summer zoo trip

Family Zoo Day! 

One of the things on my summer to-do list was to take a family trip to the San Diego Zoo. Our Baba's annual membership pass was expiring at the end of July so we needed to act fast if we were to have more more trip together. Plus, I really wanted to see the Zoo's new Africa Rocks exhibit. Although not all of the Africa Rock's exhibits were open, we enjoyed what we could see and I'm looking forward to coming back to see more of what the exhibit offers. In addition, apparently the Zoo opened their new foot bridge the morning of our trip. Walking over the bridge, which connects the front of the Zoo with the back of the Zoo was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.  I'm not if watching men working on the bridge helped with that feeling. 

Funny story. On our way back to the car, we passed a young lady sitting on a bench. She suddenly called out "Excuse me, your daughter's nose is bleeding."  We stop and I check her nose. A large dark blob was oozing slowly down from her nose. The dark color looked off to me. But I grabbed a shirt to stop the bleeding. However, as I got closer I quickly realized that it wasn't blood but a melting chocolate chip. Ew. After thanking the girl, I cleaned my daughter up and we went on our merry way.  

Overall, it was a fun day. The kiddos had a blast and I'm ready for bed. 

striped dress

Finished my second dress for the summer. 

I have instructed my friends and family to slap me if I ever buy striped fabric again. 

This dress is ok. 

In other news, how is it that summer is already half way over?? 

VBS week

For my kiddos VBS week was jammed packed with Bible stories, engaging songs, fun games and friends. This was Lucas's first year attending as a "big kid." Dropping him off with his two counselors felt weird. Like I was missing something...or someone. Lucas had a blast. At the end of each night, Lucas would share everything that he did during VBS. His counselors were amazing and he made friends. Having Lucas with counselors gave me the opportunity to spend time with my girly. It was fun going through the different rotations with Alara, watching her learn about Queen Ester, play games and do crafts.

For me, VBS week was exhausting. Growing up I attended VBS once or twice before starting summer camp. I know some people might argue with me about this....but summer camp is way more exhausting. At least the VBS counselors and volunteers get to go home each night. That being said...I'm not sure how I had the energy to make it through seven weeks of summer camp. It's a young mans game. (And I'm not even that old).

A couple of things I enjoyed about VBS was being able to reconnect with friends, both for the kiddos and for myself, listening to the kids sing worship songs on repeat and hearing the excitement in their voices as we drove up to our church. I want church to be a place where my kids feel at home and apart of. I didn't have much connection to a home church growing up and so giving my kids that connection is important.

The VBS program this year was ok. I'm not sure how Lucas's classes went because I wasn't there. However, the Pre-K group could have been better.  The crafts were not age appropriate nor did they connect what the kids were learning to what the craft was. The games were ok...but definitely felt like a second through vs. thoughtfully planned. The lesson time was designed for older kids, and many of the pre-K kids weren't engaged.

Other than the lack of planning in the pre-K groups, it was a good week and one to remember.