The Zoo, Renaissance Fair and weekend fun!

We had an adventure the other day going down to Salt Lake City. First we needed a plan...so we planned everything and crammed it into one day!
First we woke up earlier then early because we wanted to beat the crowds at the Hogle Zoo. (funny everyone and their stroller was there!) My sister-in-law had passes and needed to be used before the end of the month and luckily shared them with us! We saw giraffes, elephants, snakes and the red panda, plus the backside of a zebra. He wouldn't turn around.

I like the Giraffes the best.

My two year old was the happiest to be at the zoo but she was the one that had the hardest time seeing the animals.



My camera ran out of batteries before we finished half the morning! I might have to add other pictures I never blogged about yet as I tell this story. Here is one that has nothing to do with our adventure. The double rainbow from last week, posted for the Birthday girl!
From the zoo we had to rush off to my sister's house for lunch and a birthday party. My parents met up with us and my other sister in law plus my other sister! That was a lot of people to feed and party with. I wish we could have stayed longer and helped clean up after. Sorry to my best sister in the world!

THEN we rushed off to the Renaissance Fair in Ogden. My magic uncle Ralph's magic show comes down every year from Seattle for this one! I glad I finally got to see him perform after like 10 yrs. We didn't get to see the famous saw the person in half magic trick but the ones we did see were awesome!

We also saw a bit of jousting. Or at least a few horses warming up for the joust. The girls liked playing with the goats more then anything. They were babies and very tame. We saw lots of cool things to buy but luckily I didn't have any cash so we didn't buy all those cool things. It was hot and we then had to rush back up to Logan so we could pick up the lambs and get them to the fairgrounds. They had to be registered and tagged in person for the County Fair in Aug. 2009's 4-H events. That was a circus... the lambs just don't follow yet so we had to pull and push them and everyone else did too. Imagine 30-40 lambs all going the wrong way with a small child attached to their halter ropes. It was really hard not to just sit there and laugh but I was pushing a sheep instead. Here is another random picture. Yep big sister is reading to little brother. ahhh so cute.

Then Saturday Mike took off for something in SLC and I decided to try mowing the lawn. So every time the baby fell asleep I would eventually get the mower started and push it as hard as I could. Thanks for letting us borrow it, you are the best sister in the world! It is so loud that you have to wear ear thingers and eye protection (all kinds of things are being swooped up from the ground, rocks sticks and pine cones). The lawn is so overgrown that it gets all caught up and the mower tries to stop but doesn't if you lift it a bit and stop, very temperamental but better to mow now then later...it is a jungle out there! I am glad we are getting the yard under control. We also worked on the dandelion invasion and we started a mulch pile. FUN! Achhoooo! Allergy season is here and I have a sinus infection. I lost my voice and it just barely came back on Sunday. I feel like Kim (another best sister in the world!)

Sunday finally came and I love the day of rest at the end of busy weeks. Anyway I missed most of church because of the tiny innocent baby. He was so squirmy and noisy!
Then off to choir and Cub Committee meeting after church. I missed most of choir because of tiny fussy baby and the squawking parrot that scared him silly.(Parrot was at choir directors house and is really loud while we practice.) The Cub Comm meeting was good but I had to hold fussy baby and conduct. We are going to have a fun Pack meeting next week outside at a very cool park! I need to get all kinds of things ready for that this week, luckily I am learning to delegate!

When I got home the kids were scattered throughout the great outdoors so after rounding them up and feeding them something from the freezer, it was time for bed. Whew. Nothing like a good long day of rest!

I really can't wait for another week to start! We are going to have beautiful weather for a few days! I want to get the garden area rotor-tilled. We got tools on craigslist Saturday night! Now we can all work work work together. Oh and has anyone seen the movie The Tale of Despereaux? Very funny. I heard the book was better and can't wait to read it with the kids.

AND finally getting around to posting this...I will add...
Today was so hot we actually played in the sprinklers and washed the mini van. The long winter is OVER! Right, it is over? Yippee!!! I love winter but Spring should not be intermixed with other Seasons!
He loves this action shot!

If you got through this long post you deserve a prize! Get up and go to the kitchen. Get down a large cup and fill it with cold water from the faucet! Drink! Congratulations!

Julie of The Wolves by Jean Craighead George

Yep she is the same person that wrote My Side of the Mountain. I really liked that book but this one...well it was well written just a bit...I don't know. The best part was all the Eskimo lore. The worst was the broken home story.
Julie was a very brave girl and she learned a lot from her dad about the wilderness. When she decided to run away from home and join a wolf pack...that is where it got interesting. She survived in the coldest place all on her own by keeping her wits and using her instincts, brains and heart. I didn't know wolves would be kind to humans. I thought they were like the Jack London's White Fang wolves. These are actually nice, when you figure out how to talk wolf.

Healing book

The Walking Drum by Louis L'Amour

I really thought this would be a western. I was very surprised to find it far from the western cowboy books he usually writes. Where did the Pirates, the Arabian horses and princesses all come from?

Historical Fiction always seems so choppy to me. This book was choppy. Mainly because he had to keep telling us all the history and dates, places and people instead of just getting on with the story. But the story wasn't what he was trying to tell it was the history so it came out choppy.

His Lonesome Gods book will always be my favorite. This book doesn't really come close to that one. I might still be in shock though that The Walking Drum wasn't a western? Who would have guessed? I just assumed the drum was American Indian or something. NOPE it is something like gypsy but not...it was a merchant group walking together and the drum kept them in step. It wasn't mentioned till you get way past the middle of the book. The drum was actually only referred to maybe three times...I would have had a different more relevant title for this un-western book. OR developed the walking drum idea a bit more in the book.

The main charactor is a boy and his family gets massacred so he escapes and jumps on a ship...he has to be a slave on the ship even though he knows more about being a sailor then everyone on the ship because he went to sea with his dad before. He escapes and set out on a quest to find out if his father is dead or needs saving. He is always seeking knowledge and eventually goes to all these places and reads a bunch of books, has experiences and seeks revenge. He also isn't such an innocent guy...he is always running into some maiden in distress but never marries her after his grand rescue. He also makes allies and enemies in every stage of the stories course. He is also very lucky.He is a scholar but also a soldier. His knowledge also gets him out of a few scrapes and his quick talking and riding.

Overall I didn't really like the book but I might just have to give it another chance. It is a classic like no other classic I have read. The time period is post Caesar, after viking area and takes place in old Europe and middle east.

Healing book

5,000 year leap by Skousen

This was an incredible book for getting back to the basics of the Constitution. What did the founders really mean and want when they went to all the trouble to write this inspired part of Americans living history? This book had some great insight. I loved it and recommend it for everyone that values your freedom in this great country!

Whole Book