Zoo Atlanta

Ben took the day off work on Thursday and we went to the zoo as a family (plus my nephew).  I had never been, and Ben couldn't remember the last time he went.  They had some pretty cool exhibits, and some pretty ok ones.  My favorite exhibits were:

The Parakeet Aviary


This was one of those "walk-in" exhibits, where you can get up close and personal with the birds.  We bought a "seed stick" to feed to the birds, and we had a great time milling about and being surrounded by birds.  Lydia was especially fascinated with these little fluttering creatures.

The Tiger Exhibit


This was SUPER cool because the tiger came down and actually licked the glass we were standing behind.  Apparently this mama tiger had cubs a couple of months ago but we didn't get to see them.

The Petting Zoo


A petting zoo complete with ... goats. And ... more goats. That's it.

Other fun pictures, including:

• A lounging Panda
• Scott reading the map--that was his official job all day.
• Lydia and the crocodile
• Riding the train

Playdough

Last week I made found a recipe for homemade playdough, and decided to give it a try.  To my delight, the texture turned out perfectly.  Even I had tons of fun playing with it.  The only downside, is that Lydia kept trying to eat it ...  At least she actually doesn't eat it, because it is really salty!

When goats jump

It seems like the last time I blogged was FOREVER ago.  Yep, my dear readers, you are all nodding.

A couple of weeks ago my parents drove down from New York to spend a few days with my family and my brother's family.  We didn't tell my niece and nephew that they were coming, so when they showed up for dinner on Saturday two weeks ago, it was quite a surprise!  It was so nice to have my parents around.  At first, Lydia wasn't too sure about these strange people staying in our house, but it only took a day before she was putting out her arms to them, wanting to be picked up, and sitting in their laps having a story read or singing songs.

One of the days they were here, we went to the Yellow River Game Ranch, which is essentially a wildlife petting zoo full of rescued animals who are too accustomed to humans to be returned to the wild.  Lydia was not too sure about some of the big animals, but she actually decided to pet a bunny all by herself!  I guess it's just like a kitty with long ears and huge feet ...

I was really amazed at how bold the animals were, and completely unafraid of humans.  Of course, they know where the food is!  One brazen deer even came right up and started eating the carrots out of the stroller (which was serving as a food carrier instead of a Lydia carrier, since she refused to sit in it).

The most exciting incident of the whole day came when we reached the goat paddock.  The goats have a ramp leading up to a small window which they stick their heads out and you can pet or feed them that way.  I decided this would be a GREAT photo op, so I gave my mom the camera and asked her to take a picture of me, with Lydia on my shoulders, as we fed a goat.  No problem.  So I'm standing there, posing with the carrot in my hand ...

When suddenly, the goat decided to jump out of his little window, onto the ground right in front of me.  Startled?  Yah--I think so ...

It's too bad that the picture cut off Lydia's head, but as you can see from her hands, she's hanging on for dear life.  The rest of the trip was relatively uneventful.  We did have a wonderful lunch at Stevi B's, where Lydia scarfed down no less than 3 pieces of pizza ... well, at least she scarfed down the toppings and cheese.

My parents left just a few days later.  We had such a good time that I bought a plane ticket up to NY in September.  Yikes--that is going to be an interesting 2 hours, cooped up in a plane with little girl ... But, at least it IS only 2 hours and it's a direct flight.  I can't wait.  I'm ready for a vacation!

Changing

Change is usually a good thing, I've decided.  I don't think that without change, any of us would grow very much.  Our family is going through some changes at the moment!  Of course Lydia is growing and changing, that much is a given.  Every day she surprises me with some new thing she has learned and it brings my heart so much joy that sometimes I feel I could just burst.  My relationship with my daughter gives my relationship with my Heavenly Father more depth and meaning.  He wants us to grow and learn--to be like Him.  Nothing gives Him greater joy than watching us make steps toward our full potential.

A couple of weeks ago, Ben received a new calling as a seminary teacher.  For anyone not familiar with the concept of LDS seminary, all high-school aged youth in the church are encouraged to attend daily seminary classes.  Where it is geographically feasible, these classes take place early in the morning, around 6am, before the school-day starts.  This year the youth will be studying the Old Testament.  While being less than thrilled about having to wake up at 5am every morning, Ben is really looking forward to being able to study the scriptures and gain new understanding about the Old Testament.

As if Ben being a seminary teacher wasn't enough ...

Today I was set apart as the Primary President in my ward.  I mean, yikes!  When I got the call a week ago, I felt overwhelmed and a little stressed out.  I feel much better now, but this is going to be a lot more challenging than just being a counselor in the Presidency.  However, I feel like this is exactly what I need to be doing right now.  I've been working with these beautiful children since December of last year and I absolutely love them.  I am excited to learn what the Lord has in store for them!

Most of all, I know that Ben and I need the blessings from serving in these callings.  I am so happy that the Lord has allowed us, through these callings, to qualify for the blessings that he has in store for us!

