We couldn't believe it when we woke up yesterday to find another cool morning waiting for us. There wasn't any way we were spending it inside so we decided to head to the zoo for the afternoon. It was the perfect day - everyone was happy - even the animals! First thing we did - after grabbing lunch, of course - was head down to the Civitan Pavilion to watch the Birds of Flight show - it was amazing! They had a bunch of different birds that flew right across the heads of the audience!

Evelyn was captivated - almost enough to forget Jason's Dr. Pepper bottle...almost.

After the show was over you could make a donation to wildlife conservation (don't worry - none of it goes to PETA, the Sierra Club or anything anti-ANWR - we checked). One of the birds was perched on top of the donation box and would take the money from your hands and stick it through the slot on top. This same animal would fly through the crowd and take any plastic bottles or aluminum cans that were offered and place them into the recycle bin - it was a pretty impressive little bird.

We were then able to step over and visit with the beautiful macaw bird - Evelyn was entranced.

They made friends fast.

After some much needed refreshment and a little luxury lounging in the stroller - we then headed out to our next exhibit...the gorillas!

This is baby Mosi and his Mommy.

I'm not sure she knew what to make of those gorillas at first...

But she soon found them very interesting. She's been pointing to the gorilla in her favorite animal book and looking up at me with this expression that says, "Hey - I saw this guy! He's my friend!"

Family shot!

Daddy Kisses!

Evelyn was then ready to do some walking on her own and helped Daddy push the stroller a bit. Poor Jason had no idea what was going to happen next...

"Look Daddy! That little boy sure is running fast towards us!"

"You sure are a cutie! I can't control myself - I have to give you a hug..."

"And since your daddy has let me get this close I might as well plant a kiss right on your lips!"

"I hope that was OK with you, Mister."

I don't think Evelyn minded the attention one little bit...do you?

After her brief love affair we spotted our next animal! Any guesses as to what made Evelyn smile and clap?

You guessed right! An ELEPHANT!!! The minute she saw him she started making her elephant sounds - they were so intense that drool just cascaded down her chin.

"Can't we get any closer Daddy?"

The zoo keepers had just finished a presentation on both elephants and we were allowed to pet them! Evelyn thought that was pretty cool. We learned that every morning they allow the elephants to walk two miles through the park and eat any type of vegetation that appeals to them. Apparently elephants need a lot of exercise!

Jason takes control of the camera and these are the type of shots we end up with...so here's a belly shot of baby girl Shephard at 37 weeks. We're only two weeks away from meeting the newest little princess! Yippee!

Next stop: lions! Evelyn loved them so much she tried to kiss them through the glass pane - yes...that was pretty disgusting. When Jason pulled her away she started crying and it was the only time the lioness looked over at all of us.

Evelyn loved the next animals we saw - she was just amazed.

Two beautiful giraffes!

"Hey you! Come over here so I can get a closer look!"

Hello, you little baby!

I'd say Evelyn had a great time.

Our precious angel.

This past Saturday Evelyn helped Jason mow the lawn. She, of course, had to do it "Shep Style" with no shirt. She had a great time on the lawn mower and when Jason finally dropped her off inside she followed him from window to window whining to go back out with him.

"Hi Mom!"

Working hard and loving every single minute with her Daddy.

"I think I can finish the rest up on my own."

After a long, hard day of yard work we spent the evening at a park on base where Evelyn met up with her ultimate bestie, Adyson. Evelyn absolutely LOVED the swing! She laughed and screamed so hard that she gave herself the hiccups! She needed a few minutes to catch her breath and calm down a bit before splitting a cookie with Adyson.

"I think this ride is going to be pretty cool..."

Both the girls would randomly look at one another and giggle while swinging past each other. It's so hard not to laugh along with them - they are quite the pair!

"Don't even think about taking me out of this swing."

Can you just imagine the sounds of pure joy this little girl made? I wish I had had the video camera - it was priceless!

Evelyn and I met up with the Wantuck girls this morning for a playdate at the park - and boy did the girls have a great time!

They were both very interested in the recycled rubber tires that covered the playground's floor. And when I say "interested" I mean checking out the texture, smell and taste of these little nuggets - yummy.

Hello sweet Adyson!

The girls got a kick out of sitting on this bridge while Tory made it shake and roll like a mini-San Francisco quake.

The best of friends!

Our little hippie chick. Notice Evelyn's head band? Daddy did her hair this morning - and she LOVED it. Poor little baby has a big head like Mommy - as a matter of fact that's Mommy's headband! Just more room for her large brain - little Einstein.

The playground had little tunnels the girls crawled through - squealing and laughing the whole time!

Having a great time!

Adyson heading up the stairs all by herself!

She showed Evelyn how the slide worked, which was pretty cool. The slide is made up of a bunch of wooden rolling pins so that it doesn''t get too hot in the sun and kids' sweaty little legs won't stick to it. Genius!

Evelyn loved it too!

Bye now! Come back and see our blog real soon - ya hear?

It was a big day for the Shephard family! We woke up to the most glorious weather - a beautiful 68 degrees! We drove downtown for mass at St. Edward's and then out to the West Side for breakfast at Panera Bread - yummy!

Evelyn and Daddy enjoying some yummy brunch and incredible 70 degree weather! Have we turned the corner??? Is the oppressive heat no more??? We're all keeping our fingers crossed!

Then we headed back to the house to finish organizing the front bedroom. We are in FULL NESTING MODE people. We've decided to move the baby into Evelyn's nursery and then turn our guest bedroom into Evelyn's big girl bedroom. So...guests will now be in our front bedroom which will also remain our office. Needless to say we're reorganizing every closet, corner and cranny - it's amazing how much junk you accumulate over a span of five years. I have to say I'm very proud of my pack-rat husband who is (after a few days of strict supervision) now tossing some of his "precious treasures" (read: 7 year old sales receipts and call rosters) out all on his own. We're in the final stretch of this pregnancy - only three weeks to go - so I'm anxious to get as much done as we possibly can before this little girl makes her appearance.

Evelyn found an extra flight cap of Jason's and decided it was the perfect accessory to help mommy purge and organize! She was a great little helper!

Then we went to Evelyn's first baseball game! She loved cheering and clapping along with the crowd. She even had her first ballpark hotdog! We sat out on a blanket out on the berm so she was able to run around and visit with all the other kids. On the drive home she fell asleep in the car and when Jason changed her diaper and put her pajamas on she didn't even open her eyes. She had a great time tonight!

Evelyn and her boyfriend, Owen! We met up with our good friends, Katie and James McAlevey and had a great time watching the kids share all their snacks and then of course making them hug and kiss one another. We can't help it - they're so adorable! Aren't they!?!?

Jason and Evelyn having a great time cheering on the Travelers!

"Hey Daddy!"

Being a big girl sitting in a big girl chair!

Evelyn's laugh is so contagious! We could just eat her up for every meal!

Evelyn wasn't too sure about this particular rendition...

My awesome sister, Allison, made this cute shirt for me that reads, "Does this baby make me look fat?" It was a big hit around town - got lots of laughs although no one dared tell me what they thought....and there's no need for any commentary now either. :)