Zoo Lights, Papa's Plane, First Snow

The last night the family was here for the Thanksgiving holiday, we went to the zoo lights at our local zoo. LR loved all of it with the exception of a very large polar bear which needed a compressor to make it turns its head and blink its eyes every few minutes. He hid behind Papa's legs. Papa picked him up and you can see LR peeking at the ferocious polar bear from behind Papa's protective shoulder. We moved on pretty quickly, but he loved the rest of the night despite the cold temperatures. The mittens kept slipping off, but he was content to wear them for the most part.

At the end of the twinkling path was a little carousel. LR really wanted to ride, so we got tickets for Daddy and Grandma Nese to take him. They picked a friendly looking horse and tried repeatedly to get LR to sit on it. LR was game, but every time they sat him down he complained. Finally, they realized that the metal seat and pole were way too cold for LR. Daddy gallantly removed his jacket and put it on the horse's back. Then LR sat without a problem and the ride began. He loved every minute of the ride. You can see his immediate reaction to the jacket protecting his temperature sensitive bum in the second carousel picture.

When it was time to take the family to the plane, LR came with me and barely stayed awake on the way to the airport. It was near nap time, but he was glad he stayed awake because he got to see Papa's plane. Grandma Nese hopped into the cockpit with LR and let him put on a headset. From his seat he could see other planes and jets around him. He was in heaven. I'm surprised I got him out of there at all. Since that day, LR has asked to see Papa's plane every day. He tells me he wants to take a ride in the minivan to see Papa's plane. I tell him that we will the next time Papa comes to visit. I don't know how long I'll be able to hold him off though. We might have to make a trip to Logan just to watch the planes take off. It won't be the same as sitting in the cockpit though, kiddo!

This morning we woke up to our first decent snow of the season. When LR woke up, I brought him downstairs. He caught a glimpse of outside and said "snow!" I took him to the window and asked him, "what is that?" "It's Christmas," he said. I guess the books about Christmas are the ones where he sees snow most often. Cute kid. He also thought the neighbors' house was like a train because of the smoke coming out of the chimney.