Throwing Rocks on Fathers day!

For Fathers day we took Gary (aka dad) to Mt. Charleston here in Nevada. We are so lucky to have these beautiful mountains less than an hour away. The last time we went there on Fathers day I was about 7 months pregnant with our first born, Sheamus. It is so beautiful and peaceful and nice to get out of the desert. We took a nice hike to little falls and when we made it to the falls we had a snack and watched the kids throw rocks. Shea has always loved throwing rocks, it all started when he was about a year old. There is something he gets out of it that I will never fully understand. Throwing rocks, do u remember doing that as a child?

Alligators in California

Okay so we didn't actually see live alligators in California but we did see a big animated fake one in front of 'The Rainforest Cafe' which sparked a huge curiosity in Sheamus. He is now loving alligators to no end. It all started with Dinosaurs, then Godzilla, King Cobra and then his curiosity seems to have just branched off into almost all reptiles. He is especially fascinated by any reptile that is the fastest, strongest, biggest, etc. He is starting to piece together what classifies a reptile as a reptile.

Here is a tidbit about what makes a reptile a reptile on Wiki:

Reptiles are animals in the (Linnaean) class Reptilia. They are characterized by breathing air, laying shelled eggs (except for some vipers and constrictor snakes that give live birth), and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. Reptiles are classically viewed as having a "cold-blooded" metabolism. They are tetrapods (either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors). Modern reptiles inhabit every continent with the exception of Antarctica, and four living orders are currently recognized.

Biology of Snails

We spent our memorial day in California visiting grandpa. The kids really LOVED snail hunting in the backyard! They found so many and couldn't seem to find enough! They literally spent hours searching these guys out. The kids made lots of discoveries about snails, the way their bodies are made up, the way they live and get around, etc. They learned that snails don't leave their shells and that the shells actually grow with their bodies. If a snail is out of its shell, it is dead. The slime that a snail produces helps them slither along. Of course I was there google-ing the answers to all their questions and we watched a few snail videos along the way. I think we may get some pet snails.....