A Day at the Zoo

One of the fun things of being a grandparent is taking the kids to the zoo. In this case it was all 8 of them. Had we not brought the mothers (and our daughters) along I'm not just sure how it would have turned out. As it was we had a great time.

When you are a child you never tire of going to the zoo. It is a place of adventure, of seeing old friends, of seeing new and exotic friends, and of having new experiences. On this day as we walked in the zoo, a zoo volunteer was walking around with a king snake, which of course the kids had to explore.

Zoos have learned they need to create fun experiences for children. It is the experiences that bring families back. The Boise Zoo has play areas spread throughout the zoo, and the kids absolutely love them. The play areas have representations of animals, and the areas expand the children's opportunity for imagination, resulting in a lot more fun.

The days of the petting zoo are not gone, but are approached differently at many zoos. Boise lets you feed the goats. The kids love lining up to get food for the goats and then feeding them. I think there is more of a feeding frenzy lining up than there is of the goats competing for the food. It's interesting to see the grandchildren feeding the goats, but ignoring the ones they have at home. I guess zoo goats are better than home goats.

Everyone in our little group had a great time at the zoo, on the play devices, feeding the goats, looking at the Tiger, running ahead of mom who couldn't catch up, and playing with their siblings and cousins. The final photos show various aspects of all of the fun we had. It was a great day!

The Golden Eagle nest is just the right size for a gaggle of Eaglets.

Did I mention its more fun sometimes to
watch the feeding frenzy at the goat food
dispenser for the grandchildren and mother?

Chas is all about knowing just how cool
that hat is, especially when standing
next to a penguin (sort of penguin).

An Evening at the Ballpark - Boise Style

Last evening we went to see the Boise Hawks baseball club, a Chicago Cubs minor league team. The main attraction was the $1 tickets, $1 hot dogs, and $1 drinks. Of course it didn't work out quite that way. The hot dog line was 3 innings long and the drinks were $2.50. Thank goodness most of us ate before we came. However, it was great fun.

There were 15 of us at the game: 7 adults and 8 children. We were located in the top of the stands on the first base side with lots of sun. We were facing north and the sun was to the left. That means the left side of our faces were what was tanned (or burned), although today I did not notice any burned faces.

Charlotte was the most relaxed and may have had the most fun (until she got tired). Nothing like a bottle and a floppy hat, from which she can periodically peak out of, to make her day.

Everyone had a good time, however a good time does not include necessarily watching the game. I think we saw a little bit of each inning, but rarely the whole inning. We did get to talk and take care of children. The kids had a great view of everything and spent a lot of time roaming back and forth. We were high enough that we didn't want them climbing up and down the steps. At least I didn't. The little kids never slowed down the whole time we were there and we were exhausted by the time we all left. The kids came home and crashed and we relaxed, then crashed. Some of the photos below show the fun we all had.

The excitement comes in trying to keep all of the kids somewhat corralled, if that is even possible. The Mom's did a great job.

Finally, we find a couple of moms focusing on having a good time. Although with the hat JoAnn has on I thought for a few minutes she was an Aussie. Love the colors and the great smile.

Pretty in Pink

Labor Day weekend we went off to Idaho to visit family and to help bless our newest addition to the McLean clan - little Charlotte Ann Bradley. It was a great trip and we had lots of fun. We got to spend time with 7 grandchildren, 3 children, 2 son-in-laws, and a soon to be sister-in-law. It was also very busy. You know you can't get Mom and 2 daughters together without there being a shopping experience, and that started on Saturday at 8 am (that would be 7 am Las Vegas time and JoAnn is not a morning person). Each evening ended with an extended family get together, talking, laughing, keeping track of the kids, and on Saturday the BYU football game (Go BYU!).

Little Charlotte (above) has lots of pink, hence the title, and I could not resist a shot of her in her pink pajamas on top of her pink pillow. Of course she is a McLean/Bradley and has an attitude, but a good one. One of the great joys of a grandparent is holding new borns. You realize just what a miracle life is, and what a joy it is to bring little children into the world.

On Sunday afternoon we were off to Church (you can read Sally and Suzanne's blogs on this) to bless Charlotte. We took up almost 2 rows with all of the family present. It is exciting to see how many family members show up for special events.

Sally and Charlotte were beautiful in their preparation for Church and the blessing. Mom and Charlotte Ann are below, all dressed up for Church and Charlotte in her blessing dress. When she was blessed she was a perfect angel. It is always a great weekend when we can spend them with our family.

Days with a New Granddaughter

Today is the 12 day anniversary of little Charlotte Ann Bradley. Named for her maternal great grandmother. As Sally said, when I saw her I knew she was a Charlotte.

Each birth is special and even as a grandfather you experience a great wonder with the birth of each child. You realize how special life is, how important family is, and how wonderful it is to have these new spirits as a gift and responsibility. As you hold them for the first time you realize the miracle of life that is provided for our responsibility to raise up and educate them.


The first few days I'm not sure Charlotte ever saw any chance to just lay around. She was held by everyone and when not held she was sleeping. You don't dare put her on the floor since her big brother thinks that a pat (okay, a thump) on the head is sweet. He will learn not to be quite so rough, but he too is young.

It was great to see my daughters, granddaughters, grandsons, and my eternal companion welcome this new young lady into our lives. Leaving JoAnn behind with almost every birth we have experienced reinforces the ideal of motherhood that endures with each generation allowing her to forge that special bond with the next generation. Whether she is holding the baby, playing with the children, or reading ... memories are being built.

Bonnie and JoAnn reading. Note the next book to be read is already in Bonnie's hand.

Charlotte Ann at About 8 Hours

Isn't she cute! Taken by Mom or Dad with an iPhone. This is as good as the resolution gets, but she is beautiful.