A Trip to the Zoo

Up at 5 because Jake only got up once between 11 and 5.  I'm practically a well rested woman.  This has been a great week, a fun week.  The weather was lovely, so I decided to venture out and take Jacob and Piper to the Zoo.  I hadn't been since last Fall.  And it was Time.  And Jacob is clearly older, old enough to enjoy himself, and I find that all the same old stuff is New again to me, for him.
That makes it fun.

It was not coat weather.   I still had jackets on the kids, it was foggy when we arrived, but it was supposed to shape up later, and it really did!  

The kids loved standing by the aquariums and watching all the fishies go by.  

Piper didn't last long, but Jacob could have stayed in that room for a while. 

Still, whenever Pipes would move, Jake would faithfully follow.  

They were so adorable looking at the fishies together.  

Thank goodness they have short arms, or I would've been fishing Them out of the shark petting area.  They were pretty content just looking.  

I found Nemo! 

We arrived at the Penguin exhibit just in time for penguin feeding time.  They were so hyped up.  The penguins, that is.   Though two yahoos on the move is pretty interesting.  

Piper told me she wanted to see fishies, dolphins, and monkeys as we were driving to the Zoo.  

So I made sure we got in to the dolphins.  Again, Pipes didn't last long, and Jacob wanted to just play on the step by the window.  That boy likes to move.  

 The orangutans are not monkeys.  But they came right up to the windows while we were there.  We got to see them swinging, but none of my pictures of that turned out.  Chasing two toddlers, and getting decent pictures with the point and shoot is darn near impossible. It's much easier to capture them sitting sweetly in the stroller that we borrowed from Kathleen.  Did I mention it took me 15 minutes to figure out how to unpack the stroller?  I should've been paying better attention.  But it will be good for me to practice loading and unloading, for our trip to WDW this summer.  Gotta get my biscuits moving.  The kids had a great time going around the zoo.

They got a big kick out of the orangutans.  

Though technically, orangutans are apes, not monkeys.  I did take the kids around to the only monkeys we have.  The Gibbons.  And surprisingly, they were out moving about, even though it was a bit chilly.   I guess they enjoy the sunny day as much as I did!  

The other really great surprise was that the tigers were out. My three faithful followers may recall the time when Sam went to the Zoo, and we discussed with the keeper how they'd gotten the ok to breed them.  Well.... Last summer, we had a baby tiger!  Zoya.  And she was out with her mama Andrea.  This was the first time I'd gotten to see her.  

   Already she has this, I look good sitting in the sun thing Down.  

  Even as a baby, she's still a pretty big girl.  It's pretty awesome.  

Every time I go, I have a new favorite animal.  This trip, for me, it was the tigers.  

Lego Club

 On the first Friday of the month, our library has Lego Club.  And this month was the first time that a. I remembered, and b. Chris had behaved well enough for me to take him over.  But Eric wasn't home in time for me to just take Chris, so all the boys went.  And all the boys were welcome.  My friend Amy and her boys were there too!  It wasn't too crowded,  so we hung out and chatted, and watched the boys play.  For some crazy reason, I didn't have my camera, so I was lucky  that Amy caught these pics for me. :) 

Even though we were there for Chris, both little brothers felt they needed to play Legos too. 

I was worried about Jacob putting Legos in his mouth.  But he didn't.  It was Sam that I busted putting toys in his mouth, not either one of the ones that I thought would be eating them.  

The Luau

Friday night was the First Annual Brown Family Luau.  An Elementary School Dance.  My first.

So I signed up to work it.  And it was 20 degrees when the time finally came. 

Who's crazy enough to wear a muumuu when it's 20 degrees outside?  Me.  

Like it?  It's autumn sunrise.  

I was working hard at the ticket table when these sweetboys arrived to help me out.  

I got to take tickets.  Good thing, because as I was doing so, I learned that siblings were not invited.  So I had to call Eric and tell him that Jacob wasn't welcome.  :(  So Eric offered to stay home with Jake while I continued and he sent the boys in.  They helped me take tickets for a while, but they'd also run to the gym to dance and grab snacks.   All the kids were given leis and sunglasses for the luau.  It was so much fun, and I had barely made it into the gym for the dancing.  

But oh yeah, it's a good time.  Chris and I got in line for the Limbo.  This was his practice move.  

Chris was actually doing really great in the Limbo, he made it through 3 rounds before falling to his his hands.  I was really proud of him.  

I got a great opportunity to dance with Sam too.  He's such a lightweight, he loved spinning around, or having me twist him while we danced.  

The only thing that would have made it better is if I'd had a 'drinkie' before I'd arrived.  

It was like the most fun wedding reception, but with more kids! 

Here are my special Luau dates and I after we arrived home.  

When I stopped moving, I learned, I need to be in better shape before next year's dance.  

Silly Sunday

Last Sunday, we got Snow, a lot of Snow.  

They said we'd get 3-6 inches.  I think we got more like 8! 

But it sure was pretty.  

Even though it wasn't the first snow of the season, it was the first good snowman making snow.  

And it made the dog happy, all kinds of fun to watch it fall.  

It was the kind of snow to make a little dog bound and leap. 

And it was the kind of snow to finally build that snowman!  

The boys went outside and built this guy during our naptime, so I didn't see it until we were leaving the house and got this pic.   We would've stayed inside all day, but we needed to get to church for the boys' First Communion class.   And we would've just chilled out enjoying a lazy sunday, but it was Jeremiah's Birthday Party!  So, we were the only silly ones venturing out into the snow. 

He loves Daniel Tiger, so we got him one that talks and does stuff. 

And we all got to sing to Jeremiah! 

When our family gets together to sing, the music is always so nice.  

