Has it been a week already?

Yikes! Apparently it has been busy around here, since it has been a week since my last post. Here are some of the highlights:

My mom came for a visit and took us to the zoo. James had fun in the children's zoo. He was afraid of the goats, who kept swarming around me because I was silly enough to carry in the zoo map (goats do love paper). He liked the guinea pigs, though, and pet them. He also enjoyed looking at the bears and the penguins. With the bears, I wonder if he realizes how different they really are than the cuddly toys he has . . .

Maybe it was because she had an early flight, but I think Mom fell asleep here because what is exciting viewing for a 2 year old really doesn't have enough character development and plot twists for an adult.

That night, we went out to our favorite Japanese restaurant, Ariake. We loved it! The food is great, it is entertaining, and there is a girly drink there that I've become rather fond of. However, James did not like the chef shooting peas at his mouth, and REALLY did not like the fire.

Saturday, Blake and I got to go out for a bit while Mom watched James. Much needed and much appreciated time away. But, we need to start thinking of more creative uses of this time than going to a mall . . .

That night, after Mom had left, we went to a hayride with playgroup at Valley Farms. It was so much fun. The hayride was short, but probably about right for the under-5 crowd. But then there were horses, sheep and rabbits to see, as well as lots of pumpkins, a little barn with hay to crawl on and a slide.

Here, James is having fun being pulled by Blake in a wagon.

The little boys all wanted to get at those sheep, each trying different approaches that were thwarted by parents. James tried to go over the fence, Elliot under, and Brody through the middle. Pretty cute.

Then there was dinner and a bonfire. The bonfire was fun, and we had marshmallows. Yum! It's been a while since I've had them.

Another fun event during the week was Mom's night game night. We actually played 2 different games. I love games, so that was great for me -- especially since the 2 games were Scene It movie edition and Cranium Pop 5.