Howdy, everyone! Rooster here! We sure have missed you all… or is it you who have missed us?
Mom says she practically forgot we even have a blog, since we have gone longer and longer between posting things. It has been a busy year, that’s for sure! Let’s try to catch you up on some of what’s happened.
The most drastic changes of 2016 were Mom and Dad’s weight loss. Dad lost 65 lbs. and Mom lost about 43. We will spare the embarrassment of before and after photos, but trust me – they look and feel so much better! Other notables include a 36-hr. trip to Omaha to visit the zoo and the Children’s Museum, and Meg received her First Holy Communion in April and got to be a flower girl in a wedding in August. Also, Grandma C. turned 80 last year, so we had a big bash on Dad’s side of the family and got to see some cousins we almost never see. We also visited Legoland at Crown Center in late November, which was so much fun! Mom had a coupon that made it free for all of us kiddos to go!
Here are a few fun photos from Summer 2016, followed by a family reunion photo and some Omaha trip photos.
Farmer Badger at the Johnson County Museum
Dolphin (aka Jr) and Raccoon ride Dumbo at the Leavenworth Co. Fair
Dolphin, Turtlebee, Squirrel and Raccoon get to sit in a big Army truck at the LV Co. Fair
Dolphin and Turtlebee ride the Ferris Wheel at the LV Co. Fair
Monkey, showing off his fat rolls
Raccoon, Rooster and Badger, getting along!
The family with Dad’s parents, July 2016… about 1/3 of the way into Mom and Dad’s weight loss.
Goofy photos from a quick trip to Cabela’s. Dolphin can fit a lion’s head in his hands!
Ow, I have a splitting headache!
Eeeww, this one could use a kleenex!
We’re off to Omaha! Raccoon looks like he’s feigning car sickness. 🙂 Monkey’s just outside the photo in the front bench.
Ready or not! Omaha, here we come!
I think it’s fair to say we were having a better time than this guy.
Those of you who have visited the Henry Doorly Zoo are probably familiar with the rope bridge in the jungle.
Badger was doing his best to avoid sunburn. Thankfully mom remembered the sunblock! The young giraffe was lucky – he had a spot in the shade.
Dad, Dolphin, Turtlebee, Squirrel, Raccoon, Rooster and Badger pose near the tiger cage.
Squirrel says, “Help! Mine is too wild!”
Rooster and Badger were lucky enough to find a mild-mannered polar bear cub.
Dolphin, Turtlebee and Raccoon riding a polar bear – so dangerous!
Monkey looks at the polar bear statue, wondering if it will move.
Badger says – and points to – “Hoo Hoo,” his word for train — one of his greatest obsessions next to basketballs, trash trucks and semi-trucks. This was taken at Kennefick Park, on a hill by I-80.
The old-fashioned firetruck out in front of the Childrens Museum. We had a lot of fun posing for this one.
Rooster in the foreground and Turtlebee in the background try to catch the dozens of balls that fall from a trap door or one of the air tubes in the ball room. This was one of the highlights of the childrens museum.
Badger remained remarkably calm when he could not figure out how to push two mowers simultaneously. Mom was having a good laugh at this and finding it difficult to hold the camera still enough to take a photo between laughs.
Monkey caught a few Zs while the rest of us were entertained by the many things to see and do.
Badger absolutely LOVED the toddler ball pit. Mom knows these pits are usually full of germs and who knows what, but it was irresistible.
These next 3 photos were taken in downtown St. Joseph, MO, on our way home from Omaha. We stopped there for dinner at a neat place called Ground Round. The murals were on the sides of several of the buildings surrounding us. It was very neat to witness.
That was quite a trip, and we all had a blast! We hope to go back to Omaha for another short trip this Spring, while our memberships to the Zoo and Children’s Museum are still valid!
The next several photos are somewhat random, mostly from 2016, but the last few will be 2017, including a couple from a recent ice-skating trip.
Birthday treats for the three January birthday boys! Dolphin turned 9, Rooster turned 4 and Monkey turned 1. Yay!
Monkey is learning to walk. Soon he will be running!
Feast day treat – donuts from Judi’s Bakery!
“Hey, Hey, we’re the monkeys! And people say we monkey around…”
Trip to Legoland (late Nov. ’16) was SO much fun!
First time ice skating for these two. Turtlebee and Squirrel came too, but it was their second time, and I got photos of them their first time.
We will leave you with some links to videos for your enjoyment. Thanks for visiting our blog, and feel free to leave us a message!
Badger doing his baseball bat stretches (Summer ’16, before he started talking): https://youtu.be/mY_JvMM-V6A
The older kids perform “Deep in the Heart of Texas” at a Parlor Entertainment, Oct. ’16: https://youtu.be/uh7DEA7I5PI
Monkey is Stair-Certified (Dec. ’16): https://youtu.be/5lm_TwpKbqU