Trip to the Zoo!!

So, we braved the hot hot weather and went to the Fort Worth Zoo today and had a fantastic time!  It's half-price day and kids under 3 are free so we're enjoying it before Zoë's birthday in a few weeks.

I like to call this one "Three Little Monkeys"

We've got to work at looking at the camera.  

Big elephant.

Little Elephant.

My Happy Boy!

And then, it was time to leave.

An Update!!

I've realized that a lot of people don't know what's going on in our lives these days so it's time for a brief glimpse into our world.  Here goes:

I started working for CareNow on July 11th.  I went through 100+ hours of training and had my sign-off last Friday.  I work at the clinic off McCart, just two miles from our house, and take patients through the process of checking-in and then check them out when they're done with the doctor.  I love my job but am adjusting to working with drama-ridden gossip girls who are single & range in age from 19-22.  

Brad just got a job at TCU!  He is going to be the Assistant Student Activities Director until December - basically, planning all the Howdy Week, Spirit Week, and other events on campus.  He is going to be GREAT at this job and he's really excited about the position.  

Zoe is beautiful and more grown-up than ever!  She is even dressing herself - both pants and tops!  This is what she looks like this morning: top inside out and backwards.

The potty training is going much better and she turns 3 on August 30th.  I can hardly believe she's been in our lives for nearly three years (almost four if you count pregnancy)!  

Colby has FOUR teeth coming in on top.  He's already got the bottom two in front and yesterday I discovered four more crowning his gums.  He is cheerful and barely fussy so you'd never know unless you take a look in his mouth.  He is eating cheerios, spaghetti-o's, and homemade baby foods like peas, carrots, and mixed veggies with turkey.   

Our lives are settling down a little and though it's extremely different than we had expected, we're finding joy again.  We're learning the difference between being hopeful and being full of faith.  Brad and I have learned something about being on the same team and walking in unity that may have taken years to grasp unless we had walked through this trial.  And I now that I work outside the home, I appreciate being with my kids more than ever.  

Sometimes things have to be taken away from us to truly realize their value.  And sometimes the things God gives us may look and feel like hatred but are a deep expression of His undying love for us. 

Potty Talk: An Honest Look at Motherhood

Being a mother is one of the best things in life.  And one of the hardest.  From the moment that little bug decides it's time to come out of your uterus, there's pain, pressure, stretching, and lots of embracing the inevitable.  There are moments so intense with love and joy, I think heaven has surely come to earth.  Then there are moments (or days or weeks) of these reactions, attitudes, and behaviors that have come from the hotter side of after-life.

I love my kids.  I mean, there is this surge of fullness in my soul when I think about their faces.  Here are a few of the highlights of late:

1.  Colby, who has been crawling and might even be close to walking, has discovered toilet paper.  No, not the dry kind, off the roll.  The used kind, hand-picked out of the toilet, left over from big sister's lack of flushing.  Don't worry too much, it's just #1.  I hesitated telling my germaphobic husband who made the predicted "EW.  AH.  UGH." face but then told me the same story the next day.  We're training Zoe to close the bathroom door whenever she walks out.

2.  We have been potty training since late March, which now makes for more than four months of bathroom runs, wet panties, and pull-ups.  We have days where she goes through six pairs - in an hour.  I recently couldn't find a single dry, clean pair so we did a lot of laundry and I decided to count just how many pairs she owns.  27.  Yep, twenty seven pairs of pink/purple/striped/polka-dotted/you-name-it, we-got-it panties.  Victoria's Secret would make millions if they introduced a toddler line.

3.  On the road of bathroom mishaps, let me share with you about our dogs.  Wednesday morning: I walk into our playroom to a huge pile of dog poo.  "Honey, I have to leave for work.  Sadie had an accident in the playroom.  Love you" were my words walking out the door.  Thursday: Again, I'm about to walk out the door when Brad discovers Bailey in her kennel, covered with dog poo.  He puts her outside to clean up the mess while Zoe helps by picking up the soiled dog.  I leave  my sweet husband to pick up the pieces.  Bailey peed on our bed later that day, too.  Lucky for her, I wasn't home to take her to the pound.

This world is full of mess, chaos, and poo.  Our lives are often as pungent as puppy accidents and repulsive as drinking toilet water.  I'm so thankful for a God who gets close to our messes and cleans them up for us.  I'm grateful, too, that He is patient with me.  He perseveres for my love and affection even when I prefer the grosser things in life.

Being a mom is the best thing.