Free Zoo

Jacob and I love to go to the park with our friends, and a few weeks ago we were there with our friends Elijah and Rachel. Elijah and Jacob saw some birds, and I mentioned to Rachel that I think Jacob might enjoy a zoo now that he seems to be more able to find animals (as long as they are moving)! That's when Rachel suggested a fantastic idea...try a trip to PetCo (aka a free zoo of sorts)

Here's a shot of Elijah and Jacob enjoying the rodent section.

We saw guinea pigs, rats, mice, gold fish, all kinds of fish, parakeets, other birds, and Jacob's favorite...an ELMO fish tank (without any fish in it, of course).

It was a great outing, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a trip to the zoo without the cost and the all-day commitment.

Playing Catch-Up!

I think blogging is a little bit like any other worthwhile endeavor. Once started it gains its own momentum, and you find yourself seeing post possibilities throughout your day. The problem: once you take a break, you still see the possibilities, but you get so behind that to begin again seems overwhelming. I have been suffering from that problem since we had the wonderful chance to visit family and friends over the holidays.

So, in an effort to get "back in the saddle", here are some of the highlights from our trips and time off!

Anyone who has lived through law school finals, knows that the family members not taking finals get to spend A LOT of time together! So, in addition to our normal daily activities, Jacob and I started watching Jeopardy together (or at least trying), going on walks outside to check for the moon or any stars, and making dinner together. Here he is mixing up some mac and cheese.

To quote from a children's song, "I'm so glad when Daddy comes home!"

Once Joey was done with finals (WAY TO GO JOEY!), we headed for Utah to visit my family. Jacob loves having more people to play with, especially his aunts Ali and KK. Since it was pretty cold and snowy outside, we had most of our fun inside. Here is Jacob getting Ali's help to fit into her miniature radio flyer wagon. (He knew he had her undivided attention while she pulled him around!)

After celebrating with my family, we headed to Arizona to see Joey's family and visit friends. In an effort to win "favorite uncle" status (Jacob only has two uncles), Casey purchased a bag of cheese shaped like Mickey Mouse and gave Jacob a few drum lessons on his Rock Band gear. Our future rocker! (Thanks Uncle Cheese)


We also had time to visit several other family members and friends. Here is Jacob's first picture with Great Grandpa Quigley. (This picture is also proof that Joey and I occasionally get in front of the camera as well:))

To top it all off, we took a trip to LoLo's Chicken and Waffles! Uncle Cheese discovered this authentic soul food restaurant some time ago. Our meal included: fried chicken, thin waffles, creamy mac and cheese, and super strong red Kool-Aid in mason jars (check out how red it was!). Jacob loved the mac and cheese, as well as the water-downed koolaid in his sippy cup. (We had to water it down, we're just not ready for him to take in that much sugar!). We highly recommend LoLo's for anyone looking for a great place to eat in Phoenix.
Those are just some of the highlights of our time off. What a blessing it was to see family and friends and get recharged! Now onto semester #2!