Friends, Tattoos and Tiny Fish

Last night, I let the kids stay up til 10...a real treat for them since bedtime is usually between 8 and 9. We were all outside after they got baths and were in their pajamas...catching lightning bugs! Maddie even had rollers in her hair! Christian and I both helped the kids catch the bugs and put them in these bug-catching homes of Isaac's, and they each took them to their rooms for the night for night-lights.
Here is a closer look of Maddie's, complete with dirt, leaves, and a stick or two...
And here is Isaac's. You can see his little face peeking through the handle and the bugs' yellow bellies on the netting. He put lots of grass in his. This was the only time I have ever allowed bugs into my house in these things. The last time he brought them in when I didn't know it and I had tiny little ants all over my kitchen floor...cuz they crawled through the holes in the netting! Augh!

Maddie and her colorful octopus with bubbles...
Isaac's wonderful octopus!
This is an eagle...a joint venture of Maddie's and Isaac's. She drew the outline and he colored inside...very cute...and one of the only times in the recent past I can recall them doing something together for any length of time without someone getting injured physically or emotionally!
Today we went to our old fishing site off of Sawmill Rd...and here they had caution tape all around it so we couldn't fish there. We were all disappointed, as anytime you fish there, you catch something effortlessly. So we went to my office...there's a pond right there...and we fished with balogna and pepperoni! No luck for anyone but Christian! He caught a 3 inch bluegill! Way to go, buddy!

We went to the Zoo two Wednesdays ago, and every Wednesday that I have the kids through the summer, we'll go back. They had face painting, crafts, games, inflatable bouncers and slides and obstacle courses, live music, animals out of the cages being shown by staff...it was great. We took Christian and they all had a ball. Maddie got a daisy painted on her face, Isaac wanted a tiger face, and Christian got a skull!

Isaac, Maddie, and Christian on the metal Manatees...after we saw the real ones. We also saw the penguins and lots of other animals. They had a hedgehog and a ferret out for the kids to pet.

Here's Maddie's octopus. This picture doesn't do it justice, but I took it anyway. She did something really cool with the eyes that made it look very original.

A little while back, David and I found this most romantic spot that's got flowing water and benches to sit on and just feel the breeze and watch nature around you. There are trails around different waterfalls and ponds and we were traveling down one when we saw these baby geese. I took a picture because they were just so cute. Then of course the adults started hissing at me. And that brought me back to reality. There is really no such thing as a cute goose. They all get mean.

Okay...you all have got to click on this link. This takes you to a video of Isaac and Amy's son Austin that she took when the boys were like 1 and 18 months old...I am guessing on the ages cuz it's been so long. Isaac has always been a real touchy-feely kind of little guy. Austin has always been a real hands-off type of little boy. Although they always got along well, they had to learn each others' personalities through trial and error. Take a look! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qtNx2hRCbQ

Below is the bathing beauty at Kathy's pool...complete with facemask and snorkel.

One of Isaac's most famous sayings as of late..."In your face!" I wonder who he got that from?! This looks like it could be what he was thinking at the time...but he was having a blast finding all kinds of cool things that Kathy's grandsons play with in the water at her house. We were supposed to go see the alpacas this day, but the kids didn't want to get out of the water!

What a ham! One of Isaac's favorite movies is one he saw at Jenny's for the first time...Shark Boy and Lava Girl. He absolutely loved the fact that he could pretend to be shark boy in these things!

Okay...time for some funnies. Last but certainly not least!

Last night, Isaac was in the tub and pulled the skin on his scrotum tight. I have learned to just ignore this, as I am not quite sure what will come out of his mouth if I ask him what he is doing! But he offered anyway..."Mommy! This looks like a belly that's real hard with a tiny baby inside! Oh, my gosh. What was I to say? "Yes, Isaac. It sure does!" LOL

Tonight I was tucking Isaac in after saying prayers and he said, "Mommy, what's that thing in the back of my throat that hangs down like a cocoon?" Laughter from me...and he continued..."And it shakes when I scream!" I laughed some more and then I told him it was an epiglottis. Of course he couldn't say that...and asked again why we have it...I think I was laughing so hard I forgot to answer him! Then later on I was thinking...I think it's called a uvula! Anyway...I'll have to Google it!

Tonight after such a let-down of a fishing trip, I took all the kids to McDonald's playland so they could get out some energy and play together and have some fun. There was a little boy there, maybe 7 or 8, and his name was Malachi. I had noticed once we got there that he was probably autistic or had some delays of some kind. Maddie observed this too...very astute of her, as it wasn't very obvious. She said, "Mommy, is he a retarded one?" Just the way she said it made me smile, and I said, "Yes, Maddie, but it's more polite to say 'developmentally delayed.'" She looked at me for what seemed like a long time, and then smiled and said, "Can I just say 'delay?'"

She cracks me up! So cute!

Alright, that's all for tonight. More later, I'm sure. Never a dull moment around here!