A Perfect day for the Zoo

This morning Tommy and I woke up early to a beautiful morning in the upper 60’s. It was Sunny and a perfect day for the Zoo. Tommy was eager to get to the Zoo early so he could, “wake the monkeys up.” Much to his dismay it seems that monkeys are early risers. However early in the morning they are much more vocal and active this made us both laugh to hear the monkeys make such a racket. We both were able to ride on the zoo’s train and the chair lift rides. Fearless Tommy found his ultimate fear, bats! We went into the “Bat House” it was a smelly dark room lit with a single amber bulb. The room was crawling with large bats; it really upset Tommy, and I admit I was not to comfortable with the experience. Tommy ran out! Daddy followed closely behind and managed to maintained some composure. YUCK!

Fun with pancakes

When my sister Amy and I were very young our grandmother Davis would cook pancakes for us. She would make the shapes of animals and spell out our names in pancake batter. This evening I was trying to come up with a good plan for supper when I thought about pancakes and eggs. Well the result was, as you see in the pictures, spelling out Tommy’s name in batter. I am pleased to note that he ate almost every letter in his name not to mention an egg a sausage and apple juice. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Tommy at the top

This Sunday after Church and a good nap, Tommy and I went to the bounce house to burn off some excess energy; it was 105 degrees in Richmond so the playground was not an option. The bounce house was full of families seeking relief from the heat. Tommy insisted on climbing to the highest point in the building. The photo is not clear because I used my phone to capture the shot but the arrow is pointing to Tommy as he ascends the stairway of doom. In the words of Crush the sea turtle, “he’s got serious thrill issues dude.”

Tommy at the County Fair!

Tommy and I had a really nice time at the County fair in Warrenton, VA. We discovered that he LOVES riding all of the rides. There were rides I would never consider and he wanted to jump right on. He literally screamed with delight. A touching moment was when he was able to pet a new born goat. The wee beast had been born that day and was huddled up to his mother. The temperature was near 100 degrees so we had to leave a few hours into our trip but he had a great time with his cousin Anna who won two ribbons for squash that she had entered in the fair for judging. The day was full of blessings; we rejoiced and were glad in it.

New Underpants!

Yesterday, Mrs. Jackie, Tommy’s teacher (in daycare) made the suggestion that we start him in real underpants! This morning Tommy went to school with a whole new demeanor; he now has “Big Boy Underpants”. Along with his brand new briefs and attitude his bag was also packed with several extra sets of dry clothes. This reminds me of a limerick I once heard on Benny Hill’s program in the 1970’s. “Last night I dreamed of a fire. The flames got higher and higher. When the fames reached my head, I wet the bed, and moved to the couch where it’s dryer.”

Chickahominy River

I got up early this morning and took a 53 mile drive to the banks of the Chickahominy River in James County Virginia. Unfortunately Tommy was not with me on this adventure. I was able to launch a small powered boat into the river and explore some of the river and its natural beauty. There were many large nests with chicks being nurtured by their mothers. The cypress trees were very nice the “knees” studded the shore line and the fish were leaping from the water on occasion. It was a wonderful morning. I am reminded of the words of scripture, “THE LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” Hab. ii. 20.

Tommy and the Train

Tommy enjoyed his ride on the kids train at the Shortpump mall. The conductor who drove the train was named Hugh and Tommy had no problems asking how he was doing and many other questions about the train. The conductor made a speedy trip around the mall which thrilled Tommy. Tommy shared the train car with a nice Vietnamese child named Daniel. He chose to ride in the green car because that was his favorite color. The train offered and authentic sounding “Toot-Toot”” which Tommy really was excited about.

A day in the Mountains.

Tommy and I went to see family in the mountains of Virginia. We got to spend some time along the banks of a nice river area. We skipped rocks on the water and found a big toad hiding in the wood. Tommy had a great day and really enjoyed playing with his cousin Will. As the evening came upon us the woods were lighted by thousands of fireflies; that was truly a great end to a wonderful day. Click on the photos for a larger image.