Suburban Safari...

Yesterday was a day of work - I spent much of the day in our basement preparing for the biggest Yard Sale I'll ever have.  I did so much work that I had to call the producers of "Hoarders" to tell them we no longer qualify to be on their show.  It was extremely gratifying...and a TON of work.  I'm paying for it - big time - today.

But today was a day of fun!!  Ed and I took the boys to a local zoo.  The Elmwood Park Zoo has been right near my hometown my entire life.  Believe it or not, this was my very first visit!  We told the boys this morning and they were very excited.  (Although you will laugh your head off when you hear Brian's first two guesses of where he thought we might be going.)  Here's how it went...

This was the boy's first trip to a zoo - ever!  We let Brian be the tour guide...

...and the first thing he did was  climb a tree to go down a slide all by himself.

At the bottom he proclaimed, "I did it!  I did it!"

We saw monkeys...

We fed the swans which Brian loved...and Gavin REALLY loved!

 

Brian explored a Teepee...

...and an Adobe home.  He even stopped to pose for me and when I asked him to say, "Cheese" he said "No, Mommy...Cookie."  Hey, as long as I always get a picture as cute as this - you can say whatever you want!!!

We checked out a barn full of goats... 

 ...and Gavin bonded with a very vocal Barn Owl that wouldn't stop talking to him!

We stopped and had a nice picnic lunch!  It was then I really noticed that Gavin's allergies were out of control.  His eyes watering, his face rashy, his nose running.  Between the pollen and the animals he was suffering...with a smile, of course.

It was such a great day and we'll definitely go back!

This morning our very own Miss Sara ran her first half marathon.  I want to share with you what she put on her Facebook before the race.  I know it will touch you as it touched us.  It's just another reminder of how lucky we are that our children and our family are surrounded by so many wonderful, supportive people.

My inspiration for today's race -- Gavin. Every time I look down at my hand today, I'll remember all the times, especially in the past few days that he has used it to try to walk by himself or stand on his own, and just the thought of that will get me through another mile. There is no doubt in my mind that one day, with his determination, he will be running right alongside of me. — with Kate Gallagher Leong.