Nashville Zoo

We used our new zoo membership for the first time today. Cousin Juliana, Aunt Becca and some of their friends drove all the way over to see the animals, and since the zoo is so close, we met them. Somehow we managed to be the last to arrive, though.

The Nashville Zoo definitely has a little more of an undeveloped/natural feel than the Memphis Zoo. At the Memphis Zoo, the main exhibits all seem to have big entrances with gift shops specializing in those featured animals. For example. the entrance to the Panda bears and other Asian animals is a big Pagoda section. The Northwest Territory exhibit which holds the Polar Bears and Sea Lions has Totem Poles. The Nashville exhibits have nice signs welcoming you to them. Both zoos are very nice and worth visiting in their own right.

Anyway, the kids seemed to have fun, and we Moms survived! (I enjoyed it, but I know why we got the membership... so we can see a little at a time without getting too exhausted.)

for more pics...

from Steph & company's visit last week, check out Caroline & Kimberly's Corner.

temperment

It amazes me how certain character traits seem to stick with our little girl. When she was a baby, loud, sudden noises bothered her. If someone talked to loudly while she was eating her bottle, she would startle and get upset.

When we made cookies today, Hannah did not want to be near the electric hand mixer. Anytime I turned it on, she would climb down from the chair she was perched on and run across the room until I turned it off. Then she would climb back onto the chair for the next step of the cookie making process.

cuteness

Good thing she doesn't seem to be allergic to clover or dandelions:

Breaking into the new play dough:

1st time helping Mommy make homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (and stealing some tastes of the dough).

Sweet smile after eating her baked cookie:

out of the mouths of babes

We were eating dinner at a local "estaurant" tonight when Hannah randomly pointed to the people at the next table.

"That's NOT my father. And that's NOT my mother."

What made her observation really interesting was the very noticeable differences between our skin colors and that of the other diners.

It's a good thing she's so cute.

visitors

last night: bathtime buddies
hannah and juliana shared a room last night! hannah slept in her twin bed, and juliana slept in the toddler bed, which will soon be our baby boy's crib

tonight:

sharing goldfish

good night hugs

making sure kimberly has her paci

caroline and her daddy

Hannah- not setting a good example for Caroline

tiffany and kimberly

bubble fun with "aunt" anna

more bubble fun

sweet dreams

Mother's Day 2008

If you read both blogs, yes this is the same pic. I am a "terrible" mother and a) did not dress my daughter warm enough today... the day grew colder as it progressed b) did not take a picture for Mother's Day with my sweet girl.

As soon as Bear's favorite CD came on in the car on the way home, she began singing along. About 2 minutes later, she was still singing, with her eyes closed. She clutched my Mother's Day rose and seemed determined to stay awake.

Sleep won. Thankfully my camera was in the car.

language acquisition...

Hannah and I were looking at the flowers around our mailbox this evening. She repeated their names as I pointed to each type. As I pointed to the struggling impatiens, apparently the pink blooms on some stood out more than the struggling-to-thrive leaves on the others.

"They're magnificent!" she exclaimed.

another memphis moment

a coffee-making lesson with Gramma
(she doesn't typically sit on the counter at home OR
experience making coffee from grinding to brewing, either)

favorites at the zoo

The water "mountains" were an instant favorite just after we entered the zoo... and she was equally excited to watch them before we left for the day.

Only one of the pandas was outside today, but he or she seemed content.

This mona monkey scurried down from its tree to visit with us.

Amazed by the gorilla.

First bite ever of Hawaiian Shaved ice... "Tiger's Blood" flavor.. (strawberry coconut... YUM!)

Hannah was amazed by the totem poles, even though she could not say their name very well.

Getting closer to the sea lions...

The sea lion thought the cup was a toy, and Hannah loved its attention.

Hannah, Gramma Debbie & Mommy spent a good portion of the day at the zoo while Daddy worked. Hannah loved all the animals, but she and one of the sea lions ended up playing a game of chase. After Gramma prompted her to offer her sippy cup to the sea lion (with the glass in between), the sea lion must have thought the cup was a toy and really seemed to want to take it from Hannah. At one point, it even followed Hannah the length of the under-water window.


