The Zoo & My School Girl

A few weeks ago Taylor started school!

She has been anticipating this day
for QUITE some time
and was STOKED when Daddy let her know
we'd be taking her to school now!

She goes on Tues and Thurs mornings
for two and a half hours,
is walking distance from our home
(although we'll be driving in weather like this week)
and she has 9 classmates in her class.
She LOVES her two teachers,
ADORES getting to bring home her 'homework',
CHERISHES the opportunity to be with other kids,
RELISHES in telling us all she learned that day,
DELIGHTS in creating crafts and bringing them home,
FLIPS for the fact that she gets to go back next time,
and is CRAZY about bringing home her library book
and then returning it the next week.

While she's gone Robbie and I really miss her.

But I've truly enjoyed the time with my boys,
and I think Robbie is enjoying getting to choose our activities,
and doting on his baby brother all by himself.

Last week Grandma and Mommy
took the three kiddos to the zoo
just for some fun outdoor time,
and to beat the weather that would come this week!

A local farm donated a 771 pound pumpkin for display!

The zoo staff decorated some of the paths
with Halloween-y cut outs and scarecrows!

(Taylor was not amused by how cold it was
and wouldn't smile for the camera!)

Robbie really liked the scarecrows!

He has several words that all kind of sound like "Cracker":
Jacob: Yay-cuh
Tractor: Cung-ker
Soccer Ball: Cuh-cuh Ball
Tinkerbell: Cung-ker-bell
One of his latest words is Pumpkin: Cung-cuh

And scarecrow is: Coh

My Farmer boy and his cow

One of my favorite things about our zoo

is that we get to walk these gorgeous paths
from one animal to the next
and truly feel you're out in nature!

Aww, the zoo!

Thank you Gary and Kathy for our membership!

I'm truly grateful for it on so many levels!

Settlin'

Just before we left California

our church, Wilshire Ave, in Fullerton

put together their pictorial directory

so we got this GREAT family shot!

We also got this incredible shot of Robbie John!

Good lookin' boy, huh?

And it's amazing to look back

and see how much he's grown since then!

This is the lil' boy we brought with us to Montana

And this is the little man I just put to bed!

(check out his folded hands!

His fingers have recently found each other

and he can constantly be found with a firm grasp!)

When we got here it was cold-ish

(I'm told that was nothin' compared to normal winters)

but now spring is 'sprunging' around us!

These lil' flowers came up three weeks ago...

But then it was 70 degrees one Sunday

and a cold 30 that Monday!

Greg had to brush the powder snow off the windshield

before we could get in the car!

Tay and I got to sport our winter vests even!

Nate and Tricia came to visit for their spring break.

(oh- pray for Nate on Friday as he performs his recital

so that he can earn his masters degree!!

Go Nate!

Wish we could be there to watch you!!)

They brought with them their puppy, Addison.

Taylor was enamored, to say the least!

And Addison was SUCH a great dog with the kids!

I was quite impressed by her gentleness and mindfulness.

Even while Taylor unknowingly taunted her with two tennis balls!!

We had a wonderful time while they were here

and we MISSED YOU AUNTIE ANNIE cuz

it was NOT the same without you!

Two weeks ago I was pulling the shades up on the porch door

and gasped and then yelped

as some BIG something leapt up

and then I could see that was jumping over the back fence

and into the neighbor's yard!

Two deer!

We then watched as they jumped over the neighbor's fence...

And on into the next neighborhood!

Robbie has grown and grown.

Just one month ago he was 13 pounds 4 ounces.

Today he weighed in at 14 pounds 15 ounces.

Way to go chubs!

And he LOVES his baths Uncle Nate!

Thanks again for this wonderful gift!

(his lil' cover says

"tinkle tinkle little star")

There has been a lot of construction going on around here

for the last SIX months

and it's finally comin' near it's end!

Gary and Kathy have done so well for so long,

and they're SO ready for it to now be all done!

One night after getting some work done on the living room

we had a pizza picnic on the floor. 

Tay got a little sick -again-.

I told you in the last blog that it might be strep and an ear.

Turned out to be very swollen tonsils but no strep, yay!

And she has been on meds for the ear infection.

She seems to be feeling better, and has finally had no fever for days,

but you can see how hot and flushed she was!

Greg took this picture as they both sat on the couch

and STARED at the tv screen.

She looked like she was just looking thru the tv

as she was so wacked out with no sleep and stuff.

He was locked on it and twisted his neck all the way around so he could see!

 

Yesterday was Greg's first day as a student again!

We went and got him some "manly" scrubs

and he has been in a CNA course (certified nursing assistant).

It has provided a lil' too much homework in just two days,

and it's been a quick and a bit rough adjustment for me and the kids

but we're SO proud of him for stepping into this new dream

and we're excited to dream it together with him!

So this is a ten day course

and when he's done he'll be eligible to take the CNA test.

And it will also open doors for part time work while he's a student

as he could then work as a CNA in a very nearby facility.

Pray for him as he works hard at class,

comes home to work hard on homework,

and still manages to succeed with husbandry and fatherdom.

So, we're settlin' in slowly and quickly, all at once!

One might call us Settlers even!

Catan, anyone?

(Greg got this expansion to the board game called

Settlers of Cataan for his birthday.

Very VERY fun!)

I am wishing I would blog more...

blog more often

blog more thoughts

blog more pictures

but I'm also satisfied with what I'm putting time into.

My kiddos are still feeling things out

and now we've just entered another rather big transition

where Daddy is gone all day...

so I'm giving myself over to them in a bigger way than I might otherwise.

Plus there's unpacking, laundry, Bible Study,

move-in projects, emotional stability & rest, dinner to cook...

blogging just isn't above those at the moment.

