Well , the day started out by the sea lions. Helena & Liam both wanted to get into the water with Sparky. Helena kept saying, “I wanna get on that rock”.

As always, fish and penguins are a big hit with Helena.

Liam wasn’t really into the “posing stuff” but Helena was all smiles.

Finally, a ride that everyone could agree on. Helena has some issues with a lot of the rides but the train didn’t bother her at all. Note how I am having to hold them in…Liam figured out how to undo the seat belt! He undid it like 10 times in a 3 minute ride!

Remember what I said earlier about Helena? Well, this is as close as she came to going down the big slide at the jungle gym.

Liam’s favorite activity was throwing the rocks on the playground! I had to take him away because he kept hitting this elderly lady with rocks and yelling “nawwwhh” at her.

Helena absolutely adores these things–she could jump for hours. At least she didn’t get a nose bleed this time!

Okay, I’ll admit that I got mad with Bill about this one. He put Liam in a ride all by himself and naturally, Liam completely loved it and wasn’t upset in the least that he was all alone!

Liam is happy as can be playing with his toy cars.

Every once in awhile one of the cars becomes disconnected from the rest. Liam tries putting them back together, but one of them is backwards. Since they are magnetic, it won’t stick. He isn’t happy about it.

Which one is it Liam?

What are you going to do about it Liam…..oh, I see.

Helena to the rescue.

Let’s begin again!

Helena (angry): “Mom, you are not hearing my words”
Dalen: “Yes, Helena, I am hearing your words”
Helena: “No, you are not being nice to my words”

It is a bit difficult to see, but I’m the yellow guy, and Helena is the blue one (forefront of the picture) near the end. Okay, so I was getting beat the entire game.\

But to add insult to injury…..

So I’m getting beat by Helena who looks at me as if she is trying to figure out why getting the two candy hearts card is a bad thing. At least I didn’t have to move too far back.

I’m going to kick her butt at Chutes and Ladders tomorrow, though.

Sid Vicious Liam. Man, what was in that cherry juice?

The excitement is almost too much for Helena to take! Daddy has just told her that we are going to a surprise place today.

Okay, I take that back. Helena’s biggest thrill (and mine too) was watching her Daddy be brave as they rode the camel. Oh Bill, and we wonder where Liam gets all those crazy faces he makes!

Near the end of the day we were all just plain worn out. Here is little Liam too tired to smile.

Here is just one example of Liam doing something that gets him hurt.

Liam has been getting into the laundry baskets to play with toys for a bit lately. The problem is that he doesn’t know how to get out very easily. So here he is playing with his phone, which makes the usual phone sounds….

and it also plays music, as you can plainly see…

All is fine until he wants to get out of the laundry basket, which he isn’t very good at. Here he goes:

Oh crap….um, mom?

I think I can, I think I can…..

I can’t. I’ll try the other way now.

Getting closer…

Ahhhhhhh…presently crying in the laundry basket.

Mom to the rescue, trying to calm me down.

10 seconds later, he realizes that he is fine, and is ready to begin all over again.

A few of my favorite pics of the kids playing. It shows the full range of the play: from excitement to crying to being just plain worn out.

An honest, non-prompted show of affection. Helena just grabbed Liam and gave him a hug!

Here is Helena doing her favorite thing… pretending to be a kitty. Be it “Bad-Tractor”, Wilco, Handy-Dandy, or Henry-Cat, cats rule her world.

Aside from hitting people with whatever he can lift and throw, here is Liam doing his favorite thing…climbing! This just happens to be the dining room table.

Here is Liam showing everyone exactly how tired he is and just how mad he is about Helena taking his car.