Zoo for Days

Even though we live really close to the zoo now, I never really got in the habit of taking Little Miss.  There always seemed to be something else to do- play at a park, go for a hike, music class, meet friends, etc.  One day a group we're part of hosted a Zoo hike and we decided that it was time to check it out again.  We went slowly, but we really got to enjoy the exhibits this time and Little Miss had a blast.  Perhaps her favorite was the turtle exhibit where you could go in a pet the turtles.

While she wasn't keen to pet the turtles herself, she was delighted for me to do it and often guided my hand towards a turtle's back that needed attention.  While we were there we had the distinction of watching a turtle poop.  Apparently this made quite the impact because when we read a certain book now with a turtle character, she always points to it.  I say, 'turtle,' and she always replies, 'poop.'
The flamingos were also fun.

I decided that it might be time to actually commit to going so I bought a family membership.  This wound up being a really great thing for Daddy/Daughter Sunday mornings.  The zoo opens a full hour before other places in town, so now she and her daddy go out for breakfast and then hit the zoo most weekends.  As a consequence, I get to keep doing the fun things that I enjoy more around town, and she and her Daddy have fun exploring all the different parts of the zoo.  They found a cool playground area.

He also indulges her on rides like the carousel.

I have mixed feelings about bringing my daughter to watch animals in captivity for entertainment but I'm glad that she and her father are having so much fun exploring all that it has to offer.

Road Trip: Reunion Time

It's hard for me to admit this, but this year marks 20 years since I graduated high school.  I'm not afraid of getting older at this point, I'm feeling healthy and feel like my best years are still ahead, but it's so hard to believe that 20 years have passed since I left that school.  It could be worse, it's been 25 years for hubs;) Since I was completely single at the last reunion (I met hubs the following month), it was important for me that the family make the trek up so I could show him off  share a little piece of my childhood with him.  Grandma agreed to most of the childcare for the weekend, so all there was left to do was load up the car and head North.
There were games in the car:

The obligatory trips to the play ground:

walking Huckleberry's friend, Finnegan:

climbing ladders:

and swimming in the pool:

What makes this weekend special, you might ask?
CAKE!

It was a fun weekend and I'm glad I got to catch up with everyone.  By the end we were exhausted, but everyone had a good time.

Splash!

Last year I tried taking Little Miss to a few splash pads and it just wasn't her thing.  While she loved swimming pools, water coming and dropping her in the face wasn't so welcome.  We got her to play a little, once, but stuck to pools thereafter.
May 2014

Fast forward a year, and Little Miss has changed her thinking.  She loved going to a few of the splash pads around town.  While she still doesn't love water dropping over her head, she managed to have a great time.
August 2015

She also found some sand to play with as a way to challenge my ability to get her back into the car semi-clean.

I'm glad that she had more fun this year and is able to play in the water and nearby activities for so long.  We've been blessed to have pools the last 2 summers, but next summer all we'll have are the local splash pads so I'm glad that she'll enjoy them and we'll be able to make the most of them.

Feed All the Babies

I tried so hard not to impose gender roles on my daughter that the grandmother's conspired to buy her a doll and a stroller last year for Christmas.  And yet, Little Miss is obsessed with being a little mama.  Lately she's been sharing her high chair with her babies, making sure they all get a turn being fed.  She shares her leftover breakfast and makes sure they're wearing a bib.

When she doesn't have any real food to offer, she cooks some up in her kitchen.

She also makes sure that puppy is well looked after.

There is nothing in this apartment that Little Miss doesn't try to take care of.  I'm fine with her doing this since it's of her own choosing, but I love how sweet and compassionate my Little Bean is becoming.

Wear All the Babies

I've talked before about how much I love wearing my baby, but Little Miss loves it also.  She couldn't decide which baby to wear, so we decided she would wear them all.

Tandem wearing is a skill I have yet to attempt, and yet here's my little girl rocking it like a pro.

She's Glowing

Little Miss loves taking the stairs.  We live on the 4th floor, so this can sometimes take a while.  One day we were coming down the stairs and Little Miss needed a little break.  I just had to catch a shot of my little angel.

Happy Camper

We do try to keep toys to a minimum, mostly because Little Miss doesn't really play with them.  However, when a little tent came up on a local mama b/s/t site for a great price, I knew that I needed to try it out.  It takes up a lot of room, but Little Miss loves it. She started taking her snack and eating it in there, has cuddle sessions with puppy, and one day took her nap mat in and got cozy.

She's so stinkin' cute.  I'm glad we have it because we'll also be able to take it to the beach with us and use it as a sun shelter for her.  It folds up small so when I get tired of losing a large part of our living space to it I can always put it away for a while.  I love it when toys are successful like that.