Zoo, Cousins, and VBS!

For a belated birthday trip, we took Dassah to the zoo in Scottsbluff.  Since my camera numbered the photos funny and also I took some of the photos off of Mike's camera, a few of the zoo pictures ended up at the end of the post instead of here with the rest of them.

  

Standing on the bridge to watch the swans and ducks and geese.

Checking out the bobcats.  They were very active when we first passed them.

The zoo has a small water park to play in!

Introductions with a peacock.

What's your wingspan, Dassah?

A very friendly monkey.  It hung there "talking" to us for a long time.

Daddy as a zebra and Dassah as a monkey.

She'd rather be a lion, though.

Meerkats!

Tigers!  Dassah loves tigers.

Another picture with the other tiger.

Then back to the water park.

Wearing a cheetah hat Mommy made for her.  She didn't want to put it on until right as we were leaving.

On the 18th, we headed down to Mama Lynn and Papa's house with cousins to attend Vacation Bible School there.

Sitting on a spinner.  Dassah enjoyed these.

Dassah and Noah were determined to do anything the other one did.  Hanging out on Papa's inversion table...

and on Mama Lynn's exercise bike.

Reading books together.  Isaiah was sitting and reading with them, but as soon as I grabbed the camera, he jumped up.

I put Dassah's bangs up in a hairband and after I removed it, she had a cute rooster's comb for the rest of the day.

When sleeping, snuggling up against a warm cousin is most preferable.

Wearing Abby's fluffy scarf.

At VBS, they have a train that the kids love to ride in.  The three littlest kids rode often enough to get "frequent flyer miles".  They didn't actually attend, but they got to ride the train, play with the toys for game time, and eat snacks.

Playing with hula hoops during game time at VBS.  (Notice Noah with a ball in the background.)

"Noah had a ball.  I need one, too."

Meanwhile, Noah decides to play with hula hoops, so Dassah comes back to play with them too.

Blowing bubbles while Abby and Emma are at VBS.

In the evening, there was a block party with popcorn, snowcones, games, and a bouncy house.  Dassah loved the bouncy house, but none of the pictures of her in it were very clear.  The first night, there was also a hot air balloon, but I forgot to bring my camera that night.  Dassah refused to get anywhere close to it, though.

There was also face painting.  Dassah was amazingly patient for this long process.

The finished product.  "Rawrrrr"

"Driving" the train.

Even when it wasn't moving, Dassah and the other cousins wanted to sit in it in hopes it would go.

All three little cousins could fit in one car.

Revenge!

"I'll get you back for painting my whole face last time!"

Not sure why Dassah has a grumpy face. Papa really enjoys his grandkids, though.

Snack time! 

We had cookies for dessert after lunch this day.  Dassah didn't eat hers, but shredded it instead.  Mama Lynn had Dassah help sweep up her mess.

My cousin Kathryn was visiting, too.  I realized I didn't get any pictures of Kathryn, so I made sure to get one on the last day as we were saying good-bye.

Mama Lynn and Papa with Dassah.

Once we returned home, what should we find near our front step but a toad!

Dassah begged to hold the toad, but was actually a bit skittish once it was in her hands.

A close up

Chasing the toad around the house.

Here are the rest of the zoo pictures.

  

One of the ducks we saw from the bridge.

A bobcat.

Posing with a frog statue

Pretty peacock.

Tiger!

By the time we got to the zebra pen, Dassah was pretty worn out.  She didn't really notice it.

"What happened to the water?"

A goose and goslings.

The very first animal in the zoo: a crow.

This picture is actually from a week before the zoo trip.  Dassah is playing with her friend Isaac and little brother Mason.