A bit of confidence

Today, I only took pictures with my phone, and I'm without a doubt phone illiterate enough that I only know how to text the pictures to someone, not how to take them off of my phone.  I would have taken our sweet camera with me if I felt at all confident manipulating it along with two children.  Ergo, this post will be image free.  I'll try to replace the visuals with some word images.

I took the girls to the zoo today.  By myself!  (Picture me here debating about this venture before embarking thinking of the hard parts: nursing baby in public with three-year old in tow, manipulating bathroom trips with two children, 2 long car drives...picture my furrowed brow contemplating the weather situation.)  Every time I get a little more adventurous with the girls on my own, it feels liberating.  I feel powerful, even with something as mundane as a trip to the zoo.  I want day trips to be part of our normal, both spur-of-the-moment and blessings in good times. 

The thought of taking two sprouts out and about in new situations is sometimes daunting.  (Picture here the germ laden bathrooms where you cringe when any part of you touches any part of it.  And then you have a toddler touching all over it.  And for an added element of fun, you have a learning walker/crawler who is mighty curious as well.  Picture me wishing for a special disinfecting shower in the style of that which you might find in any science classroom.) 

The weather was just too temptingly delicious today, and we had no conflicts of time or scheduling.  So we ventured forth and had MUCH fun. 

Picture me giggling with my babies as we watched the goslings just off the edge of the path. 
Picture Abby bravely offering a lettuce leaf to a voracious giraffe. 
Picture Audrey kicking her pudgy legs when the sheep bleated for some supper.

Picture dozens of little moments throughout the 2-hour window that were just sunny and calm and delightful. 

We already have a handful of tangible pictures of Abby sitting on the same statues scattered around the zoo.  But I still snapped a new one at each one today.  Each one.  I'm a big fan of pictures that show growth.  All sorts of pictures...all sorts of growing.