Since Olivia had another bowling birthday party on Saturday I found some free tickets for bowling at the same place for Dave and Ava so that they could have fun too. Little did Dave know but Ava would kill him as she scored a 104 her first game while he only scored a mere 102. Must suck to lose to a 3 year old but must feel pretty good to be that 3 year old because Ava has chanted over and over again about how she had beat daddy. And he didn't let her win either.
Olivia, on the other hand, had a fabulous time with her buddies eating pizza and cake and throwing balls down the alley. She could have cared less how well she did. She was just excited to see her friends. Oh to be 5 again without all the worries of adult life. They don't even realize how good they have it.
Today we brought the kids to the zoo. I have a lot of free tickets so we will be attending the zoo numerous times this summer. The kids ran around like the other monkeys that were there. They loved seeing the elephant go pee- strange yes, but to them it was funny. The tiger was out as well as the bears that are never outside nor seen. In the parking lot on the way back to the truck Olivia found a $5 bill and next to it Ava found a dime. Having free tickets and finding money meant that we actually made money by going to the zoo. All in all in was a good day at the zoo. I would post pictures of our outing but I've done that a ton of times already.
Showing posts with label zoo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zoo. Show all posts
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Monday, September 21, 2009
Where To Begin???
Saturday we used the last of our freebie zoo tickets and spent the day relaxing with the animals. Ava rode the roller coaster this time since Livy got to ride it last time. They both drove the airplanes and went on the merry-go-round. Everyone was satisfied, the weather was breezy, and the day was totally free. That in and of itself was the best part of the day.
After visiting the animals we drove over to Alameda to check out this toy store we used to shop at to see if it was still there. It was and it had some great stuff. We have a $40 credit so we got some ideas on what the girls would want so that Dave can go back and pick it up later. Then we bought a couple of sundaes and headed to the beach. Olivia was so excited to build sand castles she could have cared less about her ice cream. Ava was carefully guarding hers and asked if she could eat Ava's too. We told her she couldn't and she was ok with it since she was going to get to run in the waves.
After a few minutes of playing in the waves the girls were soaked and sandy but totally happy. It was worth all the effort of having to rinse them off and wipe off the sand before getting in the truck to go home. They enjoyed every minute of it and were so worn out they slept most of the way home.
Sunday we got up and Olivia wanted to ride bikes so we got out our helmets and geared up for a ride to the park. Olivia is awesome on her bike. She can turn well, brake well, and has now mastered the ability to stop on slopes and control her speed so she can stop before going off the side of the curb. Grammie's buying her a new big girl bike for her birthday so she's using the smaller bike for the last few rides before it gets handed over to Ava. She's very thrilled about this and asks quite often if it is her birthday today. Not until November I tell her. It must seem like a lifetime for her.
Once we all arrived at the park I took each of the girls separately for a lap around the track. Dave pushed Ava on the swing while Olivia jogged and while Ava jogged Dave chased Olivia on the bike. At was at this time I noticed Olivia was starting to get a runny nose... Can you see where this is headed?
This morning both girls woke up with puffy eyes, runny noses, bad attitudes, and the inability to breathe. As the day has progressed Olivia now has developed a cough. Of course this happens the week before they can get the flu shots. Yea, how lucky am I? I was hoping to get the flu shot and Olivia's 4 year checkup done together but now I don't think it is wise to wait a month to get the shot. Wonderful. And on top of the stinking flu, Ava has her appointment on Thursday with the Nutritionist. I'm sure she will love that I brought my germ filled daughter to infect her. And if Livy is too sick to attend preschool, Thursday I get to take 2 sick kids with me. WooHoo. The best part is Dave is also having a friend over tomorrow for dinner before he leaves for 2 months to the Philippines. We will probably infect him too and send our germs with him to the Philippines. I feel so special.
