The little things? The little moments? They aren't little.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Happy Birthday to You!
 
Happy Birthday to You!
 
Happy Birthday dear Miki!
 
Happy Birthday to You!

 
Miki. 9. Spunky. Smart. Beautiful. Fun. Friend to All. Laughter.
 Kind. Considerate. Practical Joker. Organized. Creative.
Dancer. Helper. Stylish. Determined.
 
 
Miki wanted an ice cram cake this year.  Yellow cake mix, strawberry ice cream with ice cream crunchies, and cream cheese frosting.  It was mighty tasty!
 
 
From us she got an owl watch necklace, a glow pet (zebra) and some REAL makeup to "practice" with.
 

 
She was spoiled and  had lots of fun with her cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandma that came up.  I'm pretty sure I say this every year, but... My baby is growing up too fast!
 

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Lagoon

Our day at Lagoon started around 12:30.  First ride... the old rickety, rackety wooden roller coaster.  Me, Sam and Jill were the first to get on a ride.
 
 
Miki picked the next ride... the carousel.
 
 
By now Sam was ready for some more action.  Next up the colossus.  Jill and Miki wanted nothing to do with it, so Kay went with Sam for round one.
 
 
It was during this ride that Miki became Kay's official hat/sunglasses holder.
 
 
After seeing that Kay survived the ride, Sam managed to talk Jill into giving it a try, and she had a blast!
 
 
Around the corner Wicked was awaiting.  As hard as Sam tried Jill would NOT get on this ride, even after her dad and Sam came off it alive.
 
 
Instead, she and Miki shared a sno cone.
 
 
After Wicked Sam and Jill went on a round-and-round ride.
 
 
Just watching it was enough to make me sick.
 
 
Next up, Pioneer Village.  As a kid this was my favorite spot.  Miki was a little sketchy about the log ride, but she went with us and had a lot of fun.  It was a very refreshing ride.
 
 
Before the log ride we had our old time pictures taken, and we took an ice cream break.
 

 
After pioneer village the girls sat for henna tattoos.
 
 
To give the henna time to dry we took the sky ride to the other side of the park.
 
 
Miki was excited to find the bumper cars.  She's a wicked little driver, and this was her favorite ride at Lagoon.
 
 
Sam and Jill had fun on this twisty turny ride.
 
 
By now it's dinner time so our navigation crew started hunting for food and plotting a course from the map.
 
 
While Kay and Sam waited in line to get a drink, Miki and Jill cooled themselves off in the splash pad.
 





 
We found face painting! 

 
This little roller coaster was a close as Miki was going to get to experiencing a roller coaster.
 


 To let our stomachs settle after dinner we went on the train ride.
 
 
Next up were the swings.  They went a tad higher than the ones at Liberty Park, and Sam and Jill had a blast. 
 


 
By now it's getting kinda late, and Sam was bound and determined to talk Jill into going on the Wicked.  I don't know how she did it, but somehow she did talk Jill into trying it.  So, while the three went, Miki and I waited outside.  By this wicked sign is a small pool of water, so Miki and I made a wish.
 
 
The Wicked trio!  Jill ended up loving the ride and said it was her favorite ride of the day.  It was also Kay's favorite ride. 
 
 
After wicked we went one more time on the sky ride so Miki could play on the bumper cars again. 
 
 
While Miki rode the bumper cars Sam went on the Samuri.  It was a very twisty turny ride that made me sick just watching.  After she got off she said it was her favorite ride.  By now it's about 9:30 and we are on our way out of the park.  Miki asked me if our wish came true from the wishing pool at wicked if we could tell each other.  I said "yes", to which she replied "I wished for my parents to let me go on the bumper cars one more time".  I'm glad we could help with her wish coming true.
 

Monday, August 5, 2013

The FuN ConTinues

After hiking to the cave we picked up my dad and headed to Tracy Aviary and Liberty Park.  Both places have great memories for me, because just about every summer this is one spot my dad would take me and my sisters during our summer visit.  Not much has changed.  I was excited to see the old Ferris wheel and other rides were still up and running. 
 


 
Being the bird lover that she is, I knew Jill would love the aviary.  She made sure she was ready with her camera.
 
 
I'm not sure they wanted people chasing the peacocks through the landscaping, but Sam just couldn't resist.
 

 
All of the bird exhibits were so fun.
 
 
Especially this handsome bird through the bushes ;)
 
 
Grandpa did a good job keeping up.  Miki was excited to show him the cute little birds we'd found in this spot.
 
 
The owl exhibit is something I don't remember.  It was fun to see all the different types of owls. 
 




 
Something was up with the peacocks.  I don't know if this one is hiding from Sam or plotting its revenge.
 
 
Kay couldn't resist throwing a little water around.  Mik was more than happy to be his assistant.
 
 
Feeding the birds was always one of my favorite things to do, and my girls seemed to have fun with it too.  This particular goose was a pig.  Sam had to be fast to get her fingers out of the way.
 

 
Enjoying the flamingos