Special Memories Zoo

On Wednesday, the boys took a trip to the Special Memories Zoo in Greenville. When hearing about this zoo, I heard they had a petting zoo and some other animals, also a train & playground. We saw so many more animals than we expected!! It was very impressive and very entertaining for all.

Once Jack spotted the first animals, he was up out of his seat to get a closer look.

Here are 2 of the many colorful birds they had...

A bengal tiger pacing close to us. There was also a white tiger sleeping on the platform above him. A zebra that Andy liked because we had just watched Madagascar 2

A pretty amusing sign...

This was a Barbary (or Barnaby - I can't remember) Lion. Extremely rare - none left in the wild. He was very handsome - the difference between him and other lions is that his mane is kind of curly and goes all the way down his back and under to his chest.

Jack getting a closer look at the lion

Jack petting the baby pigs at the petting zoo

Andy petting his favorite little goat

Andy and a bigger goat

Another of Andy's favorite animals - the big tortoise

Andy petting a little bunny

Jack really enjoyed the swing of course...

Andy got pretty dizzy on the tire swing...

The batteries died on the camera so we didn't get all of the pictures we had hoped to. We took a ride on the zoo train and saw many other animals native to Wisconsin - porcupines, badgers, racoons, skunks, wolves, and lots more. We also saw tons of monkeys who were enjoying their berry lunches, a black panther, bears swimming in a little pool, sheep, and otters were among the favorites.

A Trip to the Pool

On Tuesday this week, my mom and I took the boys to the Neenah pool. It had been a year since we had been there, and this time both boys had much more fun. Andy was loving the water - he didn't even wait for us to go in with him. He really enjoyed the little steering wheels that they had to control the fountains and water falls. Jack also loved walking around in the pool - he didn't mind getting his face wet and he did NOT want me to hold him or even hold his hand! After an hour in the pool, we had a snack and then checked out the sand play area. Again, both boys enjoyed themselves. Andy could have played at the sand and water area for HOURS. But Jack was getting tired and in need of a nap, so we headed home. But I think we will definitely be going back soon with Chris!

Andy headed out into the water right away...

Both boys checking out the water fountain area

Andy at the wheel

Jack wading through the water...

Snack time! Yummy icecream sandwich for Jack

Andy got right in there with the bigger kids (he's the one in the tie dye shirt)

Jack doing some digging

Andy loved this part

Mr. Blue eyes

Looking kind of sleepy after a day at the pool!

Birthday cake for me after softball! Jack was already asleep, but Andy enjoyed a piece of cake with us!

15 Months old!

Jack turned 15 months old this week. He had his doctor's appointment and checked out great. He was brave through his 3 shots and behaved very well for the doctor, even though we were waiting for over 30 minutes for the doctor after the nurse did her initial stuff. Here are his stats:



Height: 32.25 " (83%)

Weight 26# 1 oz (72%)

Head 48.2 cm (79%)



Overall, Jack continues to be well proportioned, but isn't in the high 80's or 90's any more for his size. Which I'm not surprised by since he's still fitting into 12-18 month clothes pretty well. I think he's slimmed down a little bit because he has been running around so much this summer, trying to keep up with Andy!

• Jack is saying more words. He says "go go" whenever he's ready to leave the house to go do something (which he is always up for a trip out) He says "dog", "dada", mama, "nada" or something like that for "Andy", "mar, mar" for more, he also says "hello" especially when he's pretending to talk on the phone.


• Jack can now run pretty quickly and even walks well in the water. We went to a pool this week and he had so much fun. He is very independent! He doesn't want help from anyone! He doesn't mind getting his hair or his face wet.


• Jack LOVES to swing. It's his favorite thing to do at the park and downstairs in the basement.


• Jack loves to look at animals of all kinds. He points to them whenever he sees one.


• Jack also loves big trucks, and points them out too. We're working on saying truck :)


• Jack is totally done with his bottle and is now just drinking out of sippy cups. Yeah!


• He is a very good eater and tries most everything. He likes yogurt, all kinds of veggies especially cooked carrots and broccoli, mac & cheese, spaghetti, oatmeal, and m&m's as a treat.


• Andy and Bailey can ALWAYS make Jack smile, even when he's feeling sad. Lately, his sadness is either caused by his teeth (has molars coming through), being over tired, or falling down.


• Jack is adventurous, silly, loud, and thoughtful. He takes everything in and he is such a sweetie! We love him so much!
  

July Door County Vacation

Andy, Jack, and I went to Door County last week and had a fun time. We visited with Grandma and Grandpa Graham, Brad and Karissa, and Great Grandma and Grandpa Dickson. While the weather wasn't great everyday for the beach, we got out and had lots of fun. We did go to the beach a few days, but also rode go-karks, went for a hike at the state park, went to get ice cream, went to an arcade and minigolf place, and ate out at a restaurant. The restaurant experience was not the best - the boys do not sit still through a whole meal! So, we cooked or ordered take out the rest of the nights! I went for a few bike rides which was really nice. We also found a few playgrounds to play at too. Here are the pictures!

During that same week, Chris went out to Colorado to do some mountain climbing with his sister and another friend. He had a great trip and summitted a few 14K foot mountains. I'm posting a few cool pictures of his trip! The boys were so happy to see him when he got back - and loved their new Colorado t-shirts :)
Andy didn't really hold his up too well here, but his says Aspen and has a hiker guy on it.












Jack's was a little long, but he'll grow into it...
I don't know specifically which mountains these are... maybe I can convince Chris to do a blog post with more details of his adventures...