Teddy Bear Safari

This weekend Mom took us to the zoo for the annual Teddy Bear Safari. We took our favorite bears Coconut and Rainbow for the outing.

At the Safari we got our faces painted, ate ice cream and best of all we got a whole bag of goodies!

There were several stations set up designed to teach the kids about health and safety. Each was demonstrated by their bears. It was supposed to take the fear out of going to the hospital, doctor or dentist.

Sarah loved throwing balls at the various poisons.

Coconut got a CT Scan.

There were lots of real doctors and nurses on hand from the Children's Hospital to demonstrate. Turns out Rainbow needed tubes in his ears.

And Coconut had to had his tonsils taken out. Luckily they recovered quickly and were went out in the heat to see some animals.

A trip to the zoo isn't complete without a trip to see Sarah's favorite - baby Beco.

Once home we put all our medical knowledge to work testing Mom and Dad and every animal we could find.

Summer Swim Fun

Claire has made great strides with her comfort in the water this summer. Last year we couldn't get her to go underwater, now we can't keep her above the water. She loves swimming. After watching her sister Sarah decided it was time to get in on the action and is now loving being underwater as well.

They love to drop items and then dive to search for them. Looks like we need a bigger pool.

What better after a swim than a makeover! Claire couldn't wait to spend her tooth fairy money and bought this lovely make-up kit. The girls do their makeup at least twice a day!

Tooth Fairy Time!

After several days of playing with my loose tooth it was getting ready. Mom told me I could likely just pull it out if I wanted. So I grabbed a tissue and gave it a good yank and it popped right out. There was a little blood, but no tears. I was way too excited that the tooth fairy would be coming!

I now have a nice hole in my mouth, just in time for school. I feel like such a big girl. I am going to keep checking all my other teeth everyday for another loose one - I love when the tooth fairy brings me money!

Santa Maria

Yesterday we finally checked out something in Columbus that we have been meaning to visit for a few years now. We saw the replica of the Santa Maria. This is the ship Christopher Columbus sailed to discover the 'new world'.

The ship is based on the original ship plans and located in Columbus, Ohio since this is the largest city named after Columbus in the world. The original ship was run aground on Christmas eve in Haiti (they were all celebrating a little too much).

We learned a lot about how ships were built in the 15th century. They didn't have such things as steering wheels or hammocks yet.

Learning about what the sailors ate and dealt with life on board the ship was interesting. We were all glad we weren't part of it.

Here is Sarah steering the ship. Back then they only had this pole to turn the rudder and since it was below the deck, someone on top had to yell direction to you. No wonder they ran aground.

Fire in the hole! The ship had some cannon for protection.

The girls found it quite shocking to discover that you had to climb over the rails when nature called to use the poop deck - just lean over and take care of business.

15th century toilet paper. This is where the saying 'the bitter end' comes from. You had to use the bitter end for wiping then you threw it back into the water to clean it.

After the ship we explored a little park nearby. They had statues of griffins, unicorns, lions and owls. Must be a sign of magic - a portal to hogwarts or narnia for sure!

Loose Tooth Alert!

Last night while brushing teeth we made a startling discovery. Claire's first 'big girl' tooth is poking right through on the bottom. She has a loose tooth! Mom was pretty surprised and strangely saddened at how fast she is growing up.

Claire on the other hand was thrilled! Bouncing off the walls she just couldn't fall asleep last night. The loose tooth watch is officially underway.

Carnivorous Plants

Today we met up with our friend Jonas to explore the conservatory. They just opened their new exhibit - carnivorous plants.

Jonas and Sarah holding hands as they walk through. It was so adorable!

Checking out the Koi pond.

Some of the Chihuly glass on display. We even saw a glass blowing demonstration.

Butterflies in the tropical rainforest.

Help we are being eaten by plants!

Exploring what it would be like inside a pitcher plant.

The Venus Fly Trap.

Pressing the buttons to make the fly trap open and close was the best part of the day!

And of course Mom had to stop and admire the orchids!

Marshmallows

After a swim last weekend Dad announced that we could have a little campfire in the backyard and roast some marshmallows.

As you can see we were all smiles.

We were happy to help get the fire started.

And happy to eat many marshmallows.


Mmmm....sweet!

Dad even let me cook some of my own. I am very patient when cooking to get the perfect brown colour.

After dark we even managed to capture a firefly. Unfortunately mom made free it. I wanted to check it out under the microscope. Maybe next time.