Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo!

OK, I know I posted a few pics from the Ft. Wayne zoo in an earlier post, but now I have more time for an in-depth look! It was such a cool place! I'm ready for another trip!

This was our first encounter upon entering the zoo. It's a drinking fountain! It looks like the lion is eating your child when they get a drink. How cool is that! Libby thought it was hilarious!

Luckily, she got out alive!

Here is Libby with a tortoise statue. The real turtles are way back behind her, but they were really the size of that statue she's standing next to...maybe even bigger! She thought they were rocks when we first saw them.

Here are Nathan and Libby feeding the ducks. I really think this was one of their favorite parts. That and sitting next to a big peacock, but seeing the recent news I'm glad the peacock didn't attack us!

Time for a train ride! At this point, I think Nathan had had enough of my excessive camera use! He's getting to the age were he isn't all about the pix...unlike my movie star daughter who never shys away from the camera!

This was a little mist park where you could cool off for awhile. They also had little misters throughout the whole zoo. It was refreshing!

Here is Nathan relaxing in the hammock after a long day exploring the jungle!

Indiana Nathan! Haha...it was a safari exhibit.

Libby has never been in a hammock before. She thought it was pretty cool. She was trying to swing in it, but it was too close to the ground and had also been stretched out from all the kids playing on it.

Here is Libby riding a manatee on the carousel.

I think Nathan has actually outgrown the carousel, but Libby made him go on it with her. What a good "big brother" he is to her!

Nathan finally gave in and let me take another picture of him, but he wasn't going for a full blown smile! I can't have it all!

Libby pretending to take a ride on a Kimono Dragon!

Libby riding around the corral on "Jenny the Pony."

Libby and Flash...

...strollin' along.

I think these were supposed to be dinosaur eggs.

I think this was really Libby's favorite part...

The sky ride. (It's like a ski lift.) It kind of made me feel a little nervous! They even have little binoculars for the kids so they can look around! Just look at that face!

Libby is sitting on a cot inside a mosquito tent!

We were at a camp in the African plains. Libby had to pose on each stool inside the tent. She's a funny little girl!

Libby's Life ...in cakes!

As we approach July, I begin the preparations for Libby's 6th Birthday! The hardest part is deciding on her birthday theme and picking a cake. Not just picking a cake, but picking out a cake I can make! My mom always made our birthday cakes when we were little...it was just a chocolate sheet cake but we loved it. So I decided to take this cake-making one step further when Libby celebrated her 1st birthday. I tried to get creative! Now I've turned it into a tradition! I usually just pick something out FOR Libby, depending on her interests and so far she's loved them all. This year she requested a Barbie Mermaid Tale cake. So I have been researching, shopping, and looking at lots of pictures of cakes and my friends at work are starting to think I'm crazy! Which brings me to this blog post...Libby's previous birthday cakes! I'd like to think I'm making progress, especially considering I only do one cake a year!

What other theme would I have picked for Libby's first birthday?

Yes, a castle cake for my little Princess!

I was a little naive, as I went for taste instead of function.

I choose cool whip icing which I love on cake, but unfortunately its not very sturdy for decorating! I was still proud of the cake anyway!

I keep thinking Libby will request this cake again so I can make it better!

It did fool my mom...she thought I paid big bucks for a professional made cake! Haha!

Since Libby's birthday is so close to 4th of July, I chose

"Red, White and Two!"

for her 2nd birthday. I thought it was quite clever!

Barbie was an obvious choice!

Meet, "Independence Day Barbie!"

Haha I crack myself up!

Libby was fascinated with animals, so I made a "Zoo Cake" for her 3rd Birthday.

I thought this cake turned out really well...probably because I really only iced the cake, the other decorations were ready-made!



"Libby's Butterfly Birthday" was the theme of her 4th birthday.
I got the idea from a Fancy Nancy book, which Libby just
loves, loves, loves!



Right about now you're probably thinking I suddenly developed mad cake skills from the previous year. I wish I could take credit for this cake, but I ordered it from the bakery. However I did put the Tinkerbell fairies on the cake, so I can take a little credit. During the time of Libby's 5th birthday I was having back trouble and could hardly walk. I think I shed a few tears when I ordered this cake. It could have been due to back pain, but most likely it was due to the fact that I couldn't make it myself!

Now we are about 3 weeks away from Libby's 6th birthday and I'm ready! I've got all the props for the cake, a sketch of the cake (hopefully the cake turns out better than my sketch because it kind of resembles a stick figure cake!) and I'M FEELING GOOD! I think this might be the best cake yet! Stay tuned for pictures!

Fast Forward to Summer!

It's been a very long time but....I have Internet now at home so I'm back to blogging! So here are a few snippets of what has been going on so far this summer:

This is Princess Libby!

She's growing so fast!

She will be starting 1st grade in August!

In case you were wondering, Libby was hatched!

Over memorial weekend, my mom took us to the Ft Wayne Children's Zoo.
I highly recommend it. It was so much better than Indy Zoo.
They had pony rides. Libby went twice she liked it so much.
This is the second pony she rode...it's name was Flash.



This was the first pony she rode. She picked it out herself.
The pony's name was Jenny!
I swear we didn't know that when she picked it out.
Libby thought it was hilarious she was riding a pony named Jenny!


