Everyone has their favorite animal at the zoo right? I mean, they're all great but there's one you love more than others. Owen's is the Elephants and the Kangaroo's. Not sure why. Those are just his picks. Will's are the Monkey's and the Alligators. Again, I see the 
monkey's and not too sure on the alligators. I mean, they don't even move. Like never. Not sure what is so fascinating about those. My favorite? Mine has always been the Chimps and the Apes. Talk about looking human! I don't believe in evolution but sometimes can see why people believe we came 
from Apes. Those animals look and act so much like a human it is kind of scary. That's why they are my favorite. I love watching their interaction with others and their interactions with the humans. After yesterday at the zoo, I may chose a different favorite animal. Those chimps were naughty to us humans! Like seriously, pull poop from you butt, play with it, find a human, throw poop on human, laugh and pound your chest loudly, make fun of human's NAUGHTY. I have never been so disgusted and found something so hilarious all at the same time. Of course, one of my son's who shall remain nameless, thought this was the most hilarious, seriously funny, moment of his whole life. 
He talked about it all day and would tell ANYONE who would listen what the chimp did with his poop. I told you I wouldn't name the child that did this but I am sure you have a pretty good guess:)
After we calmed down some from our poop running 
experience we heading into the ZooRassic Park to see some fake moving dinosaurs. I am sure I am giving my kids experiences and good memories but sometimes I just wish they didn't have to cost so much money. You already paid your entry into the park and $25 for crap food at lunch. Why must they make you pay an 
additional $15 just to walk around a "special" exhibit that is 10 dinosaurs long. Just doesn't make sense to me. The zoo board is smart though, because all us parents take one look at our kids faces as they see the dinosaurs and fork over more money for them to experience fake moving and sounding rubber animals. All worth it though. 
Look at these cute faces!
Hope everyone can find something to do with your families this weekend to make some memories. And hey, if you don't mind forking out about $80 you can head to the Zoo!!
Both my husband and I graduated from a small, VERY SMALL, private school in Norman Ok. So small, that just the 4 of us in this story were 1/8 of our graduating class:) That makes Steven and I's relationship to these other 2 people even more special. I mean, seriously, how many times in a person's life can you say you have known them since the age of 11, still be friends to this present day, and only be 35 years old yourself. That means, we have known these 2 souls longer in our lives than we have not known them. It's so bazaar when you really stop to think of it. My high school years were not all warm and fuzzy (even though I think I enjoyed it the most out of these 4 people) but I will be forever thankful to that school for bringing us all together!
Chris has been in Tulsa this week for some training for his new job. He was without transportation so I picked him up last night in my hot Buick. We rolled through the town of Jenks like we owned that place:) All of us hit up Los Cabos 
on the River in Jenks. It was an awesome night with light breezes and not too hot for a late June night. Live music was playing, kids were laughing, hot waitresses were 
walking by (I will refrain my comments about how "someone" at the table should only have been looking at me), and great food and drinks were being consumed. The only thing missing was her smiling face. It just doesn't feel right to have a date night without the 4th person. Hopefully sometime soon we can all get back together. We always have so many laughs and fun times together.
Today I am thankful for 3 people that I have known for 24 years of my life. What are you thankful for?
Every Summer I usually take the boys to the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks. I always wait to take them because that place is extremely expensive! Thankfully, they had earned their free summer coupons from the 
reading program so we went today. That saved me about $24 on just the kid entry. I still had to pay $17 just to walk in the door for 1 1/2 hours. Oh well, the kids loved it. One child in particular who is an animal lover to the core. Loves all kinds of animals..big, small, living, dead, in water, out of water, in
air, or in the sand. He loves them all.
