Clare's First Trip To The Zoo

Today we took our first trip to the Denver Zoo.  I purchased a family season pass back in April thinking it would be a great annual birthday present for Clare and something fun for us to do as a family, 5 months later I was right J We had a showing this morning at 9am, so we headed out to Village Inn for some breakfast and then to the zoo.  We arrived a bit before 11 and were pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t completely packed, busy but not overly crowded.

After sending Jeff back to the entrance for a map, don’t worry, we weren’t too far from the door, we headed towards the elephants.  Clare enjoyed watching the elephants and even got to hear one of them trumpet.  There were two big crates in their area, they were there so the elephants could get used to them before they are put in them to move to their new area that’s being built.  One elephant was playing with the crate, banging his trunk against the sides and then let out a joyful trumpet, it was pretty fun to watch and Clare loved it.

Hey Dada, look at those!

This elephants name is Mimi.

Also close to the entrance where the Kangaroos, there were a number of them just lounging in the shade.  Unfortunately there weren’t any Joey’s.

Clare was also interested in the birds, good thing they were everywhere!  We were watching the pelicans when we found some monkeys in the trees.  Jeff was less than excited about the hiding monkeys, for some reason he’s convinced they are always watching and plotting against him. 

Possibly the most exciting part of the entire day was the carousel.  We patiently waited our turn and then found the perfect cheetah for our ride.  Clare absolutely loved the carousel; she wasn’t scared and smiled the entire time.  I think we could have spent the entire day riding the carousel and she would have been happy. 

After the carousel was the train.  We had to wait a bit, which was hard for a certain someone, but once we got on the train we had fun.  The train ride took us on a loop where we saw flamingos, the edges of the primate panorama, and the outskirts of Bird World, which was close enough for us.  Jeff and I especially enjoyed how close we were able to sit on the train, LOL; lesson learned one adult per seat.  


Jeff did his best to keep her entertained while we waited, he can be pretty silly. 

We found our way to the Primate Panorama; I couldn’t make a trip to the zoo and not see the monkeys and gorillas!  There were lots of different kinds of monkeys to look at, 7 acres worth to be exact.  It was inside here that Clare visited the oldest animal at the zoo; I regret to say I forget her name, but she was very sweet and smiled at Clare.  As you can see, Clare wasn’t so sure about getting so close. 

Mama, that gorilla is taking a nap.

Next up after the primates were the pachyderms, Clare visited with a 28 year old rhino named George who was taking a nap and a hippo that was going for a swim. 


Dada look at that!!!

Lunch was the next stop on our tour; Clare made the best choice with her hot dog and fruit.  Everywhere you look you see people with coolers and picnics, I think they have the right idea.  Next time we’ll be bringing our own lunch.

After lunch it was getting close to naptime but I really wanted to see the giraffes, so off to Felines and Giraffe Meadows it was.  We were fortunate in that we were able to catch a lion taking a nap, Clare thought it was pretty funny and kept laughing at it.

We also saw 3 zebras lined up as though they were waiting for the bus.

A quick stop in the gift shop topped off our first visit to the zoo, I wanted Clare to have a stuffed animal take home.  She picked a giraffe over an elephant, Jeff said we could get both but I tried to express self control, who knows, maybe an elephant will come home with us next time.  Clare laughs when the giraffe gives her kisses, it’s pretty funny. 

It was a long hot day, but we all had a great time, I can see us going back when the weather gets a bit cooler.  I appreciated that it wasn’t too crowded; we were able to see everything and didn’t have to fight crowds.  We did see one person we knew, Alina and her sister were there with Sophia as part of Sophia’s 1^st Birthday weekend.  

No Mickey!?!?!

Why is there a different cartoon lineup on the weekends?  What am I supposed to do at 7am on a Sunday when Clare is wide awake, Jeff is sound asleep and I want to take a shower.  Clare clearly prefers Mickey Mouse over all other cartoons; she has little interest in Bugs Bunny or The Little Einstein’s, it’s Mickey only at our house.

Thank goodness for YouTube!!

Pantry Door

Clare can open all the doors in the house, with the exception of the front and back doors, but that’s not for a lack of trying, she would love to go outside at any moment.  I don’t mind that she can open all the doors, the days of going to the bathroom alone are gone, and she even occasionally ‘knocks’ before opening. 

