Bear Creek Nature Center

Yesterday the kids and I headed out to Bear Creek Nature Center for a little education at the center, a picnic lunch, and then a hike to follow. The kids loved the nature center with all the hands-on learning. I think we all most enjoyed the honey bee exhibit. They were fascinated with the process and I loved reading that female bees are the only worker bees...I guess that goes for most species...

We had a great time and we were so proud of Elyse for walking approximately 2.5 miles only "half whining," as she told Daddy. She really is not our hiker - YET, but we've been very encouraging and she did wonderfully yesterday! Ace kept telling her how proud he was of her. It was very sweet. Here are a few photos of my outdoor adventurists.

I think maybe we've FINALLY hit a new milestone - a photo of all three of them with natural smiles, and only one "take!"

Watermelon

Nothing says summer better than huge slices of watermelon and the Ronald McDonald red smile to follow.

Car frenzy

Recently the boys have started sounding like what I would expect 14-year-old boys to sound like. They seemingly became quite obsessed with cars overnight.

Ace constantly points out every single sports car he sees. However, he thinks anything with a LARGE muffler, or better yet, two large mufflers, is a sports car, so his definition can be quite amusing at times. He's even bent down low, while walking through the grocery store parking lot to check out each car in the row to decipher whether or not they are indeed "true" sports car.

Isaac's excitement, on the other hand, comes from Jeeps.

Elyse, having to follow her brothers' lead, has shown some new-found excitement for cars, as well. While all 5 of us were driving in the car together the other day, Isaac saw a Jeep that caught his eye. There were lots of "cooool's," "awwww's," and "that's what I'm gonna drive's" coming from the far back seat when he was abruptly interrupted by his little sister with a very passionate and serious injection.

"I'm going to drive a MINI VAN!!!!"

There is no hope in attempting to imitate or replicate the excitement, idolatry and inflection in her voice that came from the back seat for this super cool and wished for car, but just know that had I been drinking something at the time, I am certain there would have been beverage bubbles bubbling out my nose!

So glad to know she thinks we're driving "in style!"