We officially kicked off the Helena Keate birthday celebrations a bit early with a picnic in the park with Grandma and Papaw. Helena enjoyed her first cupcake, rolling around on the blanket, and watching all the little kids playing. Since Grandma and Papaw Achbach were in town this week, we had an impromptu early birthday celebration.

Helena passed out in her car seat after her afternoon at the zoo...

More zoo pics!

The Samsons enjoyed a wonderful holiday weekend and Helena made her first visit to the LA Zoo. She really seemed to love seeing all the animals and was most entranced by the pink flamingoes, kangaroos, and eating her Cheerios! Helena had a fantastic time, as did her parents; it's truly wonderful to see everything anew through the eyes of your child. Tommorow we will spend some time with Helena's Grandma and Papaw who are in town this week. We plan a picnic to our local park--more pictures to follow.