Fort Wayne Zoo

We've officially begun our very own zoo tour for 2010. Upon mentioning to a friend that we were headed to the zoo this weekend, she recommended the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, remarking how nice it was an had many new and remodeled exhibits. On a whim we decided we'd head that way for the day. Unknown to us, this zoo is in the top 10 rated in the US and we were really in for a treat!


We got out the door right around Josie's morning naptime knowing she'd be up and happy just in time for us to arrive at the zoo.


Being a beautiful holiday weekend, the zoo sure was busy, but still an incredible place to spend the day. The first exhibit JJ got a kick out of was the Sea Lions, they kept swimming up right close to the glass.


Luckily dad has some strong shoulders, this we the best spot to keep Josie happy and able to see above the crowds. And wouldn't you know, among all the exotic animals the zoo housed, there was a little Indiana Farm that had some pretty well known animals around our house... the pigs and cows were a hit!




I don't recall what this guy was called, but JJ felt pretty up close and personal with the animals... the animal habitats were amazingly planned for optimal viewing and beautiful lush landscaping. Our next zoo trip is coming up in a few weeks... continuing on the Zoo tour of 2010!

Another day in the Sun

It's still HOT! I was under the impression it was supposed to cool off, but not the case today especially. But it just made me glad to have purchased the new pool at Target yesterday. A bigger circumference, sure, but it even has a slide and a sprinkler! Josie thought it was pretty cool. I think this is a fine example of how I hope to spend every hot summer day from here on out.



You can't tell me you wouldn't have taken a picture of such a cute bumm too ;)


Josie's still on the mend and not feeling completely herself yet, so after some time in the sun, we're back inside cooling off in the AC and watching some Tinkerbell before nap time.

it was hot one...

I don't know exactly how hot it got today, but it sure was the hottest day of the year so far. Being close to the 90s, I knew we'd be bustin' out the pool and toys. Josie's still feeling under the weather, but the pool was a nice distraction and she had a blast. We've had this $3 pool for several years and I can't believe it still holds air as rough as we are on it.. it's perfect for a day at home.

Our Saturday

Our Saturday... oh so nice.

With the exception of Josie teething and running a temp.

Ed treated me to home alone time this morning (of which I spent washing bedding, switching out winter clothes for summer and cleaning the house). It was nice to get down to work and accomplish so much without any distractions. When Ed and jj got home, we headed out to look at a new car for Ed (looks promising, we'll make a decision this weekend) and to my and jj's surprise, dad had a trip to the zoo and walk along the beach planned for our afternoon.

Of course I would have brought the camera, had I known we were going. However, it was rather freeing not to have to tote it around and just enjoy ourselves. Josie loves the animals and it was such a delight to see her face light up with each new exhibit. It was great to see her having a good time after having a rough morning with her teeth. Our our way home, we stopped at a favorite restaurant with outdoor seating to enjoy the beautiful afternoon.

We could tell the day, and the teething, was wearing on Josie though. Her temp was still high and she was very tired. She went down for a late nap. and awoke still warm to the touch. Thankfully, I had a new box of popsicles in the freezer (lucky girl, got TWO popsicles tonight!) and outside we went to cool off for a bit.





mmm... could eat these toes. I love 'em.


Suffice to say, the popsicles were a big hit. After a much needed bath, a little more Tylenol, and off to bed she happily went.

Flowers

We've been working hard this week to get all our flowers planted and the garden finished. It's a lot of work and I always seem to buy wayyyy more than I feel like planting. I think we have about half of it planted, but there's always leftovers and I need to find someplace to put some purple petunia's and impatiens. Good thing Josie loves being outside and exploring, it makes all my hard work much easier when I'm not chasing her around. This is my cutie pie checking out the new flowers we picked up this weekend. She's a pro at "smell the flowers" ;)

20 months

20 months old today. And yep, that's drool on the tip of her chin ;)

On her 20 month birthday here's how our day goes:

6:30 am: I hear her playing in her crib, but I roll over and go back to sleep.
7:45 am: I finally decide it's time to get my day started and roll out of bed and go get Josie. She's still happy and rolling around in her crib. When I walk in her room, she jumps and screeches she's so excited to start the day too!
8:00 am: Josie's trying and loving new things for breakfast. We've been having oatmeal every day, and she's always begging for some of my eggs so now she gets an egg too!
Morning routine of cleaning up the kitchen, making beds, all the while Josie plays with her Little People, her blocks and watches some Handy Manny, Einstens or Mickey.
9:00 am: We run to Home Depot to pick up a few plants for the garden and end up picking up some garden butterflies too!
10:00 am: Home and ready for a snack, today we had blackberries and animal crackers
10:30 - noon: Josie naps and I cut the grass, put away laundry and get lunch ready
noon: Lunch for Josie today was peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat with an apple, strawberries and black berries (Milk too!)
After lunch, we watched a toon, worked in the garden and took some pictures with her favorite bunny.

The rest of the afternoon will be a nap soon and pasta for dinner! Dad will be home and a bike ride or playing in the yard will be our evening.

at 20 months, there isn't much she isn't or can't say. Her words mimic ours, and she's getting really great at saying her own name. Her catch phrase this week is "Tv off?" and "I fine!"

tahehehe!

the rolls

they're not so perfect photos, but gosh, I couldn't resist. I LOVE these chubby legs. I feel like they've been hidden all winter and today while she was running around between outfit changes, I had to grab a photo. I know it's not going to be long before the chubby legs are going to turn into long and skinny ones... so I'm going squeeze and kiss 'em as much as I can. I love the way they roll up where there shouldn't be any rolls... between her knee and her bum. mmmm :)

A Happy Mother's Day

Of course I forgot to get a photo of jj and me to mark my 2nd mother's day, but these photos would surely be more fun to share anyway. My poor mom, the one that should have been pampered, cooked up an amazing dinner for all her kiddos and grand kiddos today. While a little bit chilly, that didn't damper our day. I woke up to cards from dad and Josie... hand signed by Josie, of course. Doesn't get any better than that!





Whatever those magnadoodle things are, Josie loves them! And she loves her uncle pete and nate a whole bunch too. I know Josie's going to be entertained if Nate's there!

I got it!

Pretty much my favorite time of day is walking into Josie's room first thing in the morning to this smiley happy face. She's just so darn excited to see me (or anyone) that she screams, laughes and jumps around her crib. I love the wild hair, the soft warm skin and this girl gives hugs and kisses without even being asked. Such a cuddler these days and I'm loving it!




and I'm sure everyone knows by now, but he famous act right now is blowing a kiss and then catching it right away. She exclaims "I GOT IT!" and throws her fist up in the air as to catch her very own kiss. She'd done it a million and one times and it still kills me with cuteness. This is her "I GOT IT!"

the beach

We bought our Indiana State Park season pass again this year... I think we're gonna get good use this year. I just need to find a good sand anchor for our umbrella and we'll have a good time in the sand for hours on end.

ish!!!

I don't know what happened but I decided we needed a fish. With Josie in tote, I braved going into the pet store, knowing full well this might be a challenge. As soon as she saw the fish tanks, she was glued! A nice lady came by and asked if she could help, and I said "Yes! I need a goldfish, tank, rocks, a plant, and food!" but alas, a goldfish needs a bigger tank than I originally thought, so a beta fish was our next option. Turns out, he's pretty great and the three of us have enjoyed having him around.




So far he doesn't have a name. I keep thinking it should be Gil, like Gil from the movie "What About Bob" or maybe gilly. Dunno, we'll see. For now Josie knows Emmier and Ernie as "CAT!" so even if we name the fish, I'm sure he'd say "ISH!!" for quite a while.