Lions And Tigers And Bears, Oh My!

On President's Day, we went to the Santa Barbara Zoo.

Jack loves animals and running around, so he had a fabulous time.

Jack has a love for birds, so it was very cool to see different kinds of birds up close.

Now those are some seriously crazy birds, those flamingos.

Can you guess what he's watching so intently?

(And no, it's not a bird)

It was this massive elephant.

He was entranced by it.

He really liked riding in this play car while we waited to ride the train.

Hey, it has a monkey in the seat next to him. Could it get any better?

We rode the train and got a tour of the zoo.

Every time we see a picture of a train now, we have to talk about how he rode the choo choo and saw "am-als"

Checking out some more birds.

And fishies are very fun too!

Jack decided he wanted to walk, but he had to be holding hands with two people while he did it.

Here he's holding hands with Aunt Sass and Daddy.

We discovered that he really is related to his best friend, Monkey!

And some family shots...

On the train

Beautiful Santa Barbara in the background

A view of the ocean. I love that this zoo is so close to the beach.

We had a wonderful time at the zoo and will have to take Jack again!

Jack's New Best Friend

Jack has never had any kind of "lovey."

I've tried to get him to attach to stuffed animals, blankets, anything other than just Mommy.

But to no avail.

Then he met Monkey...

They are very close.

He carries Monkey everywhere, hugs him, kisses him, wrestles him, feeds him.

It's funny that he chose a stuffed animal that is as big as he is to love.

He liked putting the beads on Monkey.

He even loves dancing with Monkey!

Blogger won't load my video, so follow this link to my Facebook to watch Jack rock out with Monkey.

Family Day

Sunday, February 20th was the 4th anniversary of the death of my cousin, Weston.

The whole family gathered at the cemetery to have a picnic and spend time together.

Jack had the best time playing with Aunt Shari. The wrestled and ran around and had a grand time.

Jack liked how Isaac shared his planes and toys.

Jack and Shyla were a cute pair.

They did some serious hugging.

And even turned into kissing cousins.

Two cute little shorties admiring the flowers

Bak-ball

We did encounter a couple of rainy days, so we went to play some basketball, or "bak-ball" as Jack calls it.

He shoots

He scores

Pass it, Jack!

Getting bak-ball lessons from Ganpa

Heading for Warmer Climates

We've been cooped up with the cold of winter and were thrilled to take a weekend vacation to California to visit my family.

We tried to take advantage of the relatively warmer weather.

As soon as we got there we headed for the park.

Jack couldn't get there fast enough.

Swinging with the Ojai post office in the background

Sliding with Grandpa (he has now added the word "ganpa" to his vocabulary

Playing in the fountain

We also went to the park on our last day in town to soak up our last bits of warmth.

Loving driving Aunt Sass around

Who can swing highest?

Jack can't wait for spring to come to Utah so that he can enjoy the park some more!

A Boy With A Crush

Jack has had a huge crush on this little cutie for awhile.

Every time we pass her house, he points and jabbers at me and gets very excited.

He gets very excited whenever we mention her name.

He gets shy and tongue tied whenever he sees her.

But he was lucky enough to have her over to play this week.

They had lots of fun, driving his car, playing with his toys, coloring, reading, and dancing.

He can't wait for the next time she comes over to play!

Addicted to the Shower

Jack has become a shower addict.

He wants to be in there all the time.

For Christmas, his great grandma gave him some boats.

It is now impossible to get him out of the tub.

And if he hears the shower on, he busts in, throws his boats in the shower, and tries to get in.

He is one clean boy!

Love Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

We had a great love day and my boys showed me lots of love.

Jack got me a box of chocolates and this balloon, which also plays "I Got You Babe."

He likes running around the house with it like a crazy man.

Dallin made me a candle lit dinner for after Jack went to bed.

It was delicious - Shrimp and Spinach Alfredo, Chile Cheese Soup, Stuffed Zucchini, and cake.

He also got me a cute little rose bush and some beautiful earrings.

It was definitely a wonderful, memorable day!

Thank you, boys!

Showing Some Love

We were perusing the Valentine's aisle at Target and came across some Valentine's we couldn't resist - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - Jack's favorite show.

We spent the evening getting our Valentines ready to give to some of Jack's friends and family.

Mom wrote the names...

And Jack added his signature in crayon.

He knows how to show the love

Bring On the Football

Although this serious face doesn't show it, we had an awesome Super Bowl Sunday.

Jack donned his football sweatshirt and football socks for the occasion.

I spent the afternoon in the kitchen preparing meatballs, ribs, potato skins, and cookies.

Dallin made cinnamon rolls.

The uncles and some of Dallin's friends came for the fun.

We ate a ton and enjoyed the game and the commercials.

Jack even had a great time hanging out and eating meatballs.

Go, Packers!

Jack Knows How To Relax

Jack decided to move his bowl of cereal into a pot.

I mean, who doesn't love their cereal in a pot?

He then settled into the chair with his pot of cereal for an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, his favorite show.

What a life!

Baby Big Foot

Jack has a new fascination with wearing everybody else's shoes.

I find shoes all over our house and our closet is a mess because he's constantly getting the shoes out to wear them.

The other night Uncle Andrew took his massive shoes off and Jack decided to wear them.

Looking good, Jack!