I could get used to this summer stuff...

Summer with Lydia is FLYING by! We are enjoying every minute and really having a great time together! Today we visited the Children's Discovery Museum in Normal again. Lydia loves it there! Today it was a lot more crowded then it was when we previously went. Luckily, there is an area designated for kids under 4 so Lydia was able to stay out of the path of the bigger kids. I can't even begin to describe how much fun she has when she is there. Today, she even touched the pin screen! She had texture issues with it before and wouldn't touch it. Today, she just hit it and loved running her fingers through the pins (child safe pins, of course!) Her other favorite exhibits include the mirrors and the shaker toys.
There are several areas of the museum that are too "Big Kid" for her, but I wanted to spend some time in these areas. She tends to find the nearest table and pull up on it and "take in" what all the other kids are doing. We spent some time in the medical area. Lydia dressed up as a doctor and played with the medical kit. I think I had more fun with that then she did. I was laughing hysterically when she put the big red glasses on. She looked hilarious, but I wasn't quick enough to take a picture. At this point, Lydia still puts a lot of objects in her mouth, so needless to say, the entire doctors kit went in the "Yuck Bucket" that the staff has available to wash toys that kids "eat."
Lydia also enjoyed the mirror tunnel much more today. She would go in the tunnel when I encouraged her, but wouldn't independently go inside and appeared timid. Today, other kids were climbing through so Lydia followed along! She still has some trepidation about so many Lydia's staring back at her!
Our day didn't end at the museum. We had some passes to use at Miller Park Zoo, so we thought we would check it out. Miller Park Zoo is a small, quaint zoo, perfect for Lydia! She LOVES animals, although as the picture indicates, she was less than enthused with the wallabies. She LOVED the monkeys and the sea lions.
She also had a deep heart-to-heart with the goats in the petting zoo. They merely sat in a circle and talked about the day. I think Lydia wanted to eat the brown one or have it move because she was sure talking up a storm to him. We spent about two hours at the zoo. We saw everything from a Red Panda to a Taraman Monkeys. They also have a rain forest exhibit. The birds roam freely through the exhibit, but most walk on the ground. Lydia had some red grapes and blueberries on her stroller tray for a snack and we were surprised by a bird that swooped down and grabbed one! We laughed, I packed up her fruit, and we high tailed it out of the exhibit!

Our busy day was topped up with the best 2 hour nap at home! Lydia and I snuggled and talked about our day! She said her favorite part was the goats. My favorite part was seeing the excitement in her eyes about each new experience. It really is a gift to watch life through the eyes of your own baby...