A Long, Long Time Ago

Well, Jake’s gone for another couple weeks so now I’ve got some time to get caught up.  Because, you know, I’ve got nothing else going on, right?  ;)

         
So, sometime after Henry and Janet left, and sometime before Jonathan and Mom arrived, we decided to take the kids and go for a little hike in the area.  The kids were excited to step off, the day was clear and the views were good.

Then the shenanigans began.

               
There were an abundance of winged creatures including, on the left, a swallow, and on the right, a vulture.  Nice, huh?

                                   
I always find it a little surprising how quickly the terrain shifts from coastal tropic to desert hills.  

                                       
But the kids enjoy being out with Mom and Dad, seeing new things and exploring the geography.
                                             Stopping for snacks.  The kids also enjoy that!

                  
We seem to be fascinated by everything from snail shells to Daddy’s sunglasses.

Just enjoying the sunshine.

Sometime later, back at home, the kids found an exciting new canvas for their artwork.

 
This was more artwork?

Yep, work of art, definitely!

                      
Peek-a-boo!

And with that, we’re into June.  Chugging right along . . .

We’re Back!

And we’re still in May—yikes!  Alright, so I didn’t really jump on this like I should have.  At all.  I’m not going to make excuses; life itself took priority over documenting it for a while and, frankly, that’s okay.  There’s not going to be a flurry of posts in the immediate future either, because Jake will be home tomorrow night.  I’ll get caught up eventually.  Although we may be reminiscing about July visitors into December . . .

May.  Three birthdays in a row: Adalyn (that’s my brand-new niece!), Mom (Clara) and Janet.  Giant cards for everyone!

    
Last stop on Henry and Janet’s grand tour: the Safari Park.  We are greeted by a couple of animal ambassadors . . .

and encounter a rather unusual bat.

                            
The birds are playing nice today.

And so are Henry and Janet.

        
As we head out for the actual “safari” part, it seems most of the animals are cooperating today.

                              
Naomi looks rather mournful; honestly, I don’t remember why.  But Logan’s face says, “I’m intently observing and I’m going to ask you a million questions about it afterwards.”

                     
Ugly bird, good picture.  The antelope are rather more majestic.

I like seeing the giraffe up next to other animals for a better size perspective on how tall they really are.

         
We had a great view of a couple of sleepy lions.
 Time to move along before other, smaller (human) creatures start getting sleepy as well.

                  
Which one is more photogenic?

     
Lots of parent-child pairs in the park right now.

You can’t pet the elephants but you can rub the statue for luck.

Lastly, it was feeding time for the gorillas so the whole family was out.

Voila!  That finishes up our time with that set of visitors.  Only 2+ months to go!

Grand Mission

                       
Naomi wanted to wear her poufy dress and “ball shoes”.  Why not?

                    
Logan stepped in front, trying to show me whatever that coil is, and, although it’s an odd picture, I kind of like it.  Henry seems a bit uncertain of the whole thing.

Gotta get a picture in there of Logan too, just because.  The mess in the background looks like it was particularly bad that day.

                
Yep, we’ve been here before too.  It’s just such an easy trip up the road and a beautiful, historic place.

                            
I think this is the first time we’ve sat through the entire intro video.  Well, some of us sat through it anyways.

                         
Having covered the history of the place a few times, this is more what I’m here for.

                           
The kids, meanwhile, found their own preferred entertainment.

                 
Happy mommy.

                         
Happy kids.

Even the fish seem happy!

      
Moving through Serra Chapel.
                           The Great Stone Church briefly became a construction site.

And, with that, we’re off again.