Attic Time, A New Cousin and the "Even Bigger" Zoo

Wasn't Labor Day weekend glorious!? The weather was perfect and the sky couldn't have been bluer, and with that in the forecast and the sickness coming to a halt we knew we would be busy! We spent a nice Saturday outside playing and inside organizing our attic toys and reminiscing as we sorted through Jackson's old clothes with the hope that Drew will get some use out of them this fall and winter. Although he looks big, he is still not quite to the size of Jack's winter collection. But it sure is nice to have them, just in case they fit! Jack thought it was great to have a playmate in his toy room for the morning and Drew was intent on playing with every possible toy he could drag out of a drawer and put into something else! He loves to carry a bag, a box or a backpack and load it up with as many toys as his little legs can carry. It is so fun to watch him tottle, usually favoring the heavy container side as he smiles and laughs at himself. And also a little entertaining to see the boys duke it out over a favorite something that they both need to play with at the exact same moment. I know it isn't really funny, but I keep thinking that these are just a glimpse of what is to come... Sunday brought on a road trip to visit with Jay's family for a nice BBQ and picnic. We spent the rather hot afternoon catching up and celebrating some great events. This weekend marked Jay's sister and brother-in-law's first wedding anniversary and also the picture's of the first ultrasound for their first little one. We were so excited to see the little black and white pictures and to see that little head and body, legs and arms. They couldn't be more excited and we spent the day talking and laughing at all sorts of baby things. Jackson and Andrew kept us entertained, especially when Jack came down the stairs with the thigh master on his head announcing that he had found antler's!! It was a great day full of fun! We had promised Jackson and Andrew a trip to the Cleveland Zoo sometime this summer and somehow it was coming to an end faster then we had expected. Monday came and we packed our lunch, slathered on sunscreen and headed off to visit those zebras!! Jackson has been on the lookout for giraffe's and zebra's since May, as well as the Dinosaurs exhibit that has been advertised. After the one hundredth, "are we almost there yet?" and "uh-oh" from the backseat we finally arrived. We spent the day walking from animal to animal (with a malfunctioning camera, of course :O) ) and laughing at the amazement of the boys. Their reactions were priceless. Drew's favorite were the sea lions, and he truly sounded like one as we walked away, he thought they were great!! We watched the elephant's eat hay and swat the flies with their ears, the zebra's eat grass and the family of giraffe's lounge around gracefully. We even attempted to touch sting ray's as they swam around a shallow pool cluttered with 100 other hands plunged deep into the water. The highlight of the day for Jackson was the dinosaurs, although he still can't understand why God didn't make them at the same time as humans, he completely enjoyed the man made moving, growling creatures. If you ask him his favorite he can't quite decide, but the funniest of the day was the one that spit water at whoever walked by! The rain forest was great and Drew was able to walk around and look into the aquarium's, which was an adventure and a break for him! I'm happy to say that we left still smiling, but a little wore out. Nonetheless, it was a nice end to summer and treat to hear Jack talk about the "even bigger" zoo.