Girl's day at the Zoo

 McKenna and I spent a day at the Frankfurt zoo during Mark's recuperation from surgery.  Bailey was under the weather so I left her in charge of the fort.  I was about to go crazy in that house with FMO furniture and nothing of comfort.  We had to break free!!  So here are a bunch of random shots of our day.

I have no idea what this sea creature is.  If you look closely you can see little bitty white circles coming out of the top.  So weird but so fascinating.  Maybe when we find a zoo in California, we will be able to read the description in English and learn something.

Sea horse!!

Leaf ants!

McKenna was a little disappointed to find out that she could not speak parcel tongue to this fella.  But it did look just like the snake in Harry Potter so I wonder how they found him and brought him back!

Don't even ask, I have no idea . . .

The Frandsen's love monkeys!

Break for free play and trying to imitate the monkeys:

Just another example out of many of the cool German playgrounds.

McKenna is in her zone:

I love this picture, I took the shot just as they let all 7 of the giraffes in for lunch.  She was so excited.

Tree mouse:

Mr. Lion at lunch time.

Mainau

For Memorial Day weekend, I talked the family into driving to the border of Germany and Switzerland to visit the island of Mainau.  It is on the Bodensee Lake which lays across both borders.

On the way down, we took a detour into the black forest, first because it is a beautiful drive, and second, because my cuckoo clock needed repaired.  Here is a picture of McKenna and I at our hotel.  The lake is behind us, just over the far hill.

 The girls are playing on the . . . I have no idea what it is. . . is it a play-set?  A lame attempt at an Alice and Wonderland experience?  Whatever it was, it was in our backyard.

So Mainau is an island on a small lake.  The drive to the island is so amazing, so beautiful.  We basically couldn't have scheduled a day with better weather.  Since it was also a German holiday, the site was busy, but no so much that we felt crowded or had to wait in lines.

Mainau is privately owned by a family.  The entrance price was a little steep, but it was worth it.  The island is in pristine shape, and well cared for.  You can feel how important it is to them.  They have thought of everything so that all ages are entertained, from infants to the elderly.

We started on the playground so the girls could burn off some energy.

Next up, the petting zoo.  McKenna was in her zone, Bailey . . . not so much.

The following are just random shots from the day as we walked all over the island.

Birdhouse lane . . .

The dahlia's were on fire that weekend.  They get their own piece of the blooming calendar apart from all other summer varieties.  There is a reason for it . . . no other flower can compete with these divas.  They are just a burst of beauty!  Layers and layers of petals with deep rich color.  I. love. dahlia's!

McKenna hangin' with the lemon, lime AND orange trees.

Our next stop was the butterfly house, or as they say in Germany, the schmetterling haus.  We definitely like saying "schmetterling haus" way better, it is a word that tickles your tongue.  McKenna made friends with this big bad boy.  Never have we seen a butterfly so big.  But, he was also old, his wings were tattered and torn and he had no interest in spending energy flying.  He was content to ride on the hands of giddy little children and get passed from one to the next.

Mark even found a schmetterling buddy:

Memorial Day was also a special day for Mark, it was his birthday!!!  Instead of cake, we bought ice cream to celebrate.  Plus, we had a lovely lunch at the cafe on the island.

To round out a perfect day, McKenna finally got her pony ride!

Tchuss!

I must say, the girls were not happy to learn we were going on a trip that weekend.  I failed to mention this to them until the night before.  Bailey, with hands on her hips says to me, "I am SO sick of traveling!"  What?! the?!  But, when all was said and done (especially because she got 6-7 hours of hang time with her beloved iPod) she was glad we went . . . at least that is what she told me.  Bailey, you better get ready, we are not finished yet!

Strange things are a foot . . .

My good friend Bree has arrived and all is good in my world! She brings contagious laughter, intriguing girl's talk and a co-parent that can read my mind! Every gal deserves a friend like Bree. She even helped me clean my bathrooms! We've always joked that the day I cleaned her bathroom back at Scott AFB, was the day we knew that we were friends for life. You can't clean a gal's bathroom and then grow distant. We haven't seen each other in 2 1/2 years but you would never know! The first item on our list was for Bree to spoil us with her famous homemade pizza, so fabulous. I don't even try to replicate it, it will only enter our mouths if Bree's hands are the maker.