The only door that I wish she wouldn’t open is the pantry door; she knows just where her snacks are kept.  She frequently helps herself to her snacks.  

Afternoon Snack

In preparation for our trip next week I bought two new snack cups that are somewhat spill proof, I’m hoping these are better than zip lock bags.  It took a few minutes for Clare to figure out how to get the fish out, but once she got it she had a lot of fun. 

Mama, how do I get the fish?

I can smell them, but my tongue can't reach them...

Maybe if I turn it upside down...

Do they come out the bottom?

Elp, Mama, elp!

Oh, that's how I get them!

Typically snack is kept on the table and Jeff or I portion it out, this way she could take it with her and was able to get them herself.   She entertained herself for a good 20 minutes by watching Mickey Mouse and eating fish. 

Maybe I should put my food in a container like this, teach myself some self control when eating. 

IKEA

IKEA opened in July, there was all sorts of buzz about it, people waiting for 3 days just to be the first in the door, traffic was all kinds of fouled up for days, it seemed like everyone who was someone was going to IKEA.  Not being one for big crowds I decided to wait until the hype died down a bit and visit on a slow Monday morning.  Our plan worked.

Clare and I got dressed and headed out the door for our IKEA adventure, snacks packed, extra sippy cup in the bag and the camera of course.  Everything I’ve heard is that the place is HUGE and to take snacks for Clare since we’d be there for hours. 

Parking was easy, we pulled right into a space only about 12 from the door, and then rode up the escalator two flights to the main entrance where we were greeted with the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls and funny looking carts.  I wasn’t sure how to work the cart, apparently you hang a huge yellow bag on it rather than it having a basket, very weird, however not the weirdest part of the cart.  The cart has wheels, obviously, that look normal, but they are some sort of fancy Swedish 360 degree wheels, you can push the cart in any direction at any time, its as though it’s sliding across the floor, very weird.  

After figuring out the cart and riding the worlds largest elevator down to the first floor (apparently you can’t enter on the first floor?) we arrived in what seemed like the worlds largest furniture show room, wonderful if you’re looking for new bedroom furniture, living room furniture or a dining room set, but not so awesome if you’re looking for the kids section.  Fortunately, there are maps all over the place and secret ‘short cuts’; the short cut to the kid’s section was hidden on a wall of sofa beds, I happened to see another person go thru the grey doors, like some secret passage way.  Once we got into the kids section it was pretty neat. 

We walked around and saw lots of cool things.  I picked up some plates and bowls that have been highly recommended and checked out some of the bedding.  They had some great furniture, I could see shopping here for Clare’s ‘Big Girl’ room someday.  While looking around we came across a moose wearing socks, and for $4.99 he jumped in the cart, err bag I mean. Clare had fun playing with him as I looked at more stuff.  We also found what will be her play table and chairs, although she had absolutely no interest in playing with them or the toys on them, not sure what that was all about.  I also found a mini chair like the chair I hope to have someday should we ever move.  The only other things we added to our giant yellow bag were some finger puppets and farm animals, a placemat, oh and a mouse wearing a crown. 

Mama, this moose is wearing 'ocks!' 

The other area I wanted to look at was 'Wall Decoration and Mirrors' or picture frames, I follow the YHL blog where they swear by all things IKEA and have a million picture frames, I love them and want to do something similar with our hallway someday.  I didn’t end up buying any, but know just where they are when the time comes.  I love some of the ideas from this blog, I wish Jeff and I were ¼ as DIY savvy as they are.

Conveniently located next to the picture frame section was a bathroom.  I couldn’t believe how clean it was!  Clare enjoyed being able to wash her hands.

After a second run thru the kids section, to put back a book and toy I decided against, I was channeling my inner Jeff and expressing self control, we headed back up/down to the check out. 

All in all it was a great morning.  We spent 2 hours looking around and daydreaming about decorating a new house and thinking of all the neat things I could do for a fairly decent dollar.  Clare was an excellent shopping partner as always, she only dropped her goldfish once and didn’t get antsy at all.  We only saw one person we knew, I half expected to see more, and purchased the obligatory blue bag (I found a small one that 3 clerks commented on asking where I’d found it).  After checking out I stopped in the Marketplace to get some Swedish meatballs, apparently they are the IKEA staple and really good; we’ll find out at dinner if they are really all that.

