Put Me In The Zoo

Our family has had annual zoo passes to several different zoos in our area for the past 7 years. We are crazy about zoos! We have been anticipating the new addition to the children's play area at the Pt Defiance Zoo & Aquarium for some time now, and today we finally got to go check it out!

The girls were quoting lines from "Little Nemo" as they posed in the anenome...





I took this picture not just to show the cool sand pit with the mama turtle (and four babies) but to illustrate how E looked all day today...wings and rainbow braids. I convinced her to at least leave the purple tutu at home, 'cause that gets scratchy on your legs. That girl...

We spent so long in the play area (they also have a water area where you can jump on lily pads and they squirt you) that we didn't have a lot of time to look at the animals - which is fine, that's why we have a pass! We did get to see our favorite beluga whales. It was a treat that this one (Beethoven) was perched right next to the viewing area without a trainer or anything. He was rolling over for us and making different sounds through his blow hole. We've heard him do the sounds on command before at the "keeper talks" but not just for fun like this. We were giddy to have him so close, putting on a show just for us!

New Water Park - Old Friends

Our Gunter buddies from Kent had the nerve to move to Utah four months ago, but were back in town for Sonnet's high school reunion. They made time in their busy schedule to meet us at a water park in Auburn that I'd heard of, but never been to. If it had been just a little hotter, I might've gotten wet, too! It was fun but slippery...all of our kids fell!





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After drying off, we caught a few cute pics in this tree. I like how Dallin is looking up at M...he was quite taken with her and she was patient and fun with him.

2008 Autism Speaks Walk - Tacoma WA

What a great weekend! Friday night, we joined our friends, Dan and Melanie Roach at their new gymnastics gym to wish Melaine well as she heads to China (in a week) to compete in the Olympics! It was also a chance to kick off the Autism Speaks Walk, which was being held in Tacoma the next morning, as Melanie was an Honorary Chairperson for that event. (You can learn more about awesome Melanie at www.melanieroach.com). It was a great party...a bounce house for the kids (sorry, P, not for you), hot dogs, cotton candy, a chance to try out the gymnastics gym, and hear from several speakers, notably Congressman Dan Reichert, seen here.

Saturday morning, we were at Cheney Stadium a little after 9 am to get geared up for our big 3K walk! ;) There were bounce houses again, more treats (gotta carb-up!), lots of booths full of helpful information, resources, and studies going on about autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and lots of music, bubbles, and enthusiasm.





Here, Melanie spoke to the crowd again, though it was much larger this time. It made me teary when she spoke of her son being diagnosed with autism just a few years ago, and how the doctor wrote a name on a post-it and basically said, "good luck." Autism Speaks has quickly become a mighty force for help, change, and hope in countless families and I'm so grateful for them and all the organizations that work with them in researching the cause(s), treatments, and cures for autism.

DID YOU KNOW:

1 in 150 children are diagnosed each year with autism?

Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disorder in the US?

That more children are diagnosed with autism than pediatric diabetes, cancer, and AIDS combined?

Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases?

For more information about autism, I highly recommend spending some time at www.autismspeaks.org!

ANYWAY...




Here are your favorite 3 curly girls together, but the littlest one then stayed at the stadium with Daddy (to do a lot more bouncing and playing with the 'gak' at a sensory table!) and M and I were off. A guy walking behind us said, "Hey, can I see your camera for a minute?" and took these pictures for us (breaking my rule about 'NO pictures of me from behind!').

The walk went through a nature preserve and it was full of beautiful trees and flowers. M was particularly excited by these purple, taller-than-her flowers, and she liked the bridge and lily pads, too. It was the perfect setting for a nature lover like her!



The walk took almost exactly an hour, which was exactly right for us. I don't know how many people participated, but when I spoke with the manager of the walk the night before at Melanie's shindig, she told me they were planning on 1000. I think there were more than that there. I spoke to Melaine's husband, Dan, later that afternoon (at a birthday party with yet ANOTHER bouncy toy- busy Saturday!) and he said that last year, they raised $40,000, and as of that morning, they were at $70,000 and still counting! WOOHOO!

