A day at the Zoo!

Grammie Bean came to visit! Yay! Calvin's favorite adventure with her was our trip to the

  Phoenix Zoo.

On the morning of, we met up at my brother Chris's apartment to eat breakfast and depart from there to the zoo. However, I forgot to pack SHOES for Calvin (strike 1). But I remembered sunscreen, snacks, lunch, a change of clothes, diapers, wipes, water bottles, toys, books, his favorite blanket, Hobbes...doesn't that matter? Nope. I still failed.  So, because of my lapse of judgment, we made a quick stop at a nearby Walmart for some Calvin size sandals.

We arrived at the zoo and I realized that I didn't pack Calvin's STROLLER (strike 2). I panicked. But my Mom reassured me that the zoo probably has strollers we can rent for the day. She is so wise. 

Calvin had the BEST time running around the zoo (not really using the stroller after all) and looking at all sorts of animals. 

And I had fun playing with my Christmas present: Canon EFS 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II Telephoto Zoom Lens

When I opened this present on Christmas day, Jake said something like, "Now you can take awesome photos of soccer games!" I haven't had the chance to use the lens for sports yet, but the Zoo was a great opportunity to practice.

I am super impressed with how much I could zoom in while maintaining the integrity of the shot. I'm in love with this lens.

Back to the zoo. First we visited the birds.

Calvin LOVED watching the fresh water otters swim and wrestle...

...He thought these otters were giving kisses.

One of Calvin's favorite words to say right now is "turtle." When we spotted these REAL LIFE turtles, he was so excited that he literally jumped for joy. As for me, they were the most boring animal we encountered. They literally looked like statues instead of real turtles.

Calvin got antsy to see the BIG animals. So off we went to see the giraffe!

Calvin was in awe at how big the animals were compared to his toys. He pretty much gazed at each animal like this until we pulled him to the next animal. If we didn't move him along, we would've been at the zoo for a week!

Then we got to see the BIG CATS!

Once he saw the sleepy lion, he was getting pretty sleepy, as well.

But then he heard that we were going to see the monkeys next, and he was up and ready!

This colorful monkey came right up to Calvin's face SUPER close. He LOVED it.

This monkey's face looks so odd to me. What an odd shape, right?

Calvin's favorite animal to see in person was the Orangutan. Calvin intently observed the orangutan:

swing from ropes, 

climb the walls, 

walk on all four limbs, 

pick at the bugs on his arm, 

and lick the bugs off the floor.

As we left the orangutan area, Calvin decided that he wanted to BE an orangutan. He crawled on all four limbs, tried to climb the walls, picked at his arms looking for bugs, and licked the pavement...all just like the orangutan. We tried to get him to walk, but he refused. He kept saying, "Monkey!"...he just wanted to be a monkey.

Eventually, Calvin became a real boy again and we were ready to go home. We wish we could have stayed to see the rest of the Zoo (all 125 acres) but Calvin was way too tired....as evidence by this photo below.

Overall, we had a great day! Thanks for coming down to visit, Grammie! 

Happy 28 months! ...the Canadian way. I think.

Somehow parents at the park with their kids have this unwritten rule: Chatting about each others kids is totally normal. I'm a new Mom, so I'm still getting used to parents/random strangers striking up conversations.

Today we were playing on the playground, feeding the ducks, and watching the golfers putt when a Canadian dad asked me, "So, how many months is your son?" Um....Months?! I haven't kept track. I literally had to use my fingers to help me get to the answer. Is that a Canadian thing to do? To keep track of toddler months, ay?

Anyway, Happy 28 months, Calvin! We celebrated by feeding the GIANT fish in the lake (because the ducks were already full) and running around the playground in circles (up the stairs-->down the slide-->up the stairs-->down the slide). You loved it.

Calvin moments to remember.

Here are a few Calvin moments to remember from 2012-2013.

Trying meat for the first time.

Screaming every time the vacuum was on. The only thing that soothed him was holding him while I vacuumed.

Entertaining Calvin with juice, chocolate, and the movie Cars while strapping him down for a hair cut.

"Folding laundry."

"Putting the dishes away."

"Taking out the trash."

Hating the snow from the first moment he touched it (refused to wear gloves). It took him 15 minutes to get dressed. And he lasted less than 3 minutes outside.

...Then needing hot chocolate to recover from the cold.

Freaking out about the "people" with no heads.

Shopping overload.

Aching for a nap after church.

Cheering for Mom on the sidelines during her flag football game.

Climbing out of bed and getting stuck in the toy dresser when supposed to be sleeping.

Kneeling for family prayer.

Making funny faces during General Conference.

Making a first marker masterpiece. With lots of juice and goldfish breaks.

Climbing on Justin's scooter and saying, "vroom vrooooom!"

Trying to grab the ball from Grandpa Scott.

Gambling at the Las Vegas airport.

...and getting caught by security for being underaged.
  

Being a goofball at Megan's wedding.

Trying to clean his face while fighting five adults. (Cleaning Calvin's face is always a battle.)

Joining Mom to do laundry at the laundromat.

...it was a few blocks away. We looked ridiculous.

Climbing trees with Daddy.

Messing with Dad's glasses on his shoulders. (Every time!)

Helping Dad cook.

Helping Dad cook with a more hands-off approach.

Comforting Mom after her trip to the ER.