Monday, March 23, 2015

St Louis Zoo and Suson Park

Kiersten had strep during spring break, so she didn't get to do a whole lot. One thing she did get to do toward he end of the week was visit the zoo with the rest of the family. It was a perfect day for the zoo, because it was a little chilly and drizzly. We also got there right when it opened at 9, so there was no crowd whatsoever. We barely saw anyone else except for inside the buildings.
I am sharing this picture because I almost deleted this one because I thought Ben was a rando. But it turns out he just looks different in pictures now that he's skinny.
The first place we went was the children's zoo because it's free before 10 AM, and also, we thought the girls would like to play inside the discovery center.




Once we got back outside, it was brisk, but not at all unpleasant.
The playground was wet and slippery, so we had to rush the kids past.

We also made it to the carousel before 10, so it was free as well. I guess we will not be using up all of our tickets that came with the membership again this year.

The gorillas were outside, and the girls really enjoyed watching them. Evie pointed out which one is "in love" with her. haha.



Kara always has to see the big cats. We were there at the perfect time for them to be up and walking around.
Kara learning to walk like a sea lion.




Near the end of our visit, Kara's hand was pooped on by a bird. It was not so funny to her, but the rest of us thought it was great.
This weekend we met up with some friends at Suson park. We had never been there before. It was pretty fun. Tons of people were there, but the playground was big enough to accommodate plenty of kids. There is also a large fishing pond and a petting zoo.
The girls really liked the animals.
The weather was perfect. Not too hot, with a nice little breeze.


Evie claimed this pig as her boyfriend.

Not much is cuter than baby goats.

After the park, we all headed to Baskin Robins for some ice cream. It was a fun and gorgeous day.

Friday, March 20, 2015

A dash of Luck

On St. Patrick's day we were visited again by a leprechaun. Next year, we'll have to remember to set a trap. Luckily for all of us, Evie woke bright and early and saw the shamrock trail. She ran excitedly from room to room waking everyone in turn.
That silly leprechaun sure left a lot of his loot behind this time.
We suspect he may have even used the facilities.
I was surprised with Evie's math skills when she saw 15 cookies, and declared that 5 were for her. Sometimes they know things without even realizing it.
Kiersten was running a high fever that morning, and the night prior. So she had a harder time working up too much energy for excitement. I took her to the pediatrician later in the day, and it turned out she has strep. Bleh. She's been really good about trying to stay away from the others. Perhaps even a little extreme, but so far, no one else is showing symptoms.

Kara gathered everything up and set up a game in the diningroom. Poor Evie kept eating the candy off the game, and getting shooed away by Kara. It was really a rip-off of Mario party, and actually kinda fun. She kept reminding Evie not to eat the candy she won during the game, because it would convert to points at the end. But when the game was ended, none of Evie's candy was anywhere to be found. She didn't seem to mind losing though.

It is starting to feel like spring finally. (At least it did for a day or two before going back to cold.) So I thought I'd better get a flowers picture before the bunnies and deer eat everything in my yard.
I have a few pictures from earlier in the month. Kara tested for her green belt in tae kwon do, and earned it.
It was a 2 hour test, and she was pretty tired by the end. I was sitting on the floor for the first half until the lower belts left. I've never been so glad to get to sit in a metal folding chair!

My proud green belt girl. She is finishing out the month, and then is taking a break until August. It will be good for her to have time to do some other activities over the summer. I think she's definitely ready for a break. She is trying to learn as much as she can the next few weeks so she can keep up practicing throughout the summer.
She also finished up with basketball. She turned out to really love playing, and wants me to look into the summer basketball clinic. There is also a clinic in the fall, so I might wait and do that one instead so her summer can be more open.
She got a basket, and got a few tries at foul shots. That'll be something she can practice on over the summer. None of the girls seem to be able to make the foul shots very consistently.
She got a little trophy and cookie. It was a great season.

I taught Kiersten to use my knifty knitter, after attempting to teach her crochet with a hook didn't go too well. She picked up the knitter really easily, and made her first hat. She still wants me to attach a white braid on the side so it can be a "frozen" hat. She's really proud of her work, as she should be.