Zooper day

Last week Cara and I branched out of our comfort zones and took the kids to the Dallas Zoo.  I'll be honest and admit that I had pretty low expectations.  I'm not even sure why except that we'd never been and I had never felt this strong desire to visit a zoo that is literally right off of a major interstate.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised.  While it's definitely not as aesthetically pleasing or as fancy as the Ft. Worth Zoo, it seemed much bigger and just had a different feel to it.  We saw a few animals we had never seen before, got to ride the monorail for the African "safari," and one of the cutest things were their little birthday signs for the animals who had recently had babies.  One of the oddest things for Cara and I was witnessing the unnatural obsession Ethan and Josie had with all of statues scattered around the zoo.  Seriously, they were on the hunt for animals statues and wouldn't let anything get in their way.  You never know with those two.  Afterward we stopped by Clay's office for a quick visit and Rachel told him her favorite part was the train (monorail) and Ethan said his favorite part was the tunnel.  We should have just bought a DART light rail pass and called it a day, but then I guess we would have missed all of those awesome statues! 

 


Just a sampling of our statue-mania




And I don't want to forget that this little guy was with us!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Week in review

MONDAY - went to the zoo with the Fab Five (aka the Davis') and had a blast.  Got to hang out with Cara at the house for almost 2 hours without anyone needing anything.  Seriously - that was the highlight of my week.

TUESDAY - E hung out with my mom and Rachel and I surprised Clay at work for lunch.  I love how everyone digs out their vendor giveaways while we're there to try and bribe a hug out of her - I'm not sure if Chelsea's ball or Dana's Mardi Gras beads were a bigger hit.  Ladies - thanks for always making us feel so welcome.  You are my connection to the outside world (and my fashion fix) - you don't know how important both of those things are!

WEDNESDAY - Took Ethan to a new asthma/allergy doctor to get a new plan of action.  Rachel went into the office fine, developed a 102 fever while in the exam room, and proceeded to vomit all over the carpet by the checkout desk, herself and me.  Spent the rest of the day cleaning up vomit and diarrhea and giving lots of Tylenol and Motrin to combat the 104 fever that poor baby was fighting off.

THURSDAY - More fever and diarrhea.

FRIDAY - Fever gone - hallelujah.  Doctor appointment for Rachel since she's down to 20 pounds now (I just looked back and that's how much she weighed at 9 months...but who's counting).  No ear infection - hopefully nothing a little Yo Baby yogurt and ice cream won't fix.  We just need to get her well - really well - before we leave on vacation next week.  And Amber - thank you so much for giving Ethan a nice break from these walls and taking him out for the day.  He's still talking about it!

Love these faces

At the zoo last week...

Ding Dong

I heard the ding dong of the doorbell around 7:45 yesterday morning.  Who in the world would be ringing my doorbell at 7:45?  I knew it couldn't be the UPS man, I wasn't expecting anyone, my dad was at work and my mom was working out - I was perplexed.  Well, what do you know - it was my sweet husband.  He "left" for work as normal, and then a few minutes later came back to surprise us that he took the day off and we were going to the zoo!  It was the most gorgeous day of the year yesterday, so I guess the zoo bug bit him.  It was a very nice and relaxing day (even despite the fact that it was Fort Worth ISD field trip day).  And we got to test out our new bike trailer as a stroller - worked like a charm.  We even ended up running into an old college friend and a friend from Ethan's class at preschool.  Came back home to a clean house - thanks to hosting Bible study here Thursday night - put the kids to bed early because they missed their afternoon naps, and relaxed all night.  I live for those days.

The gift that keeps on giving

One of the things my parents got us for Christmas this past year was a membership to the Fort Worth Zoo.  We love going to the zoo - we basically love going to do anything - but especially the zoo.  If you live in the area and have never been, it's well worth a trip.  And if you go with us, we can get you a discount!  We've tried to go a couple of times already this year, but the weather didn't cooperate.  So, Saturday morning we packed a picnic lunch and were waiting at the gate when they opened at 10.  We had a blast!  Clay's mom (Mimi) and fiancee (Bob - it's so fun to type fiancee now...they got engaged last week!) joined us and they had a great time as well. 


We have been to the zoo many times since we've lived in the metroplex, but this was our best experience with the animals.  The lion was roaring, the coyote was howling, the elephant was eating from the tree right in front of us, the alligator was sleeping against the window, the hippos were playing in the water - you get the idea.  Ethan was in heaven, and Rachel just kept growling at everything.  Her "favorite" (if she can have a favorite) animal is a tiger, and she was beside herself when we saw one.  Here's a small sampling our of outing.  And seriously, if you're planning a trip, let us know and we'd love to join you!