The Animal Whisperer....

Bridget, Cayden and Mya came up for the weekend!! We decided to visit the Zoo together on Saturday!  Cayden is going through a "noise" thing right now... loud noises really scare him.  In this photo he is ready to cover his ears should this elephant decide to make a lot of noise!!

Cayden is so sweet to his little sister, Mya Brynn.  He is her protector!   Lucky little sister!

He points out all the great things to look at for her!  We decided Cayden is an Animal Whisperer.  We would walk up to an exhibit and see the animals facing away from the crowds, but as soon as Cayden got up to the window, they would look and come right over to him!

The sharks were swimming around in a circle on the top of the tank while we waited our turn to get close up.  Once I put Cayden up on the ledge, one of the sharks swam right down to his level and STOPPED in front of him for a few seconds!!   Cayden was so excited!!

Mya loved her new Zoo hat... good for keeping the sun out of her eyes!  The day was bright and sunny, we sure did love having a great day to visit the Zoo!

Cayden read the map.   He told us which way to go to see the animals he wanted to visit!

We rode the train around for a bit too!   In the Caboose car~  We think Cayden thought it might be a roller coaster!  Hands Up!!

Mya's Mommy took this sweet photo!

Mya liked the monkeys!

They did tricks for her!

The most amazing thing was waiting to see the octopus.  This is the window.  While we waited behind people, the octopus was right on the glass~ we could see all the suction cups on the bottom but low and behold, once Cayden got up to the glass...  That octopus slid right down the glass and settled on the bottom just looking at Cayden!!  See it there?   Really, this was starting to freak us out a little!!!

Cayden man handled this wolf like he just hunted it down!!

Thumbs Up ya'll~~

More noise interference with Santa's reindeer.  These two took to fighting right in front of us!

Bridget and Cayden get a birds eye view of the seals!

"Did you have fun at the Zoo Mya?", Cayden asked his sister.

We were not even out of the parking lot and this is what Bridget found...

Oh how I love these two!

Molly's big field trip with Meme!

I was lucky enough to be asked by Beckie to go on Molly's field trip to Schoepfle Gardens~ Beckie was going to be busy on another field trip with Sarah to the Cleveland Zoo!  So of course I said YES!!

Here she is, all ready to jump on bus number 24 with the rest of the afternoon Western Reserve preschoolers!

Molly loved all the rock border edges that she could climb on and practice her balance beam skills!  She even found these little "stairs"!

I think her favorite thing was the Rocky G Clef mound!  She liked climbing up the rocks then crawling into the little hidden tunnels on top and sliding out at the bottom!!  She did it over and over!  Some moms didn't like that it was a little wet and wouldn't let their kids try it....but Molly did not care at all!!

The students did a craft with Ms Elizabeth from the gardens~ they made their very own WoolyBear!  One of Molly's little classmates did find a real one and Ms Elizabeth put it in a jar for everyone to hold and see.  We did see many little white caterpillars, the ones with the little black spots on the back!  Well, Molly had a lesson about those white ones to teach all the kids on the field trip...

Molly showed her friends how she had a bad rash on her arms, belly, legs and face ... just from holding the white one!!  It can cause allergic reactions just by touching it!!  Moms and Dads on the field trip kept reminding all the kids not to touch them~ and believe me, we saw A LOT of the white ones with black spots!!

 Just look at Molly's face~  even her little hands swelled so big!  Beckie took her to the doctor and as Beckie listed things Molly had touched or ate the day before, the dr. stopped her when she said she played wih a caterpillar!!  She asked what color and TaDa.... mystery solved about the rash!!

Molly loved the hedge maze and then she learned about the sun dial!

We talked about how people used to pump their water from the well and we saw a beautiful carousal, but did not get to take a ride since it was closed for the season! 

Ms Elizabeth gave all the kids new sunglasses at the end of the tour!

I had so much fun with you Molly!  Thanks for taking Meme with you on your field trip this year!!

In a years time...

A sweet baby girl was born on October 12th, 2010.

                                                  Layla Lynn Lesjak

We gave Thanks for her in November!

1 month

By December, she had us wrapped, like Christmas ribbon, around her little finger!

2 months

January snow may have been falling, but Layla warmed our hearts with her smile!

3 months

February made her our Valentine!

4 months

March roared in with giggles...

5 months

April showed us so much sunshine, we thought we might burst!

6 months

May gave her Mother a reason to Celebrate being a Mommy!

7 months

June gave her Papa a reason to celebrate being a Daddy!

8 months

July was her month to light the night, cuz baby, she's a Firework!

9 months

In August, she celebrated her Mommy and Papa's birthdays in style~ She was a party animal!

10 months

September just makes us FALL in love with her all over again as she learns so many new things!

11 months

Now we are fast approaching her first birthday!

I just cannot believe my little Colorado Layla Bug will be ONE YEAR OLD on October 12th!

It's amazing all that can happen in a years time...

New Pilates studio~

Beth Lafarciola opened a new pilates studio!  Beth amazes me with her talents, not only at being an excellent pilates instructor but she certainly has a flair for making a space warm and inviting!  Her last studio was also very inviting but it was time for a change and she made a big one!

Just look...

Dave enjoying the lobby as he waits to begin our workout!

Love this quote~

Beth and Dennis enjoy a laugh after our workout!  Dave and I, along with Dennis and Meigan had "Duet" class together!  Every Wednesday at 4:30~ so fun to be together!

Thanks Beth!  You really are great at what you do~ keep up the great work!  And just remember, even when I text how sore I am~~~ I really, really mean " I love you"!!!