Happy Cow Appreciation Day

Or, as I like to call it, "Chow Appreciation Day". I love me some Chick Fil-A!

A Happy and Busy Fourth of July

This year we were invited to two different gatherings by very good friends on the Fourth of July.  Unfortunately it led to some overindulging which literally made me sick (I'll never do that again, I swear!), but we had a fabulous time.  The first get-together that we went to was in the afternoon and I don't think I've ever had so many tasty dishes at one party.  Being on Weight Watchers, I tried hard to just eat a little bit, but when I added up my points I was surprised to find that I had used quite a few (darn that kielbasa)!  It just goes to show that when it comes to dieting, I'm helpless without something like Weight Watchers backing me up.  I was still full by the time we got to the second party, but I had made Chicken Oriental Salad (one of my faves) and I just had to eat some.  Ahhhhh, why am I so in love with food??  There were also some deviled eggs (which after learning the PointsPlus values for I now understand why they are NOT nicknamed "angelic eggs"), and the quintessential buffalo chicken dip.  If you have never had buffalo chicken dip, you don't know what you are missing.  I NEVER make it.  EVER.  If I did, I would eat the entire thing in one sitting.  Yes, it is THAT good.  Someday I will share the recipe on my blog, but there will be no picture, because as I said, I NEVER make it.  Of course you can't eat buffalo chicken dip without tortilla chips and then there were peanut M&Ms and some really yummy looking soft sugar cookies w/ frosting ... Need I say more?  It all made me sick, even though I swear I didn't eat nearly as much as I did last year.  I think I'm just getting used to my new diet, hooray!  Well, my body is.  Every once in a while my brain likes to go on a vacation, led by my emotions ... it's kinda like the dish running away with the spoon ...

But, I digress.  The best part of the Fourth of July was not, in fact, the food, but it was how much my darling daughter enjoyed the fireworks.  At the second party (nicknamed "Cul-de-sac of Fire"--for reasons I'm sure you can deduce) we enjoyed some absolutely splendid fireworks.  Lydia was fascinated with them.  I was worried they would be too loud for her, but every time I tried to cover her ears she just brushed my hands away.  We sat next to some friends who had brought a small foldable bench.  Lydia had fun sitting on it, but then I turned it around so that she could climb on it, but wouldn't be able to go anywhere--it was perfect.  (She is such a wiggleworm!)  She went to bed at 10:30 last night, which is the latest she's been to bed since she was about 3 or 4 months old.  Hopefully we'll be back on our schedule soon ...

And now for the motherload of pictures:

Lydia: MOM!! Daddy is forcing me to play T-ball!!

Daddy: I swear she was having so much fun before you showed up!

Playing in the sandbox (she even ate some sand too ... yummy!)

Lydia's favorite pastime: running away and being chased by Mommy or Daddy

I found a ball!!

The girl LOVES watermelon ...

She only fell off the bench once.  I seriously think

she might need a helmet with all of the tumbling she does.

Here, lemme get that for ya!

Some of the peeps, getting ready to watch some good fireworks!!

Clapping for the show!

See, we DO get out occasionally, even Ben!

Busy in June

We've been busy this summer!.  It's too hot to do ANYTHING outside except swimming, which we have done a couple of times.  First we went swimming with Lydia's cousins ...

Lydia's cousin telling her stories on the way to the pool

At the pool

Then we went "redneck" swimming at playgroup.

We also celebrated Father's Day last week with a breakfast of Belgian waffles, and Ben's birthday (a few days later) with dinner at Ted's Montana Grill.

Ben got a smoker for his birthday/Father's Day, and he smoked a pork shoulder for us.  It was his first attempt and it was absolutely delicious!!!  I could get used to not having to cook every day!

Ben and I have continued on Weight Watchers.  To date, he has lost 13.6 pounds, and I have lost 26 pounds.  I LOVE being able to fit into clothes I wasn't sure I would EVER wear again, and I love the feeling of being in control of what I eat.  I know how much to eat, and I can still treat myself.  Weight Watchers has been the perfect program for me.

Little Miss Lydia continues to grow both physically and intellectually.  It's amazing to me how smart such a little person can be, especially one who can't talk in complete sentences yet.  But her understanding and grasp of different concepts continue to blow me away.  She loves to talk (although she doesn't chatter much around strangers), she is a complete bookworm, and she loves music and tries to copy songs and nursery rhymes when I sing them to her.  She understands nearly everything we say, and will point out different things if you ask her where they are.  But she is definitely independent and does NOT like to be forced to do anything.  I wonder where she gets that from?  She knows how to go up and down the stairs, although I have to really watch her because she has NO fear, and will occasionally experiment with different methods of going DOWN the stairs.  She has fallen twice, and been caught while falling several other times.  I'm so grateful we only have a half flight and it's carpeted.  Here are a few more pictures of Lydia, including a couple especially for Grandma showing Lydia with the purse that Grandma sent her.  Lydia loves that purse, and will sling it over her shoulder, carry it around the house, and also put random things inside of it :)

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?

