Folsom Animal Park and Exciting News!

Jay, Samuel and Abigail got to experience Folsom Animal Safari, which is only about 30 minutes from our house. They fed the "wild" animals and explored to vast gift shop. The group rode in a wagon train, pulled by a tractor, and saw giraffes, different kinds of deer, zebras, kangaroos, fish and turtles. Abigail said her favorite part was seeing the elephants...the only problem is that there were no elephants! Maybe in her dreams on the drive home. ;) The ride was about and hour and a half, which was a little long for our preschool attention spans, but Daddy rewarded good behavior with a selection from the gift shop. Samuel chose a truck and Abigail a stuffed puppy dog. Which is SOOOOO Samuel and Abigail!

Now, for the big news. Mommy couldn't go on this particular family adventure, because we are starting a new chapter in our family. Baker Baby #3! I had a doctor's appointment scheduled and got to hear the baby's heartbeat. Baby #3 is due February 16, 2010. Samuel wants a baby sister, and Abigail wants a baby brother.

Swimming Lessons

waiting for lessons to begin

Abigail jumping off of the diving board

with a little "encouragement"

Samuel is now our little fish!

For the second summer now, we've enrolled our kids in swimming lessons for a week. This year Abigail and I went to the "Mommy and me" class while Samuel was brave (and tall) enough to go by himself. We saw MAJOR accomplishments in the water and were so proud of both of them. Samuel started the week not wanting to get his face in the water... a hard thing to do if you want to swim! After seeing how well his goggles worked, he was like a little yo-yo, bobbing his head under the water every chance he could! YEA! He also learned to kick and reach and pull with his head in the water. He was swimming!

Abigail has her own time table of when she wants things done. It all started with her birth... 3 1/2 weeks early, and she hasn't changed since. She practiced kicking, reaching and pulling, and "taking a nap in the water." She loved jumping into the pool. However, she absolutely refuses to wear her goggles, which makes putting her face in the water uncomfortable. Her teacher said she's ready to swim, but she hasn't made up her mind about that yet, so we're still waiting! :) Gotta love that girl!

Naps were extra long that week and the kids were rewarded Friday with some treats.

Circus

Samuel watching the show.

Big Finale

Abigail's cotton candy. :)

The crazy globe with motorcycles driving around
In June we got to experience our first time to the GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH! Samuel and Abigail had never been to the circus before, and the only circus Michelle could remember was one in Brasil...which wasn't exactly the same! We drove to New Orleans for the event and shelled out some serious dough for a parking spot, but it was worth it to see our kids' faces. Samuel's (and Jay's) favorite part was watching about 7 motorcycles drive around a big metal ball. Crazy! Abigail's favorite part was the cotton candy. My girl! The elephants were a close runner up for all of us. It was a very fun family night.

SUMMERTIME!

Samuel's Giant Flower!

Boomerang Express with "Outback Jay"

Notice Michelle's new haircut!

Santa Rosa Beach, Fl

Hunting for crabs at night on the beach.

Playing with Daddy in the sand.
Jay's and Samuel's footprints in the sand.
At Smith Lake in VA on one of our fun days.

Summer is our busy time of the year. This year we've already completed a week of M-fuge, VBS, World Changers, youth musical, swim lessons, a pastor's conference for Jay and beach vacation! We have one more week with a youth choir trip, and then we'll be finished with summer trips. Whew! The kids and I got to go on a few trips with Jay this year, which was a lot of fun. We went to VA to the pastor's conference and got to visit grandparents while we were there. We also get to go with the church bus driver on the youth choir trip next week, to Panama City, FL! While the summers are always busy, they are one of our favorite times of the year. WE LOVE VBS! This year "Outback Jay" wrestled with an alligator, got attacked by a giant spider, fought off a huge snake, and got about a hundred cream pies tossed in his face by the kids. Samuel and Abigail learned all of the Boomerang Express songs, and continue to sing them today. It is a joy to see them praising our Father in heaven! This summer we also planted a garden. We've enjoyed fresh green bean, summer squash, zucchini, okra, cucumbers, peppers and are beginning to see tomatoes turn red. Samuel also planted a "giant flower" and Abigail planted marigolds. We've enjoyed watching our kids learn how God provides for His children. Thanks for hanging in there with me as I learn how to add pictures and label them....

Joining the madness!

We are joining the world of bloggers! We hope our family and friends, both far and near, will be able to share in some adventures with our family.

Our "babies" are growing so fast! Samuel is 4 1/2 and Abigail will be 3 next month! Please keep all comments on Jay and my ages to yourself!

And for those who know and love Feia... she is alive and well. :)

Our desire is to know and grow in our Lord Jesus Christ, and hopefully our lives are evidence of this.