Penguins have names like Fiona and Tyrone and Louis

Apparently the rest of the country is buried under snow, but here in Seattle we are having GORGOUS weather (complete with sunshine AND warmth!), so we had to get out of the house to do something more exciting than grocery shopping at Costco. So we headed on up to the Woodland Park Zoo to renew our yearly membership and see some animals! Potamus has been obsessed with making animal noises (his particular favorite is the chimpanzee, which I have NO idea where he learned that from…haha).

I realized when we parked, that I had brought a 2 year old to the zoo without a stroller as tired-leg-backup. What’s fun about going places with kids is that it’s new every time. He squealed and pointed and even drew the attention of passerbys who even said “wow, he’s really excited.” I don’t like to stifle his excitement, because FUCK YEAH PENGUINS ARE COOL BABY! I guess I didn’t notice all the ‘well behaved’ (aka quiet) kids at the zoo who ooh and ahh with tiny exasperated adult voices…because my kid has enthusiasm just like his mom.

 

On our way out we stopped back at the penguin exhibit and watched them get fed. I was struck by the zookeeper who was calling out their names as he threw them a fish. Hey Tyrone, here you go! Fiona, you need your vitamins too! Louis, eat the fish, don’t drop it that seagull will get it! I was fascinated, because of course penguins have personalities and you would know them, but I found the names funny. I think a children’s book called “A Penguin Named Tyrone” would be cute. Anyone want to write that?

Heat wave hits Seattle: We hit the zoo

playing in the boat at the penguin exhibit

Potamus has been avoiding naps like they’re poison, so instead of laying in bed trying AGAIN and AGAIN to nurse him to sleep, we hit the zoo and I figured that a nap would happen if it needed to happen. Plus, it’s the first summer heat wave day, and I figured it would be fun to get out and get some sun!

Now that Potamus can walk…er…run…the zoo is much more fun! He kept up with me for the first hour, and then got whiny so I pushed him in the stroller. He loved the penguins, of course, but was also really enthralled with things like…sewer drains. Ha!

the elusive sewer monster lives here. it’s a little known park attraction.

look mama, a penguin!

Yesterday Potamus had his 18 month checkup, and he took the shots like a champ. Turns out he’s a little over 25lbs, and is almost 32 inches long. I can’t believe how fast he’s growing up! But…I wish he’d take a freaking nap 🙂

Zoovangelism

Another lovely sunshine Sunday here in Seattle, and a quick morning text to my good friend resulted in our two families playing hooky from church and heading on down to the Woodland Park Zoo. I’m coining our adventure: zoovangelism. 🙂

 

Look! A new exhibit, Dads-with-strollers! A good looking bunch, if I may say so!

Yep, we’re rockin’ it!

Flamingos are my new favorite exhibit.

Otterly thrilled to be here!

Potamus has been quite the ham lately. He now knows that cameras take his picture and so he waves. He’s also a big fan of the feature that allows him to see the picture being taken. And there’s just something SO wonderful about the sunshine here. While I don’t like the few weeks in the summer when it’s 90+, these 70-80 degree days are amazing. It just makes me super happy to be out and about with friends!

Baby’s first visit to the zoo! He was born on Potamus’ birthday, so we think it’ll be fun when he’s this age next year, since they’re exactly 1 year apart.

I laughed so hard at this goose. He was the only goose in the flamingo pen, and he was off by himself…and I’ve never seen a goose do the one foot stand, so we were joking about how he was adopted by the flamingos and probably thinks he’s a flamingo…but doesn’t quiet fit in. Also, I’m happy to be a human, because I keep noticing how ugly girl birds are….the males are just so pretty, and the girl birds and so…frumpy. Though, makes me think twice about being okay with a girl being called a “chick,” eh?

He enjoyed the otter exhibit, though it was hard to get a good picture of those slippery little creatures!

Daddy and Potamus enjoying a quick lunch. These two are such hams!

Seattle sunglass baby!

This city steals my heart every time, but no more than on sunny sunny days. Man, it’s good to be a Seattle-ite!

We had so much fun that we think we might make this a real tradition. We enjoyed walking the shaded paths and the kids ran around. I think they paid less attention to the animals than we did, but the fact that they seemed just so damn happy to be out and about was enough for us! And I felt really connected to Boof and our friends, getting to share in this experience. So often I just do things on my own because I’m afraid of rejection, or the hassle of having to coordinate schedules and the like. Moments like these just reinforce my need for mutual friendships that benefit me, us as a couple, and the kiddos!

Hope your days were filled with sunshine and adventure, too!

Seattle Faux Spring: Woodland Park Zoo edition

Embracing another Seattle Spring day, Potamus and I headed on up to the Woodland Park Zoo to visit with a friend. He really enjoyed seeing the penguins, but was afraid of the giraffes and meerkats. He was pretty indifferent to the ADORABLE lion cubs, but it could have been the massive crowd of people surrounding the windows. He maxed out at about 1:30 minutes, so I’m happy that we have a year zoo pass to go back and keep exploring! I’m excited about trying the Zoomazium indoor place on a rainy day!