Birthday weekend

So, Aunties Amanda and Jenn came down this weekend to celebrate my birthday. They insisted on baking a cake, which was chocolate espresso with buttercream frosting. Yum! And they made the most amazing fish and rish dish that I am STILL salivating over. I'm so glad they left the last serving instead of taking it with them!

We went to the Oregon Zoo -- first time, amazingly, that I'd ever been there -- and I promptly bought a family membership for $58, good until Drew returns. I need to go only five times before it pays for itself, and I figure it will help pass the time on weekends when it's too cold to do much except walk outside and look at animals. I guess this means I should buy an OMSI membership, too, to keep us even busier and to bolster an interest in science!

Zoos have certainly changed a lot since I was a kid. I've always been a little philosophically opposed to the idea of caging animals, but the Oregon Zoo is fabulous. You could barely see some of the animals, they had so much room to wander and so many hiding places. But we did manage to see a hippopotamus drinking, a giraffe sprawled out on the grass and a lion from far away. The elephants, unfortunately, were nowhere to be found.

Rachel was a little nonplussed by it all, but enjoyed herself anyway. I tried to get her down for a nap when we returned, but she spent the first half-hour SINGING SONGS in her crib before falling asleep until, oh, 7:30. Amanda and Jenn were astonished when she said, at 8:05, "Mommy books. Then go sleep." This, after only eating two sticks of cheese and two cups of strawberries.

This morning she gave them big hugs around their legs and kissed them without being prompted. We were headed to the park when she fell asleep, so I turned around and put her down for a nap, with much protesting. When she wakes up, we'll meet a friend of ours and her son at Peninsula Park, a beautiful, old-fashioned park with rose bushes, a fountain and gazebo in North Portland. We were invited to a block party on the next block over, but I didn't see any street barriers so I'm wondering if it was last night. If so, DARN! If not, we'll head over. Rachel asked me several times if the party would feature something she finds disturbing:

"No fireworks," she said emphatically (the last one we went to featured sparklers, which terrified her).

"No fireworks, Rachel," I said firmly. "Absolutely no fireworks."

"Absolutely no fireworks," she repeated.

I hope that will be true!