splash park video + new design

there are a few splash parks in town, but we're partial to the one at the Mississippi  Museum of Art because that's where we got married.  luckily, Clara loves it too :)

in other news... let me know if the new design/template is working ok for you. I've only tested it on my little laptop screen at home so there may be kinks to work out.

TGIT - one more day til the weekend!
-G.

new name + under construction

ever since our dog passed away, we haven't felt like much of a "zoo." so, we're renaming the blog "three southern stooges" (because, you know, we're so hilarious...)  working on the new look and will have it up shortly - you may run into construction but it shouldn't affect the posts.  web address will remain the same.   thanks for your patience :)

preview of (part of) our new header:

no more kisses, dada!

have a great week!

G

April

Before we get to the toddler antics of May (night terrors! tomato tantrums!), here's a recap of April in pics. Clara had her 15-month well-visit in April and was 22 pounds (40ish percentile) and 31 inches (60ish percentile). She was no longer anemic, thanks to a near-daily dose of kidney/black beans.  Her language has exploded in the last few weeks, but was still slow-going in April, though she did add "owl." She also had 2 of the 3 hardcore tantrums she's had to date in April, one over having to wear shoes, and one over being forced (by mama) to vacate the driveway of a house where some friendly dogs live that she likes to harass (indefinitely, if you'll let her).  Overall, though, she was still a fun, sweet girl in April :)   Caution: a toooon of pics ahead:

playing in her tent

Easter at my mom's house

my little gardener, playing in the dirt. LOVE this pic of her!

annoying Gracie in the tent

playing "turbo baby" (racing dada down the hill)

she takes the Easter basket everywhere

too cool to ride / at the zoo

checking out the flamingos (her fave)

she saw the flamingos from this far off and went running

trying to climb into the duck exhibit

final goodbye to our old friend

this dirt party went on for awhile :)

at a birthday party at Pump-it-Up

My family has a crazy Easter egg decorating contest every year. (You can read about past entries at my old gardening blog.)   Here's my flamingo from this year:

in honor of old friends lost this year

the other Easter tradition: bunny cake!

Scott's Tiger Woods

Tiger's accessories (mad wife and golf clubs/bag)

reading with Nana



reading to Gracie about her cousins



Have a great week!

G.

PS- I added a couple of videos from March to my last post, so check them out if you're still reading (ha)/so inclined

PPS - Otis' grave-marker came from this shop. We love it.

while I ponder, time Marches on

suddenly it is mid-May... been almost a month since I last posted (the hard-to-write "working mom" post), and I have pictures going back to mid-March floundering in Picasa. Clara looks entirely different now. her hair is longer, thicker and curlier. she's visibly stretched upwards in the last month like she's been put on one of those medieval torture devices. everything except her growth is static. work, the house, my health - going along with the motions while I wait to win the lottery or something.

my laughing, smiling beacon in the night keeps shining, though, inspiring me everyday to do better for myself, our family and the world. I'll be catching up on photos over the next week or so, detailing her 15 month stats, telling hilarious stories involving zombies and babies, and more. so look for a lot more action on the Zoo starting now, starting with March wrap-up pics:

I'll just climb in and inspect the dirt, ok?

Mama, no more pictures, I'm trying to concentrate

dressed by Dada.  hyper when Mama gets home.

out of Goldfish? nooooooo

you expect me to climb through this for water?

hey! how do I get back to the top?

not scared of heights (Mama taking pic while gripping the rail)

hmmm something is off...

only babies ride in cars

feeding the fish 10x what they need

move, Dada

mmmmm Indian food

rice is tricky

she's so much more steady and less Frankenstein-esque with her walking now that it's funny to look back on this video from the end of March. it's insane how fast she changes and grows.

have a good week!

G.


ps.  if you don't already know, Jen of Maybe If You Just Relax lost her daughter Ainsley over the weekend. this little girl's fight was inspirational, and her loving parents had already lost her twin at birth 16 months ago. if you are so inclined to offer condolences, here is their website.