Engelmann's Daisy

This is why there are so few shots with two of us...she is so independent!

 

Zoobilee Zoo!

This past week, the Houston Zoo had a special members only event called Zoobilee. For those of you from my generation, you might remember the Zoobilee Zoo television show from the 1980s, but the event at the Houston Zoo was a bit different.  The one similarity was the people dressed as animals who were doing some sort of modern, interprative dance.  The dancers freaked Clifton out, so we didn't watch them for long.  We did collect stamps in Finley's passport.  Once you got all the stamps, you got to trade it in for a prize.  We got all the stamps and headed out.  By the time we made it to the exit, Finley had somehow dropped her passport...whoops.  Luckily, the zoo staff was understanding and she got her zoo coloring book and crayons.  We feasted on Little Bigs after the fun.

Collecting the Asia Stamp

A break in the running (she does a lot of running!)

Slides are fun!

All I get are goldfish?  No worries, fries and sandwiches are coming.

Happy Birthday, Riley!

Miss Riley's first birthday was last week and her party was this past weekend.  We had a great time playing with all the kids and catching up with friends.  I cannot believe Riley is already one!  Georgia did a fantastic job with Riley's cake and it tasted amazing.  Finley gobbled the cake right up, but Riley wasn't as interested.  I am sure Finley would have been happy to polish off her smash cake.

Kitchen Fun

Finley is still loving her kitchen playset. The ladies who watch her at my gym know that she heads straight to the kitchen for playtime while I work out. I cannot wait for Finley to be old enough to help me in the real kitchen!

What can I get for you?

Hands off my kitchen!

Bluebonnet Preview

I have over 200 photos to sort through, but for now, here is a sneak peak of Miss Finley in the Texas bluebonnets.  I have to preface that pictures are about 100 times harder to take of a mobile toddler than they were of our sweet baby last year.  How funny is it that we took the same amount of pictures as last year?  This post is nearly identical, just a few weeks late due to the unusually cold winter.

First Carousel Ride

This week our playgroup met at the Downtown Aquarium for lunch and rides.  Again, Finley loved the Landry's establishment.  We toured the exhibits, rode the Shark Voyage (twice!) and had her very first carousel ride.  She loved the carousel and cried when it was over.  I guess we will have to check out the carousel at the zoo next time we visit.  Finley loved running around the big fish tanks in the restaurant.  She especially liked climbing up the stairs, there was a railing just her size and she walked up the steps like a big girl.  She is growing up so fast!

FYI to all the Houston area moms, there is a buy one get one free coupon here for the Aquarium.  Makes it only $8 for all the rides and exhibits.

Loving Landry's...Oh No!

Last week, we went to the Kemah Boardwalk.  Oh yes, the "fun never stops" at the Kemah boardwalk until it rained before we could ride any rides, but Finley was happy enough with her meal at the Landry's Seafood House.  How could my daughter be happy with the food at a restaurant from the evil empire of Tilman Fertitta?  On a good note, the key lime pie no longer has pecans in the crust so I was able to enjoy it.  Years ago when we first visited the University of Houston (back in the mid 90s), I had key lime pie at Landry's and discovered my pecan allergy, not a fun night.

Berry-licious

We went to Froberg Farm this week down in Alvin and had the best time.  Finley was really good at putting strawberries in the bucket, but she was even better at running all over the farm.  We picked almost 10 pounds of strawberries.  I froze a great portion of them, but Finley is enjoying snacking on the fresh ones.  I also made a strawberry tart, which Finley absolutely loved.

Some Bunny Loves You

Finley got three new bunnies for Easter.  One from Clifton and I, one from Grammy and Grandad, one from Uncle Larry and Aunt Joan.  She lined them up on the step to sit with them.  She also added the pink elephant that Zane and Karen got her there as well.  I guess elephants and bunnies are friends.

Finley has also really enjoyed going on egg hunts over the past couple of days.  I think we will be keeping the plastic eggs out for awhile after Easter.  Also, she has gotten them stuck in her stacking cups a couple of times, which is real fun to try and get it out.