Z-O-O spells Zoo!

I woke up Sunday morning with the Big Guy already set to watch football. See - the football season officialy started last week so that makes me a football widow until January '06. So with that, I thought we would be spending the day at home. The boy was still fast asleep and I thought I'd go online to check what we can do, if the Big Guy was up to it (and prying himself away from watching the 49ers get their @ss kicked by the Eagles).

As soon as Jake woke up and the husband was fixing breakfast, I asked the Big Guy if it would be a good day to go to the z-o-o, making sure to spell it out so Jake can't figure out what we were talking about. However, it wasn't the husband who answered me; instead, Jake said "yes, I want to go to the zoo!" The Big Guy and I both looked at each other like "did he just figure out what I just said?" So we asked him again - "are we going to the z-o-o?" and Jake said "yes, I want to go to the zoo!" So much for assuming he can't understand us if we spell out certain words! We thought it was pretty cool though. I just need to make sure he can't figure out what I'm saying when I spell out c-a-n-d-y :).

So by lunch time, we were on our way to SF Zoo. Jake, who usually gets sleepy in the car (he is MY child after all) was way too excited to get to the zoo to even think of taking a nap. When we got to the parking lot and told him we were finally there, he looked outside the windown and asked "where are the animals?" He could hardly contain himself and first things first, a pit stop at the gift shop where he scored himself Elle the Elephant (Elle E. Phant is his real name, according to the father). First order of business - find where the elephants were. We got the map and decided to hit the giraffes and zebras first. Now, he has been to other zoos before but somehow, he was way too excited this time. He was just too happy that he had free reign to run around and barely sat in his stroller except for some quick rest. He was loving the gorillas, the rhinos but was a bit taken aback by the anaconda but loved staring at the boa constrictor. I, on the other hand, took a step back and decided not to look. They, in my opinion, look better on handbags :). He loved the family farm where he got to feed and pet the donkeys, goats and sheeps. We couldn't leave the zoo without riding the merry-go-round and the steam train - and Jake was just too thrilled that the train did two loops before we got off. We were at the zoo for about four hours, and eventhough the trip cut through his nap time, he wasn't cranky or whiney at all. By the time we got to the car and drove out of the parking lot, he was out cold and didn't wake up until 7:00pm!!! It was not a bad way of spending a Sunday afternoon. We seem to be great at impromptu plans - things pan out better when we plan things at the last minute. I wonder where we'll take the little boy this weekend?...

We celebrated R's birthday with special guests - Y's parents from Japan were in town to visit and the dinner was the first time the family got to meet the Horiuchi's. It was a lot of fun - although sometimes it felt like I was in the middle of watching Iron Chef live!!! We would be saying something in English, Y would interpret to her parents in Japanese and they would respond back and we would have to wait for Y to tell us what they said. It was surreal. Even the Big Guy's Japanese tongue came short :). It was great and they seemed to be really great people. Was it a "dress rehearsal" perhaps? :>

I've been feeling a little but under the weather (speaking of which, we had thunderstorms and lightenings today - and it's not even Fall yet!)...so what did I do to make myself feel better? I cleaned the bathroom! Yup - it was therapeutic alright. And it didn't hurt either that there was a Martha Stewart Living marathon on the Style Network. I was in heaven! :).

The Big Guy has been home for the past couple of days as well - sick with the bouts of the stomach flu. He went to the doctor's today and was told that it could be viral. Oh no!

I better catch some sleep - it's 2am and my boys are fast asleep and here I am wide awake.

One last tidbit before I bid adieu...
I had Jake walk around the house sans diaper for a while since the Big Guy was about to give him a bath and he told me "Mama, I want to wear diaper!" I said "no more since you're going to take a bath soon." Then he said "Mama, I have to go pee-pee!" So I took him to the bathroom and got him to stand on his stool and he went...just like that. Atleast now he's telling me before the fact. I'll try it again tomorrow. Next on the list - to teach him how to aim!! :)

Toodles!

P.S. Happy Birthday, SIL!