March 29th 2007 at the zoo.

Elanor and I took a trip to the Brookfield Zoo today. The weather was pretty nice (you will notice that she insisted on taking her coat off) and it is spring break for many of the schools so there were more people there than there have been in months.

We tried parking in the north lot because it is free and to see what we thought. It was too big, too busy and was too different a place to enter for our liking. I think don't that we will make a habit of using it.

Using the north lot started us by the big cats, right before this picture was taken The lion was walking around and roaring. It is always fun to catch the lion doing anything other than laying around.









Next we watched the tiger for a while. Elanor had to provide the sound effects this time: "ROAR!"






Ever since she was a baby Elanor has loved to watch the bubbles in the entry to The Living Coast.










Our girl watching the fish in the cylindrical tank next to her friends the Lookdowns.











It is always fun to watch the penguins.














Hey, there are birds up there.








The ever daring Elanor balances atop the wall and works past the perilous Column.


















A little Sungazer gazing in Feathers and Scales.






This was our second look at the Elephants today, earlier they were inside. It is always more fun to see them outside and it has been months since it was warm enough for them to be out.










"I want to run and run and run."










I don't think that her chin saw that wall coming. Poor girl.









I doubt if a little chin scrape will keep Elanor away from the zoo for long.

Dinner with Uncle Ryan and Uncle Matt.

We made pizza with Uncle Ryan tonight. After dinner I sat on Daddy's lap and took this picture with the camera. Mommy and Daddy lost the camera since early January, it was in a bag in the car. Silly Mommy and Daddy.

A field trip to see Mommy... and Skunk.

Today Elanor and I went down to Northwestern to join Kristen for the first ultrasound of her new pregnancy. Elanor was excited by the idea of seeing "special pictures" of the baby in Mommy's uterus. She has decided that it is a sister, and is of the opinion that Skunk would be a good name. While Kristen and I would be be happy with another girl (I don't want to have to get "boy stuff") Skunk is not too high on either of our lists of names... certainly not after he/she is born. We got there (late) and all went well. The word is that the baby is two centimeters long, eight weeks five days old and due on Halloween. Kristen and I were more moved than was Elanor by hearing the heartbeat, by that point in the exam she was ready to play ultrasound tech and press some buttons. After the appointment it was time for Elanor to hold court with Kristen's work friends and then to TGIF for lunch before going home for a much needed nap.

A fun (if busy) week followed by a fun (if busy) weekend.

We spent this week with the Prescott cousins in Oak Park while Jim and Sally were out of town. Elanor loved having all those big kids around to play with in a new house with a new dog. The kids were, as always, great. So much so that I did not even mind waking up at quarter to seven to get them up and out for school. Then Friday our good pals the Meyers (That is Claire in the chair with Elanor) came to stay at our house as they were in town for a wedding.

Saturday started with three party talks held between the Hubers, Meyers and Prescott Cousins... over pancakes and bacon hosted by the Prescotts. Then I had to work all day at Two Fish. Elanor had been looking forward to seeing Ryan, Shannon and Claire all week so she was quite pleased to be able to spend the day with Claire and Ryan. Ryan hung out with the girls (Shannon was at the wedding) until Kristen got The Cousins safely off to the airport to meet their parents in LA. Then they tagged and he joined Shannon at the reception just before I got home. So I got to play with the girls for a while before they had to got to sleep.

Sunday morning we all headed off to Pompa's (Rick's) house for a reenactment of Saturday's breakfast summit, as well as planning for our upcoming Hilton Head trip. Followed, sadly, by the Meyers heading home for Madison.

An afternoon at the zoo with Daddy... by Elanor.

"Elanor painting her face."

"Ladybug backpack."

"Goldfish, Lookin' at goldfish."

"The lion is sleeping."

An afternoon spent standing in the cold.

One of the things that we love about living in Forest Park is all the doings that we can walk to on Madison St. I had this Saturday off so we were looking forward to attending the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. As we were getting ready to head down we got a call from our good friend (my neighbor-in-law) Laura Heil saying that she was going to watch the parade with her sister Anne and her kids. Olivia, Sophia and John Philip are a bundle of fun and we don't see nearly as often as we would like to. I am thinking for arranging a marriage between Elanor and John Phillip... close the blood lines.

We caught up with them and Kristen's dad and watched things from in front of Two Fish. Cece and Tonya, the owners of Two Fish, came out and watched for a while, too. Elanor enjoyed all the company and trying to make sense of the parade. Some of the highlights from her perspective included getting free beads, seeing the giant shopping cart, seeing the horse drawn cart, waving to our friend Keegan on the Brown Cow float, and seeing much of it from the excellent perch of Pompa's shoulders. A fun day all around.

(There is Keegan, sitting in front of the Trough.)

Godsisters at the zoo

Elanor and I took a trip to The Brookfield Zoo with our good friend Julia today. (and her dad Kristian) We ate lunch at Elanor's spot to eat indoors at the zoo, La Gran Cocina. Then we visited the fish and Penguins in The Living Coast. After that it was a cheery walk into the wind driven snow until we reached the Hamill Family Play Zoo.

The girls had a great time pretending to be the Co-Directors of the Zoo, watching the tortoises munch on a salad, and as always Elanor had to paint her face.