Little Buddy

Today I got a taste of what it will be like to have TWO small ones to keep track of - our little buddy Eli came over to spend the day with us. I pulled out some of Ryan's baby toys, the uses of which he was more than delighted to demonstrate for Eli.

Dude, this stuffed seahorse is much too dangerous for a little guy like you. I'd better hang on to it so you don't get hurt.

Yeah, same goes for this dragon with the funky tunes and great chewy parts - wouldn't want you to get in over your head...

Don't look at me like that, Mom - you know I've got his back!

I think Eli was most excited to get attention from Peter cat, who is not shy around any humans, even if they tend to be a little grabby. Here he is getting attention from Jena, David AND Eli... heaven!

Aww... where'd the cat go?!

Zoo Baby Part II

We used our zoo membership again today, this time to go with Daddy and my friend Julie and her two kids. It was the first day of Spring Break for area schools, which made it much more crowded than our last visit, but we covered a bit more ground this time.

Eh, I got a big ol' cat at home, this tiger's nothing compared to Star!

Watching the sea lions (seals? I can never tell the difference)

Admiring the Amazon River Basin display with Kyla and Vaughn

Didja see that big fish? Didja? Didja?

The Browns

Zoo Baby

Ryan's grandparents gave us a membership to the Denver Zoo, so we made plans to meet my friend Amy and her two boys there. I knew we wouldn't get to see all the animals, but that's why a membership is such a great deal - we can go for a short time and then return another day.

We spent a lot of time at Bird World - we watched them feed the penguins and learned more about the critters, and we went into the open rooms, where the birds can fly and walk freely among the humans. I was a little freaked out, but Ryan loved it.

Ryan's Big News

That's right, Fleming #6 will be joining our family in late September, and we are thrilled.

It's been exactly one month since I left my job to stay home full-time with Ryan, and I don't regret it a minute of it. We have had a lot of fun together, checking out the different kids' programs available at the library and the rec center, and hanging out with the other 15 month olds. We're going to sign up for a music class on Wednesday mornings, and we go to the indoor pool as often as we can (Ryan loves to walk in 2 ft. deep water - it comes right up to his chin, but he doesn't seem to mind!).

I am exploring a couple of options to work part-time through the summer - I think I need to find a balance between Mommy time and Susan time, and Bill and Nancy miss hanging out with Snackbox.

Sam only has two more graduate school classes before he starts working on his thesis, and he hopes to be done in the fall so he can graduate in December. It will be great when he's finished and not pulled in so many different directions (though I'm sure it will be a challenge to work on his thesis with a newborn in the house!).