Zoo

"Zoo" is a perfect word for the scene at la casa de Rutledge the month of May. Amy & I have been Energizer bunny parents juggling work, family, kids, etc. the past several weeks so I apologize for the lack of posts. We did take full advantage of the long holiday weekend to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n. The holiday weekend was a much needed refresher -- more on Memorial Day weekend coming....

In the meantime, here are a couple of catch-up posts from the happenings in our lives.

Cheers!



After my return from Las Vegas and the horrendous stomach bug that thwarted my weekend (including my ever-deserving wife's Mother's Day), Amy & I took the boys, Tess, and Dorothy to the North Carolina Zoo. It was our third trip to the zoo, and each one brings more and more anticipation from the boys. One of the highlights was the elephant exhibit, where the long-trunked behemoths were close to the fence for up-close viewing (as was the elephant-sized dung pile which I have graciously cropped out of this photo).


Dorothy was a trooper in making the zoo trek with us this year as she wheeled Tess around the exhibits and onto tram shuttles. Sometimes the help one gets from three year-olds is not really that much of a help. But his intentions are good.


Ok, I can't resist a cheesy pun here for this caption of "Owen coming out of his shell..." but it really is an accurate analysis of his emerging personality. Owen is less reluctant and shy around people lately. Even his teacher at Montessori mentioned that to Amy & me when we met her for a conference last week. Owen is still not as fearlessly outgoing as Gus, but he has begun to interact with kids and adults, developing a contagious laugh when he gets excited and wound up.
Even though Gus did not get to ride the giraffe on his zoo trip, he didn't let that stop him from climbing atop this rhino as he tried to scurry past his mother's watchful reach. Yet another fitting analogy to the hustle and bustle of life with twin three year-olds right now.