Vacation at the Zoo

Our family did not do any traveling this summer--we were pretty certain it wouldn't happen, with a new baby and three other kids. But we did make it down to Denver a handful of times, and one of our Denver excursions was labeled our "family vacation" for the year. At first we were kind of joking about this title, but as far as day-trips go, this one was especially pleasant and smooth-sailing, so it actually felt like a vacation. And as a bonus, we didn't have to pack any suitcases!

We started the morning at the Denver Zoo. Ramona was the guardian of the map for a while, trying to ensure that we were covering ground at a good pace to see everyone's favorite animals.

 

 The girls got to watch a pelican get his breakfast.

 "Bear Mountain" was one of the requested stops.

 

 

 The pink flamingos were lovely.

Wylie was with us at the zoo, too. He spent most of the time asleep in the stroller . . .

 . . . but he did wake up to take a look around every once in a while.

 Visiting the gorillas was especially memorable.

I took this picture right before a gorilla named Charlie charged straight for Ramona and Mika--he came right up to the window, full-speed, and looked so fierce that both girls squealed and ran away! One of the zookeepers told us afterward that he was particularly territorial.

Ramona striking a pose in front of a bald eagle:

Mika and Ramona petting a snake:

Paula petting a skink:

Rhino:

Peacock:

Zebra:

As we were walking around, Paula kept asking to see the seals. She was delighted when we finally made it to their section of the zoo.

Giraffes:

 A young lion:

After a full morning of animal observation, we headed downtown for lunch, then walked a few blocks to a gelato shop for dessert. We had never taken the kids to this part of the city before, so it was a very new experience for them. The girls kept calling it "Denver City," and looked around, wide-eyed, at the tall buildings, bustling people, and outdoor pianos on the sixteenth street mall.

I think their eyes got even wider when they saw the display case at the gelato shop.

 YUM!

Not a bad way to vacation--it was short and sweet. And there was no suitcase to unpack, either!

Like Father, Like Son

When our girls were babies and I would see Forest carrying one of them around, it often crossed my mind that our daughters really look nothing like their father. From a stranger's perspective, there was so little resemblance that it looked as though he was holding someone else's child. But Wylie is different. I see Forest carrying our boy around and I think: "You two actually look related!" Here is a little montage of photos showing my two guys together:

June 16

June 26

June 29

July 8

July 9

July 15

July 19

While Forest's mother was here, she brought some baby pictures of Forest when he was about 6 weeks old. I think this one looks the most like Wylie:

For fun, I tried to recreate the picture using Wylie when he was also 6 weeks old:

They are both pretty cute babies. We are so happy to have these guys in our family!

Paca, Crissy, and Aubrey's Visit

Not long after Grandma went back to Illinois, we got a visit from Paca and Aubrey. Or should I say--Wylie got a visit from Paca and Aubrey?

Our girls got plenty of attention, too--it is always fun getting this crew together.

Aubrey swam and ate popsicles with Ramona and Mika . . .

. . . played with cardboard boxes in the basement . . .

. . . and took Paula under her wing, always making sure she was having fun, too.

Aunt Crissy drove in later that afternoon. She and Wylie got along great.

Forest and I hardly held him at all that weekend . . . it seemed like he was always in someone else's arms. He is so loved.

On Sunday morning he was kind of the star of the show . . . it was the day of his baby blessing at church. I dressed him up like a little man and we all took lots of pictures.

Three generations of Dixons:

Some stripey girl cousins, still smiling at the end of picture time:

After church, we had to say goodbye to Crissy, who needed to get back to Utah. Then the girls had some craft time and decorated wooden masks, courtesy of Teresa.

It was a pretty good day.

On Monday we took a little trip to the Butterfly Pavilion near Denver. The back seat of the van was full of giggles.

At the Pavilion, we started out by exploring the spiders and insects.

Ramona got to hold Rosie the tarantula.

So did Aubrey.

We also observed some bees,

and stick-bugs,

and smelled the rainforest.

In the next room, the girls touched a horseshoe crab . . .

. . . as well as a starfish.

But the most memorable part was, of course, the butterflies. We stepped out into a greenhouse-like area with lots of foliage, and there they were--flying around, above, and below our heads.

One landed on Paca's head . . .

. . . and another on Aubrey's shoulder, to her great delight.

After a walk around the outside of the Pavilion, it was time for lunch. We found out there was a "Parry's Pizzeria" nearby (spelled the same as Paca's name!) and decided to make that our stop.

It was an adventure taking that many kids + a hungry baby out to eat. But eventually, everyone got some lunch.

Then we piled back in the minivan . . .

. . . some of us dozed off . . .

. . . and a couple of exits before home, we stopped at Culver's for some ice cream.

The rest of the afternoon, there was some baby-cuddling, more swimming, and more playing.

In the evening, Paca and Forest went to play tennis, so it was just me, Wylie, and the girls. We had a sleepover party in the basement where we painted nails, styled each other's hair, and watched a movie. I guess this is just the beginning of Wylie being caught in the middle of overwhelmingly girly activities.

Aubrey's hairstyle:

Ramona's hairstyle:

Mika's hairstyle:

Paula's hairstyle:

Aubrey, Ramona, and Mika actually slept in the basement that night. It took Mika a while to wake up the next morning.

After a few more baby cuddles, it was time for Paca and Aubrey to hit the road. It was a short visit, but we were so glad they were able to spend some time with us here in Colorado. Hope they can come back again soon!