Dinosaurs!!

With it being the first week of summer, I wanted to do some fun things with the boys since

they start camp next week.  First on our list, the dinosaur exhibit at the Brookfield zoo.  The

boys love all things dinosaurs, so this was the perfect activity.  We met Joe's friend Heinz

there and started exploring.

There was a tent with real lizards,

then a path lined with huge animatronic dinosaurs and dragons.  They were in awe!

They loved it so much that we came back to the zoo after naps for Round 2.  We made one

more loop through the dinosaurs, then looked at a few of the other animals.

At Joe's request, they took a picture with the kangaroo.

It was pretty warm out, and we were having so much fun that we decided to cool off in the

splash pad before heading home.  Thankfully I had thought ahead and brought

an extra pair of clothes for each of them.

It was a really long day, but one that made me excited for all of the fun things

we're going to be able to do this summer.

Lawn Mowing Buddies

In case it hasn't been made clear in previous posts, Owen and Joe love our neighbor Jerry.
Whenever they see him in his backyard, they stand up on our little climbing structure so they
can see over the fence and yell his name.  Or as pronounced by Joe, "Gee-wee."

Tonight Jerry was out mowing the lawn and Joe insisted on helping.

 

Jerry is so patient with them and we are truly lucky to have found such great neighbors

in him and his family.

Mini Golf

And as if that wasn't enough action for one day, we decided to end the day with a game of
mini golf.  I've always loved playing (some of Ryan and my very first dates were mini golf)
and I thought it would be fun to do with the boys.

There was definitely a bit of a learning curve,

 

 but before long they were playing like pros.

 We each even scored a hole-in-one!

 In true Miles fashion, he slept right through our craziness.

It was a long day and he was such a trooper.  He deserved a much needed rest!

 Today was such a fun day!  I love being able to give the kids fun experiences and today
was jammed packed with them. It was crazy busy and exhausting,
but I couldn't think of a better way to spend our day.

Wildwood Wildlife Park

After the parade Hannah suggested we drive up to Minocqua to go to Wildwood Wildlife
Park (or what I remember it as....Jim Peck's).  It is only an hour drive, and we knew the kids
would have a blast.  Plus, now that the cabin is sold, it is really nice to have a reason to
drive up north.  So beautiful and relaxing.

I couldn't believe the number of animals the kids were allowed to pet, feed, etc..

It was so cool and they loved it!!

 

There was a huge cage-like building filled with small birds.  You buy a popsicle stick with

bird seed stuck all over it and the birds come sit on it (and you) and eat.

In addition to the animals we could feed or pet, there were other unique animals the boys

were able to see. This white tiger had his eye on Joe.  When Joe walked up to the fence,

the tiger ran from the back of it's cage, straight up to him and then didn't take his eyes off

him.  He laid there staring Joe down, and followed him with his eyes even as Joe walked

away.  A little unsettling, and made me very thankful for the huge cage between them.

These leopards were also pretty vicious looking, walking around baring their teeth,

but Miles didn't seem to mind.

 

One of the boys' favorite spots was the Dino Dig, which is the equivalent of a huge sandbox

with fake bones buried in it and dinosaur statues scattered about.  Dinosaurs and sand...

What's not to love??  They sat and played for awhile which gave us a chance to sit down

and relax and gave Miles a nice break from the stroller.

On our way out we visited the baby goats one last time.  These baby goats were the cutest

things ever!!  We found out they were for sale and wondered what Larry would do if my

mom showed up at home with one.  On the bright side, it would cut down on the need to

mow the lawn.  Haha!  We also joked with my neighbor Jerry that we were going to bring

one home for him to keep his chickens company. ;)

This was such a neat experience for the boys.  I am so happy Hannah suggested it and

even happier that everyone was able to come.  We don't always get to spend a lot of time

with Alex and Jill, so I really loved that they were there.  Family makes my heart happy. 💗

And apparently, so do baby goats. 😉