Fun in the Desert, Under the Sea, and in the Jungle

Karen and Dara hightailed it out of L.A. early this week for the wonders and spectacle of Palm Springs! The ladies did exactly what they set out to do: lounged by the pool with some trashy magazines, ate some delicious food, and talked...endlessly. When Karen returned home, Jay asked how the trip was and she replied, "At least one night too short." No doubt. Karen deserved this trip, especially since it was her first time away from Lucas overnight.


Meanwhile, Lucas and Jay spent some quality time alone in the bachelor pad on Kiowa Avenue, hanging with the ducks and swinging in Douglas Park, and enjoying story time at local libraries. Luckily for Jay, all he had to do while Karen was gone was follow the detailed list she left on the table.

On Thursday, Jay and Karen took Lucas down to the Long Beach Aquarium to take advantage of the final day of free admission for teachers. We took Lucas down here when he was 7 months old, but he certainly loved it even more this time around. He loved the sea lions, the sharks, and all the colorful fish. He was even allowed to "pet" some sea anenomes in a touch tank. Over by the sharks, we stumbled across a bird exhibit and experienced some of them landing on us.



As if the aquarium wasn't enough, we decided to venture to the L.A. Zoo on Saturday to see many of the animals Lucas has been reading about in books. He did a lot of arm flapping at the zoo, meaning he was having a very good time. He loved all of the animals, but highlights were: the giraffes (who have always had a special place in our hearts), elephants, and monkeys.



We also had the opportunity to visit with our good friends Sean and Giselle and the newest addition to their family, Emmett (12 days old!). He was so cute and so light. He felt like a feather compared to Lucas. It was fun to hang out with Sean and Giselle and Giselle's mom, Karen. It brought back a lot of memories from those early days.

Bonus Photo: Karen's birthday came early this year...An obviously excited Birthday Girl decided to pose on the couch in her brand new "staple items" - her teal Hunter boots and navy blue Marc Jacobs bag. You can take the girl out of L.A., but you can't take the L.A. out of the girl. watch out Minnesota, Karen's coming back!