Staycation 2014

Why hello, August! When did you sneak up on me? I can't believe my college teaching starts back up in just 11 days and my middle school and high school horn students begin lessons the following week. Where did this summer go? I've always loved the beginning of a new school year, though. As a little girl I could barely contain my excitement when it was time to pick out Lisa Frank pencils and a new Trapper Keeper. I'll admit that I still feel practically giddy every year when school supplies start showing up in the stores. 

Summer isn't over yet, however, and this morning we braved the heat and humidity and visited the zoo. Our Zajkowski Family Staycation 2014 is drawing to a close. Robert has never really taken an extended vacation from work the past four years and he has a decent amount of time built up. We knew we could use some good time together as a family after the rest of this crazy summer, so he decided to take this entire week off from work. It's been glorious! We considered taking another trip but then realized many people come to Florida for their vacations and we're already here sooooo why not just stay? We talked about all of the things we could do and see just a few short drives from our house. As it turns out, we haven't really done much of anything the past few days. We ended up mostly resting and keeping things simple. Boring, I know. But just what we needed.

We had a treat at the zoo this morning. The tiger was out! Usually he's nowhere to be seen.

See Abby's tiger shirt? Earlier this week Robert told her we'd be going to the zoo in a few days, and Abby ran off to her room. She came back holding the tiger shirt, ready to go to the zoo right now! I now understand why parents spell things such as p-a-r-k. Just the mention of the zoo or the park sends her running for her shoes.

Abby chose the panda on the carousel this time.

Well, that's it from the zoo. We felt like we were melting after just one hour. We changed into fresh clothes when we got home and anytime Robert wears his Wichita State shirt with WuShock, Abby runs off to her dresser to get hers. Seeing a toddler wearing a shirt that says "Play Angry" makes me laugh every time.

I remember when I first found out we were going to have a little girl, one of the things I loved to dream about was the future tea parties we would have together. My sister gave Abby this Green Toys tea set for her birthday and we have had so much fun with it. Lately we fill the teapot halfway with water and Abby practices pouring into the little cups. (She's pretty terrible at it.) Sometimes we have picnics with cheese cubes, crackers, and fruit but today we used her play felt food. Here's panda enjoying some bacon.

What could possibly make this day any better? How about a walk around the corner after dinner to get soft serve ice-cream at Dairy Joy?

I'm so grateful for this family time. We wish you a restful end of your summer, as well. Now let's hurry up and bring on Fall, football, and comfort food!