Aviary (7/7/11)

We were in need of an outing this particular day, so spur-of-the-moment we decided to head over to the aviary.  We had never been there before and I love birds so I thought, why not?  I have to say that I liked it WAY better than the zoo!  I am good with a trip to the zoo once every two to three years or so, but we plan on visiting the aviary a lot more...we loved it!  On our way over we called and invited aunt Kathy and Katelyn to join us.  Since we got there first we fed the ducks in the pond while we waited.  There were lots of ducks and baby ducklings and even a pelican swimming around.  They were having a great time but once Kathy and Kate arrived it was off to explore.

 First stop, the King Vulture.  For a bird that is not so pretty, this particular species of vulture was pretty in its own way with its brightly colored head.  I never knew how large these birds are.

 The Golden Eagles were so pretty and majestic looking.  These birds and the Bald Eagles were magnificent and neither species were caged.  From what I read, these birds had been severely injured and they can no longer fly.  Kind of sad, but at least they are well taken care of here.

 Tyson kept talking about wanting to see the flamingos on the drive over to the aviary.  These particular ones weren't as big as others I have seen, but cool non the less.

 These birds, the Scarlet Ibis, were probably my favorite due to their vibrant red color.  They were beautiful!

Silly pictures

Tyson & Karissa

Katelyn and Tyson

Tyson, Katelyn, Karissa & Kathy, waiting for the bird show to start.

Beautiful owl

Blue Macaw

The bird show was fun to watch and it allowed the kids to get a closer look at some of the different types of birds.  They even asked for volunteers several times during the show.  I guess we will just have to visit again and try again to be one of the lucky helpers next time!  What a fun day!!!

4th of July, 2011

We LOVE the 4th of July and all the fireworks that go along with the holiday!  We had a great day of relaxing and just enjoying time together as a family.  Later on in the evening we pulled out the fireworks and put on our own little show.  Grandma & Grandpa Bailey, Great Grandma & Grandpa Jones and cousin Melissa all joined in on the fun!  

The Family

Since this was Karissa's first year to experience fireworks I was a little worried about how she would react, but she loved them!  If they were too loud for her she simply covered her ears or sat in my lap so that I could cover them for her.  Tyson got to help daddy light them, which he thought was so cool!  We couldn't have asked for better weather either... temperatures in the 80's and overcast skies.  The weather was perfect, in my opinion.  I LOVE summer rain showers, but I was grateful that the rains held out until later on in the evening, after our fun. 

Karissa with her Pop-Its!

Tyson riding his bike while daddy gets everything ready.

Karissa's first sparkler.  (They just aren't as cool as they used to be).

Tyson with his sparkler.

Snakes...not too exciting, but a tradition non-the-less.

Tyson lighting the fireworks.

Karissa and Melissa

Looking at Potato Bugs

Great Grandma & Grandpa Jones

Prelude to 4th of July (7-2-11)

This was our little prelude to the 4th of July.  Tyson was so excited for the fireworks this year so we let he and Karissa have some Pop-Its to throw outside and daddy fired off a couple of Parachutes.  Tyson has always loved Pop-Its and this was Karissa's first experience with them...she loved them too!  They had a great time throwing or stomping on them. 

"White Goo" (6-30-11)

 

Who knew that cornstarch could be so much fun?  I had never heard of this before, but mixing cornstarch and water equals hours of fun.  I saw this idea on another blog one day and had to try it with Tyson.  We both had a great time playing in it!!!  Tyson likes to call it the "white goo" and has asked to play in it several times since.

Bike

Karissa won't ride her little bike, but she loves to sit on Tyson's.

 The sun was a little bright, can you tell?