Fun with Zsa Zsa - Part I

There are a lot of benefits to being unemployed. ((Hang with me here, Richard.)) In example, you can visit your brother and his family for one whole week and experience what it's like to roll like a four-year-old again. This is just the right time of year for a week-long visit too because there is so much to do (despite the scorching heat). Thankfully, Zsa Zsa is game for just about anything! Here's how we've been keeping busy...

We visited Busch Gardens where we spent some time in the Lorikeet den. We were able to get up close and personal with those hungry little buggers...

We watched a cute little Irish dancing show that Ava absolutely loved. Lincoln enjoyed the first five minutes before he was, "Alllllllll done!"

This is sweet...

We went on a lot of (kids') rides and Ava was feeling brave so she rode on the big swings for the first time and she loved it!

Who doesn't laugh hysterically on the teacups?

Look at how brave she's getting! I wish you could hear her screaming...

Hmm, I guess I was having A LOT of fun, too :-)

We've been doing art projects, too. We're creating little masterpieces for Zsa Zsa to bring back to Ninny & Yoda. Lincoln is getting the hang of this spray painting thing and he really likes it (which makes me happy)...

Lincoln's very first spray painting masterpiece...

Ava's beautiful masterpiece...

In case you're wondering, this is where Ava gets her mad coloring skills from...

In between all this fun Louis lost a tooth! Look at how incredibly tiny it is!

We went paddle boating and that was so very much fun (I can say that because I wasn't the one who was paddling)! Ava really enjoyed it. I mean, I knew she'd probably like it but she REALLY liked it and she can't wait to do it again (which I love). Lincoln, on the other hand, was "Allllllll done" after five minutes. It didn't help that I gave him peanut butter crackers to snack on but left his water in the car. He was miserable once he realized that I didn't have water for him :-(

We made another trip to Inflation Nation for a pre-school play date. I skinned my other elbow on the inflatable slides. I never learn. Within the first few minutes of our arrival Ava mustered up enough courage to follow her classmates into one of the big inflatable obstacle courses where she somehow managed to get her leg stuck. I was with Lincoln in a different jumping thing so I had no idea. A fellow Mom rescued Ava and she was physically fine but she was an emotional wreck by the time I got to her. She was scared and I felt awful for not being with her when it happened. Sometimes (meaning, most of the time), it's really difficult not to feel like I need to be in two places at one time as the mother of two precious children. Sometimes (meaning, most of the time), it gets the best of me. We recovered and minutes later Ava was laughing and jumping again. Although, she was being much more cautious and was steering clear of all the really fun stuff. Zsa Zsa was hanging with Ava and I was hanging with Lincoln so we didn't get many pictures. Lincoln was taking Inflation Nation by storm! He was on a roll and wanted to go down every huge slide. Honestly, some of the slides in that place are a little too much for me even. Lincoln really pushed me out of my comfort zone on this particular "Superman" slide. He wanted to do it in the worst way so I had to find the strength to confidently tackle it with him because he was too small to do it by himself. After the first slide we did it again and again and again and it was a ridiculous amount of fun! I can't wait to do it again! Zsa Zsa captured this shot of us going down the slide the very first time. I landed smack on my bottom...nowhere near the red mat. Ouch!

Here's Lincoln going down one of the bigger slides all by himself!

Doesn't this post make you want to quit your job tomorrow and start acting like a four-year-old?!

Gee, I wonder what "Fun with Zsa Zsa - Part II" will contain?