It's a jungle out there...

Last Friday, April 23, 2010, I went to the Dallas Zoo with Collin and his Kindergarten class on a field trip. Oh my! That's all I can say...Oh my! It wore me out! 5 and 6 year olds have more energy than one can ever imagine!
We must have covered every square inch of the Zoo! We saw otters, alligators, snakes, lizards, monkeys, giraffes, zebras, anteaters, camels, owls....I can't name everything. The gorilla we saw was the biggest, hairiest thing I've ever seen. The kids continued to beat on the glass, right beside the big, sleeping beast, despite the big signs that said, "quiet in this area". Images of the gorilla waking up and coming through the glass filled my mind as I used my mommy/teacher voice to move the kids along. Though the gorilla was cool, and the snakes were scary, the favorite animal of the day was the ant eater. Yep! The long nose and super cute furry body won the kids over!
Lunch took place at the little pavilion, so we had shade. The boys ate their lunches in a record amount of time while the girls sat and chatted and tasted their food. Once the girls finished and the boys fed scraps to the random squirrels, we completed our Zoo experience.
For a day that started off with rain, it ended with sunshine and a ton of happy campers. I enjoyed every minute of the Zoo and I loved my special time with Collin!

Jerimiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope in a future." Jerimiah 29:11

This is one of my favorite Bible verses. It gives me the calm I need when days are crazy. This verse has been making a daily appearance in my mind lately. I think it's because we're going through a time of change in our house. Not bad change, but change is change. And, unfortunatly, with change comes stress.
I love my job. I love my students and the teachers that I teach with. However, I can't think of a school year where I have been more ready for summer than this one. I can not wait to spend more time with all of my kids. I can not wait to decorate our new house (don't worry, I'll blog all about the new house when the time is right). I can't wait to sleep in, drink coffee, watch Price is Right, and take naps in the middle of the day. Ahhh...summer.
So with all that said, I am very restless right now. I am ready for another wave of peace to spread over me. Until then, I have Jerimiah 29:11 to comfort me and to remind me that although I don't know the plans HE has for me, HE does.

Army Brat

Today Livie did a photo shoot in honor of her hero, her Daddy. She wore an adorable tutu and onesie that said, "Army Brat". She looked like a perfect little package with her over-sized bow on top!
Daddy has only seen the pictures I took with my camera, as I once again practiced my not-so-professional photography skills.(I don't even know how to set the date on the camera! Today is April 3, 2010, but the camera thinks it sometime in February-agh!)I know when he sees the "good" ones he will be so proud.
I know he thinks the pictures were just another excuse to get her dressed up. Although it doesn't take much to convince me to do this, this particular day of dress up meant a lot more to me. I want Olivia to grow up understanding what a hero her daddy is. I want her to know that he fought for her freedom and that because of the sacrifices he made, our country is a better place for her to grow up in.
He rarely talks about his time in the military. When he does talk about it, you can tell how much he loved being a part of something so much bigger than himself. I, personally, enjoy looking at the pictures he has from that time. I put together a photo album for him, and plan to create a scrapbook for him one of these days. He looks so handsome in the pictures....so strong, so proud. I don't think he'll ever realize how proud I am of him. which brings me back to my original point (befoe I get too sappy)...
Olivia took adorable Army pictures today. Taylor came with us for some coveted "girl time". She wore her new butterfly dress that Craig picked out for her and knew she looked super cute! She pranced around in my sunglasses begging me to take pictures of her. I took pictures of her, too, and some of my girls together. Just about everyone that past us stopped to tell me how beautiful my girls are. I couldn't agree more.