Fill in the Blank Park Zoo

We journeyed to Des Moines on Labor Day weekend in order to take the kids to the zoo. The zoo in Des Moines is called "Blank Park Zoo" so we were amused enough by that name to come up with silly puns like the one above.

This turned out to be a really great zoo and the kids had a great time. Also, the weather could not have been more perfect. Mid-70's and sunny. For those of you familiar with Chicago-area zoos, this was closer in size to Lincoln Park than Brookfield. But they had some really great hands-on exhibits for kids, including a large petting zoo where you could pet the animals and feed the psycho Koi fish.

It was a little intimidating trying to pet this guy

The llama was a little more manageable

It's the eldest Billy Goat Gruff! (currently a favorite bedtime story)

Wow that is one hot mama!

The Psycho Fish!


They also had an australian outback area where the animals just roamed free all around you. There were wallaby's and Emu's that would come right up to us. I was tempted to try to ride the Emu, but Joel said he didn't think that was a very good idea.

Here's a wallaby

Here's the emu. See? I think I could have ridden that thing.

Can you spot the tortoises in this picture?

Here's what he looked like up close. I wonder if he can actually lift that shell off the ground. That would be pretty impressive. All they did was lay there while we were watching.

Silas reports that his favorite animal was the tiger (must be because of his sleeping situation) and Joel says his favorite were the jellyfish. All of us loved the aquarium area, as they had some incredibly unique sea creatures in there.

Joel loved the elephant misting machine. He got totally soaked.

This wobbly bridge in the tropical area was a big hit with Joel too.

Joel's jellyfish - I made the mistake of mentioning they had jellyfish when we first entered the zoo and all day Joel kept asking, "Can we go see the jellyfish now PLEASE?" Finally we made it.

Dill boys funnies

The other night, Grandma Rhoda mentioned that she and Grandpa Jim were going to a wedding. Joel's eyes lit up and he gasped and exclaimed with glee, "You're getting MARRIED!?" So cute. I don't even know how he knows that getting married is such a huge deal, but he sure was delighted with the idea of Grandma and Grandpa finally tying the knot.

This morning, I got dressed in jeans and a polo shirt before I came downstairs to log on to work. Normally, I just wear a t-shirt and shorts but it was cool today, so I dressed a little warmer. When Silas saw me coming down he said, "Where you going, Daddy? Are you going to church?" I guess I've set the bar pretty low.

Lots of great pictures

Here's some pictures from another Bever park visit.





After Bever Park, we tried to go on a bike ride/run on the prairie path, but unfortunately much of the path was still closed due to flood cleanup. We did manage to get a little exercise in, with our mixed configuration of Jorie and Joel on bikes, while I ran and pushed Silas in the jogging stroller.


We spotted this tree that got lodged under the bridge during the flood and is still hanging there. Crazy huh? This bridge was completely underwater, including the surface of the road at the top, can you imagine?

Some pictures of the boys on another park day:


Joel and Silas with their friends Hank and Ernie at a Splash pad.

Here's Joel and Hank on their first day of 4-year old preschool.

Silas had to say goodbye to his big brother.

Last, and most definitely least, Joel took this silly picture of his daddy:

Grandpa John comes to town

This past weekend, my dad (now affectionately known as "Grandpa John" around here) came to visit for a bit and it was great to spend some quality time with him. He brought some new books for the boys, and they have instantly become the most-often requested stories at bedtime and naptime. My Dad also brought his friend Kay with on this trip, and it was great getting to spend some time with her and getting to know her better too. On Friday night, Grandma Rhoda and Grandpa Jim watched the boys for us (HUGE thanks!) so that we could go out for a nice dinner with my dad and Kay at Granite City, one of our favorite restaurants here in CR.

Then on Saturday morning, we brought Joel and Silas to Bever Park with my dad and Kay and it was an absolutely beautiful day. We were so glad to get to finally share some of our favorite CR places with my dad. The boys really seemed to like Kay a lot, and warmed up to her very quickly. She even helped Joel eat most of his burger (always a challenge) by creating a little "who can take a bite the fastest?" competition with him, which he totally loved. Eating time can be stressful for Joel, so it was great to see him loosen up and have fun with Kay while chomping on his burger.