Video of playing with the sea lion

Wordless Wednesday

a day at the park

We went to the park with some friends from our neighborhood this morning. I forgot my camera, but Gina had hers and shared. :)
I love the 2nd picture... so sweet.

"B, E, N, & H"= proof that there is no such thing as average, all our children are extraordinary.

never say never

I said I didn't think I'd use pull-ups in the potty training process.

I was wrong.

I'm having to step back and give Hannah and myself a break because she has become more resistant to using the potty and that has led to more accidents.

So while we're out and about, she's wearing pull-ups. If she's having a bad day, I put away the big girl pants and stick her in a diaper because it's cheaper than pull ups. Why she can stay completely dry in a diaper but leaks in her undies/fabric training pants stumps me.

The funny thing is, when I took her Cinderella pull-up out of the package, she felt it and said, "pretty diaper!"

Hannah's responses to her brother's 1st gift

"I play with it!"
"It's so cute!"
"It's very special!"

motherly instincts already?

We went out to eat tonight. Hannah pulled my shirt up enough to see my belly and stuck her dinner roll against it.

"I feeding brother!" she said, matter-of-factly.

outdoor fun

meeting gordon the caterpillar

tulip thief

taking matters into her own hands

Bear has figured out how to open the fridge by herself. I heard her asking for milk and was about to go downstairs when I heard her clopping up the stairs, and a sloshing sound. She held the 2/3 empty bottle of juice in one hand and sippy cup in the other. I wish the camera had been up here, it was too cute.

Of course, the mean mommy is not letting her drink it until she picks up the dry cereal she spilled on the floor.

So now she's pouting.

The battle of the wills is on.

tulip girl

The purple tulip was on its' last leg, so I let Hannah pick it out of the flowerbed.

She helped herself to an ivory/yellowish one, too.

Two Toddlers

Since Juliana lives over an hour away, the girls don't see each other often enough. Becca and Juliana came over tonight while Joel and I went to a "very portan meetin." It was a last minute arrangement, and Hannah was thrilled to spend time with them!

SMILE!

checking out daddy's new ride

It was raining last night, but that did not stop him from playing with his new "baby" a little. Hannah was thrilled to get to wait up past her bedtime to see Daddy.





So far she's keeping a safe distance between the bike and herself. Although the pics don't seem to indicate it, she seems to like it. Now if I can get her to not want to pet our woodchuck.


She did sit on the motorcycle with Daddy for a few seconds today. Then she got mad that she could not ride it with him.

tell me the story of Jesus... and the motorcycle?

After he arrived home with his new toy, Daddy explained to Hannah that after the baby is born, Mommy will be able to ride on the back of the motorcycle with him. He also told her that when he was a little older than she, Papa used to take him for rides on his motorcycle.

"Baby Jesus ride motorcycle?" she asked.

future counselor?

In the midst of a hormonal teary moment today, Hannah's sweet, sensitive side came out.

• "You sad, Mommy?"

• "Yes, sweetie, I'm frustrated and a little sad."

• "It'll be ok, Mommy."

regression

Our potty training is up and down... today has been a down day. Thankfully she held 2/3 of the poop in after messing in her pants so clean up was not too terrible. Then, when she was brushing her teeth after lunch, she peed a river all over her Dora step stool and the bathroom floor. At least it was the bathroom floor and not on the carpet somewhere, right?


She is in a diaper (today, anyway). I don't have the patience for this today.

playing with animals of all kinds

No pics to share, but Hannah met her first tarantula on Sunday night. Our neighbors have one in a terrarium. She thought it was a pretty spider. She was also fascinated by the live crickets which they have to buy to feed it.


She also enjoyed playing with their jack russell terrier, which in the pattern of jack-russelhood is a hyper dog. very hyper. No wonder she slept until almost 10 yesterday morning.