First Grade Field Trip

Yesterday was my daughter's first grade field trip to the Nashville Zoo. While we may have been many times before to the zoo, she was as excited as ever as her classmates would all be there.

Since my company offers their employees 2 volunteer days a year, I was able to tag along as  a chaperone. We had plenty of other parents chaperone this trip, which made the individual groups very small and easy to keep track of. Our little group:

Amelia, Lailah, and Rachel

The weather was a bit cool in the morning but by lunch time the sun came out and it was perfect. There were not many people at the zoo, which made this trip even more enjoyable. These three little "monkeys" enjoyed running around the zoo and visiting all the animals. 

The zoo keepers we met were helpful in answering the girls' questions and showing them details about the animals they were working with. Fun Fact: I love watching animals shows on TV and my current favorite is The Zoo (Bronx Tales), which takes the audience behind the scenes of the world-renowned Bronx Zoo in New York City.

The kangaroo exhibit was a must for all the kangaroo lovers in the group, myself included:

Recently a new Bear exhibit was opened and while we did spot the Andean bear before he laid down for a nap, Amelia's favorite part of this exhibit were the guinea pigs. Since a while now she is asking for one and we told her when she turns 8 years old, she will get one. Now, she is counting down the months. 

Selfie time:

 Mommy and her little girl:

Tackling the rope bridge:

These classmates are like siblings:

 Picnic lunch on the lawn:

After lunch, we had one hour left to ride the carousel, visit the giraffes and explore the jungle gym playground. While most children and parents headed back home after that, Amelia and I stayed a while longer. At 1pm, we watched the Wild Works Animal show at the Amphitheater, where we learned about how helpful cockroaches are to our environment and how we can save the animals in the rain forest by using less plastic bags.  

But by far, Amelia's favorite were the Lorikeets, who sat on her arm and the goats, which she loved to hug and brush. One of the Lorikeets picked on my jewelry...the keeper said they love shiny things.

And lastly, the petting zoo:

I was glad I was able to join Amelia and her classmates on their trip to the zoo and to spend this one-on-one time with my girl. But by the end of the day, we both were exhausted and happily went early to bed. 

Perfect Saturday

Originally, Derrick and I had planned to go out yesterday afternoon (the last time we went on a date was 8 months ago) but unfortunately, no babysitter was available. So we made the best of it and after a filling breakfast, loaded up the kids and headed to the park. The sky was blue, the sun was out and lots of people made use of this beautiful day.

 

I spent the perfect morning with my favorite people. From climbing, jumping, catching balls and throwing rocks, we covered it all. 

Sitting on the bench with my love, watching the children play:

They are the happiest when they can get dirty:

My future softball player:

Here is a little video collage of our fun outing:

For lunch, we went to a nearby marina to enjoy a cold one and eat some delicious fresh seafood while the children fed the ducks. 

 A boy and his Daddy:

After a nap and some R&R on the couch, I wanted to get my raised vegetable bed started. Even though it was exhausting and my muscle are quite sore today, I was able to finish the whole plot in less than 2 hours. Now all that's left to do is to decide what to plant. My loving husband even let me use some power tools to saw off the wood planks. 

We ended this perfect Saturday with the first backyard BBQ of the year and a dinner outside on the deck. Burgers for the kids and grilled zucchini and steaks for the adults... it was outstanding. 

Today, we are enjoying a PJ day at home since it is raining all day and I'm more than a bit sore in some places. But there is never a dull moment when you have a fashionista in the house. 

Also, on Friday we celebrated an awesome progress report from school and the fact that there are only 22 more days of school left this year with a delicious ice-cream treat and a shopping trip (Daddy's birthday is on Tuesday!). 

Next up this week, a birthday celebration and a First Grade field trip. 

Spring Weather, Bike Rides and Birthday Party Fun

Spring season is here and we couldn't believe that winter just couldn't go away with one more try. So last Saturday huge, big snow flakes came down from the sky. While the ground was too warm (we had 70F earlier that week) to stick, Amelia was able to catch some with her tongue. This really was a long and unusual winter for us here in middle TN. 

This is what we do when it is cold and wet outside:

And after that, we now have the best Spring weather ever, minus the pollen, which even caused me to have my first-ever allergy symptoms. This week, we went to the park a few times to meet with friends, go for a run or practice riding our bicycles. 

With Spring in full swing, baseball season also started off...right in our front yard. While the boys played ball, I got in a 3 mile run thru the neighborhood and then replanted our strawberries. Now, we are expecting a big crop this year. 

Elliot's preschool performed on Friday a couple of songs for the high schoolers and the little kids were so excited about this opportunity to sing in front of a (small) audience. Parents were also invited to watch them. So before school drop-off, I took Elliot to work for half an hour and he felt like a big wig, sitting on his own desk, drawing rainbows. 

Then, we went to preschool and I watched my little guy perform. It was adorable and warmed my heart to see those children praise the Lord. 

Enjoy this little montage:

We took Amelia's training wheels off a few months ago but since then she hadn't really practiced riding her bike until Friday afternoon. Surprisingly, she did very well and my hand only rested on her neck for assurance rather than to hold her. A few more tries and she is off on her own. 

Her brother, on the other hand, is not afraid at all and we only have the training wheels on his bike to slow him down so that Amelia can catch up. Once they are off, there will be no stopping him.

And because Amelia's bike was too small for her, today after church we purchased her a new one. Now, she is excited and ready to take off.

On Saturday, both children were invited to their friend's, Grace, 7th birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. For them, it was like the best party spot ever...for adults, well what we all do for our children. But the birthday girl and her friends had a great time and even Chuck E made an appearance. 

The rest of this rainy weekend we spent relaxing and getting ready for another full week. But only 5 more weeks and then the kids are already on summer break. Until then, we are looking forward to spending most of our afternoons and early evenings outdoors to enjoy those mild Spring days before the heat of the summer is catching up with us. 

Happy Easter 2018

It is a great day to celebrate and rejoice because for HE is risen! And with that comes Hope, Love, and Redemption. All dressed up for church and ready to receive the message. 

Before we went to church, the children found their Easter baskets filled with books, cars, a watch, a small stuffed animal and a hand painted wooden egg with one of their favorite characters. I dated these and plan on making one each year for them until they are 18.  

 Happy children:

One happy family:

We hope you all had a blessed Easter!