October 1st was probably our last visit to the zoo before winter sets in. The Portland spring has been kind to us – and long – but I am preparing myself for the rainy days to come.

I have been to the Oregon Zoo so many times now that I am looking for new things to photograph… you know, other than the animals. Oh, and my children.

This is a carved wooden wall at the entrance to the Great Northwest section of the zoo. I can’t remember ever seeing it before. That’s what happens when you look for interesting photo subjects – a whole new world opens up.

The highlight of this visit was definitely the brand new baby elephant. I would have included a photo but I wasn’t able to get a clear shot. Apparently the little guy is quite popular. You can read all about little Sumadra here if you are so inclined.

Thomas is obsessed with band aids and medicine. He actually wants to be sick or injured. I blame it on the characters on the band aids (these ones are Sesame Street but we also have Elmo, Diego and a few precious Wiggles band aids left over from our trip to Australia. Mum – send some more please…) and the flavouring in the kid’s medicine. I remember the days when we were handed a spoon with an asprin crumbled up in some jam. Now the medicine is all cherry flavoured.

How old did I just sound?

This little guy (or girl?) arrived in our neighbourhood this week. I assume it’s the result of all that caterwailling I hear at night between the stray cats that roam the streets around here. Her mother is a familiar stray and we assume the father to be the feral cat that likes to spray our car (ewww). The little girl holding the kitten is our new neighbour and she has quickly become a surrogate owner. I think it’s cute that the cat and the little girl have the same colour hair. Sadly her brother’s allergies mean this cat is destined to roam the streets like her parents. Good thing the people across the street feed them regularly.

Cute though, isn’t she?

Burning some energy at the park. This is one of the things we will miss as the days get shorter and wetter.

And of course the obligatory swing photo.

Summer brings warm weather and fun days in the sun… oh and spiders. I hate spiders and won’t go near them which means spiderwebs like this one have an extended stay around the house while the spider is still living in it. Takes a pretty photo though.

We love books in our house. So much so that I am always on the lookout for new children’s books. When you read five to ten books a day with your child your huge book collection can seem very small , very quickly.

But this story is not about new books. This story is about an old book (circa 1980s) that was given to us by my Sister-in-law. A classic story about a curious monkey (yes – George) who visits the zoo and steals some bananas because he’s hungry. Yes… an innocent story. And then it’s lunchtime and people are sitting on the grass eating their lunch…

But what’s that?

Let’s take a closer look…

Yes – a man smoking a cigarette.

You see kids there were once these things called cigarettes and in the 80’s they liked to show picures of people enjoying this habit in childrens’ books. And he certainly looks like he’s enjoying himself, doesn’t he?

It’s a little hard to see but this is Thomas’ favourite position for drinking milk. He sits on the couch with Curious George and then puts his foot or his arm through George’s shirt. When he was younger he would sit on my lap and put his hand up my sleeve.

The hole in the sock is a nice touch.

A very big day – Thomas’ first haircut. It was a long time coming so we decided to go to a local kids’ salon to make sure the experience was enjoyed by everyone (especially me).

Thoams was allowed to choose a movie to watch and a car to sit in while he got his haircut.

The Movie? The Wiggles of course and it was a bonus because this one also the crocodile hunter. About as Aussie as you can get.

The Car? After spending a lot of time assessing the options, Thomas chose the Pink Corvette. Yes, he sat in a Barbie car for his first haircut.

But it’s the final result that counts. Doesn’t he look handsome?

Thomas’ favourite pass time – “playing” with his little brother. I just know Samuel is already thinking up ways he can return the favour when he gets bigger.

Can you believe he’s only 4 months old. He’s been here for such a short time yet it feels like forever. It also feels like he knows a lot more about what’s going on than we give him credit for. Check out that look in the photo. Does that seem like the look of someone who’s only been on the planet for four months?