On a totally different topic Dave and I have been struggling with whether or not to walk away from our house since it is worth less than half of what we paid for it in 2006. We have read absolutely everything out there on the pros and cons of foreclosure and short sales but we still don't know what to do. If we leave we could re-buy in a few years at a considerably lower price but our credit would be trashed. We'd also end up being renters and paying someones else's mortgage in the mean time but we would not have to pay property tax and would save $1500 a month. In a few months we could pay off all of our bills. It's a big fat conundrum that I never thought I would even write about here. But it has been weighing on our minds since the beginning of the summer when we sent all the info we needed to the bank for the supposed mortgage reduction plan and still have not had anyone call us back. Apparently our stuff is at the underwriter but if that were true wouldn't they want to speak to us? So for the last 6 months while the bank has screwed around we've still been paying at 6% & 7%'s on our loans. We thought about not paying for a few months so that they have to speak to us and we could put that money directly to other things that we need to pay off but I feel like that is shady and I'm not quite ready to be like the rest of the jerks that are driving the housing market into the toilet. So basically in 30 years when we pay this shindig off we may merely break even. This means we can never move for any reason. Oh I mean- we can't move for 30 years... Yeah that sounds much better. My stomach doesn't hurt at all.
And top it all off the cat has been projectile vomiting all day all over the house. The first time she hit the rug we just cleaned. Gee thanks for that. The other times she managed to hit the girls dress up attire, another rug, what seemed like the entire floor... I have used almost half of a roll of paper towels. She better get better soon or she's sleeping outside.
After visiting the animals we drove over to Alameda to check out this toy store we used to shop at to see if it was still there. It was and it had some great stuff. We have a $40 credit so we got some ideas on what the girls would want so that Dave can go back and pick it up later. Then we bought a couple of sundaes and headed to the beach. Olivia was so excited to build sand castles she could have cared less about her ice cream. Ava was carefully guarding hers and asked if she could eat Ava's too. We told her she couldn't and she was ok with it since she was going to get to run in the waves.
After a few minutes of playing in the waves the girls were soaked and sandy but totally happy. It was worth all the effort of having to rinse them off and wipe off the sand before getting in the truck to go home. They enjoyed every minute of it and were so worn out they slept most of the way home.
Sunday we got up and Olivia wanted to ride bikes so we got out our helmets and geared up for a ride to the park. Olivia is awesome on her bike. She can turn well, brake well, and has now mastered the ability to stop on slopes and control her speed so she can stop before going off the side of the curb. Grammie's buying her a new big girl bike for her birthday so she's using the smaller bike for the last few rides before it gets handed over to Ava. She's very thrilled about this and asks quite often if it is her birthday today. Not until November I tell her. It must seem like a lifetime for her.
Once we all arrived at the park I took each of the girls separately for a lap around the track. Dave pushed Ava on the swing while Olivia jogged and while Ava jogged Dave chased Olivia on the bike. At was at this time I noticed Olivia was starting to get a runny nose... Can you see where this is headed?
This morning both girls woke up with puffy eyes, runny noses, bad attitudes, and the inability to breathe. As the day has progressed Olivia now has developed a cough. Of course this happens the week before they can get the flu shots. Yea, how lucky am I? I was hoping to get the flu shot and Olivia's 4 year checkup done together but now I don't think it is wise to wait a month to get the shot. Wonderful. And on top of the stinking flu, Ava has her appointment on Thursday with the Nutritionist. I'm sure she will love that I brought my germ filled daughter to infect her. And if Livy is too sick to attend preschool, Thursday I get to take 2 sick kids with me. WooHoo. The best part is Dave is also having a friend over tomorrow for dinner before he leaves for 2 months to the Philippines. We will probably infect him too and send our germs with him to the Philippines. I feel so special.
