Another set of cousin pics

Once again, here is a pic of my boys with my sister's two oldest girls - this time in the pool:



And our baby girls (K is just 2 months younger than Anndra):



I have to take a little minute and say how wonderful it has been to spend so much time with Jessie. She is the best hostess... it is hard to put into words, but I just feel so taken-care-of at her house. Even when we come to her area for other activities/visits, we go to her house for eating and naps. I can tell my kids feel at-home with her family. I'm also glad she's not afraid to put me to work (definitely a Lindorf tradition). I had a blast canning apricots with her the other day. She is so fun and easy-going that it doesn't even feel like work (which is a talent I'm endeavoring to develop with my kids, but it comes to Jessie so naturally). Love you, Sis!

Zoo, Aquarium, Children's Museum, and more...

Here we are at the airport - ready for our big summer vacation to begin. I wish I had taken a picture at the end of the day for a before-and-after (happy/excited vs. cranky/exhausted). It would have made for an interesting comparison.




The next day, Grandma took us to the zoo. The boys loved all the animals, but especially a monkey that put on a 'concert' as it swung from tree to tree (sorry, no picture). We couldn't believe that such a loud human-like voice could come from such a little creature.

Here is Parker trying to jump in with the penguins (with Lincoln right behind him, as always):





Anndra just enjoyed being pushed around in the stroller and watching the boys get excited about everything they saw:



But after a morning of sprinting from one exhibit to another, standing in the HOT sun to watch an elephant show, and jumping up on and down from fences to catch a peek of the shy animals... it was great to finish off the day with a nice, shady carousel ride:






The next day Grandma took us to the aquarium! Not as many animals, but much cooler since it was indoors. One of the best parts was the chance to pet sting-rays (Lincoln kept wanting to try, but would get too scared right at the last second and pull his hand away).

The boys were amazed by all the underwater sights - octopus, anaconda, sharks, sea turtle, lots and lots of fish, and more penguins.



Anndra mostly just chewed on the map:




We took a couple of days off to rest and visit family... and then we ventured to the children's museum, where the big hit was the helicopter on the roof:



Lincoln's second favorite thing was the vacuum tube that would suck plastic balls up and zoom them around the room until they fell into a collection bin. He ran back and forth a hundred times from the bin to the tube and back again.



This is the face Parker made when he heard there was a climbing wall:



He did so well on it even though he had flip-flops on:



Lincoln also enjoyed playing 'Farmer' and taking Mommy for a ride in the truck:




We visited many friends and family, but most of our time has been spent with my sister and her kids. Here are the four older cousins:



And the babies: