A Day at the Zoo

We didn't make it to the zoo over the summer for a few reasons.  We mostly didn't make it because we were so busy on the weekends, but it was also hot when we were free to go.  Adam and I decided to wait until fall to head to the zoo with the thought that the weather would be more pleasant, we'd have more free time on the weekends, and the zoo would be less crowded. 

We finally made it there last Saturday.  Since Adam was traveling all week, we slept in on Saturday and didn't leave for the zoo until 11ish.  We decided on Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo because we'd heard it would be best for Vera's age.  It was a good choice.  We were able to get through the whole zoo in a few hours without feeling totally exhausted or rushed.  The zoo didn't have any elephants or bears, but we had a lot of fun enjoying all of the other animals.  The weather was just right.  A little chilly in the shade, but warm and comfortable in the sun.

Our first exhibit was the African Safari.  Vera could've cared less about the animals.  She kept asking for a snack, and showed absolutely no emotion when we'd point out animals. 

She had no interest in the zebra and ostrich in the background.

She did perk up a little when we went to the giraffe exhibit.  We spent $1 for a piece of lettuce to feed the giraffe.  We got there just in time for Vera and Adam to feed the giraffe; they had their fill after we fed our lettuce and walked away.  Vera thought it was hilarious, especially when the giraffe stuck out his long tongue. 

We continued through the "safari" with a mopey and uninterested girl.  At this point, it was imperative that we get something to eat.  The only thing Vera cared about was a snack.  We splurged a little and ate some sandwiches at the zoo.  Vera ate really well, she was reenergized for the rest of the zoo adventure, and had a lot of fun checking out the rest of the animals.

The aquarium exhibit was a big hit.  Vera loved the fish that looked like Nemo.  She also thought the shark was pretty cool swimming right in front of her.

After a ride on the train, we made our way to the pond filled with ducks and geese.  Adam bought some food, and had the birds eating from his hand.  I, on the other hand, am not a fan of birds.  I was completely content snapping pictures and keeping my distance.  No way would I have a bird eat out of my hand.  Vera threw some of her feed toward the ducks, and they quickly came running.  Eventually, she felt brave and opened her hand for the geese to eat.  It was all I could do to not freak out.  She thought it was pretty funny.  That is, until she got bit.  One of the geese got her poor little finger and pinched it between it's beak.  After a pretty hysterical crying episode, and two parents who felt really bad, we got Vera to settle down.  We noticed right away a little pool of blood and some swelling on her finger.  She was tough, and we moved on through the zoo.



 

We also checked out the farm animals.  All week when I asked her about going to the zoo, she said she wanted to see some pigs and mermaids.  The goats were so tame, and we took some time to brush them.  Vera thought it was pretty cool.

 

 

The last part of our day included a ride on the carousel.  As we waited in line, Vera was so excited, asking questions and pointing out the animal she wanted to ride.  When it was our turn, we chose a cheetah.  Vera loved the ride, giggling and waving to dad each time around.

 

 

We had a fun family day at the zoo.  Vera was really good, though she was tired at the end.  We ended our day by stopping for ice cream at McDonald's on our way home. 

 

 





Vera and Mommy Week

Adam is traveling this week for work.  He left for Montana at 5am on Monday and won't be back until Friday night around midnight.  It's been an exhausting week for me, but I've also had some fun enjoying Vera one-on-one.

All of Monday evening she talked about letters of the alphabet.  We went back and forth with letter sounds, she recognized some letters on my t-shirt, and we played with the alphabet flashcards.  She did some singing too.  "...the 'a' says 'ahh,' everybody make the sound, the 'a' says 'ahh.'  So funny.

Do you notice any patterns here?  She did this herself, and played for a solid 20 minutes with these letters.

We played outside on Tuesday evening for several hours.  Vera helped me do some work in the yard; she loves to be a helper.  She and I also played with sidewalk chalk and her toys.  We played in the backyard on the swings and slide.  We also snatched a few apples from Bonnie's apple tree and played with them.  Vera was so fascinated with apples growing on a tree, and even more excited about playing with them. 

