Zoo Days

For the past three months or so, Christian and I have frequented the zoo a lot.  Our most recent trip was with our cousins from New Jersey which was actually on the 15th of May.  Before then we went every week and sometimes more than that.  Christian keeps telling me things he wants to do someday.  Right now it’s be a zoo keeper.  Here are some of the cutest pictures I have from our visits.

 

  Here is Christian and his friend Jaron from our previous ward.  Sitting on the tiger statue.

I wonder if this counts for Christian when he told me “I want to ride on an elephant someday!”

The gorgeous tiger that they have at the zoo…getting restless.  I really can’t blame him.

I think Christian was a little more motivated to eat his lunch that day and take a nap so that he could at least reach the same height as a gorilla.

Here is Christian riding on the Bald Eagle on the Carrousel.  He has been very interested in these birds since he noticed grandma Jaydene’s bald eagle statue.

I think this is the closest that he should ever attempt to ride a rhino!  

Here are Christian and our cousins; Gabby is hanging on the Rhino’s back, Samantha is holding the ear, and Katherine and her dad Alan, my first cousin, are on the right.

 

 

 

 

Here is Samantha on the train next to Alan and Gabby in the seat up front of him.

   

Here is a picture I took on 5/17/09 the night before they left.

Left to right: Jessica, Alan, Katherine, Gabby and Samantha giving bunny ears.

Christian keeps telling me “I love my new cousins, I love Samantha, I love Gabby, I love Katherine too”  I guess we’ll have to try to make it back east someday and see them again.

New exciting gift!

Yesterday was Jared's birthday celebration at my parents house. I was shocked amazed and excited at the gift that combined gift my parents gave Jared and I to celebrate his birthday and my graduation. It was a newly refurbished camcorder/camera!!!

I am so excited! I was mentioning a while ago how I was wishing we had a camcorder but I really had no idea where to begin looking and price wise it was a little out of range for quite a while (if not years). I am so excited that now I have a way to remember Christian as he grows. I have some sparse video footage from family members since he was born but other than that, I am really forgetting how he looked as a baby. Thanks mom and dad!

My little Chef

Every time I cook I try to let Christian help. I remember being little and wanting to help and my mother would tell me to "watch until I learn" how to cook. It was really frustrating for me and after a while I had absolutely no interest in cooking. Isn't it interesting that we can quench someone's thirst to help just by not letting them? Anyway, so I decided when I made Jared's Birthday cake when Christian was 15 months or so that he was big enough to help stir with some help and supervision. He loved it and ever since then I've tried to let Christian help me with at least a portion of every meal when I'm doing something that does not involve knives or heat. He knows that the oven is too hot and that knives are dangerous so he doesn't even ask when it comes to those tasks. He loves to help out. On Sunday, Jared was saying that "Mommy's a good cook" and Christian looked at him and said "Yeah but I'm the best chef!" Today he was trying to think of culinary masterpieces for breakfast. My favorite idea was "I have a great idea! Lets put chocolate sauce on yogurt! Yogurt is healthy!!!" I vetoed that one and said that he could have the yogurt alone.