Zoo Day

August 07, 2009

Zoo Day

Matt had off today, so we packed up the kids and headed to the zoo. We met my friend Katie & her kids there and had a wonderful afternoon together. I bought my camera, but didn't get many shots. I was able to get this great smile from Waverly. The male lion was pacing and she was laughing while watching him.

Oliver has been really into the Tigger backpack and wore it for most of the time we were home. We paired it with the Tigger baseball hat. We are trying to get him to wear a hat, but he doesn't like the bill. So turning around seems to keep him happy.

Comments

Stephanie from Portland said…

OMG - you have two of the most beautiful children. That shot of Oliver's face with his Tigger backpack on is priceless. He looks so grown up and ready for school. :)

August 7, 2009 at 9:18 PM

Joanne said…

Oh my goodness how I love the profile photo of Oliver with him looking right at the camera. h\He looks so very cute and so very grown up. I hope we can meet him (and you all) oneday! Joanne

August 8, 2009 at 12:14 PM

Cari said…

Waverly's smile is so beautiful. What a sweetie!

August 8, 2009 at 8:53 PM

Laura said…

Truly beautiful picture of Wavey!

August 9, 2009 at 11:27 AM

Welcome to Holland

By Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland.""Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.