We recently made a trip to Como Park, Zoo and Conservatory. We packed a picnic lunch and made the 40 minute trek to St. Paul to enjoy the lovely weather that we have been experiencing lately. By the time we got there, the kids were famished and really wanted to eat lunch in a big grassy area full of sun. As we were sitting there munching on Roast Beef sandwiches, I was looking around at the scenery and knew that perhaps we had stumbled upon a perfect spot for a photo shoot. There were these great big oak trees bordering this large grassy knoll and who doesn't love to climb an oak tree right? Avery was the first to prop herself up between two tree's that formed a "V" and strike a pose. Bennett followed suit and was all about hamming it up for the camera. Breezy, the ever cautious one chose to pose at the bottom of a different set of criss crossed tree's. The kids had fun climbing and exploring that day and I had even more fun taking a zillion photos(gotta love digital). Avery stumbled upon what I could only gues was a squirrel's skull. She thought it was very neat since they had been talking about fossils and animal preservation in school recently. She of course wanted to take the skull home with us and I very quickly dashed her hopes because the thought of that skull on display in my home was just too much for me that day. The twins enjoyed collecting pine cones and "walking sticks." After our exploring was over, we made our way into the zoo. There is something about Como Zoo that is simply better than the MN Zoo. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of the MN Zoo, but Como is unique and enticing. The monkeys and gorillas are always a big hit. The biggest, however, is always Sparky the sea lion, who has won Avery's heart year after year. She just adores the little guy...fish stink and all. The kids and I cannot wait for more warm weather, exploration and special days spent at Como Zoo.

Hoppy Easter!

Puppy Love

Bennett and Uno = Best of Friends

We have had the privelege of dog sitting my friend Maria's puppy Uno for the last week. Our old dog was a Yorkie and Uno looks almost identical to Hollywood. The kids simply adore him. They had a count down of days until Uno was coming to visit. While we all love Uno, Bennett has connected with him the most.

Bennett and Uno love to give each other sloppy kisses. I bet that Bennett would do this all day long if I didn't put an end to it!!! Poor Uno's tongue is really taking a licking(pun intended of course).

Uno was a bit wary of the kids. He has not been around kids on a daily basis....24/7 pretty much ever so I knew that we had to keep careful watch so that he would not be overwhelmed. Each day, his tolerance has markedly improved. The first day he pretty much followed Chadd and I around and would cower when Bennett or Bria would rush his way. We had to remind them that they are the "big people" and Uno is little and he may be frightened of them. Uno definitely showed us that he needed a break.

Soon enough, the kids were playing tag with him and he would happily play back. When he would start barking, we knew that he had reached his limits and we all took a break.

Each morning, Bennett stumbles down the stairs, sleep in his eyes and shouts "Uns!!!!" and the dog comes rushing over and greets him with some more good morning sloppy kisses. It was puppy love at first sight!

Maria will be here on Sunday to pick up our pseudo pet who we have given multiple nicknames to: Unie, Uns, Undoh, and Uners. We will all miss him and be sad to see him go, especially Bennett who has an extreme love for this dog. His new best friend. I give Bennett a few days before he starts asking for his own puppy :)