Once you gain entry into the Aquarium you are led into an area where there are snapping turtles. They attempt (and it works) to rip you off even more by charging you $2 for 3 TINY strips of carrots. That's $4 for carrots that are so small you can barely hold onto them in your fingers. It led 
to this happy face, so I guess it was worth it:)
All morning Owen was telling me how he was "gonna be so brave!" when he saw the sharks this year. Last summer, even though the beasts were safely in
their tanks, Owen was still a bit apprehensive about them. I mean these things are massive and they are literally swimming right beside and over you the whole time. I think it's the coolest thing about this place. This morning, he was brave. He walked right into 
the tunnels and proclaimed to everyone that had ears within 1000 feet that "I see sharks! And I'm not scared!"
Something I hope we don't see in Florida? This creature! Jellyfish look and move so amazingly but I don't want to see one of them in 3 weeks. Nor a shark in 3 weeks. This momma will be running or swimming fast, and I do mean FAST to get away from those bad boys. Both of those creatures can stay safely confined to the Jenks Aquarium in my mind!
3 weeks till Florida. A.M.E.N.
Like I said, we go camping every summer. Sometimes, twice a summer. We have been to Gore OK 
at MarVal Resort since the summer Will was 9 months old. I can remember him taking some of his first steps in a cabin at MarVal. Some special memories have been made here:)
I am not TOTALLY a camping girl but I can for sure handle 
2-3 days. Not in a tent, mind you, but in a full fledged cabin with electricity, plumbing, and AC. Call it "Glamping" if you will, but I still consider it camping:)
MarVal is located right at the base of Lake Tenkiller near the dam. The Illinois River runs right through the campsite. It's perfect for trout fishing seeing as how the water is about 55 degrees no matter the time of year. Totally, 100% freezing for swimming but even i
n 85 degrees I see some loonies out there doing just that. I prefer to stay safely in my raft and not fall out. The Franco's like to fall out but I won't divulge too much of that story as to not embarrass them. 
Let's just say I was safely on the riverbank watching them "raft" and was cracking up. Like seriously laughing. They weren't laughing. The end. They felt that 55 degrees....just sayin'.
I love making memories with my family. Extended family, immediate family. It doesn't matter. Even if the Franco's didn't enjoy camping to the level the Kueny's did, I am still glad they went and hope they go again. Although, I do recall Angela calling it a "one and done thing". That doesn't bode well for next Summer....
Oh well, this family of 4 will be coming back. Thanks for another summer of memories MarVal. We will be back in August for round 2!
Kissing cousins anyone? Nope, this isn't Arkansas but we live pretty darn close so just MAYBE:) Seriously though, 
these two cousins love each other very much. Owen and Emma have a very special relationship. Owen is the youngest of the grandkids but he still goes Emma the "baby". Emma celebrated her 6th Birthday just today. Happy birthday Emma Jo! She might be 6 and Owen still 4, but he still takes care of her and protects her whenever he has the chance. Future boyfriends of Emma watch out! Emma doesn't have brothers, but she has cousins who are boys and they (for sure 
Owen) will stick up for this girl from now to eternity!
This weekend we all went camping in MarVal. This was the first weekend that Emma and Ava got to go with us. Notice how in every picture 
Owen is by his "girlfriend" Emma. Seriously, by her all the time. Emma sometimes just wants her space, by which Owen might give her 6 inches. Might. He doesn't like it, but it most be done at times.
These cousins sure had a great weekend together playing in the 
river, skipping rocks, climbing rocks, rafting, mini golfing, swimming, riding the golf carts, playing in the splash pad, spending hours with water 
balloons, and grilling out hot dogs, brats, and s'mores. Don't know if the Franco's will venture into camping again but I think they SHOULD because the littles had a great time together.
Happy birthday Emma! Can't believe you are already 6 years old and about to start 1st grade. Aunt Jackie loves you! And, of course, Owen loves you to the Moon and Back!
This child keeps me on my toes. This child has more energy than anyone I have ever met. This child is never still. This child is very loud. He never stops talking and never stops moving. I think you're getting the idea. He also never stops laughing and never is sad (for the most part). This child is full of joy and has the best laugh of any kid I have ever heard. He's thoughtful and sweet and loving and oh, SO FUNNY.
