A winter trip to the zoo

It was VERY cold out, but we knew that the crowds would be minimal when we were able to park right next to the entrance.

Sam got to sign to this Siamang. He asked him if he wanted cookies and then told him that he loved him. The animal just stared back at him. But Sam was pretty excited to get a picture with the monkey anyway.

Sam has started counting a lot of things. He tried counting the fish, but got frustrated when they started to swim around. He can actually count backwards better than forwards. Not sure what that means...

This bear had me cracking up. So much personality.

It was COLD. So of course the penguins were more active than any of the other animals. But, we saw a lot of cool things despite the low temps. We heard the lion roar, we go to pet goats, witness a porcupine fight and even saw a gorilla eat her regurgitated food (over and over again). Mmmm...
All in all it was a really fun adventure. Luckily the gift shop had some gloves so that we could keep warm on this blustery day!

Sam, all bundled up in the "big boat."

Just wondering, do you know anyone that goes to the zoo as much as we do?

I'm thinking we should probably get a yearly pass...

Shadow Boxes

I get complimented on our wedding shadow boxes a lot so I thought I would do a little DIY. These are super simple. The hardest part is finding an image that works for the background.

These glass door shadow boxes were found at a local craft store and are 8.5"X11" and 1.5" deep. I believe they were each about $15.

If using a boutonniere in your shadow box, dry it upside down for at least 30 days. This will give it a good "fresh" look.

After you have picked out the perfect picture (hopefully your photographer got a good shot of your neck and his chest) crop and cut the image to fit the back of your shadow box. The original picture that I used was a much bigger pic but I cropped it down so that the jewelry and boutonniere were closer to the same size.

If you are using your wedding necklace, puncture 2 holes near the neck and lace through the jewelry. Clip in the back and tape in place if needs be.
Now glue or pin the image in place and put jewelry and boutonniere in the desired location. I also added the earring that I wore by just poking it through the paper.

I pinned my husbands flowers to the shadow box, but I'm sure a glue gun would also do the job. I also included little print outs that give our wedding date. I used some hot glue behind those to make them stand out a little from the image.

Now, close the shadow box door and hang! Again, we get comments on these all the time. They are a great way to display pieces from your big day!

(Other wedding ideas: Cake cutting knife with image of cake in the back, dried flowers glued onto image of bouquet, bracelet placed around picture of your arm, etc.)

Two Twelve So Far

So far this year has been very low key. We know it won't last, but it's been nice to finally enjoy some down time together as a family.

Matt starts work this Friday. The changes this will create will be HUGE for us but it will be good none the less. Back to reality!
For a few more days we will enjoy sleeping in together, playing games late into the night and fun family adventures during the day.

Here are some shots of our year so far!

A new bouncy  house opened up in our hood so we took in the sights. SO MUCH FUN!
It's possible Matt and I played around too...
Sam's daily routine is to wake up at 9am (lucky, we know) take a shower and then get warmed up in Mommy and Daddy's bed. He likes to be all snuggled up while he dries.  
We rented out our spare bedroom this year to a friend named Kelly. With her came her cockatiel, Thisbee. Sam LOVES to have her hang out on his shoulder.

Sam enjoys dressing himself and since we spend most of our days pent up in our home, we allow it. One day he chose Spiderman Pjs, robot shoes and his owl backpack. Gotta love his style!

Sam got his Mommy's sleepy genes. On most days he puts himself down for a nap and never whines when it's bed time. He's super easy when it comes to rest. One day we found him like this:

Fast asleep.

For Christmas Papa and Tutu got Sam this HUGE lava-lamp-aquarium. He loves it and asks for his fish every night.

Hopefully we can fit in a few fun activities this week before we lose Matt to Boeing!

Our 2012 Resolutions

Holly

1. To be more proactive, patient and positive.
2. Become more organized and less cluttered.
3. Spend less time on work, more time with family and friends.
4. Dedicate more time and energy into teaching Sam.
5. Save money.


Matthew

1. Work hard at my new job.
2. Get A's in my last two quarters.
3. Knock up the wife.
4. Serve others
5. Get fit. (back to honeymoon shape!)

Samuel

1. To learn how to say "Shrek" without it sounding like the "F" word.
2. Ride my bike more often.
3. Less whining.
4. Learn how to read.
5. No more binkie at night!