Setting up the Christmas Tree

For the first time ever we bought a Christmas tree this year. It is not very tall but it looks pretty nice and we all decorated it together.

Birthday party

We had a small birthday party for Mia with some children from our building. Everyone was excited about the cake Mia had picked it at Whole Foods in the afternoon.

The chocolate cake was so rich that five kids and nine adults could not finish it

Mia also liked the presents she got

Three years old

On her third birthday we took Mia to a pizza parlor down the street from our place that we all like.
After that we played a bit outside before heading home to open her presents


Of course she wanted to open the largest package first: Since she really enjoys our trips to the zoo we got a little Lego zoo for her.


A party with birthday cake and some families from our building will be today

Cancun

Since we enjoyed our vacation in Cancun, Mexico in March so much we decided to spend another week there just after Thanksgiving. Mia was ready to head to the beach as well:



A few days were too cool and windy to go swimming at the pool but we still found enough things to do and it didn't get boring


Instead of a evening swim at the pool we introduced an aperitif hour at the bar

Mia also enjoyed the evening dance

Sometimes we just relaxed in the hotel lobby

Busy Sunday

An unusually mild Sunday turned out pretty busy. After shopping for a picnic at the newly opened Trader Joe's just a block away we headed to the National Zoo again. At the children's farm Mia touched the cow and the donkey for he first time, The cows are kind of big and she was a bit scared before


We also got to see for the first the orangutans use the O-line. These are cables on running between towers so that they can to go from the ape house in one part of the zoo to another.


The tiger was pretty active as well and Mia though the roaring was too strong. The panda bear was eating a big doughnut for lunch.
After that we went straight to Christopher's third birthday party. Mia's favorite part was of course the birthday cake

The school poster

A picture of Mia was selected for a poster of her preschool: A serious looking Mia is holding a flag. For her it was not the first time she was picked for an advertising role like this: One day after she was born we were asked if a few pictures of her could be taken for the hospital magazine.

At the Zoo again

On a wonderful fall day we headed to the zoo again. With the cooler temperatures the animals seemed to be more active and we managed to see quite a lot.
The giant panda bear tried to get some treats out of a specially designed "cookie jar::


The lions were really playful and chased each other or rolled around a big ball:

A tiger preferred to walk back and forth by himself:

An elephant was munching down some snack:

Mia watched all this and more and after a long morning at the zoo fell right asleep during the 15 minute drive back home