surprize picnic lunch

after a pretty sleepless night (for me), the stars all aligned this morning.  madelyn was in a good mood, mason was showing major signs of improvement (smiling and not clinging to me like a second skin), and it was going to reach 45 degrees with some sun.  while madelyn was at school i packed up a picnic lunch for a surprise trip to the zoo!

(i worked until 2am, maddux woke himself up coughing at 2:10am, then woke up for the day at 5:30am, and the other two joined him at 6:30am.  this was a major bummer because maddux has been sleeping 12 hours a night for the past four days, not getting up until 8am, while mason has been waking up at 5:30am


those same days.  oh well.  that's why God made coffee.)

madelyn was so excited for the surprise trip that she suggested posing in the penguins.

mason and madelyn crossing the rope bridge under a cloudless sky!

just a pretty ice formation in one of the exhibits.

madelyn took pictures of us after she finished her lunch to pass the time she had to wait for the rest of us to finish eating.  (remember, i only got 3 hours of sleep, did not shower, and am wearing no makeup.)  mason would even pose and smile for her (which he will not do for matt and i).  too bad she wasn't quite fast enough to capture it.

we have been working on madelyn speaking with mason when she wants him to do something instead of just crying or complaining to matt and me right off the bat.  today she wanted him to stop looking at the komodo dragon and head into the jellyfish exhibit.  after calling to him for a while she went back, sat down next to him and, while looking him in the eye, asked in a calm, sweet voice if he was ready to go and see the jelly fish with her.  and, as he usually does when she asks him something in a calm way, nodded "yes" and started walking that way.  so pleased with his reaction, she then asked him if he wanted to hold her hand.  so rewarding for me after the defiant and tear filled day we had yesterday.

madelyn and mason took turns at the news desk at the end of the jellyfish exhibit, but mason figured out what they were doing today.

as a bonus surprise, i let madelyn enjoy a ring pop she got during her class valentine's day party.  she was really excited about her first ever ring pop.  i think that she was more delighted that it was strawberry flavored and something that she could not share with mason (strawberries are not his friend).

we had such a wonderful time.  it would have been perfect if daddy could have joined us.  love.