Field Trip - Phoenix Zoo - 2/28/12

In February we took a trip with Grammy and Papa to the Zoo! The weather was great and we all had a fun time. We must have since we were there for over 5 hours! When we first got there, Jem was running around and somehow ran head first into the metal bar on the SEAT of the tables we were sitting at. He immediately got a golfball size bump on his forehead and started crying that he was going to die! Great! Luckily we had an ice chest and ice and he was fine. Kettle corn. Hot chocolate. Crisis averted. Later, Jem got to feed the giraffes. He was not impressed. All they let him do was hold out a piece of lettuce which it quickly snatched up. They only let me (the adult) feed it the pellets which allowed me to feel the sandpapery tongue. He was kind of bummed about the whole thing. Oh well. Sarah insisted on pulling the fairly heavy wagon full of our lunches and an ice chest through most of the zoo. Not sure why. I finally had to insist it was someone else's turn just to give her a break. Our favorite part was the orangutans which were a riot this time. The young one was really giving his grandma a hard time, and the father kept having to break the two of them up. It was a real soap opera. Since the weather was so nice, a lot of the animals that usually are not out, were out walking around. The kids insisted on me taking their pictures in front of the kit fox because we almost never see them up and about. AND I saw the cheetah walking around and going poop! A real live cheetah pooping! You don't see that very often! Here are some pics from the day:

Field Trip - Pioneer Living History Museum - 3/7/12

In March we visited the Pioneer Living History Museum. I still remember going on a field trip there when I was in grade school, only it was called Pioneer Arizona back then :).  It still looks basically the same except it's a bit more weathered. I was surprised at how interested Jem was in all of it. When we got there I told the kids it was where the Pioneers used to live. Freddie wanted to know why they moved.
When we left I asked them what their favorite part was. Here was the result:

Sarah:  The piggies
Flossie:  The Pigs and the School House
Freddie: The Cowboy Shootout and the School
Jem: The Cowboy Shootout and the Blacksmith
Scout: The School House and the Pigs - "except the pigs were kept in terrible conditions and so I I think we should call the humane society and report them."
Me:  Our picnic in the grass and when I got all the kids to push ME in the wagon finally. Also that there were two men in the room with Scout and Freddie when a cabinet door fell off it's hinges in the Victorian House shattering glass all over the floor.  They were quick to tell the staff that no one was anywhere near the cabinet when the door fell off. Lucky for the kids, because they definitely would have been blamed otherwise, and also they were very lucky not to have been hurt! Whew!

Once again, we lost track of time because we were having too much fun and we were there all day!

V is for Volcanoes- February 2012

In February we did Letter V for Valentines and Volcanoes! I have made these volcanoes so many times over the years, but it was so fun to watch Freddie and Flossie experience them for the very first time. They thought it was SO COOL!!

A New Friend - Feb to March 2012

We have a new friend!! We are excited to welcome a new 3 year old to our preschool. The kids have been having so much fun with her, and she has loved being here so far. Since her mom calls her "Princess" on her blog, I've decided what better name here than "Sara," for Sara Crew in A Little Princess.  Here are some general photos of preschool from the past few weeks with our new friend :).