We went to the zoo

Ella has been spending the week with her G.G. and Poppy.  While she's been gone, we've been preparing a surprise for her.  We're redoing her room.  Well, technically, we're doing her room.  As I wrote earlier, we are painting a room a month, and hers hadn't gotten done yet.  It's coming along {which is good because she comes home tomorrow} and I'm excited to show you that next week.

With so much time focused on Ella even in her absence, I wanted to make sure I set aside time for fun with Jack.  We needed to get re-acquainted.  I don't get a whole lot of one-on-one time with Jack, and he's so different when Ella's not around!  She's so social that he takes the role of the quiet one and we sometimes miss out on his wonderful three-year-old thought process.

Case in point:  A couple of nights ago, we were out late, and the whole way home Jack was enamored of the moon. He was so excited that the moon was in his window and that he could watch it even as we wound around the country roads. We tried to explain that the moon was the same one we would see at our house, but he didn't understand. When we entered a wooded area and he was watching the moon through the trees, he said, "Look! The moon is turning off and on!" We talked about how wonderful God's plan was to create the sun to light the day and the moon to light the night. Jack said, "I like how the stars follow the moon to our house." 

It's sweet insights into his mind like this that I want to treasure.

So, yesterday, the boys and I went to the zoo.  We had gotten to go a few weeks ago for a special free night {due to Nate's illness - I guess there are perks to being sick}, and knew we wanted to get a membership.  We're a big enough family now that buying a membership is often just a few dollars more than buying a one-time pass.  And I have a feeling that the zoo and the Lewis's are going to be great friends.

Can I express how much I love having two boys?  No, I cannot.

I'm a peeker, Mom.  I don't need to go all the way in.  I can just look at the other kids having fun and that's enough for me.

Look, Mom!  The red panda is playing peek-a-boo with me!

Why, yes, I am adorable.

 

Just thought you'd want another peek at me.

Checking out the rhinos.

 

 

Why do I have to sit on the stupid turtle just so that my mom can take a picture.  Well, I'll do it, but I won't smile.

Jack rode the deer on the carousel and all he could talk about was riding it again.  Or the fox.  But probably the deer.

 

I kept getting, "Oh, how cute" looks as we walked and didn't know why until I came around and saw this.  Want to know something funny?  He wasn't asleep.  He was just chillaxing.

 

Oh, yeah, baby.  Soft pretzels and funnel cake fries!  Good thing Mom didn't know we could bring in our own food.  I'm going to enjoy this while it lasts!  Next time she'll probably bring carrots.

 

Happy food dance.

Oh, dude.  This feels really good on a hot day,

But making other kids wet?  That's WAY better!

 

So what if it's not a fox or a deer?  It's a three-year-old's prerogative to change his mind.

We had an awesome time, with only one minor catastrophe.  Notice Jack's pants in the picture above?  No, he didn't wet himself.  He fell into that water he was standing in a few pictures above and walked around the rest of the time like he had had an accident.  I didn't think about it until later, but I'll bet the other parents and the girl in charge of the carousel weren't too thrilled to see him coming to sit on one of the animals....

 

The only thing that would have been better is if Handsome Hero could have come with us.

 

Oh, and Nate isn't wearing a tube because he took it out.  We got a new one delivered today.  Keep praying!