It meant so much to me to be with all these people and families who have autism in common. As M and I walked along, we were talking about the different studies about how people get autism and how scientists and doctors are working on therapies and cures that can help people. And she said,

"Mom, even if someone gave me a pill and said, 'Here. Take this. It will cure your Asperger's Syndrome,' I wouldn't take it."

"Why?" I asked, already feeling the tears well up in my eyes.

"Because it would totally change who I am. This is who I am. I like myself this way."

Yes, my dear one. You are a gem. There are times that you don't feel that way, and that's ok, because for one awesome morning, you were at peace with yourself, and that is a precious feeling. I hope you can continue to feel that way again and again as we try our best to help you learn and grow.

Thanks to all who supported our fundraising efforts. We look forward to participating in these walks again, so if you didn't get to contribute this time, don't worry...there will be more opportunities! ;)

She's Even Fancy in Her Dreams

I went in to check on the girls before heading to bed last night, and this is what I found... She had on her pink hat, pink boa, and was cuddling her fiberoptic light. In the morning, when I asked her why she had got up and put all that on, she said,

"Because I was cold."

I guess turning off the fan or adding a blanket didn't cross her mind?

Lost and Found

M wanted to share this with everybody...

"Me and E were watching tv and I decided to take out the hermit crabs. We forgot to put them back in their cage 'cause we got distracted by the tv. When the program was over, I shouted, "The hermit crabs are GONE!" At first, me and E looked by ourselves, 'cause we didn't want Mom to know. But, at last, we had to tell her. I was practically crying.

She found Snapper next to the door. And then, we looked under stuff for Bella Bun, and we couldn't find her, so we said a prayer. We looked under the couch cushions, and there she was! She was OK! After checking their food and water, we put them back in their cage and put the lid back on. Then we said a 'thank you' prayer.

I am glad that Heavenly Father helped us find our hermit crabs!"

A Berry Fun Afternoon

We spent awhile at the YMCA farm today pickin' strawberries, raspberries, and a few cherries. The girls had a great time and we were so impressed with how hard they worked without any complaining. Sure, they said, "I'm thirsty," but it was more of a statement (easily remedied with a water bottle) and not even in a whiny voice! We look forward to going back for more raspberries, as they are just coming on.

I impressed the girls with stories from Gramma J's childhood of getting on a school bus at 5am to go pick berries (or beans) until 2pm (as a 4th or 5th grader til jr. high, when she was old enough to babysit). The jaw-dropping part of this story is that for every TWELVE pints of strawberries, she got $0.35! M's responses: "What a terrible way to make a living," and "What a lousy summer vacation!" M did have a great time today, but it was a good "history" lesson too! ;) (Just teasing, Mom!)





Here, P is showing how proud he is of his "kill," I think!

Magic

M has been reading Never Fairy stories to E. As she was finishing up the chapter yesterday, E said, "HOW did you DO that?"

M: "Do what? I'm just reading to you."

E: "You made the story APPEAR!"

M: "Mom, I think E just discovered her imagination."

P & I, who are Inkheart fans, think we might have a Silvertounge on our hands...

The Girls Got Crabby

Yep, Mom caved. The girls each got a hermit crab tonight. Someone from freecycle.org gave us a cage, so that helped. I have to admit that I am surprised at how active they are. M was adamant that we HAD to put them on the blog TONIGHT. She named hers "Snapper" and E's is "Bella Bun."

Easy Chicken Recipe

I don't know about you, but I'm always on the lookout for easy yet delish recipes. We tried this one from my new subscription to Taste of Home's Simple and Delicious magazine. We're off to a good start! I can totally see this being served at a place like Applebee's for $9.99. :)

Monterey Barbequed Chicken

4 bacon strips (I saved even more effort & fat grams by using Hormel Bacon Bits - real, not immitation)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz each)
1 T butter
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
3 green onions, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese.

Cut bacon strips in half widthwise. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until cooked but not crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; keep warm.

Drain drippings from skillet; cook chicken in butter over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until chicken juices run clear. Top each chicken breast half with BBQ sauce, green onions, tomato, and two reserved bacon pieces; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

YUM-O!

