Two At the Zoo

I've been seeing a new doctor for my headaches and since her office is only five minutes from the zoo, after my appointment last week Malia and I spent a couple of hours checking out the animals. I didn't tell her we were going and she was so excited when we arrived that she jumped up and down and said, "Thank you, thank you for coming to the zoo!"

We have never been to the zoo without the boys and it was really great to be able to go at Malia's pace, seeing the things she wanted to see. That means we saw elephants, monkeys (neither of which surprised me) and snakes (which did). There was one particular monkey that came right up to the glass and just stared at Malia. She, of course, stared right back. We stood at that particular cage for a good five minutes or so as she studied that funny little monkey.

(I know the picture is a little blurry. It was dim inside the monkey house and taking great pics with my iPod camera is still a work in progress.)

She was brave enough to sit on the metal elephant's trunk for a picture, something she has never done before and didn't look all that pleased about this time even though it was her idea.

And because the crowds were not overwhelming and the line was not ridiculously long, she got to ride the carousel. She was so excited once she had her ticket in her hand and was waiting for her turn that she simply could not get close enough.

She stood just like that the entire time we were waiting in line. Her response when the carousel started to spin was, "This is awesome!!" Needless to say, she was pretty bummed when her turn was over. She really loved it. 

 
When we were done at the zoo we ate lunch at Wendy’s. We don’t eat out all that often and when we do, most of the time we do take out so that we can cook something for Matthew at home. So eating in the restaurant is a treat for Malia.

Because of all Matthew's food allergies, spur of the moment trips like this are always hard with him because we have to plan in advance or be home by mealtimes since he can't safely eat out. So being able to just go on an outing on a whim and stay as long as we want is nice. I'll have to take advantage of it before Malia gets old enough for school. And she is so grateful about our excursion (she mentioned it in her prayers for days afterward) that it makes me perfectly willing to take her again.

Vroom! Vroom!

When I bought a box of diapers this morning, I had no idea that I was also buying an entire afternoon's entertainment for my three youngest kids as well. Once the box was emptied, Nathan and Matthew (who are on the very last day of their off-track) looked at it and saw great potential.

Before long, a few paper plates, several plastic cups and a handful of brads have transformed the box into a classic convertible for Malia, complete with steering wheel and tires that turn, head lights, a windshield and a place for Malia to insert her key. Once the auto was complete, Nathan and Matthew spent the next two hours pushing Malia around the house. They went shopping for books in the living room, bought groceries from Malia's kitchen and even watched a movie ("Tangled," of course) at the back-of-the-couch drive-in.

I love that I have creative offspring. I can even overlook the enormous pig sty they left in Malia's room (an entire shelf of books left on the floor as well as all the contents of her kitchen) because they played so well together all afternoon.

Walt, Meet George

Two and three year olds are the best when it comes to language. As they strive to grasp the finer points, they often come up with the best vocabulary blunders. Malia is no exemption to that tendency.

Lately she has come up with some great verbal creations in relation to the t.v. shows she is fond of. The first one to pop up was Wookie Mouse, Mickey's hairy cousin. In a moment of boredom at work, Kev googled "Wookie Mouse" and actually came up with a completely applicable image. It would seem that there is a lady in Amsterdam who makes stuffed mice in a variety if themes and sells them on etsy (her shop is called “The House of Mouse” if you want to check it out). So Wookie Mouse actually exists and it makes me giggle. 

Several of my other favorites include Serious George (who is not anywhere near as fun as his curious counterpart), and Christmas Street (where Elmo and Big Bird deck the halls all year long).

I'm always sad when my kids grow up enough that they no longer make such wonderfully awesome verbal blunders. Life is just a little bit duller when all their words are completely accurate.

(fyi: the bandaid on her nose is because she rubs her nose with her finger when she sucks her thumb and always seems to scratch herself. Then she picks the scab off repeatedly so it never heals.)