The Atlanta Zoo!

Rachel loved the cool playground

So did Bradley!

This thing was cool, it was like a standing swing!

Elle looks too pretty to play! :)

Just about to ride the choo-choo

WHEEEEEEEE!

The elephant habitat was being improved, but we still

loved seeing the 3 huge elephants!

Cute meerkats Elle and Sophie

Cute meerkats Rachel and Carter

Cute meerkats Lauren and Rachel

a huge rhino!

The kids lovin' on their nana/Pat

Gege and Papa with their two loves!

3 cool giraffes

the kids hangin' onto Willie B

the girls making silly faces

all the kids LOVED dippin' dots ice cream...

the adults thought it was gross!

At the "treehouse" the kids could sit in a bird nest;

here they are waiting for their mommy bird to feed them a worm!

a lovely bird at the tree house

Bradley riding on a leopard

Bradley is admiring the tall giraffe sign

Yesterday, we went to the Atlanta Zoo with gege, papa, Pat, Carter, Elle, Lauren and Sophia. It was very hot and humid, so we all sweated profusely!!! But, we had a GREAT time! The zoo not only has so many cool animals: lions, elephants, zebras, rhinocerous, gazelles, gorillas, warthogs, meerkats, flamingos, pandas, turtles, kangaroos, and many others I can't think of... But, it also has a really cool playground, a merry go round, a choo-choo train and a petting zoo. There was so much to see and do, we could have stayed there all day! We were there from about 11 to 3, but that included a LONG lunch. All the kids had a great time, even though Bradley pitched a fit for about an hour or more. He cried and yelled and was just plain ugly, but we weathered the storm. These days, he's learning so fast and is constantly fighting for control of a situation. He prefers to be in control all the time. But, he's smart enough to figure out that he doesn't always get it, however, it doesn't keep him from trying. :) Gotta love that strong personality! I'm sure he'll be a great and confident leader one day! Anyway, I took SO many pictures, so I tried to pick a nice assortment! Can't wait to go back with daddy...he didn't get to go since he was busy at work.

Award-Winning Zucchini

Proud gardener with her huge zucchini
Just gave the veggies a quick dip

The veggies are swimming around

Well, I'm not sure if our first ever garden veggies are "award-winning" or not, but we're certainly impressed! Nick gathered our first batch today and we have 4 HUGE zucchini (I think each one will feed a family of 10!) and one nice sized squash. The kids thought the veggies were great...Rachel wanted to wash each one in her pool and then dry it before taking it inside. Bradley mostly wanted to just play with them in the pool. We're so excited and can't wait to cook them!! :)

**By the way, we didn't do ANYTHING special to our garden...just planted it and watered it! Have NO idea why the Zucchini is so big!**

A fun day in Helen

Exploring the creek bank

Bradley got a little daring and started running in the water...

he liked it until he fell face first into the water and was completely drenched!

Sophia and Rachel enjoyed exploring more than anyone else

Rachel loves her older cousin, Sophia!

Bradley loved the sinking mud

Carter and Bradley decided to be "tough guys"

and try to push down this tree

Bradley's version of panning for gold:

scoop regular dirt off ground and put it in pan

The kids were having so much fun looking for

beautiful gems and jewels

Sophie was a natural

Rach was too

Bradley did his own thing...

A quick game of tag after ice cream

A carriage ride around Helen

Rachel keeping up with Lauren

Today we went with Gege to visit Pat, Jim, Carter, Lauren and Sophia in Helen. (Elle was with her other grandparents with an ear infection, so we missed seeing her.) Pat had rented a cabin for a few days and invited us to join them for the day. We arrived around 10am and stayed until about 5:00pm. We had a great time playing in the creek behind the cabin, exploring the woods, swimming in the hottub, eating ice cream in town, panning for gold and gems and taking a carriage ride around Helen. It was a very fun day and we were POOPED when we got home.

A sleepless Night

Last night was not very restful. It started okay...everyone went to bed at a decent hour and slept well. We were all still tired from the 4th and needed our rest. Unfortunately, it didn't happen for anyone except Bradley. What a change, though, that HE was the one who got some rest. I fell asleep at 11 and then was awakened at 1am by Rachel's cries. She was scared and crying and begging me to "sit with her for a little while". Nick and I try not to do this at all, because we don't want it to become a habit. However, I could tell she was really scared by her desperation, so I did get in bed with her. She loved it and wanted to put her arm or leg or foot on me while we "slept". Her little body is always very warm, so it felt like a fireball was touching me wherever her body touched mine. I tried to hang in there for a while, slept off and on and finally decided to go back to my bed at 2am. Rachel immediately woke up and asked me where I was going. I said, "I'm going to sleep in my bed, night night." She said, "okay, mommy, see you in the morning." So, I dozed back off and then 30 minutes later, she woke up again crying. I raced back in there and told her everything was okay and to get some sleep. This time, she was okay and went to sleep without me. By the time I got back in bed this time, I was having a hard time falling asleep. I may have finally started dozing, and then Dixie started barking right outside our window. She hasn't done that in a long time but she was non-stop barking at something...probably a deer. Nick woke up with all the barking and was mad. He decided to turn on the outside lights and Yell at Dixie. This only made it harder for me to fall asleep with all this agitation and motion. Anyway, Nick finally put Dixie in the garage and came to bed. Of course, Bradley was stirring at this time, 3:50ish, but thankfully, he worked it out. So, it was definitely not a restful night's sleep. Here's to hoping tonight is MUCH better!! ;)

Also, we didn't make it to church or anywhere today. We ended up steam cleaning our den carpet. So, no one needs to be afraid of what they might be sitting on/in...it's nice and clean now. I just hope we can keep it that way!