Zoo with Jude & Eli - America

Sunday, August 30, I got the best text at night. It read: "Hey? Sounds wild and crazy, but would you all want to explore the North America zoo on Monday?"

Heck Yes!

We are always up for a zoo trip and were so excited to have friends join us. 

We pulled in to the zoo and no one was there! Plus, it was a misty rain which made it so it wasn't hot, but just perfect to walk around in. We think the rain is what kept everyone away. Unfortunately, it kept a lot of the animals away too. They were mostly hiding. but little kids are easy to entertain... 

... and there were some animals that wanted to cone out and play!

Right as the sun came out the kids just wanted to play at the playground. We let them run around and get some of their energy out. but once it got too hot, we definitely called it quits and headed home! The North America zoo side doesn't have shade like the Africa side does... so it gets hot too easily and too fast!

Lily loves Jude and cannot wait until we get to go to the zoo with him again!

Thanks for inviting us on an animal-filled fun adventure!

Lily's First Day of Preschool

I was really on the fence about taking Lily to preschool. I know that she needed more interaction with children her own age, but I was also told that there would be a lot of co-op type play-groups with various women in the church. So two things helped make up my mind more easily. One: There was a co-op play group started - with almost everyone in Lily's nursery class... except Lily. Two: My mom told me it didn't matter what I wanted, but what was best for Lily. I knew in my heart that putting Lily in preschool would be what was best for her since she thrives off of attention and doing things with other kids her age. So, I went ahead and signed her up for the nearest preschool which happened to be Lewisville United Methodist Preschool. It is approximately four minutes from my house and one of the best decisions I have ever made. 

The first day we really tried to talk up preschool and how much fun it would be in case she was nervous or had any sort of reservations about attending. I made Mickey Mouse waffles for breakfast, we let her pick out her own outfit, we took pictures, and we even let her ride in Daddy's car all the way to Preschool.

When we got to preschool, Lily walked right in the door into her classroom like she owned the place. She wasn't nervous or afraid, was ready to play and ready for Mommy and Daddy to leave. We stuck around long enough to watch her wash her hands, get a name tag, and start playing with all their dolls.

The first week was only half day preschool (for adjustment purposes) and I came back a tad early to take a peek in her classroom window and see how she was doing. She seemed to be doing well. She seemed to be happy.

On the way home I asked her to tell me what she did at preschool. Lily replied by sharing with me that they went outside and they sang songs.

The most endearing thing about sending Lily to preschool has been asking her what her preschool teacher's name is. Her response: Tren-er-ow-ski. 

But in reality, putting Lily in preschool has been such a blessing. Marco usually sleeps the whole time that she is in preschool. Normally Marco's nap is interrupted by Lily waking him up either running into his room so he can play, or by yelling or singing really loudly. Preschool has ensured that at least three days a week he gets a good, good nap. And while he is sleeping I have gotten so much done. I feel like my house is clean, organized, and (for the first time in a long time) I can sit down and work on a project, take a nap, or read a book. When Lily comes home from preschool, time that I spend with her is so much more valuable and precious. I try to make the most out of the things we do together at home and I think it's because I get "me" time and feel refreshed, I cherish the time I'm able to spend with her.

Big Toys

On August 29, there was "Big Toy Day" at the Davidson County Airport. It was filled with all sorts of various vehicles for the kids to check out and climb all over. After reading the description to Michal, we decided to jump in the car and drive to Lexington and check it out. Lily would love this!

We got there and they shuttled you from the parking lot to the runway, where all the entertainment was at.

There were vendors selling drinks, goodies, and rides you could go on - but our little girl was much more interested in all the "big trucks." She had so much fun climbing up onto each vehicle and pushing all the buttons, honking the horn, feeling tall. 

In addition to any type of tractor, excavator, and dump truck possible, they had old, old vehicles reminiscent of what was driven during WWII. We took a picture of the vehicle below because it looked just like my Grandpa's vehicle seen in this post.

Our last stop included visiting the planes and helicopters. They were offering rides for $20/family, but the Jaramillo Family wasn't interested in any airplane rides. Instead, we checked out private jets, old and new helicopters, and lots and lots of types of small planes.

^^Can you tell how hot everyone is by their flushed cheeks and sweaty heads?

Had we brought lunch we could have spent hours here, but it was hot and everyone was hungry. We opted to head to chick-fil-a to fill our tummies up in preparation for Saturday naps. Next time we will come better prepared... and we will take that family airplane ride!

Zoo with Jude & Eli - Africa

August 17 was the first Monday that Rachel had free so we decided to make a play date and head down to the North Carolina Zoo. In case you hadn't already noticed - I LOVE the zoo. I love how happy it makes my children. I love how much walking you get it. I love how shady it is. I love how Monday mornings aren't crowded at all. I love all the space that the animals receive at this zoo. I love how there isn't just one of each animal, but many, at this zoo.

And while this trip was a scorcher and extremely humid, we made the most of it and saw a lot of really cool things. Every time I come here, I always learn something new and it seems magical all over again. This time we saw all the baby lion cubs all grown up.

The baby monkeys came right to the window and played with the children who were watching/observing them. They knocked on the window and the kids all squealed with delight. So the  chimpanzee would repeat the process all over again.

I saw millions of birds that I had never seen before. For some reason, I'd never made it to the aviary section of the zoo. Maybe that's because Michal hates birds. Maybe it's because I'd been oblivious to it being there, but inside it was full of colorful and interesting birds that you could reach out and touch. Of course, if you did they would run away or bite back. So we just remained good little observers.

