Deep Thought

How will we know that we passed a playground if he doesn't throw his hands in the air and yell, "YAY!" Think of all the playground opportunities we would be missing.

Monkey Cleans Up

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Last week we stole Mr. Z away from work with the help of Grandpa TF to catch the St. Patrick's Day parade. Monkey had a really great time.

Our fellow parade watchers were sometimes more interesting than the parade itself (after about the fourth school class just walking and wearing green...)

They were stingy with the beads, but we managed to get one precious strand.

The clear highlight of our day...

...after getting to spend some time with Mr. Z, of course.

We stayed even after Mr. Z had to go back to work - and then hit the Nestle Tollhouse counter at the mall. Yum!

Daylight Skating Time

A late nap combined with DST made for a very exciting evening. Monkey accompanied Mrs. Z to mass, which he usually misses because of bedtime. However, having just awakened as mass was starting, he had a good time and was very well behaved. Every month there is one special social activity planned after mass and this evenings activity was ice skating at the rink across the street. Since Mr. Z worked all night and was finally sleeping, we thought we would check it out.

Believe it or not, they actually had tiny skates that fit.

To say that it was a success would be an understatement. He couldn't get enough of it. Unfortunately, Mrs. Z's back had more than enough.

One of our fellow parishoners kindly took these photos with Mrs. Z's phone.

After finally prying him off the ice, we stopped at SNS for a little post-skating dinner. Mrs. Z lost the battle for the chocolate shake.

Monkeys in the Pool

Today was Monkey's first swim class. He had a great time, even if he did start to shiver about halfway through the class. As would be expected, he spent a great deal of time watching all the other kids and studying the people around us rather than focusing on his swimming. We did manage to fit some in, though:

Noodle swimming! Not his favorite, but a little easier on Mrs. Z.

Blowing bubbles (it's not just for bathtubs!)

Hanging around with our fellow Monkey E and his Keeper

Jump!

Master of Disguise

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

(This has since scabbed up nice and dark. Charming.)

Burning Bush

Kung Fu Master

In addition to our recent discovery of an unpleasant but not dangerous penicillin allergy, this week we learned that Monkey weighs 20 lbs and 3 oz. We've been waiting a long time for this particular milestone because that means we can now turn his car seat around so he can face forward! We hope that makes for more pleasant travels for all of us.

On the docket this weekend: more playground time, our first swim class on Saturday, and the beginning of Spring Break! Woo!

A Birthday Adventure for Aunt M

Aunt M had a birthday a few days ago. We celebrated by going to the children's museum with our Redheaded Cousin R and her parents. A good time was had by all, especially when we stopped for cupcakes afterward!