All of the Fun; None of the Smell! (Our trip to the zoo)

WOW! What a day! Yesterday we met my brother Quentin, his wife Jody, all of their 5 kids, and my mom at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It was quite a bit to keep up with, considering there were 10 of us and 2 strollers. Brandon, the youngest of Quentin's kids, even got to demonstrate the usefulness of a kid-harness for a 20-month-old. I was a little disappointed that Reagan wasn't more in awe of the animals, but to her defense she is a little young. She did get to have her dad help her feed a giraffe, but shortly thereafter she was fussy. It was a bit much for her to take in all at once, I think. So, we spent the next 1.5 hours at the zoo with Reagan's stroller covered with her blanket so she wasn't so overwhelmed. After a little stroller rocking from Grandma Anita, she was fast asleep in her stroller.





We then ventured to McDonalds. It was Reagan's second trip there, and on both trips she was accompanied by her cousins. I told Jim it might not be a bad idea to convince her (for as long as possible) that McDonalds only opens when the Domsch's (her cousins) are in town to see her. It may save us many a Happy Meal.





After lunch, we had a short rest at home and then made our way to my parent's house for YET ANOTHER bbq. (2 down, one to go. Absolutely delicious, but SO not on the loose-the-baby-weight-plan.) There we were able to spend a lot of time on the back porch and watch the beautiful sunset. I envy the quiet that both Jim's and my parents have at their homes. It certainly makes me wish there was a bit more space between us and our neighbors. Maybe someday I'll have the red brick house with white columns on about an acre with just enough room for a greenhouse and a dog with a sense of freedom. Scout loves her yard, but I'm sure she'd love it even more if it were 6 times bigger. Anyway, I digress.





Just before dusk my parents started up their outdoor fire, and the kids (and grown-ups) all gathered around to roast marshmallows and make s'mores. It was a great opportunity for me to practice taking pictures in manual mode and I think I was able to get some good ones.





Jim and I decided that we would give ourselves a break today. Despite our messy house, we did the dishes, and pretty much napped and sat around today. It was nice to have a break. Katie, our nanny for the school year came to visit Reagan this afternoon. I had been really feeling bad about leaving Reagan to return to work, but seeing Reagan with Katie really put me at ease. She's extremely gentle and loving...not to mention patient. And, she's hoping to become a pediatric CNA within the next few months. She's going to come back on the weekends between now and when I go back so that she can get a sense of Reagan's schedule and what she likes and dislikes. I'm hoping the sense of ease will continue.





Tomorrow we will be meeting my friend Janella in Castle Rock for lunch, as she is off to teach English in China for 10 months. Then, we'll have our 3rd of 3 bbq's in what has shaped up to be a VERY busy 5 day weekend for us.