Birthdays, Spring Days, and Zoo Babies

We are so excited that spring has arrived!  This is a difficult time of year for us, as clinic was quite busy for me in March and Steve is working double time for tax season.  Things are starting to slow down a bit, but we've been keeping busy enjoying the nicer weather!

First a bit of random cuteness...

Sarah is just too cute in pigtails, and we've been having fun trying them out lately.

 Austin decided he would play with some of his toys in the corner under an end table. Goof ball!

 Cutie overalls and pigtails!

 Hanging out with Auntie Michelle.

It was Nanny's birthday on 3/21 and Uncle Brian's birthday on 3/17, so we had everybody over to celebrate the birthday people.  I found a recipe for Snickerdoodle cupcakes with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting and decided to make some for the birthday party.  They were soooooo yummy!

 Playing peek-a-boo with Uncle Brian.

 Cutie pie!

As you can see, the kids loved the cupcakes!

We have enjoyed taking walks to the park.  Sarah is so happy to get to run around and play.

Austin got to go to the toy store to pick out his poopy prize now that he is a big boy.

 He picked out a sea boat and absolutely loves playing with it!

 Sarah enjoyed the toy store too.  She was pretty excited about the pink toy car.

Grandma Dorothy came over to visit the other day for lunch.  She hadn't seen the kids in a while, so she was surprised at how big they're getting.

Sarah making her "cheese" face for the camera.  Can you tell I take a lot of pictures of her?  She sees or hears the camera turn on and she starts making "cheese" faces at me.

Little stinker...Sarah dragged the box of Girl Scout cookies out of the pantry, pulled out the ones she wanted and chowed down. 

The weather has been so nice that I decided to let the kids skip naps on Thursday afternoon and I took them to the zoo to see the farm babies.  The weather was gorgeous, Nanny came along with us, I enjoyed getting some exercise walking the trails, and the kids had a blast looking at the animals.  I was a bit disappointed at the "farm babies" portion of the visit.  We went specifically for that, but after a trek along the trails of the zoo to get to the farm, I wasn't that impressed. We saw a few baby pigs, 1 baby sheep, pet a baby goat, and that was about it.  Oh well!  I'm glad we decided to go on a weekday when the crowds were a bit tamer. 

Sarah has fun when she can stand up next to a glass wall and see the animals through it.  Here she is checking out the playful sea otters who were frolicking around having a great time.

The bears were incredible. This bear was swimming back and forth right behind the glass and it was remarkable to see how huge this bear is and what a beautiful animal it is.  Here is Austin checking out the bear up close.

Leopards too!

The baby goat!  Sarah was a bit apprehensive about getting anywhere near the animals at the farm.

 Austin feeding the bigger goats.

 Driving the tractor...

 Sarah was really excited about driving the tractor too.

 The driving continued at the playground there.

The tiger was right up close as well.  He walked back and forth right behind the glass and the kids had fun chasing him back and forth.

Sarah thought it was interesting to stand up by the glass for a minute...until the tiger walked up close to her....then she turned and toddled away anxiously.

 Sarah is still fascinated by the dolphins.

 The baby chicks weren't out at the farm, but we found them in an enclosure inside.  Sarah seemed pretty interested in the chicks.

 And watching the fish swim around the big tank.

We had a blast, enjoyed the weather, got some DQ ice cream on the way home, and managed to get a few minutes of nap in the car for the kiddos. Busy busy busy!

Next up...time to figure out how to revive our landscaping after the winter, organize the playroom closet, clean out the garage...ah spring cleaning! 
Also, Austin is the star of the week at preschool the week of 3/19, then Easter is not far behind!