Back to the zoo!

So, we love the zoo. We have family passes and try to go as often as we can. The kids love the animals (so do I) and we're almost certainly guaranteed a good night's sleep after a day at the zoo. The last few times we've gone I've tried to leave the camera at home and leave my phone in the bag and just enjoy the moment instead of documenting everything.

But this weekend was different! July 20th was Visitor Appreciation Day, which meant the attractions that were normally a few dollars a head were free. Jay had an unexpected Sunday off so it worked out perfectly. Hayden had really been wanting to see the Rio 4-D experience and everything is better free.

We started off in North America. Lila loves the polar bear, Patches, and Hayden loves to watch the sea lions swim at the underwater viewing area. Lila loves all things bear, really, so when we got to the bears and they were actually moving around, she lost it. Overjoyed.

We saw the alligators and the turtles and the Sonora Desert but these kids really wanted to get to Jungle Junction! (That's where all the free stuff was) We grabbed a snack in one of the cafes and headed into the Rio movie. Thanks to the drizzly weather early in the day, things weren't too too busy so we didn't have to wait long.

Rio was really cool because a) the kids are currently obsessed with the sequel and b) it was a totally interactive experience. There were puffs of air blowing behind your ear, things flapping at your feet, birds flying at your face, the smell of sunscreen and even a little spray of the ocean! Hayden loved it, Lila tolerated it (in my lap). 

Since the carousel was free, we rode it all together. Lila always picks the Polar Bear; Hayden wanted to be beside her and that left the dolphin in the middle for me. They wanted to ride it over and over but we said one was enough. There was more to see! So we headed over to the Bugs exhibit.

This was so cool because the bugs were all giant so you could see all their moving parts. Hayden loved it; Lila hated it of course. But they learned a lot! Hayden has a recent obsession with scorpions so it was awesome for him to get to see a giant one. He was a little worried that the enormous spider was going to come to life, come down off the web and get him. So he was cautious in taking a picture with it.

Somehow, we have missed the Aviary on our last 1000 trips to the zoo. I can't remember ever having gone in it in the past four years. We stopped to see the flamingos, which was a huge hit with the kids. Inside,we saw pineapples growing, a ton of amazing birds and some that were hiding from us! 

By this point in the afternoon the kiddos were running out of steam but they won't leave the zoo without a trip to see the elephants, because they know they're my favorite! This time, we were there at the same time as the elephant keeper so we got to see a mother and daughter up close and personal, and even doing a few tricks for treats! 

It was a beautiful day well spent! We saw our baby baboons and the gorillas and a quick stop at the zebras and giraffes before we finally headed out. The biggest bonus? Lila rode in the stroller for the first time in over a year. Parent win! She loves the zoo and loves to walk but gets tired of walking pretty quickly, doesn't want to ride in the stroller and doesn't want Jay to carry her. So that means a long day for mom. This time, Jay told her "you're riding in your stroller, end of story" and she went for it! 

Thanks for taking it easy on mom, Lila! 

Hayden's Preschool Graduation

So my little dude is five. He's done with preschool. He's heading to kindergarten. Some days I'm okay with it, some days I'm super excited, some days I'm terrified. He's only FIVE. How can I send him out into the world? With fifth graders?! Complete. Terror.

Then there's the logistics. He's not riding the bus. So I have to navigate the drop off line. With Lila learning she's going to one place, he's going to another. I feel like August is going to be a disaster. But before that...

He had the most precious preschool graduation!

It was held at a little church multipurpose room out in Oak Ridge and it was adorable. 

The kids all had a chance to tell Ms. Marsha what they wanted to be when they grow up. Hayden wants to be a Sergeant in the Army and save the world. They got to draw pictures and say why they wanted to do what they did. During graduation, Hayden told Ms. Marsha he changed his mind, and that he also wanted to be an artist. In the Army. Such a wide variety of interests! 

They sang adorable songs and wore their adorable caps and gowns and got wee little diplomas and it was amazing. I cried less than I thought I would. They came to hug the parents and gave the dads a picture and the moms a flower and said why WE were special. It was precious. I love him. 

He was excited to see us and his nana and Erin & Eric and his cousins and grandma. It was a special day. 

"Letter to my daughter" -Maya Angelou

"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud. Do not complain. Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution."

Is there, was there a more brilliant woman than Maya? If so, I don't know her. Her popularity stems from her grace, her poise, her ability to touch your soul with a single paragraph. To get to the deepest part of you with a mere few words. She is bold but not brash, compassionate and not condescending, brilliant and brave. The world will surely feel her loss for years to come. But she certainly left it a better place. 

Bend, Not Break: A Life in Two Worlds

"When in doubt, always err on the side of generosity."

