non-drinkers aboard.

Chilly willy up on deck.

Here was our creepily fascinating maitre' d. He called himself 007.

Oh, the things we can do when the kids aren't around!

One of the last glorious moments before heading off the ship. Sigh.

This is how long we stalled to get off

the boat. Ours was almost the

last luggage to be picked up in the terminal.

At least we got to come home to these snuggle buckets.

Bon Voyage, Carnival Cruise Lines, til we meet again!