In spite of the heat warnings, we had a really great time. We arrived right when they opened, at 9am, and looked around at the animals outside until sweat began pouring down our backs. Then we hit all the air conditioned buildings. It worked out well, the place wasn't at all crowded (imagine that) and we brought plenty of water with us.
On the way home I started another Family Day journal page to capture my thoughts and memories. These eventually will be added to our photo album (when I get pictures developed again!)
I have a thing for birds...especially birds who look like they've dunked their heads in paint.
And guess what the Arctic building has now! A grizzly bear! Yeah, it totally doesn't make sense, and I'm sure they're in the process (always in the process) of redoing that building.
The bear climbed right up to the window, much to the boys' delight. 
I'm trying to be more creative in my memory-storing. The kids have treasure boxes, for their dedication outfits, hospital bracelets, etc. And we've made vacation jars, complete with sand and pictures, when we actually took vacations. When we traveled to the beach last year, we even gathered our own shells to make jewelry. But journaling pages are so easy. For everyone. I'm encouraging the kids to at least draw one picture of their day, and I'll add that to our photo albums, too. They don't need much encouragement, and I've received at least 5 beautiful drawings from each of them, about our days last week. :) They've been coloring theirs with crayons and colored pencils, and I plan to use watercolor on mine. Btw, if you plan to do the same, make sure to draw with Sharpie pens, so the ink won't bleed.