This morning was no exception. While "reading" to me out of his Bible he started to talk to me about Adam and Eve. He was telling me how they lived in a garden, how Eve got 
hungry and wanted an apple but the mean snake almost bit her before she could grab her apple. All of a sudden they went from naked to clothed (his story is majorly paraphrased by a 4 year old). I asked him about their clothes because he was really studying them. I said, "what did they make their clothes out of?" He replied, "It looks like trees! Why wouldn't they have just gone to Target?" Oh my, I love this boy. Always thinking! Such a problem solver:)
I can't dress my little 4 year old in his PreSchool hand T Shirt forever, but while I can I am going to do it because he just looks so stinking cute in it. One month and counting and my "baby" will be 5 years old. I'm not ready....
There once was a man who helped create me, love me, take care of me, protect me, provide for me, encourage 
and support me, and mold me to be the woman I am today. I call that man my Dad. My boys call him their Pappy, my husband calls him Dad as well.
My dad is an extremely hard worker. Has always been and I expect him to be until the age that he passes onto Heaven. He's loud, he laughs at his own jokes, he loves music, he 
loves my mom in skinny jeans, he loves OU football, and has fond memories of growing up in Kansas City and eating BBQ pretty much anywhere in that city. He loves his 
grandkids and spoils them WAY more than he spoiled my sister and me.
More than anything he did for me (and that was a lot) he taught us what kind of man was deserving of his two daughters. I wanted 
someone that had some of the same attributes my dad had. I wanted a hard worker, an awesome provider, someone with emotional stability, a faithful husband and father, and a Christ follower. I got all that and more when I married Steven and then 7 1/2 years later when we welcomed our first son into the world.
Steven is an amazing husband and 
father. The boys love him and want to play with him on a daily basis. One more than the other but they both do love him unconditionally:) His name is not Daddy to Owen, but rather, Best Friend Daddy. He seriously calls him that all the time and it melts our hearts. His love for his father is beyond anything I am sure Steven could have ever wished for himself.
It puts into perspective all the time my dad has told me he 
loves me. Now, I REALLY know what that means and as a human I don't know that you can FULLY understand that until you have children of your own.
Thank you to these two amazing men in my life. I couldn't live my life without them and would never want to.
Happy Father's Day 2014!
Spending sometimes DOES have a reward? In this case, we earned a free night at any Marriott hotel in the US. Where did we pick for our uber fun vacation? Tulsa, OK! We ride high people! Seriously though, when you put all your business flip house adventure on your Marriott card the points add up quickly. I can't remember the last time we paid for a hotel room. Good perk!
We suprised the boys and took them to a hotel near the mall and lots of things to do. Not really needed for that location because the majority of the time they were in the 
pool. Last night was about 3 1/2 hours and this morning was another 2 hours before it was time to pack up and leave. Another perk for me? The treadmill and work out room literally overlooked the pool! I could run my miles on the treadmill while watching daddy and the boys swim it together. It was a win win!
We had a lot of fun. The boys wore themselves out, went to bed late at 10:30 and Owen woke us all up bright and 
early at 8am asking if it was time to swim again. Seriously though, 8am is SUPER late for Owen so I was just thankful it wasn't in the 6am hour:)
Hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!
Zone for 2 kids and $17 for an hour of jumping. I really am not sure why this place is so expensive. Maybe it's the newness of it and they will have to drop prices later on? Then again, maybe not because after all these kids find out about Sky Zone they will hound their parents to bring them back at $30 a pop for 2 kids just to jump an hour. The boys loved it and I must agree that it did look rather fun. I would love to take Steven here on a date night and smoke him in Dodgeball! 
would just jump from square to square, randomly pick up a ball and throw it (even if he was getting out his own teammate), also randomly just "get out" and stand on the sidelines to take a breather, only to run back into the game when it was not his turn:) Thankfully, the big kids just kind of ignored him and continued on with their game.
totally recommend Sky Zone. Just come prepared to pay the outrageous entry fee and then $2 more per kid to buy the special Sky Zone socks. Unlike the bowling alley though, you don't have to return them. Once you buy them, they are thankfully yours. 
