Going to the Zoo

Yesterday the twins and I went to the Houston Zoo with our church playgroup. It was the first time I'd taken them and it brought back memories of when we took Josh for the first time. Like Josh, they were a little unsure about all the animals. They really seemed to enjoy the big animals (elephants, giraffes, cheetahs) that were moving around. The meercats and prairie dogs were also a hit. Probably because they were so close to the glass and were very active. Other than that, the boys weren't terribly interested in all that was going on. But they were good-humored about the whole experience. :)

Before I loaded them into their stroller in the zoo parking lot, I put sandals on them. At home they are typically barefoot, occasionally they've worn socks. But shoes are a whole different animal. They literally looked at me when I'd gotten their shoes on and laughed. It was like they were saying "what do you think we're going to do in these?". At the food court, I let them out of the stroller for a bit. I've included a couple pictures that I managed to take quickly before I had to chase them down. What surprised me most is that in spite of the fact that they are twins, they wanted to go in completely opposite directions. And of course they enjoyed making Mommy chase after them as they smiled and laughed. Needless to say, the next time I let them walk in a public place, I plan on having help to herd the twins. :)

Everyone is doing quite well at the moment, healthy and happy for the most part. I had a parent-teacher conference at Josh's school Monday afternoon. He is doing very well and making great strides both in his learning and his behavior. He's not perfect by any means (but who is?) but I'm encouraged by how much he's improving day-by-day. The twins are learning how to put things into containers and seeing if things fit or not. They have also picked up on the fact that their legos fit together. They have yet to learn how to do it by themselves, but they are entertained by bringing Mommy legos and watching me put them together. The joys of learning!

This picture is from Dan and Josh's trip to Oregon. They had a great time and Josh really enjoyed spending time with his cousin Joya. It's both surprising and encouraging to me that they are so close considering their age difference, as well as the fact that they only see each other 3-4 times a year. But they had a wonderful time playing and trick-or-treating together on Halloween. Unfortunately, none of our Halloween pictures turned out well. But this one was great, in spite of all the orange! Josh is posing with James and Jacquizz Rodgers before the Beaver game. Great smiles all around!