ZOO COOL

Oh what a great day we had today! Family fun, time spent with friends, a driving adventure complete with long naps for the kids, a yummy dinner out, and even some quiet time at the end of the night, snuggling on the couch and watching our precious little people play sweetly together. Doesn't get much better than this folks!

After a slow start this morning complete with pancakes, we met the Kennedy and Sanchez families at the zoo. It was uncharacteristically cool today, making it perfect for animal viewing. Actually, it was so cool we started the morning off with the kids tucked under their Gator blanket in the stroller. Check out Cora's teeth! 5 showing, though the 6th one is pretty much through the gums. She sure has a silly smile though right now. And poor baby girl has got some kinda gap going between those top 2 front chompers...

James snagged some stickers at the doc's office on Friday with Cora.

He spent most of his time at the zoo chasing Manu around and/or having Will chase him (and Manu) around. When he wasn't snuggled into the stroller, of course.You know what the MOST fun thing to do at the zoo is though? Play in the dirt. Or sand. Or swing on the ropes. Or climb the fences. Or check out the drains. Who needs animals for a good time?Hangin' with Daddy...We took Cora into the petting zoo for the first time. She was WAY impressed with the goats!James and Will enjoyed the tunnel through prairie dog town.

James especially liked climbing on TOP of the tunnel entrances. "Hi Guys!"

"A-Boo!" (His word for peekaboo, which he gets from me - I like the short version.)For the first time ever, James was willing to go down the elephant slide at the playground (not by himself, of course). I don't blame him for being scared though, the thing IS kinda creepy. You have to walk up a series of dark stairs to get to it. Then it spits you out FAST.We hung out at the playground for quite a while. Cora got some love from Sophie (and Christina too, I just didn't snap a picture).The boys had more fun digging.And then our kiddos CRASHED on the way home. Oh my, how we love when they sleep! And at the same time!! It was a lovely, quiet trip, filled with adult conversation for once. And since we weren't ready for the fun to end, we drove around for another hour once we got back to the 'Burg and checked out the flood status (photos in another post).And since we didn't spend any money on our outing today (we're zoo members, and we brought a picnic lunch), we decided to go out for dinner. Because we're spontaneous like that. James sat in a booster next to his Daddy (instead of his usual highchair), since we were stuck in a corner booth and didn't trust the kiddos sitting next to each other. Well, he sat some of the time. For the rest of the meal we were "those parents" who let their kid stand on the bench and name the letters on the sign and count trucks as they go by on the interstate. Hey, don't fault us. We both got to eat our entire meals for once without having to listen to any fussing. And that, my friends, is worth any glare from nearby patrons. Besides, we keep our kids quiet (well, "quiet" anyway), clean up after them, and leave hefty tips. Because it's only fair. James was all about huggin' on his Daddy.And kissin' him...Don't worry, I got my turn at bedtime. Jay took Cora up with a bottle and I snuggled my little man on the couch. After watching all of Monster's Inc. and drinking a full cup of milk, he finally started to settle (the one drawback of late afternoon naps, especially long ones). And as he burrowed into my arms, he told me "Mommy, I love you!" then turned and gave me a big ol' kiss on the lips. Like I said, it doesn't get much better than this!