Zoo Time!

A few weeks ago we took the kids to the Rocky River Nature Center, or "Little Zoo" as we like to call it. They have lots of animals there to look at, deer, turtles, fish, raccoons, bunnies, and even a bald eagle. Anna loves this place and even had her birthday party here one year. But boy oh boy did the babies love it this time! They got so excited every time they would see a new animal. It was so cute! So we knew they were defiantly ready for the big stuff....

So on Friday Bonnie and I decided to take our chances on the iffy weather (they had been forecasting rain off and on all day) and take the kids to the zoo for some fun and exercise (for Bonnie and I!) Bonnie has a zoo membership so it works out nicely that if it does indeed rain you won't be wasting money since it is free to get in. The first animals we saw were the elephants. Oh my goodness did Sophie get excited! She and Jackson have just learned how to make the elephant sound, with the arm up and everything, so this was very cool for them to see elephants so big and close. Every part of the zoo was such an experience for them, all the people, the animals; the pretty trees in the breeze- everything! They couldn't get enough. And Anna loved being the big sister and cousin and made sure to point out all of her favorite things to them.

We even discovered an itty-bitty baby turtle that was lost, walking on the main path by the swans. We made sure to scoop him up and put him back into a safe place to save him from an unsuspecting foot. He was only about the size of a half dollar- so cute!!!

Another absolute favorite of the day were the seals. Boy do these guys know how to put on a show! Their trainers were in there with them today so we got to see them do tricks, watch them be fed and groomed and of course perform with their silly antics. The babies couldn't get enough! They were squealing and laughing every time the seals did anything new. If this didn't convince me that I needed to get a zoo membership this year I don't know what will!

It ended up being a gorgeous day, without a cloud in the sky (mommy even got a little sunburned!) and definite blast for everyone. We can't wait to go back- and this time bring a camera with a fully charged battery! Zoo anyone?!

Jackson Goes to Bed Like a Big Boy Now!

We didn't want to say anything about this in the worry that we would jinx it- but since it has been going on since February, I think we can finally talk about it outloud...

Jackson goes to bed like a big boy now! YAYAYAYAYAY! Ever since he was born we couldn't just lay him down in his bed while he was awake- we had to bounce him quietly until it put him to sleep. He was a FIGHTER too! Sometimes it would take up to an hour for him to finally give in to sleep. This prooved to be frustrating on all of us! I would read in my books and magazines how you need to lay them down awake so they can learn how to put themselves to sleep. We always thought "Yeah Right!" How is that even possible?! He would scream and cry and fight and drive us all crazy. Finally Scott and I decided that we were going to try letting him "Cry It Out". I was never a huge fan of this, but it has worked for friends of ours so to make it easier in the long run we would give it a shot. We were going to try it the next night.

Well guess what- the next night after giving Jackson his bottle he was squirming in my arms like he was having a hard time getting comfortable, so I thought...hmmmm, I am just going to give this a try and see what happens. I kissed his face, told him we loved him and Jesus loved him, covered him up with his blanket and said good night and walked out the room. He babbled for about 5 minutes and then was sound asleep. Each night we would do this, every time expecting to get the screams that we would get in the past- but they never came. Can I just say how wonderful this is! No more stressful nights, no more frustrations of me and Scott having to take turns getting him to go to sleep. Jackson is a big boy now and we all like it better this way! Good job little man!

Awwwwww......

Jackson has started doing the cutest thing! If you say to him "Jackson give Mommy an Awww..." he goes up to you, lays his head on you and says "Awwww". It is his sweet way of giving a hug. Now if this doesn't brighten your day, I don't know what does!

Our little man has another tooth coming in which of course has made him feel a bit under the weather. So please send some "Hurry Up Tooth!" and "Feel Better Soon" wishes our way.