I’m glad we visited IKEA and I think we’ll go back soon.  I’m going to do my best in expressing self-control and not go back until we move, there are so many things I want to have but just don’t have a place for them now.  It really was a neat store and an experience everyone should have, just not on a weekend when it’s packed to the gills.  

17

I wanted to get this posted yesterday, but I was exhausted and blogging just wasn’t going to happen last night.

Yesterday Clare turned 17 months old, almost a 1½ year old!  Again, I can’t believe how fast time is passing.  It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was posting this picture. 

Clare celebrated her 17 month birthday, on September 17^th, by wearing her Ohio State jersey, appropriately number 17, and watching the game with Uncle A.   Unfortunately, the Buckeyes didn’t play very well.  We wished we were watching the Missouri game where the Tigers were beating Eastern Illinois like Miami was beating OSU, but it was a pay-per-view game so we’ll have to wait until it’s on ‘regular’ TV.

Uncle A came down for the game and to play with Clare, she was pretty skeptical at first but warmed up to him quickly.  He’s able to make her laugh pretty hard; he’s a pretty silly guy.  Clare kept trying to get him to take her outside, but it was raining so they had to play ball inside.  She quickly figured out that he was happy to play with her so she didn’t want to stop, not even to take a bath. 

Uncle A, have you see this really cool dishwasher??

Outside?

We enjoyed our evening with Uncle A, even if the Buckeyes didn’t win. This was our last Buckeye game that we’ll be watching with Uncle A, he’s moving to Houston on Friday.  We’re going to try and get one more visit in before he leaves, we’re going to be very sad to see him go.   

Sweet Friday Finisher

At work we’re supposed to submit a ‘Friday Finisher’ report highlighting all the great things we accomplished during the week.  I’ll be honest, more weeks than not in the ‘it’s FRIDAY!’ afternoon excitement I forget about this report, good thing my supervisor does it for me.  This week I think I’ll do a Sweet Friday Finisher.

Every morning after breakfast Clare finds her Bunny and Baby while I load the car, she’s usually either sitting on the step or by the front window when I come back in.  Wednesday she was unloading the dishwasher when I walked back in, good thing there wasn’t a knife in the basket J 

Why don’t we lock the dishwasher?  Well, Clare can unlock it and open the door, so what’s the point. 

Our evening routine consists of playtime and a light snack when we get home; recently she’s started asking to watch Mickey.  She points to the TV and says ‘T!’  She will sit still to watch the show; she even sat on Jeff’s lap one evening. 

She did take a break during the show to try and FaceTime Gail and PawPaw, but they didn’t answer, they must have been out shopping or having dinner (maybe Fortune East?). 

Her piano skills are improving, and by improving I mean she doesn’t immediately hit the ‘home’ button but rather hits the keys for a few seconds first.  Mom, do you see her tongue sticking out? 

Friday afternoon we had a showing, and we didn’t clean the house up before leaving for work, whops!  So, rather than go home after work we headed to the park.  Clare enjoyed the swing until Dada got there and then climbed all the way to the top of the slide like the big kids.  She sat down and rode the slide all the way down, on her face!  Apparently she got flipped around after the first turn. 

The marks on her face didn’t stop her; she went down another 3 times without incident.  You can see the light pink 'slide burns' on her forehead and nose. 

Mama, what are you lookin' at?

When we did finally get home we all enjoyed some driveway time, it was way too hot inside.  Clare is officially running and finds is very funny when others run.  It’s especially funny if you’re running towards her at the same time. I love to hear her giggles.

 Running!!!

She loves to push her baby in the stroller, too bad the baby fell out over by the garage.

Clare has been working on her spoon and fork skills, she’s getting much better.  Tonight she switched between using a fork and spoon for her mac-n-cheese; I think she found the fork to be more fun but the spoon to be more efficient.  Oh, and she didn’t like the corn I ‘hid’ in there, but didn’t mind the green beans.

Forks go in the right hand and spoons in the left.

Tomorrow is College Football, which means lots of TV watching, and internet radio listening for those Tiger fans.  I hope that Uncle A will join us for the Buckeyes game.