"Sometimes in life, out of the clear blue sky comes a vicious storm. We must seek out the shelter of a cave in order to survive. We might feel as though we'll never escape the dark crevasse. But there is always hope."

"...sometimes there are very simple steps we can take to overcome our fears, or just minimize them enough so that we can function."

I'm really enjoying this book. I love a memoir and even though this one is a little tech heavy, I like it. Quick read. 

Weekend fun

Our weekends lately are nuts. They're supposed to be: the sun is out, summer is here and we're enjoying all of it!

Friday was fairly calm, with dinner at home and hanging out, watching movies. Saturday Jay had to work in the morning so I took my time getting up, making beds, doing laundry and making breakfast. Lila likes to sleep in on the weekends (she gets that from me) but Hayden doesn't so my days start early. It's nice to have that little time with him before anyone else is up and when the dogs are still calm. Ish.

The weather was promising, so we went to Emerald Pointe for some fun in the sun. We were later met by Aaran, Tyler and Carter, with Erin and Ryan arriving later. The kids had a blast. We did the wave pool for awhile, where Lila is less terrified than Hayden. Baby pool, where Lila can slide and swing. Then Soak Zone, where the boys can play with water guns. This is where Lila threw her newest "tantrum", the silent treatment. She doesn't realize yet that it doesn't hurt mommy, and I'm sure not telling her. The downside of the day at the water park is that mom forgets to reapply HER sunscreen so I left with a pretty solid burn. But the kids didn't!

Quick trip to the grocery store, then home for the kids to nap. I whipped up a few sides, woke up an angry Lila and we were out the door to Eric's for a mini cookout. Lila jumped, Hayden played, Zoe tried to put makeup on Hayden, dogs ate the leftover burgers and brats...all in a day's work. We got home around midnight and crashed.

Jay left for work early Sunday, and the kids both slept super late. Hayden got up around 11:30 and Lila was down until 12:30. Hayden and I went to Reidsville for baby Sarah's baby shower (he's been dying to go to one FOREVER) and he asked questions the whole way there. He has to know all the things, which I understand. So I answered as many as I could. On the way we passed the cemetery where my dad is buried so Hayden asked if we could stop and see him. I told him we would on the way back as we were, of course, already running late. We got to the shower and it was so good to see Sarah and her family! Baby Silas is sure to be spoiled with all the love he can stand. We had a great time and stayed almost til the end, when Hayden was restless.

We headed home and stopped by to see his Papaw. He had a lot of questions, death and health related. I can't get over what he retains and remembers and is able to explain, at age 5. I hope he carries a lot of memories of his Papaw with him, since he didn't get much time with him. Lila won't really have those memories, but we can share ours.

It seems like the weekend is over before it begins!

There's a lot I've missed

Sometimes I do a big "catch up" on the blog. Sometimes I don't. I'm hoping to do that soon. But not today.

What I've missed in my LIFE:

*talking on the phone. I used to talk to Stephanie, Liz or Sara on the phone at length, at least twice a week. I miss that. It was before two kids, two dogs and triple the chaos.

*updating the blog. You see, I don't do it for my throngs of readers. Initially, I did it for my grandma. She wanted to know what we were doing in Germany and how we were. And I wanted to remember everything about being pregnant with Hayden. So I was VERY good at it for many years. I'm trying, folks. Because I LOVE to go back to 2009 and remember what it was like when Jay came home, when I took a trip with the girls, my new fave piece of pottery, what I was reading.

*reading books. I am a reader; I always have been. I would devour novels in a single sitting. I would ask people for recommendations and devour and ask for more. I found things I liked, things I didn't, but I loved to read. I have 50 books sitting around my house, unread, waiting to be devoured.

*cooking new things. Y'all. I am in a rut. When Pinterest was first a thing, I was making new recipes every other day. Trying this out. Testing that out. Ruling that out completely. Now I make the same boring 11 things.

*scrapbooking. My other love. I have all the stuff. I have albums and pages and layouts and supplies. I need time, and I need pictures. End of list. Get it together, Rogers.

*my Army wives. Specifically, about seven of you. The rest are just noise. And drama. And negativity. But the lucky 7 are pretty amazing and I wish you were all in one place. And that that place was my house.

These are things I need to find time for, make time for, realize their absolute necessity in my life. I'm finding, the more I delete from my life that's non-essential, the happier I am. The more negative people, time-wasting things and downright stupidity I can remove from the radar, the clearer the picture is.

Typical

Last night Hayden won the award for most amazing child with this:

"Mom. I'm sorry to interrupt you. But I figured out what I want for my snack."

Beautiful, right? Mr. Manners. 

Today he followed up with his in the car:

"Can we get to the program here?" 

Aaaaand he's back to just being five.