Tumbling Class!

We've been seeing this sort of thing for weeks...

 

So we got the kids started in a TUMBLING CLASS!!
AND our best friends Sophia and Dylan are in the class, too!

 

Each week the instructor focuses on a new trick.

The first week it was rolling: like a log or with knees tucked or somersault (yay!).

The room is full of gymnastics mats and apparatuses for the kids to explore and practice on when they aren't taking a turn with the instructor. I fully credit climbing moves like this one that Jack is demonstrating as the reason why the kids are consistently climbing out of their cribs. (We've already planned to put the toddler rails on their beds after the weekend. More to come on that!)

 

 Malynn has fallen in love with the balance beam.

She does it over, and over, and over, and again, and again every time we go.

Jack and Mallynn both like hanging and swinging on the bar. They even knew to hold on when Daddy flipped them around -maybe from watching the Olympics this past summer?!?

Mommy and Daddy are so happy when you are so happy!

Wrapping Paper

Usually if your 2-year-olds start unraveling a roll of wrapping paper you ask them to stop...but every now and then you decide to wrap them up instead!

 

First the legs.

 

Then, the body and arms.

The only thing missing is a bow!

Ta-da!!

Sometimes I have to keep two pictures: the one I like best of Malynn, and...

... the one I like best of Jack.

First Trip to the ZOO!!

 Before we got our big morning trip to the zoo started we gave Ottar his belated birthday gift. Happy Birthday Ottar!

Then it was ZOO TIME!

 

Jack and Malynn wanted to see it ALL! Two adolescent leopards entertained us first.

Zebras, too!

Zebras, elephants, and giraffes were on our "must see" list. There were no giraffes (no explanation as to why), but there were elephants!

Elephants are pretty slow movers, so Malynn and Jack spent more time at the learning station than actually watching the real elephants. But, this was an example of centrifuging poop samples to test for different hormones -I mean, come on, that's cool, so who could blame 'em!

Then it was snack time, and we put away an embarrassingly large amount of a HUGE bag of popcorn!

Next stop, the seals (or where they sea lions? -I was busy trying to get a cute picture of the kids at the fence and didn't really pay attention).

Then we ran into this little spray play area! From all our spray park visits this summer, Jack and Malynn knew just what to do!

 

I was actually a little worried about getting them away from the fountains, because they can play in water like that for over an hour easy! It was "let's have more popcorn" that eventually got them back in the stroller.

After the Monkey House we stopped for a Zoo lunch -hotdogs for everyone!

Finally it was time to head out. The all up hill trek back to the car was broken up by a couple stops at mist-sprayers!

What a fun adventure! We'll be back again soon!

Tailgate Triathlon

Our good friend John has been doing a Tailgate Triathlon to support the Challenged Athletes Foundation for a couple years now. If you weren't there you missed out on:

enjoying a beautiful afternoon with family,

 having a beer with a buddy,

 

(There were plenty of kid-friendly beverages as well!)

dancing the afternoon away,

 

playing with empty water jugs (oh wait, that was just us),

and, of course,

the main event...wait for it...

...some serious Cornhole action!!!

 

 

As well as, some not so serious Cornhole action.  :)

 (You know getting up closer to the hole makes it much easier!)

 (More bags equals more points!)

I need more bags!!!

This was a family friendly event,

hosted by some of the best lookin' people we know,

and a fantastic time was had by all!

See you there next year!