A sunburn in March, or the week we went to the zoo two days in a row.

On Wednesday we met some Ft. Collins friends at Denver Zoo, our first zoo visit of the year!

It is sort of a big trip for us, about 45 minutes away, so I started planning and putting our bags together a day in advance (the most important bag being our lunch sacks which contained enough food to feed a small army). 

We actually got out the door on time and arrived just as they were opening (although we did briefly get lost in the factories of Commerce City). 

A chilly morning quickly turned into a warm March day, it was in the 60's! 

Max said the hippo has a "big booty" haha! 

I am always a little iffy about bringing the camera along when I take the boys places by myself. My hands are already full juggling them plus the bus  our stroller, but it is nice to have some pictures of these fun days. So most of these pictures were taken one handed in between yelling, " STOP, Max." "Too far away, Max." "That's 1...2..." (he only hears me when he gets to two and three quarters).  Max is the kind of kid who loves to just take off and run at places like the zoo, which is great for getting that energy out but at the same time I don't want to turn my head away for a second and then find him in one of the animal exhibits. 

On the way to the zoo I told Max that he was spending time with ladies today, so he needed to be a gentleman. He said, " Okay, I be gentle." Sweet guy. 

I like this picture because Max looks a little nervous about sitting close to the girls...

Three toddlers spontaneously sitting at the same time. 

It felt amazing to each lunch out in the sunshine, to catch up and have some girl talk, and I never cease to be amazed by the way little girls can somewhat sit still! These little ladies sat and ate lunch while Max ran circles around the table, played in a puddle, slipped on ice and then went right back to slip on the same spot again...it's so interesting to see their little personalities starting to shine through and I often wonder what our toddlers will be like as adults :) We also had our first goose encounter of the week, those geese at the zoo are brazen. 

Love the top picture, Evie's little sister got in the shot! 

Me and Eli in his dapper new hat. 

Max brought along his binoculars that Daddy made him...checking out the zebras. 

Eli thought the bears were hilarious and Max liked the tigers. At the end of the day the lions put on quite a show for us, a male lion was roaring (is that the right word for lion speak?) about something, and then two females started roaring too. The kids seemed a little scared but then they started imitating the roars, so cute to see. Maybe Max understands better now why I call him my little lion :) 

We had a great time and as the boys snored from the backseat I thought to myself, "We need to do this more often." 

Catching up on some pictures for the photo-a-day challenge...

5pm, Eli's epic 3 hour nap after the zoo. 

I guess we could call this one smile and lack thereof. 

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Thursday delivered even warmer weather, approaching 70 degrees, we were itching to get back outside and looking for company. I finally caught Ish at about 10:30 and we decided the kids needed to have a great day, we all needed to be together, feel warmth, share laughter. So when she said, "meet at the zoo in an hour and a half?" I ignored the fact that we were still sitting in pajamas and said, "let's do it!". 

I slapped together some PB & J's, gathered snacks, and quickly wrangled the boys into some clothes and we were out the door. 

Ish picked up our buddy BenJ and round 2 of our zoo adventure began. 

All for one and one for all! Those with toddlers know you could never make them walk together like this, they chose to hold hands for a little while all on their own. 

Every now and then I'll happen upon a picture that makes me tear up a little. Not because of great photo quality, superb white balance, or clear focus...but because of the story behind the picture, the emotion captured amidst the complexities of daily life. 

This is one of those pictures. 

Our babies love and support each other. 

We laid a blanket out on the grass and sat down to have a picnic lunch... 

soaking up some much needed vitamin D. 

Unfortunately those brave geese returned, they tried to steal our lunch. Ish chased them away and Max went to find a stick and helped protect us from the geese too.  

This is another boy lesson for me...if you take a boy outside he will always find a stick, always. 

It was around this time that my arms started to look a little pink and we opened a brand new tube of sunscreen, a sure sign that spring is near. 

Eli won messiest baby of the day award by managing to coat his entire body with squeezable Greek yogurt. He was in good spirits and seriously went crazy over the orangutans. He was just squealing with delight and even showed off his wobbly walking skills a bit. 

Max and BenJ engage in the age old, whose stick is bigger debate. 

A highlight of the day was our ride on the merry go round. 

This was Eli's first ride, and the first time Max could really articulate how much he enjoyed it. 

Truly, is there anything that can bring cheer like a carousel? 

I don't think so. 

Like mother, like daughter...these girls are so much fun! 

Ish handling two toddlers like a seasoned professional. 

As we spun in circles I just took in the kids faces...the perfect mix of wonder, amazement, trepidation, and awe. Towards the end there was a bit of sea sick look mixed in...

Good times. 

blurry, but the three of us <3 

We finished our second lap of the zoo in as many days and returned home tired, dirty, sore, and happy! 

It was right into the bathtub, and if the mark of a good day is dirty bath water, than this was certainly a good day. 

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On Friday morning as I sat in the Starbucks drive-thru line, I noticed the lady behind us smiling and laughing as she placed her order. Which caused me to flashback to a few weeks ago when we were the recipients of a random act of kindness, the person in front of us paid for our coffee and milk box. I have always thought it would be really neat to be a part of one of those chains of paying it forward in a Starbucks drive thru, but when it actually happened to us and I was holding a mostly empty gift card in my hand to pay, I was so shocked and surprised that I just accepted it a drove away. Only to call Julian a few minutes later in a panic over having been THAT person, the one who broke the chain.

Anyway, on Friday, we started a chain of our own, happy Friday to the smiling lady in the car behind us :)  

the one place I never ever bring the DSLR, I fear it wouldn't make it out of monkey bizness in one piece.

We ended the week with a trip to Monkey Bizness with our friends Julie and Hayley. I so love the mix of coffee shop and playhouse this place embodies. Julie and I sipped coffee and caught up while the kids ran wild.  Fridays have a way of passing so much slower than other days of the week (is it just me?), so it is always nice to spend some time with friends to speed up the arrival of weekend fun. 

Speaking of weekend fun, I had quite the momentous occasion last night. 

Ish and I met for a girls dinner that we certainly earned by hauling 4 toddlers around the zoo. 

Lemon Drop, I have missed you! Great night with a great friend. 

This is my first alcoholic drink in 3 years, 4 months, and 4 days (other than the very sporadic beer or few sips of wine over the past few months). Eli has been losing interest in nursing and I am weaning him this weekend. After over three years of continuous pregnancy and/or nursing I am looking forward to my new found freedom to have an adult beverage, drink more than ~100mg of coffee, and to use pain killers/cold medication if I want to! 

Hooray! 

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This week of sunshine has assured me that spring is coming, 10-14 inches of snow may be falling outside right now, but still, there is promise of greener times ahead.