A duck says "kak"

We took Maddy to the Tracy Aviary on Saturday. Scott and I used to go there a lot when we didn't have her and were living in an apartment. With no house to clean and no yard to care for, Saturdays were just us wandering around the valley looking for things to do.

This Saturday though we thought Maddy would have fun looking at all the birds. She would look around each cage till she spotted the bird and then point and babble. She especially liked looking at the ducks in the pond. She said her version of "quack", which is more like "kak", over and over at them. I do like the Aviary, it was a nice break from house work!

Family photos

Earlier this month we went for family pictures. Suzette Anderson does Photo Raves where for $50 we get a half hour and a CD with 12 shots in color and B&W.
I didn't expect to get anything good at all because Maddy wanted nothing to do with this "family time". She was a pill! However, Suzee's great and got more than 12 shots that were great and I had a hard time picking which ones to keep.

Thanks to Suzee for taking our pictures and thanks to Camilla for the recommendation.

Primaries

I voted yesterday. It was the first time I have voted in a primary election I think. The last time a big vote was needed (Obama vs. McCain) I went to vote but in the back of my mind thought "why does it matter? I live in Utah and one more republican voting for McCain won't make a bit of difference". Because we have the electoral voting system, it doesn't matter how many Utah's vote each way, it just matters who wins from the state. So, I've been feeling a bit disenfranchised about voting.

With the primary elections though, I actually have a voice! My vote for which republican is on the ballot might actually make a difference. It made me feel a bit more empowered and so I went yesterday afternoon and voted. I realized that I still didn't know the issues or the candidates very well (I did do some research and reading before I went to vote) and I'll have to work harder in November to make sure I know the issues better. But, I voted. And I feel good about it!

Go USA!

the aquarium

Last Friday I went with Katie and the kids to The Living Planet Aquarium. I see all the pictures of their adventures and decided that I wanted to be with Maddy on this fun trip.

My favorite thing was the penguins, followed closely by the jellyfish.

Not to worry, it's plastic! I'm sure she wouldn't go near it if it was real. Maddy loves water but would have nothing to do with the pool where the sting rays were. Wouldn't put a finger in and wouldn't let me get her close to the water at all! I was kind of surprised about that.

Here is a link to more pictures if you are interested.
Thanks Snow's for letting us tag along for the day.

Fairy Tales

Once upon a time, a beautiful princess met a frog

(at The Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy)