Category Archives: critters

The Zoo! Again!

I know what you’re thinking… the zoo again?  Well, that’s what happens when you have a membership.  You tend to go a lot.  Plus, I really wanted to see the new baby tiger, and the kangaroos will be going away soon, so it just seemed like the right time to go back. Also, I kind of insisted on it since everyone was cranky and I will not be trifled with!

Besides… isn’t she adorable?  I should have brought my better camera, but didn’t, so I guess I’ll just have to go back soon. Granted, it’s also hard to shoot through glass that is smeared and has a ton of glare.  Serious cute aggression happened, though.

It was overcast and we seemed to have arrived during nap time for most of the animals… again. Haha!

These kangaroos were not about to get up and I found it amusing that there were just a bunch of kangaroos lounging on a hill that usually has bison hanging out on it…

Sometimes it’s really just best not to ask what they’re doing.

Also… note to self that it’s time to invest in better anti-aging creams… Seriously??

Excitement, however!!  I have NEVER seen the beaver out when we’ve been to the zoo and there he/she was!

And then more animals slept…

We did get to see the Lynx stalk a bird, which was fun.  It was so cute when it’s butt and little tail started to do the whole wiggle.

They had to climb and fight over every single one of these damn statues throughout the zoo.  WHY???

Cuddle party, Lemur style!

The bats will never cease being cool.

Another guy we often don’t see up close… both of them actually. They don’t move and they always look fake.

A bigger version of Bowser. Ha!

And a flamboyance of Flamingos.  They are such a strange, but glorious bird.

And that is all I’ve got for this slightly overcast Wednesday.  We have Enzo’s Kindergarten open house this afternoon and then plans to go the gym, so we’ll see how that goes. We’re going to drop the kids off in gym childcare and see how the evening progresses!

Bowser… or Princess Peach?

I feel like we need to find a better way to figure out if Bowser (our Bearded Dragon) is truly male or female. We’ve checked a couple of times, but the flashlight method requires a brighter flashlight, I think.  So… that..  Haha. I really need to take some updated photos to show just how much our little dragon has grown because he (we’ll just keep going with that for now) has been eating a ton and shedding quite a lot.  You can kind of see how much he’s grown when you compare the first pictures with the ones I have from a couple of weeks ago.

Seriously, who knew a lizard could be so cute?  I love when it’s night time and you can open up his tank – so much easier now with his upgraded pad – and give him a little pet between the eyes and he just blissfully closes them.  Haha. Sleeping dragons are adorable, by the way.

I think we’ll hold off on any other pets for now what with how much time it takes to feed and take care of the ones we have already.  Time to really start looking for that house on some acreage, I suppose.

Week In Review – The It’s Hot Outside So Let’s Stay Inside Edition

Happy Monday!

Linking up with Meghan from Clean Eats, Fast Feets for another Week in Review!

It was one of those weeks… nothing super exciting going on, and yet it seemed exhausting as well.  Phoebe has been having some rougher bedtimes as we attempt to get her to stay in her own room.  I was okay when she would wander into our room after we had all gone to sleep, but that time got earlier and earlier until some nights she’d go to sleep between 7:30-8:00 only to wake up at 9:00 or so and want to sleep in my bed.  We are trying to break that habit and it’s not easy.  I set up a cot in our room so if she does have trouble sleeping she can come sleep on that, but the novelty wore off and she doesn’t want to sleep on the cot anymore.  SIGH.

On Tuesday I got a hair trim, and while I wasn’t sure about the short bangs at first… I grew to like them.  Har har har.

On Thursday, Enzo randomly threw up at day care several times, so I went to pick him up early.  He recovered quickly and was perfectly fine, but still had to stay home with Josh on Friday. At least the cats were happy?

On Saturday a friend of Josh’s drove out (he was picking up an arcade game that Josh had found for him) and spent the night.  Enzo didn’t want to leave the house, but Phoebe was antsy, so we had a little Girl’s Day complete with annoying puppet shows that she insisted we watch and lots of sleepy critters at a very hot day at the zoo.

The best part was getting a glimpse of the new Mountain Lion cub, though!!!! He/She was passed out and part of me wondered how hard it would be to break into the enclosure and steal the little guy away.  I’m not crazy.

Can’t forget hanging out with my favorite lizard. 😉

On Sunday we started putting together Bowser’s new enclosure (still waiting on the new light strip) and then it was swim class time!  Afterwards we played in the pool with the kids and then let them play in the play area before heading out to dinner because I had zero desire to cook.

