Weekend fun

In this brief window between when it's been too cold to really be outside for extended amounts of time and before it gets much too hot and buggy, we've been trying to do lots of outdoor things.

We've been "hiking" a lot out at the nature reserve. "Hiking" may be a little strong for what we're doing - after all, there's no real topographical change and the scenery is a little, um, calm. But it's outside, we're walking, and it feels quite far from the city.

It's actually not been a great year for wildflowers, but we did mange to find some lovely ones up at the nature reserve. Even Natalie got into the spirit of photographing the flowers:

Here is the long-promised bluebonnet picture. 

(Also, if anyone in this house has ever called you "mom," um, maybe don't, like, print and frame the picture above. Just, uh, cuz.)

We also did our first family 5k, joined by some much fitter friends. 

The children were predictably excited:

This was 5k that took place around and through the zoo. It was really neat to be in the zoo so early in the morning because the animals were pretty active. We ran right by the hippos, elephants, giraffes, cranes, and gerenuks (Natalie's comment on the latter: "Is it real?"). Afterwards, we ran around and a bit more (fun for those who managed to remain seated during the 5k itself) and then went for brunch.

We also went to Jacob and Natalie's first baseball game. We needed an afternoon game and we wanted to go before it got too hot. Lo and behold, the Mariners were in town. And, if you're a Mariners fan, that was, uh, the end of the good luck. In fact, at one point, our friends (who are Rangers fans) turned to me and said "Now who on our team hasn't gotten a home run?"  Yeah, it was that good.

Jacob was actually just wearing a generic baseball suit, and then our friends gave him a Rangers bib. So, it was like a choice: look like a Ranger or a Yankee . . . . is this when we start praying for a power failure?

Natalie enjoyed hanging in the kid zone at the ballpark. I would estimate that she watched about 6 minutes of the whole game. (Jacob mostly slept through the game.)

She does, however, enjoy playing "basketball home run" in the backyard.

Gratuitous unrelated adorable pictures:

 Here are Mike and Natalie in our backyard. Or "on the plane to Australia." Opinions may differ - and whatever you do fortheloveofMotherEarth, please don't step on my plants!

And here are the friends. They are having a sleepover, obviously. In Australia? Who knows!

Video clarification:



Natalie also had a little injury at school this week - while running, she tripped and gave herself a fat lip. It's mostly healed now, though.

We made challah for shabbat this week:

In closing, here, have a goat!