Busy Bees

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, and thank you for all your suggestions for things to do. Liza suggested some DC stuff... which normally I'm game for. Only thing is I live a good 30 minutes from the District. However, on Tuesday, I didn't let that stop me, and Shepherd and I spent the afternoon at the National Zoo. All in all it was a great afternoon. Shepherd loved most of the animals with a few exceptions. T

he toucans were fascinating at first, but when they started flying around, they spooked Shepherd a little. Then the otters put on a show for us by swimming back and forth, swimming directly at the glass. It did look as though they could come through the glass and tickle Shepherd to death (Otters are so dadgum cute!), but I guess from his perspective they looked as though they could eat him. Finally, the Tiger was a huge hit..at first. The poor guy was starving and pacing back and forth in front of the door where I guess they feed him. After a few minutes, he let out a huge roar, which scared Shepherd to death. Shepherd started screaming, and I started walking quickly away. Some idiot thought it was hilarious, and egged the tiger on by roaring back. They roared like that until I was out of sight, but mind you, had Forrest been there to walk Shepherd away, I probably would have had words with the idiot. What kind of jerk thinks it's funny to scare a baby??? Moving on... Our favorite part was the sloth bears and the fishing cat, to which Shepherd repeatedly said, "tat! tat! tat!"

Needless to say, he was worn slap out that night (I was too for that matter). Then yesterday, we went to our bi-weekly MOPS meeting at church, where he had a blast running around with all the other little munchkins his age, and I had a blast eating breakfast on my own without little man while visiting with other grown ups. Today, was Gymboree, which Shepherd TOTALLY LOVES. It was his birthday gift from everyone... and he totally made use of his time. I'm guessing I'll get a good nap out of him this afternoon.

Anyways... that's what we've been up to lately, and I'm sure one of these days I'll post something a lot less boring, but I thought I'd bring folks up to date.

Cabin Fever

I think this week has been the earliest in my life that I have uttered "I wish it was spring already". I'm so tired of cold weather, mostly because I love going outside. I miss going out to get fresh air without having to bundle up as though we're headed for an artic excursion. Granted, I don't always dress that way, but dressing a toddler for outside feels as though I'm wrestling a 24 pound baby seal into a jacket and a hat. Todays high is supposed to be 53 degrees, but with snow on the ground and sidewalks, even a walk outside will be a chore. Don't get me wrong, I'll still go outside, because otherwise, I'll develop a bad case of cabin fever.

I've always been a winter person, always relishing the cold, enjoying the snow, and wrapping myself in blankets cradling a cup of hot cocoa. But this winter, I've utterly despised the cold. It's just hard to get out in with an active one year old. He doesn't seem to have the tolerence for the cold that I do (hmmm... wonder why? Maybe he's 200 lbs lighter?!?!) and gets quite fussy if he gets cold. I've gotten creative in our outings this winter, and I've tried to get out once a day. This week promises to be the best week for outings, as we start Gymboree this week, along with the other list of activities I have written out. But today? Today I'm stumped. I'm tempted to stay inside all day, but know that if I do, by the time Forrest gets home, I'll be sitting in the corner, rocking to and fro, giggling quitely to myself as I slowly succumb to the mania.

So this is where I need your help... What are some things YOU do to get out during the dead of winter? What are some activities you do around the house that get your mind off of being stuck inside(and don't say cleaning... I've already cleaned my house... I even bought a real mop!!)?