Tall Ships Tacoma

On Saturday, we went to Tall Ships Tacoma, and unfortunately, my family thought it was a tall yawn. We just didn't time it right to get to go on the bigger ships, as they were out cruising. I thought it was all ok, but my family was less impressed. I don't think we'll be returning next year.


Here's a look at what we did (minus the complaining..."I'm thirsty" doesn't always translate into a good picture):(

In these pics, the girls are playing in the Captain Kidd village. The first one is "Bat a Rat," where they were to hit a rat into a bucket, and the other was a "pirate ring toss."

















Here are the tall ships themselves. The only one we could have gone on was the USCG vessel, but the line was atrociously long and we were towards the end of our day, so we just looked from the dock.
















This little black one was a replica of the Nina, as in Christopher Columbus.














I expected to see (and get to go on) more ships like this one. Maybe these are like the ones we could have gone on, if only they had been docked.








Final thoughts: We were a little surprised at just how many "pirates" there were at this thing...who knew so many grown ups adored pirates that much?!

The highlight of the whole thing, the picture I really should have taken, was E's face as we got to ride a school bus shuttle to and from the parking lot to the event. She was so excited!

Fourth of July - p.m.

In the evening, we went over to some friend's house for a BBQ and the best home fireworks show my kids have ever seen. When she invited us, Maria said, "Let's just combine our fireworks and put on a great show." To which I said, "Um...we're happy to bring our sparklers..." We clearly got the better end of the deal, and M made sure everyone knew that b/c her parents are so old and boring, they have never let her get any of those kinds of amazing fireworks. Both girls really enjoyed themselves! And we did, too, even though we're old and boring.

Here are the standard sparkler shots:











They had a great swing outside that was the perfect (safe) distance away from the projectile sparks. I was hoping to be sneaky and get a pic of the rapture on their faces w/o them noticing I was there, but leave it to E to sense a camera pointing at her! :) M was too cool to sit w/the little kids and found herself a large rock to perch on. It was quite a distance, so I had to zoom in and so this pic isn't the best, but it does show how taken, she, too, was with Jason's fireworks show!

















One more cheesy sister pic...


We headed home around 9pm and readied ourselves to walk over to the lake for the fireworks there. We have heard that the homeowners around the lake put on quite a show, and wow - it was amazing. It wasn't choreographed or anything, but it was a steady stream of various explosions from 9:15-10:20, with the most impressive ones being from 10-10:20. We left at 10:30 and they were still going. Fireworks aren't illegal in our town, and there's obviously a great deal of money and pride involved amongst these lake side homeowners. Works out just dandy for us! We gave them lots of ooohs and aahhhs and clapping, so I hope they felt appreciated enough to do it again next year! Here's my little clan as the fireworks were just starting. Doesn't P look a little menacing with that big flashlight? We were pleasantly surprised how not overcrowded it was, and how many people weren't smoking, drinking, or being otherwise obnoxious. There were some crazy children swimming in the lake, and some guys playing bongos and guitars, but really, I anticipated a much rowdier, annoying crowd. We were surprised at how long the fireworks around town went...we heard them until well after midnight, and again last night. Do people really have this much money to (literally) burn?! Well, I guess I'm pretty glad they do b/c we were treated to a pretty impressive show...and we didn't even have to drive anywhere!

Poll: Should M Get Some Hermit Crabs?

We're taking a highly scientific poll of our blogging friends and family. Do you think M should get some hermit crabs? She wants them b/c fish are boring and she can't have a dog in our smallish condo and her mom and dad say that furry creatures (guinea pigs, gerbils, etc) smell too much. Hermit crabs are the only interesting pets she thinks she has a good shot at getting. So, we thought we'd take it to the people and let you weigh in.

We'd also be interested to hear if any of you had ever had hermit crabs as pets before, and any advice you have from your experiences.

Fourth of July - a.m.

Our ward had a 4th of July pancake breakfast and "bicycle parade" this morning. P had to work, but the girls & I enjoyed ourselves! Do you like the centerpieces? Thanks! I made them (with the help of a very creative and resourceful friend, Colleen)!

More pics to follow after our fireworks tonight, I'm sure!
Happy Fourth of July, everybody!