It's Friday, but...

The Zoo

Justin is now working Tuesday-Saturday, so Monday is now sort of like our Saturday. So, on Monday we took a trip to the zoo. The weather was perfect-a little overcast, cool (not cold) breeze, and the sun poked out just enough to feel good and not get scorched.

After our trip to the zoo we visited Chick-fil-A for lunch. I'm sure you're surprised by the revelation. Justin went fishing as soon as we got home and the girls were supposed to nap. Well, that never happened. When I finally let them come out of their rooms, we all loaded up in the truck and we headed for the discount movie theater for an evening of "Bedtime Stories" and hot dogs. Very cute movie, mediocre hot dogs.

"These aren't the colors I picked out."

You can stop looking. The kids "found Nemo."
"Crikey, it's a croc!" No. It's actually an alligator.

This actually started out as a neat picture. The cougar's face was right next to Anna's. I suppose she didn't want her pic taken and this was her silent protest.

Buzzards on top of the Mexican Eagle exhibit. They were everywhere, actually. I guess the zoo just threw them in free of charge.
Psychedelic: I like how this pic turned out. Anna was trying to interact with the otters, but they were napping and wanted no part of it.
This is what we saw as soon as we entered this particular exhibit. Anna said "Mommy, that's a paddlefish. You can use it to spank our bottom." What kind of mother must I be?
Laura Kate's new friend
He whispers in her ear and she replies: "Uh huh. I see. Hmmm. I'll need to think on that one."
Here is Anna's new friend. As soon as we walked up to the glass, this guy sauntered over and cozied up to the glass. I couldn't decided if he wanted a hug or a snack.

Anna was willing to lend an ear and figure it out.

Spring Fun

We've really enjoyed the beautiful weather. It's brought out buds on plants, our neighborhood rabbits, and opportunities for time spent with good friends.

On the March 14 we were blessed with a visit from our good friends the Leutwylers. It had been quite a while since we'd had the opportunity to just hang out, so it was good for all of us...especially the kids.

The following week we got together with our friends Tena for a picnic in Poage Park. After lunch and some quality time with the big slide, we headed to McDonald's for ice cream. Ms. Tena is a brave woman to sit next to a 3 year-old with an ice cream cone!

One afternoon the girls and I decided it was too hot to play outside without water being involved. Eventually, a run through water turned into a full-on war between Anna and the water sprinkler.



On the 21st, the girls and I attended our very first motorcycle rally with Justin. He set some trikes out in the park to promote Mitchell Family Motor Trikes. The girls played games, taking 2nd and 3rd out of 8 in their age group. We had awesome (though entirely overpriced) food. Laura Kate got stung by a bee. We got to see motorcycle riders play games on their bikes, like seeing how slow one could go without touching the ground. That had to be the best one. And we were crispy at the end of the day. All in all, I'd say we had a full day!

The Mitchell Family Theme Song

The Gunk Family

I think we're going to temporarily change our name from The Mitchell Family to The Gunk Family. Things have been pretty interesting around here over the last few weeks. We've had, seemingly, everything that's been going around, as well as things that aren't going around! First Justin and I get the stomach bug, then Anna gets pink eye. I get a cold. Anna gets a cold. Laura Kate gets pink eye. Justin gets a cold. We're keeping the doctors and pharmacists in business, let me tell you! Praise God for His mercy...no one has had to be admitted to the hospital!

Through it all, attitudes have been really good. It was pretty traumatic for Anna to have drops in her eyes, but otherwise she was very pleasant. I took Zicam, so my cold never really got bad and I never really got cranky. But the most interesting thing has been Laura Kate's reaction to the eye drops. She sits still, rarely fusses, and even got excited about getting her drops last night! She's an odd duck, I must say. And I mean that in the best way possible! I suppose after some of less than pleasant things she's experienced, a few drops in the eye are no big deal.

And, thankfully, her eye isn't this red and swollen anymore. Or as she says, it isn't "swallowen" anymore. Now Justin has come down with the yucky cold. Sore throat, earache, body ache...poor guy. He's a trooper, though. He went into work just a couple of hours late today. And he made a sale! A great reward for a hard working guy :)

She Said #1

My kids are hilarious, even when they aren't trying to be. So, when I don't have time to write much or I want to record something for posterity, I'm going to institute a "She Said" series. Since I spend 15 hours a day with them, I have plenty of material! Here's #1. This morning Laura Kate, while drinking her milk at the dining room table, said:

"If I take a lot of drinks, I'll PEE!"

Yep, pretty much. Spot on analysis, LK.

New Trike Shop and a Visit With Maw Maw and Pa Pa

Wednesday we took a trip to Katy, TX to deliver trikes to the newest Mitchell Family Motor Trikes location. It really didn't seem like it took that long to get there. We enjoyed getting a tour of the building and the camper David and Katy will be living in for a little while, as well as having lunch together as a family. I've already decided the girls and I will have to tag along any time Justin makes run to Katy. Here are some photos Katy took while we were there:

In case you're wondering, the girls sitting in a Stallion trike. Sadly, I'm afraid of traditional motorcycles. But I totally enjoyed riding this thing!