The Columbia Zoo

A couple of weeks ago on an absolutely beautiful Saturday in fall, we made an impromptu trip to the Columbia Zoo when Brad got home from work. It was a perfect fall day, which meant it was a perfect day to go to the zoo and be outside! Both of the girls absolutely loved it and had a wonderful time!! We saw some amazing animals, and Alli's favorite was the giraffe ~ she even got to feed him! We can't wait to take them back again.

I am including this picture below for one reason: to show you Boots' eyes. Both of our girls have very pretty blue eyes ~ in fact, Papa's nickname for Alli is "Blue Eyes" ~ but they are very different shades of blue. Boots has my Daddy's eyes ~ her Onnie's eyes ~ they are a very rare, clear, true blue. (Click on the picture to enlarge it and see what I mean.)

Another beautiful day this fall, we spent hours out in the front yard. At first, it was Mommy-Alli time outside, riding her toys, trying to figure out which one she wanted to take for Rider Toy Day at school. When Boots woke up from her nap, she joined us out there in her excersaucer and loved being outside!

I wish the color came through even better, but the trees on our street have so much color in the fall!! It is so beautiful.... I love this season!

Alli and Peyton

Elizabeth and Lauren

"Boots"

Alli and I have begun taking long walks and collecting leaves along the way. We talk about the different shapes, sizes,and textures of the leaves. We notice how some leaves change color during the fall, and some leaves do not ~ some trees don't even have leaves and have pine needles instead! This is the artwork from one of our walks. My goal was to get Alli to notice and appreciate (well, at a 3 year old level) this beautiful time of year ~ instead, now she is just obsessed with leaves. (And she brings them inside and stashes them places, like the refrigerator.)

One day for Mommy-Alli time when Boots was napping, we pulled out the "secret bed" in the couch and watched a movie. We also had special treats: popcorn, boiled peanuts, and Alli's most favorite M&M's!

Elizabeth has been cruising the furniture since her first day crawling, which was the day before she turned 7 months. She loves this push toy that Neen & Ross gave Alli, and now, she is walking all over the place on her own!

I tell my girls all of the time that I am the luckiest Mommy ever in the history of the world!! They are my heart and my joy, and they are growing up entirely too fast....