Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My!

It's been close to two weeks now since Paul and I took the girls to the National Zoo in DC. Paul and I love zoos pretty equally for different reasons. He sees zoos as a chance to get some really great photos (I think he's secretly hoping National Geographic will see one of his pictures on the world wide web and come calling) and I just love animals. Not all animals, mind you...just the warm-blooded, fuzzy ones and I have two little girls whose hearts melt along side mine into a puddle on the hot cement when one of those adorable little Prairie Dogs pops up and looks straight at you...although, I'm a sucker for Meerkats too.

It wasn't our first time at the National Zoo so when we arrived, we decided on which exhibits were the most vital for this particular visit and the one exhibit we knew we just couldn't leave without seeing was the elephants.

We meandered through the park a bit making our way toward the elephant arena in a roundabout fashion. We were able to see a male Lion (a first for me and for Paul). It seems every zoo we've ever been to has an abundance of female lions but no males. So this was pretty cool...


We saw a gorgeous Bengal Tiger...

A cuddly little Panda Bear waiting for lunch at the zookeepers door...

And a lot of other flora and fauna from all over the world...

Until we finally made it to the elephants! We got there just in time to watch them in action too. It seems we happened upon the beginning of their daily training session and Eva was so excited!

After about 10 minutes or so of watching the two ginormous elephants do all of their tricks, Paul and I could see that our trip to the zoo would have to come to an end. The eyelids were becoming a bit heavy, tempers were getting short and the emotional outburst were starting to rear their ugly heads...and the girls were tired too. So we waved good-bye to the elephants and began the long trek back to the van.

However, once we were only a few steps away from our beloved elephants, one little critter did protest.


It seems he just HAD to have his picture taken with some of his distant relatives.

Three in Diapers

I guess I can blame the high diaper bill on Lumpy now, seeing as Eva has decided that he too should be wearing them. Granted, he doesn't seem to go through as many as say Izzy, but I think potty training is most assuredly in his near future.

Rest In Peace, Lumpy

This is a sad post. This is a memorial post. A post paying respect to a member of my family that I'm just not sure we'll do well without. He was loved and cherished and we had high hopes for him just as any parent would for their child.

This post is for Lumpy, may he rest in peace, wherever he is.

Paul and I loaded up the girls to head down to the Ala Moana mall this morning. Nothing special, just a normal Saturday. We were in search of winter clothing. A pea coat for me and some jeans for Paul. We weaved our way in and out of stores, stopped for a quick bite and continued the search.

Eva and Izzy sat patiently in the stroller both being very well behaved, for the most part. Eva couldn't make up her mind whether or not she wanted to hold Lumpy. She'd ask for him, hold him for a while and then ask for one of us to take him. He rode in Izzy's side of the stroller for a bit while I carried her but was happy to take his place back in Eva's lap when Izzy got back in. Point is, Lumpy didn't stay in his usual spot in Eva's arms the whole time. Eva was antsy and Lumpy was an afterthought for a big chunk of the outing.

When we loaded up the girls to head home, we didn't even think to look for Lumpy. It's always assumed that he's with Eva. When we got home, we gently pulled our sleeping babies out of their car seats and laid them in their beds. Izzy immediately turned to her side, cuddled her blanket and drifted back to sleep. Eva, on the other hand, turned over to cuddle with Lumpy only to discover that he wasn't there.

No biggie. He's probably in the car. Paul called down to me to go grab him from the car and I slipped on my shoes, walked out to car, opened the door and began the search. Lumpy was no where to be found.

We've looked everywhere. Every possible place he could be. He's gone.

This isn't a total travesty as I did purchase a back up Lumpy about a year ago from Ebay, but still. I had hoped to keep the original Lumpy forever. When Eva outgrew him, I had planned to put him in her memory box, all tattered, washed and un-stitched. But that just won't happen now.

I'll just have to wash Lumpy II a few dozen times before he has the same worn in, loved look about him that I cherished so much about Lumpy I. A kind of velveteen rabbit type look. Poor thing was hardly recognizable as the purple elephant from Winnie the Pooh anymore.

Anyway, we would appreciate your thoughts during this time of grief for our family. Although we're so grateful for Lumpy II, Lumpy I is just irreplaceable.

Lumpy

This is Lumpy, also affectionately known as "Bumpy" to Éva. You may recognize him as the adorable Heffalump with a sweet English accent on the Disney Channel Show "My Friends Tigger and Pooh," but in our house, he's another member of the family. We don't ever leave home without him, he has a seat at the dinner table, and he has the same bedtime, and bed for that matter, as Éva.

I found Lumpy while I was pregnant with Éva during a shopping excursion with my friend, Kasey, at the Disney Store in Ala Moana Mall in Waikiki. I didn't really know who he was at that point, but he was cute and soft and on sale for $2 so I picked him up.

Éva always had a soft spot for Lumpy, but it wasn't until her stay in the PICU at Kapiolani Medical Center following her heart surgery in April of '07 that she really bonded with him. Paul and I were unable to stay with her over night while she was in the PICU and so I brought Lumpy and her blanket up to the hospital and sprayed them both with the body spray that I always wear so she would have something familiar with her when Mommy and Daddy had to say good-bye every night. Ever since then, Lumpy and Éva have been inseparable.

They are the best of friends. If she accidentally drops him, she immediately picks him up, hugs him and says,"Oh, I'm sorry Bumpy." Anytime one of Éva's favorite songs comes on, she runs to grab Lumpy so they can dance and sing. If she is leaving a room, she'll say "Come on Bumpy" and go pick him up from whatever random place she left him before. And sweet Lumpy is a kind little heffalump. He patiently endures wash after wash in the washing machine, and every little stitch I have to put in him to keep the beads that make him so cuddly inside of him instead of all over my living room. He's so lovingly steadfast through every bout of Éva's little 2 year old temper as he's being slung across the room or thrown down on the floor in a fit of anger! He's not the bright, plush heffalump he once was...now he bears a worn coat and tattered stitching. But he's a loved heffalump, that's for sure!

Recently, however, Lumpy has been misbehaving...apparently. Sometimes, when I put Éva and Lumpy down for their naps, I can hear Éva scolding him harshly. I'm not quite sure what he's doing up there, but it's enough to really make Éva angry. I can hear her from downstairs saying, "No Bumpy! Don't touch! It's mine!" Oh Lumpy...