The Barnyard

School is out and summer is here (and it feels like it, with temps in the mid-upper 90s this past week!), so we decided to try out the Barnyard - a local petting zoo.  Big fun. We fed donkeys, llamas, bunnies, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, horses, fish, etc. We got to hold baby bunnies, piggies, and chicks. The baby goats followed us everywhere when we had bottles for them. We took a boat ride, which was Gage;s first. After we were done he said "I scared...a little...not a lot" and when I asked what he was scared of he said "scared dink" (translation -- scared of sinking!). Savannah's favorite wast the baby chicks, and both of them loved their pony rides. It was definitely a fun day :-)

Savannah's dance recital

After months of practice, today was Savannah's big dance recital. She did a tap routing and a ballet routine and did great! The theme was Barbie, so her purple tap outfit was 'fashion Barbie" and the blue & white was her cowgirl barbie ballet outfit. Hard to believe this is her 3rd dance recital!!

more beach fun

beach fun

go fly a kite

We packed our little kites, but a neighbor at the condos offered us some boogie boards and a big kite that renters had left behind.  Never one to turn anything down, Adam grabbed them all and the kite was a blast on a windy day. Both kiddos looked so proud to be flying the kite :-)

the BIG hole

We found a big hole that some college kids dug (they were so nice to the kids!) and that because Gage's go to place (he even offered to share some cookies with the college kids after they invited him into the hole to visit). They made it bigger every day. He jumped into the hole, slid into the hole, laid in the hole, threw things into the hole, and even peed in the hole. We buried each other in the hole. Hopefully we buried each other before he peed in it! It was a good hole :-) 

Random beach adventures

Gage did NOT like being at the beach during the day (he gets too hot, the little furnace). So, we went to the beach in the morning and at sunset and everyone was much happier. So, we did other fun things during the day -- like visiting Fort Morgan (an old military fort), checking out the fishing pier at the state park, making sand art, etc.

putt-putt golf

We gave putt-putt golf a try on this trip -- twice. Gage slept through zoo golf, so Savannah and Daddy golfed 55 holes! Savannah was quick to tell me (since I sat in the car with sleeping Gage while they played) that Daddy did NOT like the mermaid and kept calling her "stupid" - apparently the mermaid hole had a few obstacles daddy didn't like! When Gage was awake another day, we did pirate golf. Gage spent more time trying to shove the ball into the cannons than he did golfing.

The little zoo that could

There is a small zoo in Gulf Shores that we always visit, and is called the little zoo that could because it manages to move all of its animals inland and out of harm's way whenever there is a storm threatening the gulf coast area.  It is a small zoo that is very informal and gives lots of personal interaction with the animals. But...we never got this personal before. For $5 we each got to spend 30 minutes with their 3 seven month old baby kangaroos - Darwin (shy), Jack (a piggy who snatched apples and carrots out of the kids hands faster than we could put them there), and Addy (who was snuggled up in a bag that she seems to think is her momma's pouch.  It was really educational, and so sweet to watch the kids with them.