My tiger at the Zoo

For the last 3 1/2 years Jacob and I have spent every day together. Having so much time as just the two of us was a typical scenario. Now that we have sweet Sabella with us during the week, I have noticed the absence of our lack of days together. Today we had a wonderful day of just the two of us! We talked last night and decided to go to the Zoo together for our fun day.

Jacob loves the Budgie Buddies exhibit, and he took this picture of some of his favorite birds. :)
We have been going to the Zoo regularly for the last year, and this was the first time we have ever seen the tigers out and playing! It was so fun to watch them - Jacob was so excited!
They had a beautiful baby albino wallaby there, and Jacob got to pet it! He felt so special and the zoo helpers were to sweet with him. Jacob loves animals so much, it was a great experience.
They have this funny kayak outside the otter area, Jacob loves to get in it and "zoom down the river to find Amazon River Dolphins!" :)
Jacob decided to race with this turtle. For a turtle, he was going pretty fast - but was no match for Jacob! haha...they put a magnet on their backs so that when they dig and go underground they can still find them :).
I wish we had a home with woods and a stream behind it - this would be a familiar scene. I was trying to find something in my bag, and when I turned around Jacob had taken off his shoes and began exploring the little river in the play area. My little Huckleberry! ;)
I surprised Jacob and took him to get his face painted! I told him to think about what he wanted to have them paint, and he didn't say a word. When it was his turn, he quietly, yet decidedly asked for a "tiger face". He was so still as they worked.
My camera batteries died while Jacob was getting his face painted - and I didn't have any spare batteries...but thankfully I have discovered how to get a few more shots out of it if it sits for a while :). We walked around the zoo a while longer and made sure to see all our favorites. After we left we stopped and got an ice cream cone to celebrate! By the time the camera had any life, Jacob was well into the ice cream, and his little tiger chin had worn off :).
We went from ice cream to get Michael from work - it was hilarious to see Jacob surprise Michael with his "tiger face". Michael came around the corner, and Jacob gave him a "little tiger cub" roar!
We picked up Jacob's PJ's and headed off to my Sister-in-law Kathy's house where Jacob was going to be while we went on our first date in 2 months! :) It was a great night out. We went to dinner, talked, walked and saw Star Trek (it was really good!). We even got to see some great live music waiting for the movie.

It was a first for all of us as well. Michael and I knew we would be out past Jacob's bedtime, so we planned for it, and Jacob went to "bed" and Kathy's house and we came later and picked him up, took him home and put him in bed. It worked out so well! Kathy and Dave gave us the great idea, as they had done this with Kayla. We have had Kayla over for evenings like that at our house, and it worked out wonderfully! The kids get to play and have fun, and Jacob was so excited to get to sleep at Kayla's house. It was so nice to have a night out without worrying about being back early - it was great! Thank you Kathy and Dave - you guys are wonderful! :)