We had a wonderful mother’s day brunch with our friends Lisa, Chris, Andrew and Victoria. After the meal the kids had a bike ride and then walked the dog Chester. Later there was much entertainment with the rocket launcher toy and various acrobatics on the front lawn. The festivities ended with some fun arcade car racing.
We took Jasmine to our favorite local Mexican restaurant. And when we say local, we mean we can walk to it. We got a virgin Pina Colada to share. Jasmine was quite intrigued with cherry and orange garnish. We explained that you are not supposed to eat the cherry stem, Jasmine look unconvinced. We were jealous of the kids meal which included ice cream. But we stayed strong and let her have the first few bites before we um asked to sample it for ah safety reasons.
After our yummy lunch Jasmine and I walked home, while Emily drove. Dad took advantage of this by stopping by the flower shop. Dad selected yellow and white varieties. Jasmine picked purple and pink. We gave the flowers as an early Mother’s Day surprise to Emily.
Dad and daughter went on an early morning bike ride on the local trail. I took advantage of the crisp sunlight to capture some nature photos between shouts from Jasmine of “Keep Up”.
Being new and overly ambitious parents, we decided to expose Jasmine to new foods by going on “Food Adventures”. This weekend we went to our favorite Indian buffet. On the way to the restaurant we talked a little bit about India and its cuisine.
We had no idea how a five year old would respond to strange new sights and aromas. Ok, we were expecting open resistance, but as usual, Jasmine was a joy to be with.
Jasmine especially enjoyed the cucumber slices, the yummy mango sauce and the fried ball of dough reminiscent of a hush puppy. She also made a special mixed drink – orange soda with a slice of orange – which she named “orange orange”.
It was a fun filled father daughter Saturday. Jasmine has been asking about a zoo trip since we met her. Since Mommy was under the weather, Daddy saw an opportunity. Jasmine really liked the bats and must have petted at least 20 goats. She saw seals, penguins, monkeys, giraffes, zebras and a baby elephant, but the highlight was the hippo butts.
After finishing the zoo, we headed to the Rose Gardens playground. It features an enormous play structure, sand pit, swings, and those ever important bathrooms. And by some miracle I got a parking spot right next to the park. If you have ever been to the Rose Gardens on the weekend, you know that parking is a challenge. Anyway, the playground met Jasmine’s approval and she is ready for a return trip.
