Zoo With Aunt Sylvia

We had a great time with Aunt Sylvia when she visited a week or so ago. Here are some pictures from our trip to the zoo (aka Nashville's coolest playground). Those of you that are local know that the Nashville Zoo is not so much about the animals but about the Jungle Gym, or at least for my kids!

Did you notice Will's pants are on backwards? Since he is starting to help dress himself and can use the bathroom independently (well, sometimes, if you know what I mean...), we don't quibble about these details.


OK, that picture is rotated on its side. But I thought it was cuter that way. Sophie LOVED the lizard, which is what she is crawling through in the picture above.

We also loved the sweet goat that is trustworthy enough to just sit in a field full of kids and allow all body parts to be groomed by toddlers. That's some tame goat! But Soph thought the brushes made great footwear.



And here's where Will asks the goat what in the world she is thinking, letting all these crazy kids poke at her!

Leavin' the Beav

Here are some pictures of our recent vacation in Beaver Creek, Colorado. We had a great time and it is a beautiful place! I got sick early in the week, so I didn't get to ski as much as I'd like, but we still had a relaxing time and it was great having my mom there to take care of the kids, especially while I was sick. We skied Monday and Tuesday morning, but I struggled in the deep, deep snow (and once I got off the mountain I realized I was sick on Tuesday). Andy skied Thursday alone while I recuperated, and then we had a glorious day of skiing on Saturday. It was one of those days where every run is perfect - just what I needed after being sick!

I think this picture was taken to try to show the amount of luggage we had, but it actually was a lot worse than it looks.

The Avon Rec Center was right across the street from our condo. They had an amazing kids' pool, complete with two slides, lots of animals to climb on and a lazy river!

Bedheads and Fruit Snacks

Although my kids are voracious breakfast-eaters, some mornings at the Flanigan house are just not eggs-bacon-and-toast kind of mornings. Sometimes Mom is just in no mood to argue. And at those times, I tell myself that maybe by letting them indulge in {insert ridiculous behavior here}, maybe {insert same ridiculous behavior} will lose its allure. Since these pictures were taken a month ago and I can't remember a morning since when we've had fruit snacks for breakfast, I may have accidentally rationalized myself into a legitimate parenting technique!

Long-term planning

(I wrote this at the beginning of April, but didn't get a chance to post before we left on vacation):

Here is the transcript of a conversation I had with Will this morning:

Will: How long will it be until I'm as old as my daddy?

Mom: TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS.

Will: Is that a long time?

Mom: Yes. By then you might be married and have babies. Do you think so?

Will: Yes.

Mom: And what do you think your job will be?

Will: [BIG smile] Workin' with my daddy!!!

Mom: Where do you think you will live?

Will: I will live at Whispering Hills.

Mom: How many babies will you have?

Will: Four!

Mom: Will they be boys or girls?

Will: Two will be boys and two will be girls.

I also suggested some potential mates for him, but he liked the sound of all of them and didn't seem ready to narrow the list down quite yet.

So we've got that all mapped out now. We're sitting on the couch watching Bob the Builder and I just got a little three-year-old arm tossed casually over my shoulder while I typed. In spite of the rain, I'm enjoying one of my first mornings at home in a long time!

All Done!

The Lincoln Log Door

This is just a tiny story:

We are always playing Lincoln Logs at our house. We have a small, half-light Lincoln Log front door. (Half-light means there is a window in the top half of the door.)

As Will is building his house, he tells me, "I am putting the door in upside down. That way the kids can see outside."

I thought this was cute, and made me more aware of how frustrating it must be to be only 3 feet tall!