Being the good friend that I am we spent the first few days touring all the military bases in the KMC. Forget Germany, let's go check out the BX! HA! Thankfully she forgave me and I rewarded her with a true German shopping experience, the outdoor walkplatz which had a farmer's market and an Easter market going on simultaneously. We indulged in my favorite bakery, and bought the fixin's for a fabulous dinner, fresh salmon, fresh baguette and some funky cheese to try with my crazy crackers. We also hit a bunch of shops and toped it off with gelatto. Yippee!

Monday we joined my good friend Melinda and her kids and caravaned down to the Stuttgart zoo. We saw every animal there ever was in every Disney and Dreamworks production. How sad is that, every animal they shouted, "That's so and so from this and that movie".

I must say there were some quirky animals like this rhino, at least that is what we think it is. Maybe it is a rhino on steroids as it looks as if they have an extra layer of armored steel rhino skin. Crazy.


This guy had it all right! Layin' on his back taking in the sun while rubbing his belly, dosing in and out of an afternoon nap! I'll take one of those! Wait, except for the fact that he is in a cage, dependent on humans for his food and I didn't even see any banana peels!

More "eis" please!!!

Holy crow, who is this hottie pants?! Oh, wait a minute, I vaguely remember this guy. I think it is my wonderful husband that has been gone a little too long. He is still having a good time while he works his hind end to the bone.

And here is proof of the fun he is having in those moments he works so hard to get to, the performance! I think he would tell you that all the crappity crap is worth it when the rock and roll comes out to play! He is safe and he is coming home soon!

Just wait for my next post on the adventure I'm calling "Bree and I on the loose in France". Our husbands should be scared; very, very scared.

And while we are talking once again about Bree, are you finding yourself asking, "How did this gal get 2 weeks away from family to come dote on me???" Well, gals, get a hold of your husbands and tell them to read this: Bree's great husband, Aaron, took 2 weeks of leave to stay home with their kids while Bree gets to go on holiday! Sounds like a winner to me. Hubbies, take note, wives, there is hope. So, to Mark and Aaron, I'm next! Aaron needs to schedule a TDY or go be an officer or something (no pressure) so that I can go on my holiday!!! Thanks Aaron, you are pretty swell, and even though you aren't a musician, you still ROCK!

Summer Fun 101

So I ran across a recipe for summer fun (aka keeping your kids busy and exhausted so that you don't go crazy in the span of 2 months while they are out of school) and it goes a little something like this:


First, gather supplies: This would include wheels for travel, auto as well as stroller! Sturdy backpacks full of snacks (lots of sugar so that the drop off later leads to early bedtime due to spent energy), water, camera (batteries and memory card), sunscreen, wet wipes and hand sanitizer, and of course lots of Diet Coke for the chief!


Second . . . get backup! Make sure other chiefs come along, that way you have adult conversation and the kiddo's have playmates. Couldn't ask for a better combination!

Third, throw in a few exciting twists like bears, monkeys, alligators (the ones that ate Captain Hook . . . McKenna truly believes this) elephants, birds, Nemo, bunnies, swings, slides, emergency potty breaks, a lost kid here and there, skinned knees, and the most dirty hands and feet to date.


Lastly, add a little jingle to your purse. A few extra euro for the refreshment after the fun is always a good ending to the day.

Here was a little side fun as we were walking through the zoo. Let's you see the kids in action.

And for those of you curious from the last zoo post . . . yes, once again McKenna spent her day like this:

And here is Bailey mocking her, isn't that what big sisters are for?! Funny thing is McKenna approached the big brown bear with her hands over her ears but then I hear her call out, "Hey brown bear! . . . roar!!!!!" She is just asking for it that sneaky little devil! Maybe she will be a thrill seeker when she grows up, so scared to do "it" but deep down she can't help the rush.