On a totally different topic Dave and I have been struggling with whether or not to walk away from our house since it is worth less than half of what we paid for it in 2006. We have read absolutely everything out there on the pros and cons of foreclosure and short sales but we still don't know what to do. If we leave we could re-buy in a few years at a considerably lower price but our credit would be trashed. We'd also end up being renters and paying someones else's mortgage in the mean time but we would not have to pay property tax and would save $1500 a month. In a few months we could pay off all of our bills. It's a big fat conundrum that I never thought I would even write about here. But it has been weighing on our minds since the beginning of the summer when we sent all the info we needed to the bank for the supposed mortgage reduction plan and still have not had anyone call us back. Apparently our stuff is at the underwriter but if that were true wouldn't they want to speak to us? So for the last 6 months while the bank has screwed around we've still been paying at 6% & 7%'s on our loans. We thought about not paying for a few months so that they have to speak to us and we could put that money directly to other things that we need to pay off but I feel like that is shady and I'm not quite ready to be like the rest of the jerks that are driving the housing market into the toilet. So basically in 30 years when we pay this shindig off we may merely break even. This means we can never move for any reason. Oh I mean- we can't move for 30 years... Yeah that sounds much better. My stomach doesn't hurt at all.
And top it all off the cat has been projectile vomiting all day all over the house. The first time she hit the rug we just cleaned. Gee thanks for that. The other times she managed to hit the girls dress up attire, another rug, what seemed like the entire floor... I have used almost half of a roll of paper towels. She better get better soon or she's sleeping outside.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Dad's Day Off...
Wednesday Dave took a personal day to go with his girlies to the theater to see KungFu Panda for free. Awesome movie, buckets of popcorn, and smiles all around. When it was over we ran into one of our babysitters who hadn't yet left for college. She gushed over the girls, again all smiles and then we grabbed up our free zoo passes and headed to the zoo. Liv was excited. This time both girls had backpacks to carry their lunches in and their sunglasses and sun screen. Boy did they fell like big girls! They road all the free rides, took the gondola across the zoo, and ran everywhere. I think Dave was impressed by how self sufficient they have become.
When we were through observing the animals we headed home. Olivia slept the entire way and Ava just watched the cars on the freeway. It was pleasurable knowing that there was some sort of silence in the truck. Never happens when I'm alone but- whatever. We arrived home, put Liv on the couch, fed Ava, bathed Ava, woke up Liv to take a bath too, and then everyone went to bed. Awesome day all around, definitely worth a personal day for Dave.
When we were through observing the animals we headed home. Olivia slept the entire way and Ava just watched the cars on the freeway. It was pleasurable knowing that there was some sort of silence in the truck. Never happens when I'm alone but- whatever. We arrived home, put Liv on the couch, fed Ava, bathed Ava, woke up Liv to take a bath too, and then everyone went to bed. Awesome day all around, definitely worth a personal day for Dave.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
On A Whim...
Yesterday was another atrociously hot day so around 11AM I got this bright idea to pack a lunch for the kids and take them to Small World Park. I packed the lunch and sunscreen and thought to myself I had better check how to get there because it had been awhile and I wanted to make sure I got off on the right exit. As I was browsing the website I noticed that it said open Thursday through Sunday. WTF? I could swear it was open daily. I read it again. Oh great.
Since the lunch was packed and the girls knew we were going on an outing we jumped in the truck and drove to the zoo. I have several free passes for entrance, parking, and rides thanks to a friend of mine so we can go as often as we want and we don't have to stay all day to get our money's worth. The drive was easy, not much traffic, Ava napped slightly, and Livy just stared out the window. It was bliss. I thought to myself we really should do outings like this more often.
We arrived at the zoo and we were lucky enough to acquire the parking spot right by the entrance. Sweet. I love when we can actually park somewhere where we are not a mile away. We flashed our passes and walked through the gate and it was babies and strollers galour. Since we parked so close we didn't use our stroller. I had packed the lunches in Liv's backpack which she proudly wore on her back and I had my small backpack with the sunscreen, wipes, a jug of ice tea along with my wallet and keys. I didn't bring anything extra like a change of panties if Ava had an accident or anything. I figured we had 3 and a half hours we should be ok. Hopefully.
