Family Fun at the Zoo

Let me start off by showing you my little man sleeping in yesterday at 11:15am...

Needless to say I woke him up! We all 3 ran errands together all day and got a lot done. We picked up some new books to read, and got groceries and chores done. Today we spent the day at the zoo!

We met my friend Rachel and her family there around 11am, and little B got to play with the steering wheel while we waited for them to park.

This is Rachel's little girl Jet. She will be 1 in June and has a little sister due in August!

We both packed lunches and after walking around for awhile looking at everything, we found a shady table and sat down to eat. The weather was just perfect--sunny and warm but not too hot with a nice breeze. It was very busy there but we managed!

On our way to the aquarium we passed a playground and carousel. Brad got to swing while Rachel and her fam rode the carousel together.

Brad loved watching the sea lions swim around!

He especially enjoyed the petting zoo where he got to touch several goats that were just hanging out. He got to see bunnies, pigs, sheep, and a donkey too.

We had gotten pretty hot after all that walking, so we took our shoes and socks off and cooled off in the water!

We picked up some Sonic on the way home and all 3 shared a strawberry sundae to cool off. Brad conked out for his nap as soon as we got home.

And here is a pic of hubby's "new" car! A fabulous PT Cruiser! He is very happy to have a newer car that has AC, CD player, sunroof, etc. He got a great deal on it from a dealership and payed for it in cash. We switched the carseat into his car so that he isn't stuck at home with Brad whenever I am gone at work. Now they can run errands together or go to the park!

This evening I had my dad over for dinner with us. He has been feeling a lot better the last few days and it had been awhile since he had eaten a nice home-cooked meal. It is so nice to see him getting back to normal!! We were all so worried about him for the last month and a half that he has been sick.

We all had such a good day today, and I can't explain the happiness I felt when I saw Brad's face light up at the zoo. Now that he is older he can really enjoy and interact with the exhibits and animals that they have there. I don't know if he'll remember it or not, but I sure will!

A Great Family Easter!

Another wonderful holiday memory made with my family! After a rough shift last night that ended unexpectedly, I was greeted with thunderstorms that rumbled a bit too loudly for me to sleep. Nick got me up after Brad went down for his nap and helped me finish up the food to take to my mom's for Easter dinner.

Both of my brothers were there plus kids and tons of food! We went a little nontraditional this year and had BBQ brisket, mac/cheese, mashed potatoes/gravy, carrots, baked beans, rolls, corn casserole, deviled eggs, relish tray...and of course desserts! All of the food was so good and we had a wonderful time just being with our loved ones.

After we all got done eating and chatting, the kiddos stepped out of the room so that the men could hide the eggs inside (we are finally getting rain!). Each kid got to find 12 eggs that were stuffed with goodies!

Brad picked up very quickly on putting the eggs in his basket, then got distracted when he realized that they opened up and had treats inside!

He loves chocolate just like his daddy! Don't worry, we hardly ever let him eat a bunch of sweets. But this is a special occasion so we let him enjoy it today!

He didn't get much sleep today either because of the thunder, so after all of the festivities he was pretty tired! He passed out on our way home, then went to bed shortly after we got there. I haven't been able to put my little baby to bed in several days with all of the stuff I have been doing, so I snuggled him extra good and covered him in kisses before tucking him in.

I work the next couple of days at my second job, then me and friend are planning a dual family trip to the zoo on Thursday! We wanted to go last week but the day we planned on ended up being too chilly for the kids to be outside. Brad was almost 1 the last time he was at the zoo so he was still a bit young to run around and enjoy the animals. I think this time he will like it and have a blast!

Priceless Pictures

Here are the pictures my friend Jennifer took at a local park. Even though Brad was a bit cranky throughout the photo shoot, we still managed to get some great shots of all of us! She did a great job editing them and I will treasure these images of my two loves forever.

I love it! I still can't believe that in TWO short months my little baby will be two years old! I am already anticipating a little brother or sister for him...he has brought so much joy to our lives that I can only imagine how much our love would expand for another! He filled the hole in our hearts that we had for so long during our years of infertility and we thank God every day for our blessings!

Here is a rose that my dear hubby picked for me out of our garden!

And today my little one helped color Easter eggs for the first time!! He was very excited to see them changing color and had a fun time helping me fish them out with the wand.

I intentionally cracked them before we colored them so that the dye would permeate through to the actual egg. They will be turned into deviled eggs for our big Easter dinner on Sunday so I want some of the color to show. Check back for Easter dinner pics!

Oh and in other news...my darling {fickle} husband sold his 1950 Chevy this week. Yes, his dear prized possession that he has had for less than 6 months. His reasoning is that he wants something more family friendly (this one didn't have any seatbelts) and better on gas for when he gets a full-time job. Who am I to question his decision? The best thing is that after all the restoration work and upgrades he did to it we made 50% OVER what we paid for it! Not a bad investment! He is now on the prowl for a "new" car. Wish us luck!

Evidence

Before I whipped out my box of dye I decided to take some pictures for those out there who doubt my gray hairs and scoff in disbelief every time I say I have them...for those who think I have no reason to color my hair and that I do it just for fun...here you go!

Feel free to click each one to enlarge it...

If you have seen any pictures of my dad, you know he has a head full of white hair. Thanks for the genes dad! I have been coloring them since I was 16--coincidentally that is also when I got married. No relation, I'm sure. Sometimes I go more auburn, sometimes I go darker brown...but I mostly stay in the same relative shade. My eyebrows are dark so if I go too dark or red it looks funny and mismatched. Believe me, if I didn't HAVE to color to keep from looking creepy, I wouldn't! I'm sure when it gets to be too much I will just let them take over. Why can't they grow in a cool trendy streak or something?

I let my little man take a shower with me the other day and when we got done he became very upset that I wouldn't let him keep playing in the tub. So he literally sat there for another 10 minutes repeatedly pouring water on himself and laughing at it. I had to coax him out with a snack to keep him from getting upset! What a mess! I had to call his daddy in there to see it, and of course take a video.

Speaking of his daddy...we had some pictures made in a park yesterday! My friend Jennifer that I used to work with was in town and offered to take some pictures of us. Brad was a bit less than cooperative but we worked through it and they turned out wonderful. I will post them in the next blog!