Elephant LOVE...

I don't know what it was about the video I took (it's below/available on YouTube for the world to see), but I keep watching it and I just keep thinking "Wow".

Maybe it's just that my girl is growing up. Maybe it's that she saw something she thinks is FABULOUS (elephants!), and instead of playing shy, she dove right in and just enjoyed -- scratch that -- LOVED LOVE LOVED her new elephant friend.

But seeing her just light up and hug and play and hug (and even push other kids away so she could get BACK into the elephants arms) was well, just a thrill for me as a parent.

Today was a VERY special day at the Oregon Zoo. Oregon's oldest elephant and the first elephant to be born in the Western Hemisphere is named Pachy, and he turns 47 with a great party today.

We were so lucky to make the last minute decision to go today. We almost never show up on a Saturday, since we usually try to go Fridays to miss the crowds, but today turned out to be the best weather day this weekend. AND Brian's taking off for a few days for a seminar in the midwest somewhere...so we decided to go!

Nora saw "Packy" the first time and just lit up. We tried to pry her away from him and have a snack and after a change of clothes, we couldn't get down to the other animals we wanted to see, so we had to go BACK by the elephant costumed guy, so she ran up and gave him a HUG.

THEN she proceeded to try to run AROUND the elephant as Brian tried to catch her so we could leave!

It's by far the most "involved" she's been with anything outside her normal family, and it was just so dang cute!

So here's the video: If this doesn't warm your heart, nothing will.