Wildlife World Zoo

Since I had the day off yesterday, Chris decided to play hookie as well so we could take Madelyn to the Wildlife World Zoo. This is one of my favorite zoos for little kids because it's small enough that you can see the entire zoo in less than a day. I also love it because it seems like you can get so much closer to the animals than you do at most other zoos. I don't exactly feel the same way about the admission cost as I do the zoo itself, but we were excited to learn Madelyn was free. Thank goodness. We even decided we'll have to come back at least a couple more times before she turns three!

The last time I brought Madelyn to the zoo she was only a couple months old. I must say this visit was much more entertaining. :) Madelyn has always loved animals, but she is especially in tune to them, and wants to know all about them.

The weather was perfect (72 and sunny with a breeze) so walking around the zoo was quite enjoyable.

Checking out the Monkeys

Madelyn liked the alligator because she had one on her shirt.

White Tiger

One of Madelyn's fascinations...birds!

The Chimpmunk

Look at the babies!

Feeding the Baby Black Swans

Run, Daddy, Run!

Mommy and Madelyn checked out the zoo from "way up high."

Mommy's Favorite....The Giraffe

The baby goat was just 5 days old.

Big Girl Bed

Well, wish us luck.

Today, in preparation for potty training, we converted Madelyn's crib into a toddler bed. I have to be honest and say that I am not 100% ready, but I do believe it's the right time. I can't leave her in a crib forever (right?), so now is as good a time as any. Next month we will begin the potty training process and we feel like this will give her a chance to get used to such a big change before we are on to the next big change.

Daddy, on the other hand, is really excited! This afternoon, he and Madelyn spent some time taking apart the crib and turning it into a "big girl bed." Of course, this made Madelyn really excited, too! It was cute to watch the two of them together, working on this project. Madelyn loves to help, and this day was no different than any other. She was eagerly helping Chris with the "Lallen Wrench" twisting and turning until all the screws were in place. There was a point when she even gave Chris some advice on how to do it. (hilarious, by the way) See if you can find the picture that depicts Miss Bossy.

After her new big girl bed was ready, she very proudly climbed up on it, and smiled. She quickly realized this was her new bed, and asked if she could lie down. And who were we to say no? The next thing we knew she was all snuggled under her blankies, and wanted Daddy to read her a story.

Tonight will be the real test. Hopefully she will repeat the story above, and sleep most of the night.

Happy Easter!

Today was the most beautiful day of the year so far! The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze in the air. We couldn't have asked for better Easter weather. Since it was so gorgeous outside, we took the opportunity to get some things done around the house this morning both inside and out. Madelyn enjoyed hanging out with Daddy for a little bit outside while he made some repairs to the gate. She also spent some time hanging out with Mommy watching cartoons. We have both been fighting colds so the last couple of days I have really enjoyed our cuddle time. I don't enjoy seeing her under the weather, but I do love her snuggles oh-so much!

We headed over to Grammy's for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. We were thinking Madelyn would be old enough to figure it all out this year, but she was so consumed with the first egg she found with a Peep inside that she had a hard time focusing on the task at hand.

Oh, well...money caught her attention, too! (she's a smart little cookie) She had a great time following her cousins around, and they helped her get most of her eggs into her basket.

She also had a great time finding bugs with Owen. She seems to be taking after her mother with her tomboy attitude. Forget the fact that you have a dress on and just get down and dirty playing with the bugs. Ahhh...life is good!

BUBBLES! Another hit of today's celebration. Livvy was quite the bubble maker and Madelyn couldn't get enough! Click here to see more of the action.

As always, we enjoyed quality time with family. Daddy had to head out to Phoenix International Raceway tonight to get the 5th wheel ready for next weekend, so Madelyn and I had a little more "Mommy and Me" time before she went to bed. What a great weekend!