I had BIIIIG plans for my garden this year, which fizzled out quickly when I couldn't decide whether to build raised beds, or just till up a section of my backyard.  And then there was the question of where to put the garden?  My backyard=lots of rotating shade.  While I was figuring out what to do, I did manage to achieve a few of my other gardening goals.  For example, in April, I planted annuals in my front yard, and next to my mailbox.  I also managed to get a couple of hanging planters for the front porch and with the leftover flowers, I did a few scattered planters around my front porch/deck.  I would love to show it off, but I'm just not comfortable posting a picture of the front of my house online.  I can't think of a reason someone would want to stalk me, but, I'm not even going to give them the option.  I will, however, show you what I did in my back yard.  I planted some herbs which I put in containers on the back deck, and I did a home-made upside down tomato planter which hangs on a shepherd hook.  I also have a dead strawberry plant.  Apparently my green thumb-tip does not extend to growing strawberries ... pity.  Or maybe it's just that hanging a strawberry plant will for sure kill it ... hmmmm ...

 My herb garden.  The basil is going absolutely crazy! I wish the cilantro would ... I use that more than anything.  I also have parsley, sage, dill, tarragon, chives, rosemary and green onions.  I think my thyme died. Did you know that if you plant the bulbs of your green onions that they will continue to grow green tops?  I don't know how long they will keep generating the green; maybe they give out eventually.  I guess I will find out soon enough.

My upside-down tomato, and my dead strawberry plant.  I say it's dead, but there are actually live green shoots underneath the dead, brown leaves.  Maybe it will resurrect ...

Bye Bye Watermelon

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved watermelon.  She loved watermelon so much, that she would eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Her mommy would giver her watermelon, all cut up for her, in a little bowl. When she was done eating the watermelon, the little girl thought it was funny to throw the bowl on the ground.  Her mommy didn't think this was so funny, but the little girl couldn't help but enjoy the clatter-plunk sound the bowl made when it landed on the ground.  The little girl would always ask for watermelon whenever she saw it, and she got excited when she saw the special bowl mommy always put the watermelon in.  One day, the little girl's mommy was hurrying to set the table for dinner, and she pulled the bowl of watermelon out of the fridge and set it on the table.  The little girl saw the watermelon and started to get very excited, because, of course, she loved watermelon.  She thought that she might even be able to reach the bowl all by herself and get some watermelon, because she was very hungry.  And after all, she loved watermelon.  So the little girl reached for the watermelon while her mommy wasn't looking.  The little girl knew that mommy probably wouldn't let her get the watermelon before dinner, so she waited until mommy's back was turned.  Much to the little girl's delight, the watermelon bowl (known as a "batter bowl" by some), had a handle and so it was easy to grab.  The little girl pulled it toward her, but she hadn't anticipated how heavy it would be!!  The little girl realized very quickly that she would not be able to hold the bowl up, but it was too late.  The bowl was already falling.  What the little girl did not understand, was that the bowl was made of glass and so when the bowl went CRASH, it also shattered and little pieces of glass went everywhere.  The little girl's mommy heard the crash, turned around at once, realized what had happened and ran to save the little girl.  Just before her mommy reached her, the little girl moved one foot, and, "ouch!!" The glass gave her a small cut in her toe!  Her mommy (who, very thankfully, was wearing shoes) grabbed the little girl and saved her from any more cuts.  Alas, it was too late to save the glass bowl or the watermelon.  Bye bye bowl, bye bye watermelon.  The little girl's mommy washed the glass off her legs and put a bandaid on her toe.  And while the little girl will probably not remember the broken bowl, her mommy will remember to be more careful about putting things within the little girl's reach!!

Growing and going

Little Miss is growing so fast.  It seems like I blink and she's taller and has learned how to do something new.  Her vocabulary has expanded to include: "daddy", "mama", "khhhh" (cat), "baby" (for her doll), "doggie" (which she uses all the time for several different things, although lately I'm wondering if it means "thank you"), "banana" (no seriously, she can say all 3 syllables), "ba" (ball), and "waaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!" which means, "I really want that right now!!!!"  Her new favorite pastime is playing in the toilet (blech), which she typically indulges in at other people's houses because we don't leave our bathroom doors or potties open.  Her current favorite foods include: lunch meat, tortillas, black beans, goldfish, grapes, and bananas (or any kind of fruit, really).  She does not care for string cheese or anything bready, not even pizza!  I sometimes wonder if the pizza gene is simply dysfunctional at the moment because it's impossible she didn't inherit it.  She is so much fun to play with because she is so happy all of the time!  Today I was taking a bunch of pictures and she caught me peeking at her from the floor around the edge of the sofa.

What are you doing mama??

You silly mama, are you taking pictures of me?

You ARE taking pictures of me!!

And here's a few more, also from today.

Goofy face

"Hey Lydia, go get the ball!" (We play this game a lot at our house.)

Mommy is "reading" the book in a silly voice.  I say "reading", because mommy has the book memorized ...

Favorite book :)