It's a Jungle Out There

I realized the other day that I haven't posted anything in a few weeks. I have been working on a curriculum project for work and have spent most of my free time doing that. The summers always seem busier to me than the rest of the school year. It seems that for some reason I am usually pushing to get students done before August so that they can graduate in time for college. John also works 10 hour days during the summer which makes for a longer day with the kids. He gets Fridays off though (because of the 10-hour days) so it is super-nice to have him home on Fridays. We have tried to use that time to take a few day-trips.

So, one of those trips was to the Atlanta Zoo a couple of weeks ago. We were kinda worried about the heat, but it really wasn't bad. Most of the walk was shaded, and we had some of those nifty little portable fans for the kids. Cooper slept most of the time, and Gracie didn't even seem phased by the heat. Every time we would go to an exhibit Gracie would yell out, "Hey zebra, I'm waving at you!" (Or whatever appropriate animal was there.)

We were really impressed with the zoo, and we definitely plan on going back when Cooper gets bigger. My favorite quote of the day came from one of our potty-breaks. The zoo had a cute bathroom near the kids' rides that had colored, wavy-shaped toilet seats. When her Aunt Megan took her into the stall, she saw the toilet and said, "Oh, it's so beautiful!"

Here are some various shots from the day.


This is the "before" shot. I should have taken an after pic to compare. Two words: sweaty, tired.


Here's Gracie showing off her panda stamps.


Aunt Megan took this shot of us getting ready to ride the train that goes around part of the zoo. Cooper was NOT very fond of the noise.




I love these cardboard cut-out things. Do they have an official name?


Cooper's first ride on a carousel.


This picture totally makes me laugh. Gracie was soooo tired when we left. She found a bag of chips in the back as we were packing up the stroller. She was so worn out that she fell asleep before we got out of the parking lot with her hand still in the bag! John and I both agreed that it must have been the "Acker" coming out in her.

A Quick Dip

We decided to take an impromptu trip to Oconee State Park this afternoon for some swimming! Wow, that cool mountain water felt awesome! Cooper "went swimming" for the first time, and I was amazed at how well he did in the water! He stayed in the water for almost an hour and never gave the slightest indication that he was unhappy. After about an hour, he started grunting which we assumed meant, "I'm done with this whole water thing." Gracie had a good time kicking around in her little float that I grabbed on the way there. I wanted to get a picture of Cooper in the water, but we had our hands full with both of them in the water so by the time I realized I hadn't gotten a picture of him, I had already dried and changed him. Oh well! I had to settle for a quick shot of him chilling on the blanket while waiting on Gracie to finish swimming.

On the drive there, we passed some very pretty overlooks that gave a great view of the mountains. As we were talking about the beauty of the mountains I said, "Gracie, did you know that God made the mountains?" Her response: "Oh, thank you God! That's very sweet!"

Fast Favs

I haven't had a lot of time to post lately, so here is a random assortment of some of my favorite pictures from the last few weeks. (I know some need to be cropped, etc. but if I wait until that is done, they probably won't make it on the blog for another couple of months.)

Hook, Line, and Sinker

This clip is very special to me. A few weeks ago, my parents went camping at Moccasin Creek State Park. The park has an awesome lake and a creek running by the campground that they stock daily with trout. There is a special section of the creek, right where they stock it, that can only be fished by kids under 11 or people 65 and up.

I have two older brothers and a dad who loves to fish. Every year, when my family would vacation in the mountains, we would all go trout fishing. We would go to the river and hike a few miles to get to the hard-to-reach, secluded fishing holes. Very quickly, I learned that if I was going with "the men" I had to bait my own hook, catch my own fish, and clean them. When my younger sister became old enough, she joined us as well. We would spend hours on the river and usually come home completely exhausted. I enjoyed fishing when I was younger, but now I absolutely LOVE going.

The time that I have gotten to spend with my dad and my siblings out on the river has meant so much to me. Now, John joins us as well. Unfortunately, due to various obligations, it is a rare event now when all of us are out on the river together. Still, I try to make sure that I go several times a year (that's all...it's hard with little ones).

Anyway, I really want to pass the fishing tradition on to my kids. So, we went to Wal-Mart and bought Gracie a purple and pink princess fishing rod and headed up to Moccassin Creek. In my opinion, there is no better trout fisherman than my dad. I decided that if I wanted Gracie to catch a fish, getting his help would be our best bet.

We went down to the creek and after about 2 minutes with the help of Granddaddy, Gracie had a bite. She started reeling it in and did pretty good until she saw the fish flapping in the water. Gracie got so interested in watching the fish that she completely forgot about reeling! We are lucky the fish didn't get away. I was so incredibly proud, and so was Gracie. She ended up catching 3 before we called it quits, and she walked around the campground showing everyone her "fish-ys". John ended up cleaning them, and they are now in the freezer waiting to become part of the next family fish fry. I hope Gracie will enjoy fishing as much as I do...maybe she'll be "hooked" for life. :-)

Tiny Talker

I have been wanting to put some video up for a couple of weeks, but I was having issues getting my computer to detect my video camera. Yes, I am married to a tech director, but I forgot to ask him to look at it until tonight. Anyway, Cooper is "talking" up a storm. He is such a sweet little thing. I think he has the cutest little smile! I absolutely love to hear him talk and coo. I pulled out the camera one night when he was acting hyper on the changing table. I love how every once in a while, he will open his eyes really wide and then kick his legs really hard. You'd think that I had a load of caffeine in my breastmilk! He went on kicking and talking that night on the changing table for about 15 minutes.

I also added another quick clip of Cooper talking in his bouncer. I didn't even realize it until I was watching the tape but I swear Cooper says something towards the very end that sounds like "I love you." What do you think?

Getting Creative

This is what happens when a two-year-old sucks on a magic marker. The other night, I really needed to pay some bills. John was sitting in the den holding a sleeping Cooper, and getting a much needed break. I got Gracie a Little Tykes easel about a week ago, (yard sale - $3!) and she really wanted to color with markers. I only let Gracie use markers every once in a while because she seems to make a mess with them. She needed a bath anyway, so I gave Gracie her markers and got busy paying bills. She was no more than 3 feet away from me, but I was in the zone. One minute she was coloring away, the next minute she looked like some kid with bad goth make-up.

Thank you Crayola for being non-toxic!

All Smiles

Cooper had his 2 month check-up last week. He weighed 11 lbs 14 oz. He is in the 50th percentile for weight and the 95th for height. Looks like he's going to be tall and skinny. It amazes me how quickly he is learning new skills. I forgot how quickly things changed when Gracie was little. Cooper loves to sit in his bouncer and bat toys with his hands. He actually grabbed a rattle yesterday. Now that he has discovered his hands, he is trying his hardest to get his thumb in his mouth. Cooper doesn't really like a pacifier, so he keeps trying to suck on his hand. His thumb doesn't quite seem to be enough, so he usually ends up sucking his thumb and index finger. I don't particularly want Cooper to be a thumb-sucker, but he's got to have something to soothe him. I don't want to have to nurse him every time he just wants something to suck on.

Cooper is the happiest little boy! I absolutely love to hear him squeal when he is playing or talking to me. We had some great mommy-baby time the other morning and I got some great pictures.