Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

On Saturday, Sophia was practicing saying Happy Father's Day. It was so sweet when she looked at Erick to say, "Happy Father's Day, Daddy!" A little of the sweetness was diminished when she picked up her stuffed animal and said, "Happy Father's Day, Doggy!" Still, she gave it a good effort and gave Daddy sweet kisses...well, the doggy too.

For Father's Day, Erick decided that he wanted to go to the St. Louis Zoo. It is one of Erick's very favorite places, and we hoped that Sophia would really be able to enjoy the sights and sounds this time around. We were right. She had a blast, which meant that we all had a blast. It was a perfect Father's Day for Erick - or so he claims. We love to look at the animals as much as she does, probably more. So it was a treat for all of us.

The zoo welcomed a new baby boy giraffe on Saturday, so that was pretty special to see the still wobbly baby. Sophia liked the big giraffes better, and kept trying to convince them to take some popcorn from her hand. She loves to "share" with animals.

Next were the goats. She jumped right in there with them. I was so pleased that she always walked around and just patted their backs! What great petting zoo etiquette.

The children's zoo has a splash park area, and I was looking forward to seeing what Sophia would think of it. As I mentioned, she goes through occasional nervous phases with water, but this wasn't one of them. After she had been digging around in the sand for a while, I was glad that she was willing to go into the water. She ran and splashed, following the bigger kids and then doing her best on her own. By the end, she was soaked from head to toe, and I was very glad I brought a change of clothes for her.

All in all, it really was a fantastic day. I'm so glad that we could celebrate Father's Day like this with our little family. I hope everyone's day was as meaningful.