Zoo

It seems like forever since I've been able to update my blog. Looking at the number of pictures on my camera, I'd say I'm right.

On Good Friday we went to the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, CT (about an hour from here.) It's a small zoo - no large animals. But just the right size - about the time you think you're ready to go home, you realize there's only one more section left to look at, and then you can go home. It was beautiful weather, the perfect day for an outing.

First, we measured everyone's wingspan to see if they're growing well.

Eldon's a good-sized turkey vulture.

Jess measured about the same.

Yep, 3 turkey vultures.

Then there's the obligatory picture in the peacock.

And the cutest animals at the zoo. They let us pet these ones and even take them home with us. :)

Groundhogs peeping out of their holes. The white cylinders behind them are tubes you can crawl into and pop up out of the ground to get the full groundhog experience.

Lazy tiger.

Can you guess what it is? Crocodile? Alligator? Nope, it's a caiman.

Scarlet Ibis

Toucan. Although I'm not sure if his name was Sam or not.

Dad, this picture is for you. WHAT IS THIS?

Update: It's a blue-eared pheasant. (Thanks, Dad!)

This duck has his feathers in a ruffle. Maybe it's the new fashion among ducks.

This is a peafowl. We learned that the males are peacocks and the females are peahens. Who knew? (Yes, Dad, I know you did. :))

A very shaggy sheep. Time for shearing!

This, we learned on the way out of the zoo, is a grouse Guinea fowl. It is *very* loud. These and the peafowls were running loose around the zoo. The kids liked chasing them. Poor birds.

It's a.....

.....healthy baby! Ten fingers, ten toes, and a fully intact spine. Hip, hip, hooray!

What? You thought we'd find out the gender? Sorry, you have to wait 5 more months!

Whose side are you on, anyway?

Several mornings I wake up with little room to spare. Why, you ask? Well, James is a cuddly sleeper, a bed hog, cold, I don't know. But one morning I took a picture as proof. I have no space.

I'm just sayin'. Good thing I love him. :)

1st Haircuts

James keeps telling me that Zach needs to get a haircut. I hated to cut off the cute curls. Plus he's so young, I wasn't sure how well he'd do. A friend of mine told me about Scissor Kids, which cuts kids' hair. Later that day Jessica gave Zachary a haircut, so I decided it was time to take him in.

They have little cars for the kids to sit in and a TV to watch. Zach still wasn't too thrilled, but they're *fast*, so he didn't have time to get too fussy.

James keeps saying that Jess needs a haircut too. Her hair goes to the middle of her back, and it gets tangly. But no way was I going to cut it. Jessica keeps saying she wants a haircut (she hates having it brushed), so I figured I could let her get a trim to keep her happy and hopefully keep the scissors out of her hair!

She, of course, was still during the haircut. The hardest part was pulling her away from the TV. This place even has a little playzone for toddlers. It has walls all the way around it that are about waist high so that toddlers can't escape. Most of the toys were covered in hair, however, so I wasn't too upset when Zachary didn't want to play in it.

Eldon's 9th Birthday

Eldon's 9th birthday had everything a boy could want:

Balloons and streamers

Cake (pound cake with lemon glaze)

Presents

and Star Wars Legos!

It was funny watching Eldon and his friends when he opened presents. His friends were as excited as he was and kept trying to open them with him, as you can see by the fury of arms ripping open this one:

For Eldon's party, each kid made their own pizza for lunch. Some piled on the toppings, while others were a bit more conservative. But they had fun making the mess!

After that they watched Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. And of course, the obligatory video of Eldon blowing out the candles:

At the end of the party they went outside with their "light sabers." These were pool noodles that I cut in half. They had a blast with them (no pun intended), but I forgot to get a video of it. Eldon enjoyed the party and we had a happy birthday boy!

Simply because it's spring

Why is the sky so blue today?
Why is the robin's song so gay?
Why is the sun so warm and bright
Filling the earth with glorious light?
Why are the fields so green today?
Why do the clouds all float away?
Why does my heart with gladness sing?
Simply because it's spring!

Ok, so it's not spring yet, but there are tell-tale signs!

Playing outside!
Tulips!
Daffodils!
Crocuses!

Good thing it's a short month!

February has steamrolled me. I've been so busy I don't feel like I've had time to breathe. Every Sunday is church, every Monday is FHE, every Tuesday was therapy and cake class, every Wednesday was Cub Scouts, every Thursday was shopping and piano, and we were busy every Saturday. Add in there doctor's appointments (2 for me, 2 for Erica), a bowling ball getting thrown through our Subaru's back window (which meant no car for me while it got repaired), James working 2 Saturdays, a primary activity, winter vacation break for the kids, snow days for the kids, a trip to Boston, the Pinewood derby, adding ANOTHER therapy for Erica on Fridays, and an all-day spina bifida conference. Oh yes, and not to mention staying up WAY too late every night to watch the Olympics, which were AWESOME! Our March calendar is looking quite empty, and I am glad! But we did have fun, and here are some pictures to prove it.

We took a weekend trip to Boston. We went to the temple Friday night, slept in a hotel, and then went to the Boston Children's museum on Saturday. We barely got through the first floor. But that's ok, I've decided that all the fun stuff at big children's museums is on the first floor anyway.


Zachary loved playing in the ball room. They had a ton of golf balls that you could run up and down tracks the were hilly, did loop-the-loops and other things. His favorite activity? Throwing the balls and chasing after them. To each his own!

Here's Erica putting a ball on a spiral track.

Eldon and Erica playing with bubbles in the bubble room.

Jessica and Eldon played in the Kid Power room, where you make machines work with your own power. Here they are racing to pull themselves up using a pulley system. This was while James and Erica were AWOL. Jess and Eldon were climbing up a netted 3-story tower while Zachary and I went to the baby room to play. James and Erica had a snack while waiting for Jess and Eldon. Apparently, they finished the snack and decided to go exploring. When I came back, they were looking for Dad. Then they played in the Kid Power room while I watched, waiting for James. He finally showed up about a half hour later. He and Erica had been watching an animal show.


Eldon had his first pinewood derby race. His car is the one on the far left. He cut it and painted it himself.


In this race, his is the car that wins. He was doing very well until the end of the races. He ended up being 2nd in Wolves, but 6th overall (out of 18). On the way home he discovered his wheels were wobbly and the wood by an axle was a bit cracked. He thinks this might have happened when he dropped his car in the middle of the races. I think he's got a pretty good hypothesis.

And this is just a picture of Zachary at the races. It's hard to take pictures with a little kids grabbing your legs all the time!