Mommy-Daughter Day

Please excuse our absence from the blogging world. We haven't had very much going on lately. We had some plans for both the previous weekends, but Benny who never gets sick had flu like symptoms both weekends. So, we missed out on the fall festival at Fort Riley called Apple Days. We have been the past two years, so at least we know what we missed out on, but Benny always enjoys it. We had been looking forward to Sophie having some fun this year. Last Sunday, we missed out on the St. Xavier school carnival. I had signed up to work a shift at the preschool booth, so I still went and watched all the kiddos having fun. It broke my heart to think Ben was home with a fever. Maybe we will have better luck this weekend!

On Thursday, Sophie and I had our first Mommy-Daughter day. Even though Benny is at preschool for three hours everyday, I find that we either run errands, or come home and take naps. We never take the time to do something fun! Plus, three hours isn't really enough time to venture too far from home. Lately, we have had an arrangement with my friend Dot. On Tuesdays I pick up her son, Nicky from preschool and bring him home to play with Benny. She returns the favor on Thursdays. The boys both enjoy their extra time together, and it gives Dot and I one day a week where we don't have to be back in three hours for pick-up. So, this Thursday we took advantage of the extra time and took a trip to the zoo!

Sophie has been to the zoo more times than I can count, but this was really the first time she noticed the animals. Plus, since it was Thursday no one was there and she was able to get out of the stroller and walk and explore. But, we did not take this adventure alone! Our friends Piper and Jackson were back in town, and they joined us for our fun day. Jackson is Sophie's friend who is just 17 days older. You may recall that his Daddy, JJ, worked with Nick for the past few years. Now JJ has left the Army and is working in Arkansas. They still haven't sold their house yet in Kansas, so Piper and Jackson come back from time to time to stay.

First we met for lunch at Panera Bread. I am thrilled that I can take Sophie to eat there, because picky Ben doesn't like anything there but the chocolate chip cookies. Sophie ate most of her grilled cheese, some of Jackson's turkey sandwich, and was thrilled by her yogurt in a tube (I found it messy, but she really did like it). We joke that Sophie is our human garbage disposal because she will eat most anything. Jackson wasn't so thrilled with his lunch, so he was sneaking bits to Sophie, and she was gladly accepting them. After our lunch, we headed to Sunset Zoo in Manhattan. It was the most beautiful fall day.

I missed a cute moment in the above photo. The kids had been trying to hold hands as we were walking. Of course I couldn't get them to do it again for a picture. Notice that Jackson is in a much more comfy stroller. By the end, we had traded because Sophie kept climbing back into his when they got out. Plus our stroller was easier for Jackson to push around, and he was very entertained doing so.

The kids stayed in their strollers for the first half of the trip. Most of the animals were sleeping, and there wasn't much they could see. Once we got to a spot in the zoo where there were a lot of exhibits right in a row, we let them get out and walk. They did stop though for a few breaks.

Jackson is much more affectionate than Sophie is. He is always trying to give her hugs, and she is always trying to avoid them. I was trying to sit her on this little ledge to get a cute picture. Jackson came out of nowhere to give her a hug. It didn't end pretty folks. In the picture it looks like they are going to tip backwards into the sunken flower bed. However, they both fell forward instead and crashed onto the sidewalk. Luckily there weren't any injuries.

I tried again for a picture of Sophie, but I couldn't get her to pay attention. She is wearing her favorite new shoes from Target that we picked up earlier in the week. She loves them and wants to wear them everyday. We are running out of things to match the raspberry color! Sometimes she wears shoes with her pajamas because she loves to have them on so much (which is different from last fall when I couldn't keep them on).

After viewing most of the animals, we hit the playground. It was so nice because for awhile we were the only ones there and the kids had the run of it. The double slide was a big hit as was the bridge. I didn't get many photos because our daredevil kids were scaring us, and we didn't feel that our four arms were enough to control them. Piper is helping them down the slide to prevent them from venturing too far onto the playground. After a few minutes, they both had so much courage that they were running too fast and trying to do things that 18 month olds just shouldn't do. Soon, Piper and I were too stressed out to let them play any longer and we moved them on to the petting zoo.

I thought that Sophie would enjoy the petting zoo more than she did. She fed one piece of food to a goat, and that was enough. She didn't want to touch them and after a few minutes just wanted to get back into Jackson's stroller. Benny has always loved the goats, so I assumed Sophie would too. She has no fear around our dog, Smokey, and the goats were much smaller. Jackson loved the goats and even brushed them. Poor little guy tripped though trying to get to one and took quite the nasty fall. Word has it that he has his first shinner.

We had a wonderful time at the zoo, with our wonderful friends. We will miss them so much when they leave Kansas for good! After a few hours our kids were officially tuckered out, and it was time to head home. Thanks for the fun day Jackson and Piper!

I promise more posts soon!