Phoebe ended up falling asleep in our bed while we were watching The Great British Baking Show.  Even though it completely negates what we’ve been trying to train her to do, we left her in there.  It’s a new week, right?  I’m sure tonight will go swimmingly with zero issues!

Happy Monday everyone!

Family Outing and the Stuff Kids Say

It’s been a few weeks now, but a weekend finally worked out where we could all go to the zoo together.  There are kangaroos temporarily there and the kids wanted to see them, so on a chilly day with rain on the horizon, off we went. Haha!

It’s also nice to have Josh there because then I don’t have to shuffle kids, a stroller, and coffee.  Enzo decided to bring his camera to the zoo that day too, so I need to grab it and see what he took pictures of!

It was a really nice, slow day without too many people, which means it’s perfect to walk on the Tropics Trail – especially when it’s chilly outside.  The kids can wander off, and Phoebe can run into at least a dozen people because that’s kind of just what she does.

As difficult as this age is at times, there are some pretty great moments.  The kids have been really into realistic imaginative play.  They like to set up a store and go shopping, or one night we set up a restaurant.  Not gonna lie, it’s one of my new favorite games.  The kids wanted to go out to eat after swim lessons, but that wasn’t happening, so Enzo actually had the great idea to play restaurant at home.  As soon as we got home, I set up a little table for them (with flowers too) and grabbed some “menus” and crayons and led them to their seat.

Phoebe kept calling me Restaurant instead of Waitress, so I finally convinced her to just call me Heather.  They loved ordering drinks (Enzo said he would have a beer) and Joe their friendly waiter served those while I took their food orders and set about preparing that.  They were both unbelievably polite – way more than they usually are in an actual restaurant – and it was adorable when they would ask Joe for something (Phoebe: Joe, can I go to the restroom?) or when Enzo told me quite politely “I think I forgot my wallet.”

We sent Joe out to the parking lot to see if he had dropped it next to his car and sure enough, Joe was able to find it. 😉  I wrote up a receipt and everything and ran Enzo’s card through, and even more adorable, I saw him grab a crayon to sign his receipt.  I had no idea they paid as much attention as they do when we go places, but sure enough… he knows the drill.

Phoebe wanted to pay as well, so she ran and grabbed her wallet and tried giving me her actual money telling me she wanted me to buy something nice. Haha!  Tempting…

The game isn’t old yet… last night Phoebe asked for an apron so she could cook me something to eat in her restaurant.  “Um, ma’am? Ma’am!  What do you want?”  Haha!  She’s full of “Yes, Ma’am’s” lately and it’s pretty cute. I realize I’m completely biased.  Enzo is full of sass and usually keeps us laughing as well.  He’s a big fan of knock-knock jokes right now, which reminds me of myself as a kid.  I remember buying a joke book and rainbow sherbet and being in heaven.

Simple things, right?  Some days I long for simplicity, though modern day conveniences are quite nice.

Or just a big kitty to snuggle… I’d be okay with a leopard too.

Currently!

Currently :

Reading… The Fellowship of the Ring

Watching (on TV)… The Great British Baking Show

Watching (movies)… Split. James McAvoy’s acting was the only reason to watch the film.  Otherwise… plot holes and various other little things that didn’t work.

Playing… Lots of video games. Haha!  I got my own PS4 (isn’t it pretty??) and I’ve joined Josh’s side project Rapscallion Brigade, which means I stream on Friday nights, but also means I’m watching other people play video games a lot too.  Haha!  No wonder I’m not getting any reading or TV watching in.

Drinking… Iced Coffee, Hot Coffee, Wine, Gin, and lots of water

Eating… Protein… and jelly beans. I love those little suckers so much.

Looking forward to… Next Saturday when Josh and I go on a little nerdy adventure.  He surprised me with tickets to the annual Little House on the Prairie pageant for our anniversary, so we’ll be heading to Walnut Grove and letting me live out some of my childhood dreams.

Feeling… Lucky, joyful, tired, happy, excited, positive, hopeful, playful, busy

Organizing… The kids’ rooms again.  They are back to separate bedrooms for a few reasons.  We’re having some growing pains with both of them and I’m hoping this will help. 

Loving… Our little Bearded Dragon.  He’s a fun addition to the house and despite that he’s actually a tad high maintenance, it hasn’t stopped me from wanting to add to our pet family.

Thoroughly enjoying… Honestly? A lot of things. I’m trying not to let as many things bother me and in general I’m not as stressed as I used to be. I’m a ray of sunshine!  😀