I've had some interesting conversations with her this week too. 
*Last night she told me that it's really cold on Neptune. 
*Also last night she was telling me about patterns.  She was pointing to each of her toes saying, "big, little, little, little, little." 
*When we pulled into the garage one day this week she told me she has burrs on her car seat.  She's talking about little "pills" from some snags.  (How does she know what a burr is?)
*We're thinking about going to the zoo on Saturday, and she asked me tonight if we could see some mermaids at the zoo.  I'm really enjoying the mind of our two year-old right now.

Being a single parent for the week means doing the morning routine solo.  Vera does not handle being waken well.  It's always better if she wakes up on her own, but when her 6:30 wake up time rolls around, it isn't likely that she's going to wake on her own.  I've literally had to grab her by her ankles and drag her to the side of the bed and grab her to get her up.  Not so fun, but a necessary evil. 

We had a lot of fun tonight playing with Vera's newest toy.  Patty has been extra kind by buying the kids little treats for doing a good job with their school work.  Last week she got a glitter pony and this week she got two mermaid dolls.  It was fun to play with the mermaids and make them swim, comb their hair, and pretend.  I had never seen Vera pretend so well with dolls. 

Today I went to the book fair at school and bought several new books.  There are so many cool ones to choose from.  We read two of them tonight.  Vera thought this book was a hoot.  We read it twice in a row.

She's grown this week too; she looks taller to me.  She also has been a little more ornery with her glasses.  I've caught her all week taking her glasses off when we get home from school.  On Tuesday night, she walked into the kitchen to eat dinner and didn't have her glasses on.  I asked her where she put them, and I found them right where she told me.  Tuesday night she bent the nose piece when she had a crash landing on her slide.  Tonight she bent them pretty good trying to get them off her face while we were in the car.  The glasses certainly go through the wringer!  I guess it could be worse.

We're looking forward to daddy coming back home, but we did have a good week together!

Update

Many of you remember me blogging about "Charlie," the student that graduated in the spring.  Myself, along with many other teachers, gave him a much-needed boost as a graduation gift at the end of the school year.  Over the summer, I often wondered what Charlie was up to.  Periodically, I'd see Charlie's step dad around town, and I'd hope that Charlie escaped his crummy home life.

Charlie stopped by school today.  He looked good and seemed happy.  He shared with us that he's working at Weavers in Versailles full time on third shift; he's been there more than 2 months.  Over the summer he was able to get his drivers license, and he's saving up to buy a car.  I asked him if he gets a ride to work.  He shared that his friend's grandmother has lent him her van so he can get to work each night.  Wow!  What a kid.  He's truly an example of doing his best with what little he has. 

"Homework" at Patty's

Patty started doing preschool activities with Vera, Max and Ryan last week.  They've worked on the color green, the circle, and the numbers 1 and 2, among other activities.  When they work, they call it doing homework. 

They've been working hard on their letter recognition and sounds.  Vera can recognize more than half of the letters of the alphabet.  She knows the sound that almost all of them make.  Just tonight I went through the whole alphabet asking, "What's the 'A' say?  What's the 'B' say?" and she could answer almost all of them.  I was really impressed.  You're the best, Patty! 

Here are some pictures Patty sent us this week of her classmates at school.

A Photo Update

 Vera has shown a real interest in the alphabet lately.  I think this could be because she's started working on letters and sounds at Patty's house.  We played the letter puzzle on Friday night, and Vera can recognize several of her letters.  She surprised Adam and I.

 Last Saturday, Vera and I visited grandma and grandpa's house.  Blake was there and these two munchkins had fun playing together.  Blake is growing big and so funny.  We can't believe he'll be a year old next month!

 

 On Sunday, I went shopping with my mom and Mandy.  Although Vera is a little peanut, I did find a few fall outfits that should fit her.  She was especially excited about these boots that I got for her.  She wore them for 2 hours without socks and refused to take them off.  Her feet were a little stinky when she did agree to take them off.

We made it through 9 days of school before I had to use a sick day to be home with this little girl.  We were up most of the night with a vomiting girl, but about 6 hours later she seemed to perk up and feel better. 

It has been exceptionally hot this week.  I happened to notice this in the afternoon on the day I was home with Vera.