From Minnesota to Texas in 2 days!

My last outing with Emily and Bri in Minnesota was to the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul. Como is a nice-sized zoo complete with animals, butterflies, and beautiful flowers, as well as playground and picnic area. Although they ask for a $2 donation, anyone can visit for free. But, our special treat for the day was the carousel. It was also free that day. It was built in 1912 in Philadelphia and was a fixture of the Minnesota State Fair for many years.

Emily and Bri were thrilled with their ride. We even went back for a second ride after our picnic lunch.

There were many great animals at the zoo--polar bears, giraffe, lions, and others--but my favorites were the butterflies. They have a beautiful giant butterfly exhibit shaped like a caterpillar.

Another segment of the Como Zoo is the Conservatory, a beautiful garden with a goldfish pond. I loved this picture of Bri looking over the rim at the fish. All the flowers were beautiful, but I chose just this one to give you a taste.

After John arrived in Minnesota to pick me up and take me back to Nebraska, Jacob's baseball team won their district championship, so we decided to drive to Texas to watch the East Texas state championships. He played in Tyler, TX, which is close to Annie's in Longview, so it worked out well. Brian and Michelle and Rainey also stayed with us, so we had quite the cheering section.

Jacob was the starting pitcher for the first game of the series, so that was exciting for us. He did a great job, but later in the game (when he wasn't pitching) they came upon a rough part and ended up losing the game. Here he is pitching and batting. In the second game, Jacob played right field and caught an amazing fly ball. He had to jump, reach, and land stretched out on the ground. But when he got up, the ball was in his glove! Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of that perfect moment--boo hoo! Also unfortunately, they lost the game and Jacob's season came to an end, but his team (nicknamed the Dirt Bags for their scrappy comebacks) had a wonderful ride.

I thought this was a darling picture of John and Paisley at the game.

Here's Paisley and Rainey. They had a lot of fun running around at the ball park.

At the first game we tried to wear red, so Rainey and John cheered for Nebraska at the same time.

Jacob had promised me we could take a picture after the second game, so he kept his word and put on a happy face in spite of the loss. Thanks, Jacob--you played super.We were so honored to be able to watch you.