Sophia Visits the Zoo

Our neighbors were spending the morning at the nearby Brookfield Zoo and invited us to join them today. I'm so glad I ignored the enormous amount of laundry and housework that needed to be done and joined them. It was so much fun!

Sophia was a little less interested in the furry animals than all the little kids running around, and I think she at least enjoyed some good fresh air for the day. We got some great pictures and are looking forward to more trips to the zoo. It's only a 10 minute drive from our house and we decided to take the plunge and become zoo members, so we've got a year of free visits (and guest passes for anyone who wants to join us!). I think by the end of this year Sophia is going to love the gorillas and giraffes as much as I do!

We got a good laugh out of the arangutan named Sophia!
pictures posted soon...

Take the Next Train to Shanghai!

We've been planning a trip to visit China this Spring for awhile now, but it has just now become much more real since we just purchased our airline tickets! We will be flying to Shanghai on April 15, the eve of Easter and arriving to celebrate Easter Sunday with Peter's mom. Shanghai is a 10 hour train ride from their home town, Jinan, but Peter's mom immediately suggested that she would meet us there. She will take the train in two days prior to our arrival and get us a place to stay and our train tickets to return to Jinan. She also offered to babysit Sophia during the following days to give us the chance to tour Shanghai. I can't wait! It will be a great celebration for her to meet her first granddaughter.

The rest of our trip will include visiting Jinan, Beijing and Xian. We're also talking about making trips to Tsingtao (home of great beer) and the mountains. While in Beijing, I am hoping to scope out some ideas for the 2008 Olympics trip (yes, we are definitely going and hope some other friends and family will want to join us). I am really looking forward to buying some new clothes and gifts to bring back. Perhaps I should think of my Christmas list now...

Why Shanghai? You wouldn't believe the deal we got on airfare! American Airlines is offering a new nonstop flight from Chicago to Shanghai that is under $700/person. And that includes taxes! I guess that means we'll get to splurge a little while we are there!

Looking forward to meeting Peter's family and sharing our Chinese experience with my blog buddies...

Eating with Grandma

Grandma and Grandpa visited over the weekend and had the great opportunity of feeding our little girl. I even got a big smile out of Sophia, so she must have liked it!