This was as close as I got to a closeup of the almost Birthday boy.  

Can't believe he's 2!  His birthday was actually Monday, but you know, we've got to celebrate the good stuff all month long. :) 

My kids are goofy.  As goofy as their new dog Hazel.   And they all were being so silly at the party. 

We couldn't stay late though, it was a school night.  

Crazy Notions

Have you ever done something crazy for a friend?  

Taken your life in your hands for a friend? 

It's a rare thing.  And I am not usually disappointed.  

I did one of those things tonight.

  

My friend Catalina had been taking guitar lessons.  She and I met through the church choir, so I know the girl can sing.  And she was set up to join her teacher and his band to play the open mic night at the Stone's Throw, a bar downtown.  Downtown B'burg, I should specify.  Lest you think I'm really bonkers and tootled into Indy in a snowstorm.  Anyway, there was a snowstorm.  C wasn't due on until 10, and by 9, we'd gotten the boys down, I wanted to take off my bra and put on my pajamas.  I sat down at the computer instead.  She'd cancelled the event, because she didn't want to see all the former Yeses turning into Nos.  It was making her Nervous.  Well, I couldn't have that.  So I decided to go.  I even put on makeup.  I tell, Crazy Stuff! I left the house at 9:30, leaving plenty of time to crawl across town in a snowstorm.   It felt so weird to go out that late.  I'm pretty sure it's been like college since I went to a bar, let alone left after dark.  Well, wait, no, Kathleen and I went to that dueling piano bar, but this was Different.  This was a Bar's Bar, all smokey and everything.  I am just not the drinker that I used to be.  And I was not going to touch anything that might impair my driving, when it was already icky.   I had to drive   Eric's car 2 fisted just to get there, it was snowing.  When I stopped to turn left, I fishtailed a bit, just getting there.   I did see a snowplow, but he was coming from Pittsboro and going south, not any of the roads I needed.   But I made it.  And I got to see my friend sing.  

She was a bit nervous.  I didn't know the song she chose for her first, Miranda Lambert thing, but the west wing of the bar was singing along.  I took it as a good sign.  Then she did Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.  Why yes, we do!   So that got a lot more of us singing along, and even some folks (who'd had a drinkie or two) waving their arms all around.  I didn't drink anything but water.  Bars aren't quite as fun if you aren't drinking.  The music was good.  And they were playing some things that if I'd been a little bit tipsier I'd have gotten up to Dance.  But I didn't.  I did go support my friend, and scream as we tried to talk to each other.  Man, I'm practically an old fuddy duddy.  I don't like smoke, I don't like screaming.  What kind of bar hopper am I?  I cut out at 11:30 - like Cinderella, I couldn't risk turning into a pumpkin at midnight. ;)  

I was glad I left when I did.  God was watching to make sure I made it home safe.  The roads were bad.   And I wiggled at the first light, luckily no one was around.  I Prayed Unceasingly all the way home.  I was so worried I'd lose control of that little car on the rest of the way home, but God was With Me.  He made sure the lights all stayed green, so I could just keep on plowing through.  No cars were out in my neighborhood, so there was no trying to pull over to get past.  I made it home in one piece, and had to hose myself down to wash all the smoky smell off.  I'd forgotten how it permeates everything.  Whew!  

But I'm glad I went.  Obviously, I was Meant to go and support my friend.  I'm glad I did.  She did a Great job!  I can sing at church, it's an easy audience, they all love me, and aren't inclined to throw tomatoes or bottles.  But singing at a bar, with a band, in public.  No.  I don't think so.  She's a better, braver, man than I.  And she did Wonderfully!  

Pipes

Getting back in to the groove.  We had Piper for a week before Valentine's Day.  Then I got a week off.  Then we got her back for a few days this past week.  She really fits in well around here.

Tuesday, we went to our BAM playdate, Butler Alumni Moms, at my friend K's house.  

She obviously has girls.  How fun it was to take a girl to girlapalooza!  She had fun playing Doc McStuffins and Dress Up.  And Jake joined her.  He'd never been interested in dress up before.  Then again, he's not a girl.   It was an entirely new kind of playdate for him.  Plus there were Pitty Desses, as Lisa would call them.  It was fun to have a little girl around.  

This was a snap on our way home that day.  

"Snazzy Piper"  That's what she called herself when I put these glasses on her, I had given them to her to play with so she wouldn't fall asleep on the way home.  Snazzy Piper stayed awake.  

Jake didn't. 

For the most part, Pipes does not watch tv.  Or at least, not with us.  But Jacob likes to watch Yo Gabba Gabba and Octonauts.  She decided this week, that she likes Mickey Mouse, she saw him on something in Jake's room.  So, in an effort to bring the littles up to a level of cool, I popped some of my old school Mickey Mouse cartoons in to watch.   Piper was hysterical as we watched the episode where Mickey directs the Band during a tornado.  Pipes starts yelling at the TV, "It's OK Mickey!" and "It's Just an Accident! I help you!"   So sweet, and she makes me smile.  

It's nice to have a little girl around. 

Delay Day

Nothing says a wonderful arctic morning, like fresh-baked cinnamon rolls and a 2 hour delay. 

To celebrate this gift of time, the boys all curled up to play Lego Harry Potter on the wii. 

And I do mean ALL the boys.  

Even Jacob grabbed a controller and thought he was playing along.  

Even though we had a 2 hour delay, the boys still had to go to school.  

This was all that they were able to pull together to make a snowman when they tried over the weekend.  A Snowmound.    But they figured out that they could have a bit of fun playing on it, while they waited for the bus.  Pretty cute. 

These two wished they could go outside and wait for the bus too. 

Badly.