Saturday, November 12, 2011

Zoo Day

We are enjoying some wonderful fall weather here in SE Michigan so we decided to take advantage of it and head to Toledo, Ohio! What's the big attraction in Toledo?  Well, there are several noteworthy ones, but the only one we really care about is the Chick-fil-a. It's the closest one to us, unless you count the one in the Student Union at Oakland University and I don't. 



We all enjoyed our chicken and waffle fries, except for Vika who sampled their yummy chicken noodle soup, and Millie, who mostly dined on their yummy ketchup. I think some of the potatoes ended up in her belly, but not much.  We love that place! It doesn't take much to excite us.

The other main attraction in Toledo is their wonderful zoo.  We've gone there many times with our three and thought it would be a great day to let Vika experience it. 




Here are Eva and Eli in the parking lot demonstrating how they can walk backwards. 




Here are the two little ones securely fastened in the stroller - for now. They will soon break free.




Vika enjoying her walk.  She really didn't pay much attention to the animals.  She did really like the whole atmosphere, though, the sunshine, the breeze, the leaves. Lots of smiles from her today.




I just love the ensemble Eva put together for going to the zoo.  I had nothing to do with this, just so you know.


I think Eli is occupying the Bird House here.



That's just sweet, that's all I can say.



I just like this picture.


Vika enjoying the bird house. The aquarium was also a big hit with her and I got to use the russian word for fish, even big fish - "arriba balshiah". I'm sure people standing near us were so impressed at my fluency.


Here we are at the playground. Millie's getting ready to throw this big pile of leaves on this kid.  Fortunately for him, he's quick and got away just in time.



My silly boy sticking his head in a fish's (arriba!) mouth.


Vika chilling outside the reptile house. If I could only have someone push me around the zoo, life would be so wonderful.


This photo has no relevance. We just saw this sign on the way out and it made us giggle. We're not above potty humor in our family.


How do you define a successful family outing? 3 out of 4 children sleep on the way home! Yes! Eli, meanwhile, was playing some kind of game that looked like to me, "Kill the big stuffed chicken."  Yes, there was a stuffed chicken in the backseat. Doesn't everyone carry one in the car?

Yay! We all survived and dare I say, enjoyed, our first big outing since Vika came home! Happy Fall everyone!














 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lots of fun to be had! Eva loves those boots. One night when she was supposed to be going to sleep, I found her putting those boots on a huge, stuffed bear. I think she may have put her Sailor Girl costume on it, too.

Susan

Karen said...

Just had a chance to catch up on your blog! So glad things are going well! I love how Vika is already showing so much progress and I can relate with so many things! She looks like she is just fitting right in!:)