Yesterday we drove down to Granbury for their traditional Memorial Day celebration in the historic downtown. We were running a little late — ten minutes to be precise — and we missed the entire parade. I’m not sure what kind of parade lasts less than ten minutes, but we were sure surprised that in the amount of time it took us to get two kids loaded into a stroller we missed the whole thing! No matter, we grabbed some kettle corn and headed over to the petting zoo.

Raine took a few minutes to settle in before she would touch any of the animals — she was really excited about the idea of petting animals, but when it came right down to the actual petting, she wasn’t so thrilled. She eventually agreed to pet the little pigs . . .

. . . and a small goat.

Carter was just trying not to melt in the triple-digit heat.

Here is a sneak-peak at some of the kid-sized fun we had on our trip to England and Wales.

We came upon this little playground across the street from the Tower of London.

Raine loved that great big slide.

The swimming pools were a hit with both kids. Carter splashed and splashed then would do a little frog kick as we swam around.

The hotel in Preston had a little water-slide that Raine couldn’t ride enough! (It was pretty steamy in there and after we took this photo they told us that cameras were not allowed so this is all we have to remember it by. You can see the end of the yellow water-slide at the top of the photo.)

We found this fun playground in Ruabon, Wales, one of the towns where Grandma Dewey’s ancestors lived.

It had a little zip-line that Daddy enjoyed more than either of the kids.

Carter’s favorite pass-time was to drive the car. He would put one hand on the shifter, one on the steering wheel, and then laugh and drool.

Mother’s Day started with a delicious breakfast in bed, as usual. Raine was so excited about it and couldn’t wait to “share” with me.

After church I opened the gifts she made at school. The theme was “My Mom Rocks!” and the gifts included a “guitar,” hand-print flower, bookmark, and two cards.

After presents, it was time to pack for our big trip to Wales. Packing for an international vacation is always a major ordeal, but throw in packing for two kids and you’ve got yourself a monumental undertaking!

Tonight was Raine’s last tumbling class. She has come a LONG way from last year. She does somersaults all by herself and even walked across the big balance beam without assistance — although she wouldn’t do it while I was recording, of course.

The parachute.

The bear crawl.

The short-wide balance beam.

The obstacle course.

Raine showing off the stamp she received on her hand.

Here is a video of some of her skills, if it doesn’t show up right away hit F5 or try this link.