We  saw an elephant decide to take a bath. But instead of just spraying his back and legs with the help of his trunk, he decided to completely wade into the water and lie down. All you could see sticking out of the water was his little trunk so he could breathe. I've never seen this before and I found it fascinating.

Apparently two weeks ago there was a huge storm at the zoo and it knocked over thousands of trees and damaged a lot of structures and animal enclosures - so the "Africa" side was closed. It reopened two days before we got there but we could see the effects of the storm still. The misters by the elephants were all damaged. Some viewing decks had to be rebuilt. And many pathways were still inaccessible due to trees needing to be cleared from the road.

The next time we go to the zoo, I'll try to do something different - like feed the Giraffes, take a carousel ride, see the dinosaur exhibit, or buy a magnet from this zoo. Oh the possibilities!

Marco 7 Months

SEVEN MONTHS - 8.22.2015

• Out of the blue this baby became active! He wiggles and crawls and is happy all the time! 
• We have put away all the 3 month clothes and pulled out larger sizes, but Marco is still a tiny baby. 
• Marco has continued to eat a new baby food about every 3 days, but really prefers foods that he can grasp in his hands and shove into his mouth himself. He gets too excited and unless I pay close attention he has a mouth full of food and can't break anything down to swallow.
• Second tooth came in.
• The biggest achievement of this month was that Marco started sleeping through the night. We went through one week of awful sleep training and about 2 hours of sleep a night for Mommy, but after that we put him to bed around 8:00 and he sleeps until about 5:00-5:30. This was a huge improvement and I can't tell you how much additional sleep has made me a happier person.
• Each day he interacts more and more with us and his big sister. Watching the two play together just warms my heart. They have so much love for each other and I just want them to be a tad older so that Marco doesn't get squished every time Lily decides to hug or kiss him. 

And since we were taking photos of Marco, we had to make sure that we included Lily so that she didn't feel left out. So here is her own private photoshoot courtesy of her mother!

Lily's Lip

August 20 - Mother of the Year Award goes to...

...

After Marco awoke from his afternoon nap we went outside to swing on the porch swing as I clipped Marco's fingernails. When we were all done, and had enough of the nasty mosquitoes, we headed inside. I was holding Marco and Lily wanted help jumping down, but my grip wasn't good enough and she slipped as I was holding her. Right out of my hands and her head smacked straight down onto the hard concrete floor. I immediately picked her up - rushed inside and tried to assess the damage. But lip injuries are nasty and produce a lot of blood. So it was hard to tell what I was dealing with. I tried to give little girl a popsicle (which always makes her feel better) but she didn't even want one. And that's when I knew something was wrong. So off to the doctors we went. Michal met me there and I came home with Marco to put him to bed. As soon as I got him asleep, I began cleaning up the blood. There was a huge mess on the porch and a trail of blood inside to where we were sitting. It took me about an hour to clean up this mess, and since Michal hadn't returned home I kept on cleaning the house playing a game to see how much I could get done before they walked in the door. It also helped keep my mind occupied because I felt horrible about what had just happened. As luck would have it, the moment I finished cleaning the whole house (minus bathrooms) the garage door went up and in came Lily telling me she had an owe and needed a band-aid. And thats when I knew that everything would be okay.

The next day I pampered this little girl and let her eat whatever she wanted. Ice cream for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch, and about 20 popsicles in between! Also in between we had to visit the pediatrician and the plastic surgeon. Both appointments yielded in no news (which is good news) but just plenty of attention and love for this little girl. It has taught me an important lesson to never be in a rush, and to be more cautious, but also that accidents happen. It could have been so much worse and I'm so grateful it was a minor scratch compared to any other alternative.

Puzzles

Let me start by saying, "I love puzzles."

(Disclaimer: Michal does not).

So to brainwash my child into liking puzzles (so that we can put them together together when she gets older) I decided to stock up on puzzles. I usually find them at local consignment sales and the puzzles I've purchased range in difficulty according to her skill level. 

The first time I brought out the puzzles, Lily sat there and quietly played by herself for over an hour. And a few times a week she still pulls them out and keeps herself busy for 30-45 minutes.

I never spend more than a dollar on each puzzle because they quickly become too easy for Lily. 

I never thought about pulling out the harder puzzles until Lily's Babcia sent over some Frozen puzzles. I opened them up for her and went to go feed Marco... and while feeding him - Lily was as quiet as could be... almost too quiet. So, I went to go see what she was up to and she had put together one of the puzzles completely on her own. I was completely blown away. I had no idea that she was this smart and could do this advanced of puzzles on her own. Granted... it was only 24 pieces - but she wasn't even 2.5 years old. 

Since then, I've brought puzzles to church every Sunday and Lily is so quiet and reverent and excited to put together her puzzles. Especially her "Jesus Puzzle" that Grammy sent her.

Since discovering her talent and liking for puzzles, I've tried to stretch her to see how hard of puzzles she can do. Within weeks she did a 48 piece puzzle, and just last week did a 60 piece puzzle. I've noticed that she can do puzzles of characters she easily recognizes, but when it's puzzles of animals, fish, trains, etc. she has a harder time fitting the pieces in the correct slots. I believe it's because she recognizes different characteristics of Elsa (her hair, her dress, her braid, etc.) whereas with trains, it's hard to recognize what fits together because it's not familiar or as intuitive to her.

I love this progression and how smart she is. I love how excited she gets every time she opens up a new puzzle and puts it together. I love how smart she is. 

And...

I can't wait until we put together our 100, 500, or 1000 piece puzzle together.