Fun at the Detroit Zoo

As soon as Stu and Erin moved to Ferndale, which is located in very close proximity to the Detroit Zoo, we knew that would be high on the list of fun family weekend activities.  We were long overdue for a visit with Stu and Erin, and Saturday's weather was in the mid-sixties and sunny, perfect for the zoo!  So we packed up Saturday morning and headed over to the East side of the state.  Dan was up north for the weekend, so Nancy decided to join us on our adventure.  The Detroit Zoo is really nice. There is a lot of open green space and parks, and the exhibits are nicely laid out.  The highlight for Natalie was seeing some geese.  She has a book about Duck and Goose that is one of her favorites, and she was so excited to see a real, live goose! We didn't tell her that they were not actually part of the zoo exhibit. :)

Nathan was all over the place, and was pretty interested in most of the animals.  He was super excited about the prospect of seeing the polar bears, and that was definitely a highlight.  Erin and Stuart are so awesome with both Nathan and Natalie.  They all adore each other, which I love to see!

Checking out some camels.

The tiger!  Both kids were excited to see the tiger, especially Natalie.  Every time the tiger would roar, she would roar right back! Hilarious.

Nathan loved the map.  He always wanted to find our location on the map, and there were a few times that he was more interested in finding the animal exhibit on the map than he was in actually looking at the real, live animal right in front of him!

No naps resulted in a bit of crankiness, but a ride in the stroller and some snacks helped them push through it.

Taking a break to play with cars.

Polar bear exhibit!!

It was so cool to walk through the tunnel underneath the pool where they were swimming.

Aunt Erin got a hot pink seal for Natalie, which she adopted immediately.  Nathan picked out a set of hot wheels painted with animal stripes.  Both kids were thrilled with their special treats!

Henry's Quilt

Of course as soon as I heard that I was going to become an aunt, my baby quilt making gears started turning.  I knew that if at all possible I wanted to be able to give Steve and Joanna Henry's quilt in person, so I had to kick my sewing machine into high gear!  I knew that the quilt would have an animal theme, as Joanna absolutely adores animals.  Nathan and I went to the fabric store together (he loved it! I'm so proud!) and almost immediately I found an animal print I loved, and then the rainbow of chevron stripes, and the color palette just came together.  It felt really good to get back behind the sewing machine.  That creative outlet has been sorely lacking since I became a mother of two.  So Henry's arrival was a great motivator.  I am happy to report that after a week of furious sewing, I was able to complete the quilt and bring it with me to Wichita when I went to meet Henry.  I even managed to snap a few pictures of it before I left:

Of course I had to do a mini photoshoot with the sweet recipient too! :)

Meeting Henry Jacob

After a long journey, my brother Steve and his wife Joanna became parents to the wonderful, amazing and adorable Henry Jacob!  They only had a few weeks' notice that he was going to be joining their family, so the month of March was an absolute whirlwind of preparation and excitement.  I could hardly sleep at night I was so excited about becoming an aunt, so I can't even imagine how they were feeling!  S and J live in Oakland, CA, which is WAY TOO FAR AWAY from Michigan!  So naturally, when I found out that Henry was going to be born in Wichita, KS, the first thing I did was Google "how long is the drive from Kalamazoo, MI to Wichita, KS?"  When the all-knowing search engine responded with 12.5 hours, I got really excited! That was a LOT closer than California!!  To my great joy, Steve and Joanna seemed not only tolerant, but excited about the idea of Henry getting to meet his extended family.  A week after his birth, Mom, Dad and I, and Joanna's mom all arrived in Wichita for a whirlwind weekend of baby snuggles and family photos.

It will come as no surprise that I instantly fell completely in love with Henry.  He is beautiful, sweet and oh so snuggly with irresistibly soft hair. SO sweet.  It was amazing to see how naturally Steve and Joanna have taken to parenthood, and their joy at this new adventure in their lives was palpable.  Those first newborn days are so fleeting and precious; it was a beautiful time and I am so honored that I got to experience some of Henry's.  Ok, are you ready for lots of pictures?? Good!