Safari Adventure

One of the items on our summer to-do list was to check out the African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton, Ohio.  We eventually made it...though it took us until the last weekend of September.  We left Friday afternoon after Megan got out of school, and spent the night in Toledo to break up the drive.  Here are a few glimpses into our little mini-adventure:

Unfortunately, way too much of our drive looked like this.

Two little sweeties enjoying hotel life  

We hit the hotel breakfast bar bright and early - their idea, not mine.

Ahhh, scenic Ohio...

We were surprised to learn that not only could we drive through the zoo with our windows open, but we could also feed the animals.  Upon entering, we were promptly greeted by this guy.

Hannah feeding her first visitor

Got carrots?

Hannah found the whole experience to be hilarious

Especially this part - hello BUFFALO!

Fun fact:  buffalo are large - very large  (second fun fact:  buffalo drool)

After the buffalo, this much more reasonably sized animal was a welcome sight

Megan did not (repeat: DID NOT) enjoy the buffalo attack on our vehicle, but did get into the experience with the reindeer - these guys are much less intimidating than the rather aggressive llamas and gigantic buffalo

For much of our drive, we were the only car inside the safari.  This car entered as we were leaving - the swarm of animals gave us an interesting visual of what our experience must have looked like from the outside.

Double giraffe noses

Hannah got to feed the giraffes...

...and drive the car!  

Go, Hannah, go!

'Sup?

The zebras were our last stop on the drive-thru safari.  (This was lucky as we were out of food)

The girls got a camel ride - included with admission

Hannah enjoyed climbing the dangerously high slide which makes her mother a nervous wreck

Up close and personal with a cute little hedgehog during a nature show

White alligator - there are only 30 of these in the whole country.

Hmmm...how could we skip this?

And they're off!!

Daddy, Megan, and the newest addition to our family - Bob the billy goat.

Grand Haven - Fall fun

To our pleasant surprise, we are finding that we enjoy Grand Haven just as much in the fall as we do in the summer - maybe even a little bit more, actually, as the crowds have disappeared, there are a lot of great fall festivals, and the weather has been just as gorgeous.  The plan was to start scaling back on our trips out there once school started up again, but we made it out just about every weekend in September!



Flowers at the Farmer's Market

Exploring the GH library for the first time

Practicing our two-wheel bike riding skills - two weeks after this (with no further practice), she picked up her bike and just took off riding!

Contemplating life while enjoying a Spongebob popsicle

Someone else made her first run for ice cream in GH, too

Painting a mural during Kid's Day at the GH Salmon Festival

I was surprised she was adventurous enough to touch the turtles
 

Smokey Bear showed up to the Salmon Festival, too

She loves people in over-sized costumes - it doesn't particularly matter if she knows who they are



Fishing for steelhead at the kiddie fish pond (no such luck for our little blonde angler)

The sisters enjoy Popsicle Hour in the backyard



We found the right deal on a used playhouse for them for the backyard.  Our agreement was that I buy it, they clean it up and make it inhabitable - a job they took very seriously



More painting opportunities as part of ArtWalk in GH - this girl and her H's...

First-graders take art very seriously, you know

First grade!!

The title of this post is still somewhat shocking to me, but our big girl has gone and turned into a "grader".  We found out (rather close to the start of the school year) that she will be in Mrs. Stehouwer's class for first grade.

Checking out her desk situation at Meet the Teacher Night

 

Miss Big Stuff with her very own cubby of school supplies (in kindergarten it was more of a communal supply situation)

By her locker - this part is actually not new for her.  Her kindergarten class was the only one last year that had lockers.

 

 

Her classroom is monkey-themed this year (Mrs. Stehouwer's Bunch), and yes, the grader is growing weary of my camera

 

Mrs. Stehouwer gave each kid one of these packets to open up on the night before school

  

A wee bit excited to unveil the surprise

  

The package contained this cute little poem...

 

...and confetti!

 

 

Putting the confetti under her pillow, as directed

 

The big day has arrived!  (Ugh, she is just cute...)

 

 

...and sweet, too.  :)

 

Obligatory blooper

 

All the kids at the bus stop - our neighborhood almost fills the bus!

 

With her posse - Rand, Megan, Norah, Claire

 

She was so happy to have Claire and Norah (both starting kindergarten) join her at the bus stop this year! 

  

Sweet little friends

  

And, of course, the only proper way to celebrate a great first day of school is with Spoonlickers afterwards!

Spa night

After a super week at Family Camp with Grandma and Grandpa Purdy, we brought home two happy girls...with filthy fingers and toes.  Mom decided a spa night with full manicure/pedicure detail was in order to remedy this situation.

 

Enjoying her foot soak

Thumbs up from the big one

She doesn't have the spa experience that her sister does, but she gets into it just the same.

Pretty nails! (that you can't see, I realize, but that was the point of the picture)

Ahhh, 40 clean, trimmed and polished nails - Mom's work here is done.