Summer Hiking, Part 1

The South Crest Trail begins just north of I-40, on the east side of the Sandia Mountains, and if you follow it for a short hike, you are rewarded with a cave and a waterfall. So...guess how Mommy, Daddy, and Adalyn decided to spend one beautiful summer day?

Seriously, someone should be on toddler watch...

"AAAH! I'm so excited to go hiking in the mountains! AAAH!"

Here we go!

Oooooh, the moon makes an artistic appearance.

Adalyn is already a pro at navigating the rocky terrain.

More rocky terrain...you'd think we were up in the mountains or something.

Adalyn demands that she is first in line. Let's hope she knows where she's going!

Snack break! OM NOM NOM!

Sunlight through the trees

Ooooh, a spider web!

Ooooh, a cool looking tree trunk!

After climbing over rocks as big as Adalyn and avoiding the spiky plants of the desert, we finally made it to the cave and waterfall.

This cave is barely big enough for the two of us.

"Oh hai! CHEESE!"

What a sunroof in a cave might look like.

What a front yard of a cave might look like.

Gentle stream running down the rocks

Tada! A waterfall!

EXTREME WATERFALL CLOSE-UP!

Rocks, and trees, and dirt, oh my!

And here's what it looks like when a little girl is tuckered out from too much fun...

Finally decided on her own that it was a good idea to go to sleep...after hours of putting off the inevitable.

I call this adventurous sleeping.

Feeding Giraffes at the Zoo

Warmer weather now
Fun cranked up to 11
Silly goes outside

Summer is fun with a toddler around. This post outlines only the beginning of our fun, crazy summer.

A hair under 36 inches and a smidge under 32 months...

Adalyn takes her baby out for a walk in the stroller.

Adalyn educates Baby about the plants on their walk.

Adalyn furminates her kitty to avoid excess shedding.

When summer gives us a nice day on the weekend, Mommy, Daddy, and Adalyn head for the Zoo!

"Ladies..."

Adalyn loves being surrounded by flowers.

"Which one shall I smell first?"

Adalyn cheekily points out the ocelot.

"AAAAAAAAH! That bobcat's looking at me!" Of course, this is an excited scream, not a scared one.

Adalyn tries to get a better look at the bobcat.

This bobcat may have been influenced by a silly girl.

The kangaroo in the middle is a mommy kangaroo...you can tell by the baby kangaroo in her pouch.

Sooooo tired...

Sooooo not tired...

Daddy looks good with a flower as a hat.

It was hot even for the peacocks.

Ah, the sea lion statue. For Adalyn, it was love at first sight. Mwa!

This is what love looks like.

What a Stanley Crane might look like.

Mommy, Daddy, and Adalyn have been to the Zoo many times...but we've never fed a giraffe before!

The Zoo's newest giraffe member, Abiquiu. Not quite actual size, but close.

"Food? Where?"

"Oh hai! I heard you had some delicious Acacia leaves to feed me."

First branch...om nom nom.

Second branch...Adalyn giggled and squealed the whole time.

Bonus Kitteh Pics:

Ugh...I'm just going to see this as barf later.

Extreme Kitteh Close Up...MOOOOO!

A New Cousin Is Born!

Adalyn just recently went from having one wonderful cousin to having TWO wonderful cousins! Mommy, Daddy, and Adalyn pack up our bags to meet this new cousin for the Fourth of July holiday. Well...it was nice seeing Nana, Grandpa, Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Patricia, and of course, Vivienne, too!

Adalyn and Mommy check out Vivienne's new trampoline.

BOING! BOING! It's a baby bunny...no, wait, a baby kangaroo...hmmm...

Uncle Jeremy and Adalyn enter...only one person leaves...it's TRAMPLEDOME!

Everyone falls down on the trampoline...everyone.

Time to check out some of Vivienne's other new toys!

Adalyn LOVES the swing! Unfortunately, we can't push her as high as she would like to go in a big girl swing.

Vivienne and Adalyn are having a blast together! Vivienne really is, we promise!

CHEESE!

Oh cool! A rock climbing wall!

Adalyn and The Rock Wall, Round 2

...and some more swinging!

Adalyn tries out this funny looking swing.

Adalyn and Vivienne spend some quality time together at the Fort Worth Zoo.

"Hey, Mom, look at these!"

Vivienne contains her excitement better than Adalyn.

Uh oh, Adalyn is so excited that she starts dancing.

Oooooh, snakes! Adalyn and Vivienne got to pet one similar to this snake.

Lollipop for Adalyn, seed covered lollipop for the birds. In Adalyn's world, everyone has to be fed.

Adalyn has everything she's ever wanted: a monkey, animal crackers, and Nana. Life is good.

Something the Albuquerque Zoo doesn't have...penguins!

Adalyn tells everyone the story of how she once fed baby versions of these animals.

We stomped all over the zoo...now it's time to wreak tiny havoc on the children's museum!

Adalyn loves the big alligator.

And the big turtle.

BEEP! BEEP! "Outta my way, we have an emergency here!"

Everyone gets settled in for a feature on dolphins.

And now it's time to meet Adalyn's newest cousin...the tiny...the cheeky...Genevieve!

It was hard to feed Genevieve without an excited little girl helping out.

Adalyn is determined to feed Genevieve until it is all she can eat.

Genevieve wonders what kind of crazy family she was born into.

Awwwww...a cute picture of all three girls together.

If it was good enough for Genevieve, it has to be good enough for Adalyn, right?

Vivienne's turn! This is getting silly!

Adalyn embraces the silliness and giggles.

Daddy's lap looks big enough for two babies.