We headed to the rides first. The girls love the carousel. We walked right up to it and picked out our animals to ride on. Olivia wanted to sit by a dark haired little girl so she rode the zebra and Ava sat a few animal ahead because she wanted to ride the jaguar. When the ride began and the music started Ava's face was beaming. She was so pleased with herself. "I ride by myself Mommy!" She exclaimed. Awesome. Next they flew the airplanes and then we headed for the restaurant area so we could eat lunch.
Soon we were finished eating, we had applied our sunscreen, and we had not seen one animal yet after being there for an hour and a half so I said let's ride the train around the park and see all the animals at one time. Ok- lesson learned. The train ride is only a train ride with nothing to see but statues of animals. So we jumped off and went to the kid zoo and petting area. We saw the bats, lizards, turtles, tortoises, pigs, alligators, and we petted the goats. After a quick potty break we called Daddy to let him know we would be picking him up when he got off of work and then we headed up the hill to see the monkeys. The girls get so excited to see the monkeys jumping and swinging. They talked to them and danced for them and then we proceeded up the hill again to see the large animals.
It was at this time that it occurred to me that Ava really could hold her own. She had been walking for almost 3 hours all over the park and she was keeping up with Livy and I the whole time. The other important thing was that she was not having any blowouts and we were at the park during her nap time. I guess we just need to get out of the house more often. So now I had figured I was going to make them keep walking until we had to leave and they should just hit the truck and go to sleep. It never really works how I plan...
We saw the elephants, tiger, camels, and giraffes. We rested on a bench and drank some water and gobbled down a noka bar (granola bar) and applied a lit more sunscreen and called Dave to make sure he'd be leaving work in the next 10 minutes. He said yes so we made our way back to the truck. The girls had had a blast. It had been on a total whim and everything worked out so smoothly. When the girls were locked in their seats I handed them a bottle of water and some gold fish crackers and headed to the closest BART to pick up my hubby. Here is where I imagined they would go to sleep and Dave and I would ride home with smiles on our faces in eternal bliss. Or not.
We arrived at the station and as he approached the truck and they started screaming an ear piercing scream, "DADDDDDYYYYYY!!!!" And that was how we rode home for the next hour...
Was it worth it? Absolutely. Although my hearing may have been slightly damaged, and Dave may have lost a nugget of his sanity, taking the girls out for an outing that they totally enjoy is worth the not so fun drive home. These two never stopped talking, giggling, screeching, until we dropped Dave off at his car at the BART by our house. Then they decided to... go to sleep. Of course. So long as Dave and I couldn't get a word in edgewise with each other in the truck their mission had been accomplished and they could pass out. The five minutes after that that it took to get home was refreshing. I heard a song on the radio, and I parked in the garage without 15 questions as to what I was doing, and I could say hello to Dave without chatter in the background. Oh glorious silence!
Tonight we head to the A's game. It's a night game so this should be interesting. Maybe the girls will sleep on the way home from that...
Since the lunch was packed and the girls knew we were going on an outing we jumped in the truck and drove to the zoo. I have several free passes for entrance, parking, and rides thanks to a friend of mine so we can go as often as we want and we don't have to stay all day to get our money's worth. The drive was easy, not much traffic, Ava napped slightly, and Livy just stared out the window. It was bliss. I thought to myself we really should do outings like this more often.
We arrived at the zoo and we were lucky enough to acquire the parking spot right by the entrance. Sweet. I love when we can actually park somewhere where we are not a mile away. We flashed our passes and walked through the gate and it was babies and strollers galour. Since we parked so close we didn't use our stroller. I had packed the lunches in Liv's backpack which she proudly wore on her back and I had my small backpack with the sunscreen, wipes, a jug of ice tea along with my wallet and keys. I didn't bring anything extra like a change of panties if Ava had an accident or anything. I figured we had 3 and a half hours we should be ok. Hopefully.
We headed to the rides first. The girls love the carousel. We walked right up to it and picked out our animals to ride on. Olivia wanted to sit by a dark haired little girl so she rode the zebra and Ava sat a few animal ahead because she wanted to ride the jaguar. When the ride began and the music started Ava's face was beaming. She was so pleased with herself. "I ride by myself Mommy!" She exclaimed. Awesome. Next they flew the airplanes and then we headed for the restaurant area so we could eat lunch.
