Ivan Turns 3!

Ivan turned 3 back in January, and we had a monkey birthday party with family. First, my parents, my brother Thad and his wife Melissa, and our family went to the Austin Zoo to see some real monkeys. I love this place because it's an animal sanctuary that takes in rescued animals (when I first learned this, I thought the extent of their collection would include some possum and a raccoon or two, maybe a stray cat), but you still can see plenty of exotic animals. At most zoos, I leave feeling drained from walking so far on the asphalt paths and wondering if the animals are happy. But here, because it's smaller and tucked away in the natural Texas landscape, it's a refreshing day trip.

Grandma helps the kids feed the animals. You can buy a little bag of animal food when you buy your ticket and can feed the goats, deer, and llama.

Uncle Thad (my brother) and his wife Melissa.

Happy Senya! It was a beautiful but chilly day for a zoo visit.

Birthday Boy in a tree!

Ezra travelling in style.

Uncle Thad trying out the marshmallow shooters that Ivan got as a present from Aunt Angela and Uncle Noel.

Ivan and his monkey cake. I love how it turned out! I got the idea from Our Best Bites to do a banana cake recipe baked in a mixing bowl, with fudge stripe cookies for the ears and upside-down Hershey kisses for the eyes.

Note: I've recently decided that I'm done with any cakes that are any less than scrumptious. No more store-bought cakes, no more mixes...I'm on a hunt for REALLY good cake. This cake was like banana bread with frosting--a little different than what I was expecting, but still very good.