Let Summer Begin!

EJ had his first swim lesson last night and he liked it. While he would rather play with the water toys than float on his back, his patient instructor finally got him doing the back float by the end of the lesson. We got to put our new skills to use today when we went for our first pool day of the year. We met Andrea, Erin and Karis there and had a great time playing (You can see Erin with EJ above). I was amazed at EJ's increased coordination in the water. Last year I had to stay close to him at all times but this year he can stand up everywhere in the graduated pool and gets around quite well in the water. We are looking forward to a fun summer!

Fuzzy Friends

It's that time of the year when our furry friends come out to play! There are lots of baby ducks in the pond near our house and the neighborhood bunny has been out and about. We haven't seen baby bunnies but we did see a baby bird who was "dumped" from the nest yesterday! We saw him again today on our walk about two houses down from where he was last night. He needs to learn how to use his wings...and fast!

New Tree Ring

I've been wanting to re-do the tree ring in our front yard since we moved in and I finally got it done...with Eric's help! Kaye taught me how to do this at my house in Texas and I couldn't wait to bring a new look to our front yard. I got the stone at a local nursery and choose lantana, begonias and statice to plant. EJ loves watering the flowers...and himself!

Great NE News

I found out today that a Trader Joe's is opening in Omaha this year! My CA and MN friends/family know what a big deal this is to me. There's a "Bring Trader Joe's to Omaha, Nebraska" page on Facebook with 1,500+ fans. Apparently TJ's listened and will be here! Yay!!

Weekend Fun

We had a fun weekend of baseball, trains and animals! On Sunday, our zoo was offering free train rides so we took advantage of that and spent an hour a hour a the zoo before the baseball game. EJ loves the zoo and much to my amazement, he road "Butch," the pony. This is the same kid who won't ride on the plastic pony at the grocery store!

I've never seen an all-white peacock. This one was stunning.



Here's the train coming to pick us up! It's a darling train, just the perfect size for little kids.



Here's EJ at the train stop watching for the train to arrive.



I love the red and white striped canopy and bright red passenger cars. It's such a fun and happy-looking train.



The train circles the zoo and there is a stretch where we ride by a park where you can wave at people walking or biking on the path. EJ's favorite part was going through the tunnel.



Our next stop was Eric's game. After the game, the Husker Junior Home Run Club had a camp for kids. It's a great event for the kids to get to play baseball with the Husker baseball players. EJ ended up falling asleep in the 8th inning and didn't wake up until the very end of the camp. He made it just in time for the group picture and to get his popcorn treat. Fortunately, we have our own "camp"(batting practice) every night in the backyard with Daddy so he didn't miss out on too much.




Jeff and Andi came to the game on Saturday. It was a beautiful day and a good win for our team. EJ is quite the fan of Andi. Here they are together during the game.



And finally, EJ got some much "needed" yard work done. If only he could use the real one...It won't be long, I'm sure!

Where the Wild Things Are

It's been a strange week here in Lincoln. We don't live on a farm, yet we've had the strangest experiences with wild animals...which include a lot of brake slamming! On our way to a baseball game last week a possum ran right in front of our car. We weren't even on a country road...in fact, we were right in front of Memorial Stadium in downtown Lincoln! Thankfully, we didn't hit him. Our next close call was on our way to church. A HUGE wild turkey ran out in front of my car. I had to slam on my brakes not to hit him. He took flight (barely) and his feet grazed the car coming the over direction. He promptly landed on the other side of the road and strutted away. When EJ saw what was going on, he yelled, "Mommy, you mashed down the turkey!" While no harm came to the enormous bird, EJ's been telling everyone that I mashed him down. Great.

Daddy Waffles

Eric's been gone for five days so E.J. was so excited to see him when he woke up this morning. We thought it would be a special treat to make banana nut waffles for daddy. Look how happy EJ is when Eric came down for waffles!



The finished product!

Omaha Zoo

EJ and I drove Eric to the airport for a morning flight and before heading back home, we decided to check out the Omaha Zoo. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day in Omaha but that didn't stop us. We went to many of the indoor exhibits. EJ loved the Scott Aquarium. He ran sprints next to the glass to keep up with the penguins swimming and loved looking at all the fish. He was a little timid in the "shark tunnel" where the sharks swim overhead but then he saw "Bruce" and wasn't scared anymore. Bruce is the shark from "Finding Nemo"--so funny what connections little ones make.









The anemones were spectacular.



We also made it to the Cat Complex where we saw lions, tigers, pumas, and cheetahs.



With all the fun was some silly behavior--like hugging fire hydrants! A super fun day with all the animals and my silly little monkey!

Springtime with Grandma

We just enjoyed a fun visit with Grandma Carol. Her and EJ went to the zoo, museum and baseball games. Here they are before church on Sunday.

Puppy Love

EJ loves our neighbor's new puppy. Seeing this picture makes me want to get him one but then I remember how crazy our life is and I snap out of it! He can visit the puppy two houses down any time he wants some puppy love!