But I'm sure it will be again some day!

Until then, you can count on an almost weekly blog of our pic at least =)

And just to end with wonderful news

that gets me excited EVERY time I think about it...

MY MAMA IS COMIN' TO VISIT ME!

I am beside myself with emotion!

When asked what I wanted for my b-day

(whoa, gonna be THIRTY in less than a month!)

I said I'd LOVE to put money toward a tix to get her up here.

And sure'nough it has worked out.

Can't wait to see you Mom!
A month'll be up before we know it!

Happy Thursday to all of you!

Turtles & More

When I was in 6th Grade
we moved from the big-city apartment in Quito
to an Hacienda-style house about 20 min. outside the city.
When we moved, we also got a few new pets.
We got a dog, Butch,
we got to give our Macaw, Mac,
and Jungle parrot, Alex, more room for their cage,
and we got a new pet, Pancho the Galapagos Tortoise!
Many of our friends marveled over our turtle...
and would often come to visit him.

That year at graduation
I received a precious gift of a turtle charm on a necklace,
and that started a new collection: Turtles.
I went downtown by Hotel Hilton Colon
and bought silver turtle earrings.
Many pairs, and many singles,
as I had a third hole in one of my ears,
and needed a few single earrings for it.
(trendy, I know!)

Anyway,
that collection spread from being jewelry,
to then trinkets,
to then collectibles and decorations,
and took off from there!

Well,
I'm proud to say
my daughter LOVES turtles too!
Or should I say she loves "Toe-toes", haha.

When we went to the Santa Ana Zoo on Monday,
a day off in celebration of Columbus Day,
she was ALL EYES AND EARS for the turtles!

Here we are getting ready to go inside.

And here's Daddy and Taylor,
Acting like one BIG turtle!

Here's our big girl,
trying to get a better look at the monkey
and all the ducks and geese in the "Agua"

She chose to ride around "on" the stroller
rather than ride around "in" the stroller.
Such a big girl!

Taking a rest at the Lemur exhibit

This I just thought was funny...
The camel exhibit
is just one soundwall away from the freeway,
and just across the freeway
is a highrise building.
Talk about worlds colliding...

Look Mommy and Dadda!
Toe-toes!

And...
Loving climbing around on the Toe-toe!

Lastly,
we went into a small cabin-like building
where they have some museum-type exhibits
and Taylor LOVED the roaring cats board.
She stayed there,
monopolyzing it
for 5-7 minutes
until we dragged her away from it!
Look at her pure joy!

Cool, Calm, Collected

We've had some fun times this week.
One late afternoon
she really really  wanted to go swimming
but the sun was already on it's way down
so Daddy let her wear her swimmin' suit
and she ran around the house
for about an hour.
But then started begging for agua  to swim in!
Here's our best solution =)

Our apartment manager must have set this trap
under the stairs of our neighbors' apartment
and now there's a cute lil' opossum
snuggled up and sleepin' in there!
One of our neighbors has been feeding it!
Ha! I don't think that is the purpose, haha!
But Tay sure thinks that the
baby mouw (mouse)
is so fun to go visit.
We're keeping our distance,
and are looking through a fence
so that she can't fit her lil' fingers in there.
WILD ANIMAL!

We have gone on several walks around the street by our apt
where Taylor likes to stop on curbs in driveways
and take a mi-mi (that's a rest or a nap)
where she usually just sits and folds her hands in her lap.
But this day she decided to rest her face on the curb!
It's clean, right?!?

And here are some of the many face of Tay
(which you might see all in the span of 5 seconds!)

I love love love
staring into her eyes

bottomless blue oceans of mind-workings and observations
 deep blue windows into her constant induction and perception
intricate blue telescopes allowing me to connect with her distant thoughts

I love being her mommy!

Aminals, Aminals, Aminals

It is no secret
that I'm an animal lover.
I remember crying thinking of stray dogs on the street.
My dad and I always shared a passion for looking at wildlife,
and I took pride in having the observation skills
to spot wild animals:
the green parrot in the tree,
the mother moose with her babe,
the squirrel on the forest floor.

And it has become a bit of a joke
between Greg and I that
when we see an animal that is not domesticated
we both squeal, "Wild Animal, Babe!"

But, even pets,
and/or zoo animals
are so fun and fantastic.
Taylor's Uncle Nate
had a great idea to go to the Billings Zoo.
We started at the petting zoo.
Taylor was captivated by the moving furry things.
Her eyes were darting around between
goats, rabbits, extra large hares, horses,
chickens, ducks, peacocks.

We saw otters, wolves, a tiger,
big horn sheep, marmoset monkeys, geese and swans.
And we saw Red Pandas.
SOOOO COOL!

Something I always say I wanna see
is a bear...
Whether we're in zoos, in Yellowstone, or driving through Montana,
I tend to say to Greg,
"Okay, today I wanna see a bear."
So as we were walking to the bear exhibit,
I got extremely excited
to see how CLOSE he was to the viewing area!!
Out of all the yardage and acreage
in his huge pen,
he chose to be RIGHT up against the window
just for me!
hahaha

Taylor enjoyed the zoo too.
Here she is with Grandma Hickle,
and an elephant statue.

They also had a section
with beautiful cheetahs, jaguars and tigers
that you could just go up to and hold!

And,
here's Greg, me and Taylor
as a farmer family
with Tricia and Nate
as our pig and goat.
Haha!

The zoo was a great, great time!
I look forward to future visits,
when Taylor is old enough to point,
and make animal sounds...
So fun!

And,
like I mentioned before,
I'm really into wild animals
even more so than zoo animals.

So when a bunny rabbit
wandered into the backyard,
Taylor and I took a peek
while Uncle Nathan took pics.


So fun!
"Look! Wild Animal!"