Soon we were finished eating, we had applied our sunscreen, and we had not seen one animal yet after being there for an hour and a half so I said let's ride the train around the park and see all the animals at one time. Ok- lesson learned. The train ride is only a train ride with nothing to see but statues of animals. So we jumped off and went to the kid zoo and petting area. We saw the bats, lizards, turtles, tortoises, pigs, alligators, and we petted the goats. After a quick potty break we called Daddy to let him know we would be picking him up when he got off of work and then we headed up the hill to see the monkeys. The girls get so excited to see the monkeys jumping and swinging. They talked to them and danced for them and then we proceeded up the hill again to see the large animals.
It was at this time that it occurred to me that Ava really could hold her own. She had been walking for almost 3 hours all over the park and she was keeping up with Livy and I the whole time. The other important thing was that she was not having any blowouts and we were at the park during her nap time. I guess we just need to get out of the house more often. So now I had figured I was going to make them keep walking until we had to leave and they should just hit the truck and go to sleep. It never really works how I plan...
We saw the elephants, tiger, camels, and giraffes. We rested on a bench and drank some water and gobbled down a noka bar (granola bar) and applied a lit more sunscreen and called Dave to make sure he'd be leaving work in the next 10 minutes. He said yes so we made our way back to the truck. The girls had had a blast. It had been on a total whim and everything worked out so smoothly. When the girls were locked in their seats I handed them a bottle of water and some gold fish crackers and headed to the closest BART to pick up my hubby. Here is where I imagined they would go to sleep and Dave and I would ride home with smiles on our faces in eternal bliss. Or not.
We arrived at the station and as he approached the truck and they started screaming an ear piercing scream, "DADDDDDYYYYYY!!!!" And that was how we rode home for the next hour...
Was it worth it? Absolutely. Although my hearing may have been slightly damaged, and Dave may have lost a nugget of his sanity, taking the girls out for an outing that they totally enjoy is worth the not so fun drive home. These two never stopped talking, giggling, screeching, until we dropped Dave off at his car at the BART by our house. Then they decided to... go to sleep. Of course. So long as Dave and I couldn't get a word in edgewise with each other in the truck their mission had been accomplished and they could pass out. The five minutes after that that it took to get home was refreshing. I heard a song on the radio, and I parked in the garage without 15 questions as to what I was doing, and I could say hello to Dave without chatter in the background. Oh glorious silence!
Tonight we head to the A's game. It's a night game so this should be interesting. Maybe the girls will sleep on the way home from that...
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Zoo Rides
One of my BFF's gave me free zoo tickets for parking, admission, and the rides. It was so wonderful to go and not to have to spend any money. Dave had scheduled the day off a month ago and the girls had been waiting patiently for this day to roll around. We woke up, ate breakfast, packed lunches and sunscreen, and headed out the door.
When we arrived, 15 school buses arrived too. Oh no. Wrong day to go to the zoo. Or so we thought... Once inside we headed to the rides while all the school kids went to see the animals. The girls rode the rides with two other families. It was perfect.
After we used all of our ride tickets we went to eat lunch. We just missed all the school kids who were headed to the rides. By the time we ate and then walked around to see the big animals the school kids had to leave.
Then we headed to the petting zoo because what fun is the zoo if you can't pet anything?
What a perfect day. Our girls ran all over the place, touched everything, giggled like school girls and had a great day. Ava had so much fun her feet hardly ever touched the ground!
After we used all of our ride tickets we went to eat lunch. We just missed all the school kids who were headed to the rides. By the time we ate and then walked around to see the big animals the school kids had to leave.
Then we headed to the petting zoo because what fun is the zoo if you can't pet anything?
What a perfect day. Our girls ran all over the place, touched everything, giggled like school girls and had a great day. Ava had so much fun her feet hardly ever touched the ground!
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