My Day at the Zoo

So, Josh and I have been Friends of the Zoo (FOTZ) members since we started dating. This allows us to get into the zoo as often as we want to. Our membership also allows us to ride the train, tram, and carousel unlimited during our visit.
I've been working on the house and Friday, I was done...I mean physically and mentally, I was done with the house. I needed some grown-up time. I invited my friend, Ms Kim, to go to the zoo with me...she'd get in free too thanks to my FOTZ membership. We spent 3 1/2 hours walking the whole zoo and just talking like adults. It was A W E S O M E !!!! I really needed some time to talk to someone about things other than the kiddos or someone other than Josh who has been a little out there this week.
I also went back to the zoo last night with the whole family to see Captain America. The kiddos had a visit and we picked them up from the visit and went straight to the zoo. We rode the tram to Africa and stood in line for 20 minutes to meet Captain America. We got Marvel comic cards autographed for all 4 kiddos and Jamion and CJ got their picture taken with him. While I was waiting in line, Josh was walking Africa with CeCe and London.
After meeting Captain America, Jamion, CJ, and I took off for our safari. We got to see most of the animals. Although, some of the animals were ready for dinner so they had already headed toward their meal tickets and we couldn't see them.
We finished our safari and then had to wait in a VERY long line to board the tram for the return to the front of the zoo...we were in this line for about 45 minutes. The kiddos played in the misters while mommy moved the stroller forward in line...Josh had wandered off with CeKariya and London again. It was a great day at the zoo. Though last night the temperature was about 95 degrees with 75% humidity...it was hot and sticky...everyone's clothes were sticking to their bodies and water was dripping from our bodies...that was the only miserable part of the evening!
Below are some of the pictures I took from my dual trips to the zoo with Ms. Kim and the family. Enjoy!

Poop Happens

So, it's always an adventure when you have 4 kiddos! We had an incident that caused CeKariya to go to time out which is in the dining room. CeKariya kept getting out of her chair so we moved her to her crib to serve her 3 minutes. Sometime between the time she was in the dining room to the crib, she went poop in her pullup.
While serving her time in her crib, she undressed herself completely. She also took off her pullup and began playing in her poop. She smeared the poop all over the crib bars, her hair, her feet, her face...including her lips!
We took pictures of her after we got her out of her room. It's very typical for kiddos to go through a poop stage where they want to play with or touch their poop. They also go through a stage where they don't want clothes on...I would rather have that than the poop stage!
Enjoy!

Sunnyside Waterpark

What a busy weekend we've had! To round out our weekend with the kiddos, we went to the Sunnyside Waterpark just up the street from our house. The kiddos had such a blast at the park. They absolutely loved it. It's a simple waterpark, but the kids loved running all over it and spraying each other.
London especially loved the water park because he could splash in it, jump in it, or try to spray others.
CeKariya tried to drink the water on several occassions! We had to keep an eye on her because about every 3-5 minutes she was hanging her head over a sprayer with her mouth open trying to take a drink!
CJ had a blast splashing Josh and I. He would keep running around yelling, "You can't get me! Mommy! Mommy! You can't get me, Daddy!" He also had fun trying to "crush" the rushing water!
Jamion was Mr. Ninjaman! He was chopping the water, kicking the water, and stepping around the water. He was pretending the water was a trap and then kicking it with a roar to get out of the cages.
Josh and I mainly did crowd control...though we did get into a small splash war...not sure who won, but it sure was fun!
Enjoy!

Our Adult Night Out - Celebrating 6 years of marriage

Last night Josh had his mom watch the kiddos all night while we went out. Josh got us a room at the Hyatt Crown Center for one night to celebrate our 6 years of marriage (August 13, 2005 is when we said our "I do's").
We stayed in room 2016 on the 20th floor with a great view of the downtown Kansas City skyline. We got to the hotel early so we could check-in and spend some time relaxing before our late night with friends.
We met up with Burnie and Starla at Milano for our dinner. We all enjoyed a nice meal with great conversation. Afterwards, we had Sheridan's custard for dessert...a cold creamy ending to our meal time. We then made our way to the American Heartland Theatre for the production of Honky Tonk Angels...it was a wonderful production!
After the show, we all went our separate ways. Josh and I went to our room to change from dressy to drab so we could go walking around Crown Center. While we were walking, we took several pictures at several different f-stops and speeds to get different effects.
We finished our time at the Hyatt with breakfast at the Terrace. You know you're at a fancy establishment when the jams come in a miniture glass jar instead of the plastic square stores! It was a great breakfast.
Josh did a fantastic job planning our night out. He got me 3 new cookbooks and a book about shutter speeds. He also got me a new betta with its own tank. We also got 2 new Red-finned sharks and 5 golden snails for our big tank. Josh, of course, got the big tank cleaned with a new bridge as part of his gift. His 2nd gift was a book.
Enjoy our experience!

