I see a six!

While I am a huge fan of early bedtimes (both kids go to bed at 7:00 p.m.), one of the downsides is that Faith and Shane tend to get up earlier than I would choose to get up! Faith generally wakes up between 6:00 and 6:30 a.m., but every once in a great while, it's earlier than that! It was on one of those extra early mornings that I invoked the rule that the digital clock needs to begin with a six before she can get up. On most mornings the pitter patter of little feet running into our room and the exclamation of "I see a six!" is what wakens me. Today was not one of those days. Today, what I heard was, "Where did the six go?" While I was really hoping that the reason there was no six was because it was seven, I knew in the back of my head that when I opened my eyes I would see a five! And sure enough, it was 5:30 a.m. So I sent those little feet back to her bed hoping for at least a few more minutes of sleep before the day began! And thankfully Faith went back without a complaint and without waking her brother.

Faith enjoys reading, especially in the mornings!

Santa Barbara Zoo

One of our favorite things to do is take the kids to the zoo. The Santa Barbara Zoo is about 25 minutes from our house, so it is a great half day outing for the fam, which is what we did yesterday morning. Faith absolutely loves to go there! When we ask her if she wants to go, she gets so excited and begins recalling for us all the animals that we will be able to see there. Upon arriving, it is hard to keep her from running from one animal to the next! And this was the first time that Shane really enjoyed seeing the animals - well, the ones he could see from the stroller! Besides having the animals to see, the zoo has great landscaping as well as ocean views, so it is always a treat for all of us to go! On a sunny day it truly feels like you are on vacation when you are there! While yesterday wasn't a sunny morning, we had a great time and look forward to going back again soon!

The flamingos were a bit smelly!

Up close and personal with a sheep

We've joined the world of blogging...

For years now I've been asked the frequent question of whether or not we have a blog. And while I love reading what others post, seeing the pictures, I was reluctant to start my own. But here I am, starting what I hope will be a regular glimpse into the Poelstra family!

For Steve's birthday, Faith and I took him to Bakersfield to visit the Crystal Palace. The Crystal Palace is where Buck Owens (country music star from the 50's and 60's) used to play, and is now home to the Buck Owens museum and is a restaurant. Because Faith is the biggest little Buck Owens fan, we were excited to take her there! So we went and had dinner, saw all the Buck memorabilia, and stayed for the live band to let Faith do some dancing! It was a great trip. Faith absolutely loved it, and she keeps talking about how Bakersfield is her favorite place! And Shane was able to have some quality time at home with Grandma B as she was visiting from Michigan.

Shane will be 11 months old on Monday, which is hard to believe! He continues to grow, develop, and get into everything! With an adventurous personality, contrasting his cautious sister, I am finding myself having to watch his every move! Shane loves to play in the swing outside, pull himself up on anything he can scoot to, and eat! I think he would eat all day if I let him!