Here are Nathan and Libby in a tree house.
I think Nathan was pretending to be a baboon.


Nathan and Libby at the petting zoo or really
it was just a goat farm.

Nathan and Libby when we first arrived at the Ft. Wayne Zoo.

Libby's new summer toy...

Cannonball Splash!

It came with its own body board which was a big highlight for Libby.

It was actually the deciding factor when trying to choose between this and a slip and slide with a shark mouth that you slide through.

She's a funny little girl.

Libby also got a new sprinkler this year because I wasn't sure her one from last year still worked. This on has balls that pop out with the water. The water doesn't spin though. It's a good thing we got the "pool" too. Libby really doesn't care what the toy is as long as she can get wet!

Here's my supermodel showing off her new pool.

She's such a sassy little thing.

So maybe shopping at walmart on payday isn't a good idea.

Mama just can't say no!

Libby had to have this new little princess picnic table set. It comes with an umbrella! I know she's spoiled!

First Snow of the Season

My poor poor Libby! She was so excited about the snow, she couldn't quite grasp the concept that there really wasn't that much snow! She had to bundle up and go outside anyway!

She headed straight for her swing set.

It was feeling neglected...it hadn't been played on since fall!

Here is my precious little one tossing up snowballs into the air and trying to catch flakes in her mouth as it came down!

There is nothing more fun than playing on a trampoline covered in snow (and leaves). Libby tried making a snow angel on the ground but it didn't work out.
Here she is giving it a try on her trampoline..it worked better!

Libby even had to try her sled. I tried to explain to her if you can still see grass, there is not enough snow to sled.

She didn't really care. She was having fun sledding down what she thinks is a hill.

Actually, it's more like a bump in the yard!

A Birthday Party

My BFF Vosko's baby boy turns 1! Libby and I went to his birthday party one early Sunday afternoon (after I worked Friday and Saturday night)! Libby had a good time playing with the other kids at the party and even made off with over half of the party favors!

Here is Jack. He is very excited to turn 1!

This is the only pic I got where Libby actually was looking at me!

Not a single cooperative kid in the bunch!

One picture...is that too much to ask!?

Field Trip

Libby had her first Kindergarten field trip to the Children's Museum. I was lucky enough to be one of the parent chaperones. Although five minutes into the hour long bus ride to Indy I thought I must have been crazy to have volunteered! The kids finally calmed down after 15 minutes! It was nice to be able to spend some time with Libby and learn who the kids in her class are! I think all the kids had a good time!

Libby on the carousel...one of her favorite things!

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!
Yes, she is getting good at pics with her eyes closed!



Here are the kids "skating" on the "ice!"

Oooh...wipe-out!

Here's Libby playing on the castle inside the winter wonderland!

This part was really cool.

They had a huge kitchen set up with a big oven, plenty of food, dishes and what-not!

Libby getting her baked goods out of the oven!

Look! She even put her oven mitts on first!

Thanksgiving!

Another Thanksgiving at the Hoover House...

Libby picked out her ensemble all by herself.

She was very insistent on her dress.

I tried to persuade her in an entirely different direction,

but she wasn't having it.

I think she looks like a go-go dancer.

She's still beautiful!

Here are 3/4ths of the girls,

acting crazy as usual!


It has been a long time since I've actually gotten all the kids together in a picture!
I guess they are all old enough now to sit still for 5 seconds!
Nathan 10, Kenzie 8, Cassie 7, Libby 5, Jules 4

I'm positive everyone had a great time...
There weren't any leftovers to speak of
and the play room was a mess!

The Tooth Fairy

Nineteen days ago, Libby had her first loose tooth. Today, it finally fell out! I was away from the house for 1 1/2 hours and on my way back home when Libby called to tell me she pulled her tooth out, that it didn't hurt or bleed! She was so excited! I can't believe I missed it! I tried to get her to pull it out the night before because I could tell it was just sitting in there and she would have nothing to do with it. I'm not sure what her daddy said to her, but she yanked her tooth out the next morning when he was with her!

Here is Libby showing off her gap.

No, it's not much of a gap since her new tooth has already broken

through her gums, but she's proud of it!

The tooth she lost was the tiniest little tooth I've ever seen!

I never thought I'd be one of those parents to keep their child's teeth,

but I talked to the tooth fairy, and she said I could keep just this one!

Just for the record...I DID NOT keep her umbilical stump!

Here is Libby getting ready to go to bed.

She is modeling her tooth fairy pillow I made for her.

It's hard to tell, but there is a pocket in the middle to keep

your tooth nice and safe until the tooth fairy comes and exchanges it for a dollar.

I had to explain to Libby that the tooth fairy is not stealing...

it's an exchange program!

Sometimes she just cracks me up!

Before Libby went to bed that night,

she asked me if the tooth fairy was real.

In the morning when she found her dollar in her pillow,

she said ecstatically, "The tooth fairy IS real!"

That all took place on Saturday. After working Monday night, I did not see Libby until she got off the bus Tuesday afternoon. Do you know what she told me?! She has here 2nd loose tooth already! At this rate she will be toothless by the time Xmas cards come out! She will be the most beautiful toothless wonder I've ever seen!