Another trip to the zoo...

Sunday was another beautiful day so we ventured out for a morning at the zoo. The highlights of this visit were the goats and the fish. Madeline was so gentle as she brushed the goats in the petting zoo. You should have seen her run from tank to tank squealing with joy as she looked at all the fish.





She also had a fun time picking the azaleas and running in the lawn. I tried to get a few more pictures with the beautiful azalea background, as I think this will be the last weekend of the colorful blooms.


She started twirling in the grass-so cute!


Switching gears, I thought I would share a very common sight at our house:


Don't worry, there hasn't been a massive kill-off of all the animals, this is merely the setup for Madeline's favorite game--'Ssshhhhhh, babies!' She will pull all of the animals and babies out of the toy chest, lay them face down in a line, pat their backs and say 'Shhhhh, babies!' As an observer, you must remain very quiet and for those that don't obey these rules, she gets a very stern look on her face and reminds you, 'Sssshhhhhh!' Apparently, in daycare, she is one of the last toddlers to settle down for naptime (which doesn't surprise us one bit!) so Madeline watches them get the cots all set and studies the process as her classmates drift off to sleep.

We really like this game, as it entertains her for long stretches of time!

A 'catch-up' post

It's been awhile since my last post, but I have been traveling like crazy and haven't gotten around to posting the latest pictures. Here's a few from the last two weekends....

I was out of town two weekends ago and Madeline and Brian headed to the Taly and Hadar's lake house.

Off to the lake....

....with the necessary beverages and snacks in tow!

"Trak-teeeerrrr"


Last weekend was gorgeous so we headed out for a morning at the zoo.


Madeline rode the carousel for the very first time!

Such a big girl!



Although one would think that the biggest attraction at the zoo would be the animals, Madeline proved otherwise. We splashed in puddles...

danced through the leaves....

picked flowers....

and chased the blackbirds.

Maybe next time we'll spend more time seeing the animals, but it was nice to take time and enjoy the flowers!


Tomorrow is supposed to be another beautiful day, so maybe we'll make another trip to the zoo.

It's Rodeo Time...

The Rodeo is in town and here in Houston, it's a big deal! We went to the parade last weekend and Madeline enjoyed cheering on the horses as they made their way through downtown. Today we ventured out with all the crowds to partake in the festivities and visit with the animals. Madeline loved the petting zoo and we would have spent all day there if she had her way! I think she likes the pigs and the sheep the best! As a final nightcap, Madeline went on her first carnival ride. Our little daredevil LOVED the ride and had a huge smile the whole time.

The rodeo parade last weekend:


It's petting zoo time!




It's so hard to wait in line for the carnival ride when you can see all the other kids having fun!

Yay!! Let's ride the elephants!



Check out these smiles!

Mardi Gras!!

We ventured down to Galveston tonight to get some good Cajun food for dinner and catch the evening sights at the Mardi Gras Grand Night Parade. Madeline had a lot of fun waving for beads, cheering with the crowds and was mesmerized by the parade.

Just for fun, here she was at Mardi Gras last year:


Amazing how a year has changed her!






So sleepy....time to go home!


And just some fun images from the night...