Lorikeets Feeding Success

I figured with the rain we would only be able to make it to one side of the zoo-- the covered side with the reptiles, Australian animals, and carousel. The kids LOVE feeding animals so they had to "settle" for feeding the lorikeets, which surprised me b/c those stinkers are loud and aggressive-- the birds, not the kids.

Rainy July day

"So what?" Say the flooded Floridians. 

But for this Texas contagion, rain?!? All day?!? In the middle of summer???

We hit the zoo this morning and did all of the indoor activities which was fun. All the big kids fed the lorikeets too! 

For dinner, we walked down the street to Dickey's BBQ and on the way home, splashed in the puddles. Jude loved his dinner, and I just thought Avery's bottoms were too cute. 

Gotta beat the heat...

... so off to the Arboretum we went... at 7:15 am. Yay for early risers!

Let the wild rumpus begin!

With Scott's departure to CA this week and a bunch of craziness leading up to it, we began Jude's birthday celebrations a lil early. I made him car cakes, since a typical boy, he immensely enjoys the wheeled vehicles. He didn't eat much of the cake-- went straight for the oreo cookies wheels.  Getting all 4 kiddos to gather round was a bit of a challenge so I had to settle for this candid group shot.

Our newest pets

Swimming Lessons Success!

 Swim, baby, swim! This week we dove into the world of swimming lessons and had a great week with Rosey, the go-to-gal here in Richardson, who gives lessons in her own backyard. 30 minutes. 4 days a week. 4 kids. 2 adults. Success!!! Claire was right on the cusp of independence before lessons, and now she swims beautifully, hand over hand, on her back, and under water. Yay!!! Today she passed the swim test at the public pools and can go off the diving boards and slides!

 Asher did very well for himself too! He swims underwater with his eyes open and enjoys just floating around under the surface, like a buoy. He needs more practice with arms and legs, but he's getting there!

Avery started the week full of enthusiasm and continued that joy and excitement all. 4. Days. Miss Rosey was quite "impressed" with his eagerness to hit the water.

Jude Boy and I enjoyed our 30 minutes of bonding, but he is already looking fwd to getting his turn in the water next season. 

Baby Jude by the Months

"Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better"