Mom's attempt at some animal pictures

There were two monkeys in this exhibit, one black and one white. We learned that the black monkey was the male and the white one was female. Their babies would have golden fur. Joe seemed to like this exhibit the best.
The peacocks were in rare form. They roam the park and in the 3 years that we have been going to the zoo, I had never seen one spread his feathers. Today, we saw 3 different ones. This was the best shot.
Jorge really liked this area. He kept seeing all these colorful birds and would say, "Mom, you have to see THIS one!".

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Today, we visited the zoo for the first time this season. It was Joe's first visit. I think he noticed the animals but really didn't seem too entertained. This was the best expression I got all day.
Here is the terrific trio! It is impossible to get them all to smile at the same time!

Here's my little Joey!

And of course my other two darlings!

"Jorge, you're soooo silly"

Jorge just loves making Joe laugh. I tried to capture a few pictures of Jorge in action. It is so wonderful how much Jorge and Lucy love their little brother. Last night when they were giving him his good night kisses and hugs, Lucy says, "Good Night Joe, you are the most special little baby in the whole world". It just makes your heart melt!

"Be very quiet, I'm hunting deer"

"Daddy, I'm ready to go!". Joe is all geared up in his camo sweatshirt, ready to hit the tree stands with Dad this fall! One of Rob's co-workers got Joe this sweatshirt and I couldn't resist posting a picture of him in it. I'm sure there will be many more camo shots of him, Jorge and probably Lucy in the future!

Joe's On the Go!

Well, today is the big day. Joe is now mobile!!! He started crawling today. YEAH!! Yesterday he made a few nudges, but today, it's like someone turned the crawling switch on! Of course now that he can get around, we will have to really keep our eyes on him! Now the fun begins for Mom & Dad! Here's a clip.

Our Big Boy Has Surgery

We have known for the best part of the last 5 years that Jorge would be best served with an elective ear surgery/reconstruction on his right ear. The Doctor recommended that we wait though until Jorge was at least 4 years old, and we put it off till he was mid way through his 5th year. He had significant hearing loss in that ear as his ear canal never formed properly. So the time came for the procedure and the Doctor went in this week and built an ear canal. Some bone around his ear had to be drilled out and a nice size skin graft from his right thigh was taken to help accomplish the mission. As guilty as Mom and Dad felt for doing this we also know that there is a tremendous upside to the procedure and, if successful, Jorge should be able to anticipate a lifetime of good hearing in his right ear as a result of this process. Jorge was a real trooper and he and Dad spent the night in Riley hospital in Indianapolis last night -- holding hands most of the night. :-) Everyone is now home and doing fine. Here are some pics of Jorge hours after the surgery yesterday...

Poor fella

Jorge and his beautiful Mother (Rob typing here...:-)

He looks like he just got into a fight with a bear, but he was a champ in there yesterday!

Had to have his Ninja Turtles with him yesterday.

A few balloons from some very special loved ones.... :-)

A Day at the Park

Finally about the first day we could really get out and enjoy this spring and we loaded up the wagon and headed to the park. We had so much fun and there were so many people out today doing exactly the same thing. We sure hope tomorrow is just as nice and that the great weather is here to stay for a while.

Still can't get all five of us to look at the camera at the same time, but this one wasn't too bad for our family.

This picture really epitomizes "The Adventures of JoJoLu"


Jorge still thinks he wants to be in construction when he grows up but if that doesn't work out he might have a career in fire fighting.

Ahoy mates! The nicest sea Captain you'll ever meet.

Jorge posing for dad

Mom couldn't be any happier!

This is a blast mom!

Not walking on his own yet, but mom is determined to strengthen those legs and build that confidence.

The happy three! Can we come back tomorrow Mom?

Hangin' with Mom

It's only been two weeks since Joe has been home and it seems like he has always been with us. He is such a happy boy! The only time he gets mad, and I mean screaming mad, is when he sees food and it is not in his reach. Jorge and Lucy go to school 3 days a week so Mom & Joe can have some alone time. This morning I was able to get some pictures of play time. That smile is to die for!