Earlier this month, we had a great outing to the Denver zoo. It was the first time we went as a family, and it was so much fun!
Checking out a big lizard
Hello Lion!
Emily's pretty cool in her sunglasses
Note Chris's shirt
The lorikeet exhibit is one the girls and I hadn't been in before because you can't bring in strollers. We spent quite a bit of time in here with these beautiful birds.
You can even buy little cups of nectar to feed the birds!
Lunch time!
Yum!
We ended the day with a visit to the giraffes, which Chris said was his favorite
I was thinking about getting the girls a water table, but before I could get one, they discovered this deck chair with rain water on it, and proved to me that a water toy would be a must for the summer!
~splash~splash~splash~
Splashing and licking water off dripping fingers can provide endless entertainment!
Sticking fingers in a sister's mouth is also incredibly fun!
After some shopping and Craigslist searching, I found this great water toy in Highlands Ranch. It was well worth the $5 and two hour car ride!
At the beginning of April, my Darling Doubles club had a parent-to-parent educator come talk about activities we could do at home with things often found around the house. We tried out putting poker chips through the slot in the top of a container right away.
Emily loved the activity. It was right up her fine-motor-skills alley, and she concentrated hard, putting the chips in until the container filled up, and then she'd want to do it again and again.
Addison, on the other hand, found that the poker chips fit perfectly in her mouth.
These pictures were taken on April 5th, and at that point, Addison was much more focused on learning to walk.
Later in the month, Addie mastered walking independently.
Here she is walking to Chris on his birthday
And then, when the poker chips came back out on the 23rd, Addison was ready to focus on her fine motor skills.
Here's a little video of Emily putting clothespins in a container (another riveting game) and Addie putting poker chips through the slot. Addie is shirtless because she's also learned how to take off her own shirt, and for a little while she was doing it constantly.
Oh, and here's what happens with Addie's shirts when she's taken them off. (Emily must see us doing this often as there's a lot of spilled milk in this house!
For Chris's birthday, we went to Bass Pro Shop so that Chris could buy some flies and we could look at the fish in the aquarium. The girls got all dressed up in the Radiohead onesies I made Chris for his birthday (using the Kid A and Kid B pictures he made from the Kid A album cover), Addie got some tylenol, and we headed out.
I almost didn't post these pictures, because we all know what happened as this day went on, but the beginning was fun, and we hope to return to Bass one day, so it will be important to remember the good times.
Kid A
Kid B
Looking at the giant fish
Lots of the fish swimming by were as big or bigger than the girls!
They made Addie a little nervous
Hanging out by the fish bench
Lots of stuffed animals to see. There's a beaver and a bear behind Addie but she's looking up at a mountain goat or deer
While it still gives me shudders to think of that day, I'm hoping we'll have another chance to visit the amazing "Outdoor World" that is Bass Proshop.
We have discovered a new playground that has the perfect equipment for toddlers. Everything is fairly close to the ground and there are plenty of railing to keep kids from falling off bridges and walkways. Emily and Addison had so much fun, and we hope to go back soon!
Addie and Emily surround Ellie as they all try to climb the stairs
One of our favorite birthday gifts? Our zoo membership! We've already gone four times, and each time we find a new animal to observe and talk to. Last month, we took a trip to the zoo with our twin friends Foster and Jack.
These stroller clips are the best! They link two umbrella strollers together, so the girls can be side-by-side for better animal viewing (in this photo, they're viewing a tall mammal talking loudly on his cell phone).
Monkey watching!
Foster introduces the stuffed monkey to the real monkey
We were lucky enough to get a sneak peak into the new pachyderm exhibit
What a great day with friends! It is so wonderful when the main goal of the day is to have FUN!
On Chris's birthday last month, I wanted to do something with hand and footprints for his birthday card, but wanted to do it a little differently than the usual print-in-paint, so I used our scanner. Can you guess whose are whose?
Snacktime happens twice a day, once after morning nap and once after afternoon nap. Sometimes our snacks are quick, small, and served on the floor, and sometimes they're big, messy, and served in high chairs. It just depends on how hungry the girls wake up, and how close to lunch or dinner it is.
Right now, Emily loves mini peanut butter sandwich crackers, and Addie loves goldfish. Neither of them will ever turn down a graham cracker, and grapes are almost always a hit (but Addie will eat more of them). They get their straw water cups at snack. Emily can suck that water down like there's no tomorrow, and will often need a refill. Addie's better about drinking milk at meals, so doesn't seem as thirsty at snacktime.
Lately, we've been having our snacks out in the front yard, where we can people watch and sit in the shade. Both girls LOVE when the kids across the street come outside, because big kids are the best. It's also a wonderful treat when someone walks by with a dog, or our neighbor's dog, Louie, comes outside.