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Zoo Time

Yesterday we took Jamion, CeKariya, and London to the zoo. We all had a great time in the rain looking at the animals and feeding some of them as well. London absolutely loved feeding the animals. However, we had to watch him because he would try to put the animal treats into his mouth!
They all loved riding the Carousel except London's ride was 3 turns too many...he was done! They all loved playing in the water and stamping through it. It was a great time at the zoo!
Enjoy!

Our Clean Fish Tank

So, they say you should do a full tank cleaning on your fish tank every 6 months...and there is a reason for this! Our tank was dark green and you couldn't see our fish except when you fed them...because they would come up to the surface for the food.
I spent all day (5 hours worth) cleaning the tank. I took the fish out and put them in a new trash can with some of the water from the dirty tank and our spare air-rator to keep them going...I had to almost empty the tank to catch the last 3 fish...they were super quick!
I then spent time emptying the rest of the water from the tank...it's a 25 gallon tank and I was emptying 4 1/2 gallons each time...but it takes forever using the syphon! I took out all the items that were in the tank and everything went to the bathtub minus the items with cords and the actual tank.
I spent a good hour emptying the tank. An hour deep cleaning all the plants, statues, and an extra 30 minutes for the fish gravel. I also cleaned the heater, the filtration system, and the hood.
Part of my 6 year anniversary gift to Josh was cleaning the tank. But I also moved it to the location I wanted it (I've asked him for 2 years now, but I've done it without him so YAY!). I also bought him a new bridge (since he loves bridges so much) to go in the tank...It looks super awesome!
I then had to reassemble it all! I put in the bridge first, the sign, and the neon rock. I then added all the fish gravel, the log and the plants. At this point, it's time for water. I added water at about 4 1/2 gallons each time. But you have to be careful when adding the new water at 4 1/2 gallons at a time because it can rearrange your tank without want. I used Josh's new bridge to my advantage for this...pouring the water on the bridge to disperse it.
Once all the water (which had water conditioner added at the tap), I had to add some of the ammonia remover and then some non-iodized salt to balance it out. While you'd like to add the fish immediately, there's many factors that have to be considered. For one thing, I had added warm water to the tank, but it was too warm for the fishes. Secondly, you have to use pH sticks to make sure the water is right for the fish. Since the water was too hot and the full tank of water was not yet balanced, I didn't get to add the fishes until after dinner tonight.
All in all, it was a VERY loooooooooooooooooooong day today cleaning the tank. However, the end result is a beautifully clean fish tank that looks brand new from afar!
Below is a few snap shots of the tank and a couple of videos. The first video is of CeKariya talking about the tank and the fishes...she absolutely loves them, but still isn't sure that they can't get to her. She just keeps gibbering in the video and you can only make out part of the conversation. Jamion is in the back ground asking what the "sign" says (NO SKINNY DIPPING) and I ignored his question until I ended the video. The 2nd video is of the fish swimming, The Lion King playing in the background, and Roscoe talking to me about the fish.
Enjoy!

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Jamion's First Day of Big Kid School

Today is Jamion's first day of "big kid" school...He's a kindergartener! We've been talking about his transition to big kid school for two weeks. On Sunday, he was telling everyone that..."In 2 weeks, uhm, I mean 2 days, I'm gonna be a new kindergarten."
Josh and I had a bet as to how whether he would cry on his first day or not. Josh said he would cry and I said he wouldn't cry. Welp, Josh owes me a large rootbeer tonight because Jamion could barely wait to leave my sight!
Below is a quick slideshow from back to school night last night. We took Jamion to see his classroom, meet his teacher (Mrs. Coleman), and see the school on the inside. We took a few pictures last night and then some more this morning for him.
Enjoy!

BS & J Photography Preview

The below slideshow is a preview of BS & J Photography work. We do all type of photography so if you're interested, let me know. Specialized pricing is available based on your wants and funds. Enjoy!

Attitude!

So, we've had a busy couple of weeks! From registering Jamion for "big kid" school, to the 2nd Annual Ice Cream Social, to the Park, to the Zoo, and a very rainy day today. Below is a slide show of our adventures...Enjoy!

Our Lives

Attached is a slideshow of our recent lives since the last post. There are pictures of CeKariya's birthday...cause I couldn't remember if I had posted any yet. There are pictures of all the kiddos. There are also pictures from when Dad, Dony, & Ginger came out to visit last weekend. We had a good time with them.
Enjoy!