Grandma & Paige Visit

Last Thursday, Jim's mother Marie and niece Paige flew in from Texas - Zander had sooooo much fun during their visit!  He got to stay up late Thursday night to welcome and play with them... and all the toys they brought him! 

Cousin Paige is very strong for a nine-year-old - she held Zander with no problem (Mommy tried to take some notes):

Friday we went on an exciting excursion to the Como Park Zoo in St. Paul.  Zander's favorite animal was a small monkey with a big white mustache - it made him giggle:

The big gorilla stroked his chin as we walked by, as if to say "Hmmmm...".  Perhaps the gorilla was reacting to Zander's 'scrunch face'?

Everyone enjoyed observing all the flying creatures inside the Butterfly Garden:

This butterfly was especially striking when it opened its wings to show a brilliant blue color:

A definite highlight was riding the carousel at the end of the day - Zander loved the horses, the motion, and the lights & music.  Daddy was amused to see that the carousel was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in German town, PA - a fun East Coast connection.  Zander spent some time trying to figure out what makes the horsey go up and down:

Zander was wiped out after all of the zoo excitement and started his afternoon nap as soon as we were back in the car.  Later that evening, Daddy grilled up some of his scrumptious Korean BBQ ribs for dinner - what a treat!