Yes, I'm still here!

Ah, vacation! Four days of sun-filled bliss. We rented a condo down at the Lake and swam and played outside and had tons of fun. The kids LOVED the pool at the condo, which most mornings we had all to ourselves. They chased each other around, jumped off the sides and played for hours (I read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which I thoroughly enjoyed for many reasons!). We also went to Big Surf and had a blast. They swam in the little four-foot pool with the green and orange slides (#1 son and my nephew), and the girls paddled around the steps (thank goodness for life jackets!) The wave pool was also a surprising hit. The boys dove straight into the wave, were knocked down repeatedly, came up laughing and dove in for more. They were not the surprise! The princesses, who shrieked at getting their faces wet in other pools, waded out after the boys and had to be fished out, called back, and reminded repeatedly to stay safe. Go figure!! We ended our day their with ice cream treats from Sonic (a first for my crew!) and then snuggling in at our cozy condo to watch TV. My son thought he had gone to heaven!

Today the kids and I joined our daycare's field trip to the zoo in St. Louis. It was only 98 outside!! We saw tigers, zebras, monkeys, snakes, gorillas, lions, prairie dogs and so much more. The big hit was the pool of sting rays. We got there just at feeding time (little white fishies for lunch) and got to help. I thought this would be a breeze. I was instructed on how to hold the little morsel in my hand, flat along the surface of the water and just let the ray glide over my hand and suck it up. Brave Mommy would demonstrate for her children how this was done. Ha! I chickened out every time and yanked my hand back as the menacing black and gray beasts swam near (Have you seen a sting ray up close?? They're BIG and SCARY!!).

Yea, so my six-year-old fed them no problem.


Needless to say, my house is very quiet tonight. I think I have officially worn out the Hagen children; all of them are snug in their beds soundly sleeping.

Happy very exhausted Thursday!
Ms. Hagen