Phoenix Zoo

We went to the Phoenix Zoo on November 11th. This was Elise's first time at the zoo, and we all had a lot of fun. It wasn't too hot or too bright, and the animals were generally pretty visible. Besides forgetting the stroller, hitting my head pretty hard by the boa constrictor cage, and needing batteries for the camera, I don't think there's anything I really would have changed.

trying to take a picture when we got there,

but Elise was too busy looking around at all the interesting things

to glance toward the camera

First we stopped by to see the snake exhibit.

Matt was a fan of the large birds. I think this one was the golden eagle.

(What a great dad, carrying that diaper bag.)

The mountain lion was cool to see. It had such a long tail.

the Andean condor

(because you don't really get to pick when a stranger will offer to take a picture of the whole family)

The giraffes were awesome. They were some of my favorite animals we saw.

The rhinos were another favorite.

Elise liked the rhinos too, but she was mostly just interested in her graham cracker at this point.

Actually graham crackers were a big hit all day.

The monkeys were fun. You can see them pretty close because you just walk among them.

at the aviary

(I can't remember what type of bird this is.)

Elise really liked the flamingos.

She didn't really like sitting on that post, though.

I was surprised that the peacocks were pretty much allowed to go wherever they wanted.

There were even peacocks in the elephant exhibit.

The elephants were Elise's favorite thing. She loves elephants.

She's signing elephant in this picture.

Here's Elise petting the Komodo dragon. Just kidding.

This animal was fun to see, but the metal sculpture was probably even more fun.

She also enjoyed the metal orangutan sculptures. A lot.

Unfortunately, the real orangutans were pretty shy, and we only got a couple glimpses of them.

kissing the orangutan

cuddling the orangutan

At first, we were bummed that the zebras were so far away. Then we waited for a minute, and they came up so close. It was really cool.

By the end of the trip, we could tell Elise was pretty exhausted from missing her afternoon nap. She was doing fairly well, though, until she tripped while holding a graham cracker. The cracker broke, she was devastated, and she burst into tears. Then we gave her a new one, and the world was beautiful again.

Here she is with red eyes and a fresh cracker.

on our way out

Matt made sure he got a picture of Hawaii as we were leaving. (That's where he served a mission.)

In Your Dreams

I mentioned in a previous post that Elise sleeps in the laundry room. It's not such a bad place, but she has to sleep in her pack 'n play every night. I have felt bad about putting her in there to sleep because the pad in the bottom of that thing is pretty much just a piece of cardboard covered with fabric. Even when you weigh just 21 pounds, that can't be very comfortable.

I looked around for a while trying to find a nice mattress topper made for a pack 'n play, and I was so excited when I finally found the one I had been dreaming of! MamaDoo Kids mattress toppers were the only ones I could find that would fit snugly in a standard-sized pack 'n play without gaps at the sides.

When ours arrived, I was happy by how thick and comfortable the foam seemed. It folds up for easy storage or travel. You can order it in this cute pink for girls or blue for boys.

With the carrying strap, you can transport it easily.

It's not just a mattress topper, either. It can be used as a tummy time mat or a changing pad.

Elise's favorite other way to use it is as a toddler bench.

She was pretty excited about her new place to sit. Can you tell?

This is her just-woke-up-from-a-nap, staring-at-the-TV look.

Did I mention that the cover is removable and washable? And if you don't want to wash it as often, just use a fitted play yard sheet. Awesome. And MamaDoo Kids will be launching their Wonderfully Soft Play Yard sheets in December. I can't wait!

My favorite part: her comfy bed all ready for the night.

I'm feeling much better about her sleeping situation. If you're looking for a mattress topper for your baby's pack 'n play, I would recommend MamaDoo Kids.

How 'Bout Them Apples?

Elise has been talking so much lately! I've been impressed with her range of vocabulary and her clarity when she communicates. She is such a smart girl.

Apple is a favorite new word lately.

Elise saying apple

Elise signing apple

Hold the Phone

Elise likes to pretend she's talking on the phone. She used to hold it to the front of her face, which was pretty funny to watch, but now she holds it to her ear. Kind of.

I love this kid.

Halloween

Happy Halloween! We had such a fun time trick-or-treating with the kids tonight. This was Elise's first time (last Halloween she was less than two months old).

Savannah was so excited about Halloween all day long. She was singing a song she made up about how fun Halloween was, and so I asked her if I could video her. This was her encore.

And if you're wondering what she's wearing, it's her "Sleeping Beauty dress" over her Halloween t-shirt.

Doesn't Elise make an adorable giraffe?

Savannah was a mermaid.

Leighton was Buzz Lightyear.

Ryland was a football player

(or, as the Leighton and Savannah prefer to say, a football teamer).

[He was so busy watching football on the computer that he wouldn't look at the camera for a picture.]

Elise checkin' out her bag

at the first house

She's such a big girl!

Trick or treat!