Zoo 2011

Berkeley got the biggest kick out of the giraffe licking her with his purple tongue!

Finley enjoying her first trip to the zoo

Cohen making sure Finley is having a good time

Is it just me or does this picture look very similar to the one above???

Love that smile

Making Cohen giggle

Easton enjoying his first trip to the zoo too!

Doing an imitation of Tarzan!

Oh, how she LOVES horses!

Waiting for this little guy to squirt water at them!

On Sunday, May 29th we went to the zoo with Chris & Laura and Bill & Lyndee (Chris' dad and step-mom). It was a great day for the zoo - a bit overcast with no rain and all of the animals were out and about. The kids had a fantastic time. The high light was feeding the giraffes. When Berkeley held her food out, one of the giraffes stuck out it's huge tongue and licked her fingers. She got the biggest thrill out of it and I didn't realize I had captured it till I looked through the pictures a few days later. You kind of have to really look at the picture because it almost kind of blends in. I think I had looked at that same photo a couple of times before I caught it!

The zoo had a really amazing dinosaur exhibit that we went through and the dinosaur looked insanely real. I could tell Oliver was a bit unsure at first because he kind of hung out in the back for the first few minutes and that's just not like him at all. He is always right in the middle of all the action. As soon as he figured out they weren't going anywhere he relaxed a little bit and actually went closer. One of the smaller dinos sprayed water out of it's mouth every so often so all the kids had fun jumping back "just in time" before getting sprayed.

We had a great time and it was extra special because daddy got to go this time. I don't think he has ever been to the zoo with us. It was a nice treat! I am so thankful my kids have cousins to grow up with. I never had that and I think I may have really missed out :) They are making some pretty special memories together!

Bucket Head

Last Tuesday, Oliver threw up in Grandma's car on the way to swim lessons (mostly on himself, thankfully), but in the changing room he insisted that he was well enough to swim and that he did not want to sit on the side and watch. So, I let him swim and he had a great time. On the way home, I got them some lunch and then had to stop at someone's house real quick. He ate some lunch and then started crying and complaining about his tummy again. I tossed him a sack and told him to throw up in it if he felt the urge. I very quickly made my stop and then sped home so that he wouldn't throw up all over the car. When I got him home I had him lay down on the couch and gave him a "bucket" just in case. The longer he laid there, the better he felt, until the bucket made it's way onto his head. It was good to see his smiley face again and I couldn't resist getting a few cute pictures.

Jelly beans

Ok, some of the things that come out of my children's mouths are too funny not to write down. Some of them are quite embarrassing, especially for me, but in the spirit of being able to laugh at myself and having a good sense of humor, I am going to document them so I never forget them.

I'm not sure if this is true for every little boy, but Oliver is very fond of his "boy parts". I mean it's literally like a magnet for his 3 year old hands. Like a moth to a flame. A play thing, if you will. Once, while he was rummaging around in his pants, I asked "What have you got down there?" to which he replied "Jelly beans."

One morning he was sitting up on the counter helping dad make a steamer and he was fiddling around with his 'parts' again and Tom said "What do you have in there?" Oliver very innocently said "Something wiggly."

One night in the bath tub, Berkeley was studying Oliver's anatomy and, after a few minutes of quiet observation, said "Look Oliver, I don't have anything hanging from my 'front bottom' like you do."

While living in Verl & Sherri's basement during the construction of our home, Berkeley was in the shower with me. Now, keep in mind, this shower is extremely small. If I was pregnant, I seriously question if I would have been able to fit in it at all. So, while I was trying to kill two birds with one stone by having her shower with me, she happened to notice that my under carriage had hair (probably cause we were crammed in there and it was just right there at eye level). In her sweet little 5 year old voice she said "Mom, why does your front bottom have fur on it? Does it keep you warm?" After about 30 seconds of pure shock and embarrassment, I managed to choke out "Yes, Berkeley, it keeps me warm and someday you'll have fur to keep you warm too." That answer seemed to satisfy her and I very quickly wrapped our shower up, and myself, from curious 5 year old eyes!!! I guess now that summer is upon us, I'll have to shed my "winter coat" and get rid of some of that excess fur!

About a week ago as I was getting out of the shower, Berkeley was walking behind me as I walked into our closet to put my pj's on. Once again her powers of observation were hard at work and she said "Mom, your bottom shakes when you walk!" I wasn't nearly as excited about the whole situation as she was and replied "Well, Berkeley, someday, when you have 3 babies, your bottom will shake when you walk too." It was an effort for me not to be out of sorts and bitter about the whole conversation. Lesson learned: Never walk naked in front of a 5 year old!