Balmy December

 It has been beyond gorgeous here for the past few days. We took advantage of the weather and did our (fingers crossed) last giant leaf overhaul on Saturday, which I think I can safely say since the trees immediately surrounding us have made their final deposits. Usually, we have at least one giant tree in the neighbor's yard that hangs on until at least January.
Since Saturday was spent in the yard, I thought it would be fun to take the kids to the zoo this morning. Because really, how often is it 75 degrees in December? As soon as I brought up the idea, Peter went into hysterics, screaming about how much he hates the zoo, and how he'd much prefer to stay home all day and play with his toys. Nora, who loves to go anywhere, was excited to get ready and get going. It's something that I've only noticed just recently, but in that respect, Peter and Nora couldn't be more different. Peter has always resisted story time at the library, or getting together with friends (he's recently been warming up to this, although it's best if it's only one friend), or basically doing anything away from the house. Nora on the other hand will ask routinely where we're going that day, and is the first to the car. She loves being with other kids, and will happily attend and even participate in story times. I think the Virginia trip was easy largely because Nora loves being on a trip.
Well, today Nora won. We went to the zoo, and I think even Peter enjoyed it in spite of his earlier episode. We had fun brushing the goats....

 ...and watching the bears curl up for a mid-morning nap...

....and getting up close to the penguins.

The recently added Sea Lion tunnel was also a hit. It's fun to watch them swim right over your head and then do flips in front of you.

The zoo train is something that I've hardly ever done with my kids because it isn't free. I finally decided today to get the cheapest family membership so we could take advantage of things like the train and the sea lion show.  I'm already glad I did.

Peter and Nora had fun riding, and would wave whenever they saw someone walking by. They were giving each other "noozles" here, which is just rubbing noses.

We went through a few long dark tunnels, so they held hands for most of the ride to "stay safe." It was really sweet.

It's sometimes a little frustrating, but mostly really fun having kids who are so different.  I like to imagine that they'll become really good friends through school, looking out for each other using their individual strengths. A mom can dream, right?