Papa's Birthday!

September 6th was Papa's 29th birthday. He worked late the day before so he slept in a bit. We woke him up with lots of hugs and kisses and "Happy Birthday!"s from the kids.

Carter and he shared a bowl of cereal, in their adorable way, and then we got ready to go to Des Moines.

We went to eat with Colin and Michele, Chris's brother and his girlfriend, at Fuddruckers. It's one of our favorite places to go as a family. Chris loves the burgers and Carter eats great there. We even had a birthday coupon for a free burger!

After lunch, we all trekked to the Blank Park Zoo. None of us had been there before so we didn't know what to expect. It turned out to be really great! It was pretty small--mostly because we're all used to the Henry Doorly Zoo--but that was actually great with the kids. Carter loved seeing all the "aminals!", fed the fish, chased a duck, petted a steer, and saw "Memo!" (AKA Nemo). Addy was a quiet little princess the whole time and only required a diaper change the entire visit! It got a little "national geographic" (according to Mish) at one point as two of the giraffes were attempting to mate. But, I guess that's all part of the lustre of the zoo. We wrapped up our zoo trip with a ride on the "Choo! Choo!" Even Colin, who was a little resistant, came along.

After the zoo, the four of us headed back to North Liberty for a supper of meatloaf, hashbrown casserole, fresh green beans, and rolls. We finished up the feast with a bit of cake with strawberry frosting.

All in all, I think Papa's birthday was a success. Happy birthday again, Papa! We all love you very much!