Lions, Tigers, & Bears...Oh, My!

Another August happening was Reid's first trip to the zoo!  Our first cool front rolled in and Saturday, August 17 was a gorgeous day.  Jason was gone--I didn't want him to miss Reid's first zoo visit, nor did I have the energy to attempt it myself.  Being pregnant and chasing a preschooler has its limits!  I did realize, though, that this would probably be our last chance at taking him, because I'm only getting bigger and my legs hurt from the moment I get up until the moment I'm back in bed, even with my stylin' compression stockings.  The weather was cooler than normal with the front, and our guest speaker that week at church wasn't our favorite, so we played hooky (which is very rare!!) and packed up for the zoo.  Unbeknownst to us, it was the Dallas Zoo's birthday (125th, I think?), so we each got in for $5 versus the normal admission fee, which is a whole lot more!  We also got a ticket for a free train ride or carousel ride.  The carousel is right next to the entrance and Reid RAN right over to it.  Happy boy!

After we'd walked for a little while (and after it warmed up quite a bit...our "cool front" only really lasted a day, so we were still hot, especially me with my stockings) it was time to give our legs a rest and see the "Wilds of Africa" via tram.  Reid was more enamored with the actual tram and big ramp you walk up to get there rather than the animals themselves.

I really thought he'd be into the animals, but he had more fun running along the paths and dodging people.  I wasn't even sure if he noticed the animals half of the time.  We stopped and I made him point to the giraffes so I knew he actually saw something.

More fun than animals?  This little jeep next to the cheetahs.  He waited to drive it, made some new friends, and probably could've stayed there all day if we let him.

We popped into the Savannah Cafe for a little a/c and as an added bonus, the lions were napping in the shade just outside the cafe.  He called one of them Samson, and I can definitely see the resemblance between the big cats and our former house cat.

Outside the Africa exhibit...couldn't resist snapping a pic.  Really?!

Reid enjoyed the rest of the zoo (mainly riding the kiddie train with Daddy while Mommy got a snowcone to cool down), but with no nap, he got too wild and overtired.  We called it a day and dragged ourselves back to the car.  Before we even got back on the freeway, he was out. 

It was a tiring day and we all had to rest on the couch when we got home.  But it was fun!  Days like this remind me that next Spring, our lives will all be changing with the addition of a little one.  It's a bit daunting to think of starting all over...breastfeeding, diapers, more nap times to work around.  We are just at the point where we can go on a day trip w/o half of the house.  And Reid will be in for the shock of his life when our world no longer revolves around him!  But I can't wait to see what a good big brother he will be.  I hope these two guys will be very close and someday be best friends.

The Rest of August

With the craziness of school starting, I realized I left out a whole bunch of stuff we did in August.  I got virtually zero time to myself this summer (not that that's bad, but I had sooo much to do that I couldn't do with a needy three year old), so once Reid was officially potty trained, I signed him up for a little week long summer camp.  I also wanted to make sure he was okay being in a school-ish setting before preschool started.  It was really weird being on the parent side instead of the teacher side!  Here's the little guy with his new school backpack.  It literally pulled him over on the first day because it's nearly as big as he is!

He wasn't too sure on the first day and was hanging on my leg, but when he saw that Curious George was playing on the smartboard, he was all in.  I think most of the kids in his class were four, but aside from not napping (ever!), he did well.  It was pretty funny because the teacher said he ate like a champ!  Another thing I was hoping for (seeing other kids eating a wider variety of food)...but he couldn't really tell me what he ate.  But it was very nice to not pack a lunch or snacks!

 I can't remember if I posted it yet or not, but I got Reid a new comforter set.  He obviously doesn't stay under the covers very well yet, but it's a step toward a big boy bed.  He will probably be getting that big boy bed from Santa come Christmas time!  I think we are going to put him into the guest room and put the baby in his room.  But we have quite some time to figure that out.

One Saturday, we decided to take Reid to the new Disney Planes movie.  I found a cute shirt at Target and couldn't pass it up, so he was all set.

A rare snuggle before we left...

He loved the escalator so much that I think he could've just played on that all day long!  After the movie, he and Jason went up and down several times.  It made for a pretty cute picture.  And can you believe how tall this kid has gotten??

Reid was so intent on eating the popcorn that I couldn't get a picture of him looking at the phone.   He is very possessive of his popcorn, too!  Next time, I may just get one for Jason and me, and Reid can have his own little bag.  He ate so much this time that I was kind of afraid he might get sick, but I swear he growled when I tried to take it away!!

Mimicking the words of the new children's classic If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...  If you take a toddler to the mall, he'll probably want to go up the escalator.  If you take him up the escalator, he'll probably want to watch a movie.  While you are watching the movie, he'll want some popcorn.  Eating popcorn will remind him that you're at the mall, so he'll want to ride the carousel.  And if he rides the carousel, chances are, he'll want to play on the escalator.

I also wanted to make a family trip to the Frisco Aquatics Center so Jason could see how much fun Reid had.  Here's a picture from the distance...there's a huge water tower that dumps a ton of water (500 gallons?  1,000??) every few minutes, so I didn't dare get too close.  Just like last time, the first thing he wanted to do was the giant waterslide, but you have to be about four feet tall and be able to swim independently.  So we opted for this kid area and took a few trips to the lazy river (or the "crazy river", as Reid dubbed it), ate a picnic lunch, and had a snow cone.

It was really nice to have a good, fun family day (even though we were all exhausted!).  When we are in the midst of the school year, things are super crazy with everything that has to be juggled.  I live for the weekends and holidays, when we can enjoy what life is really about! 

1st Day of Preschool

Reid's long-awaited first day of preschool finally arrived Tuesday, 9/3/13.  Jason and I had gone to Parent Night/Meet the Teacher the previous Thursday...and I'll have to say...I was a little nervous!  Not just cutesy playing and painting, but true pre-SCHOOL!  We loved his teacher and aide, who both seem very sweet.  It's amazing what all you have to buy to get a 3 year old ready for school, but (now that the back-ordered nap mat finally arrived) I think we're finally set. 

Reid was more than a little excited and had been asking all week, "When I go to school, Mommy?"  When Holli was driving Megan (her 5th grader) to Bennett on the first day of public school, Reid said, "There's Mommy's school, and there's Reid's school!"  So he knew exactly where it was!  I had to take a half day off of work, which wasn't easy to do on the second week of school.  MISD snottily reminded me numerous times (including having my principal counsel me about it) that 'since I decided to take a personal day on a day following a holiday, I would be docked in pay,' and I even got a not so nice e-mail that morning informing me that my next paycheck would reflect this dock in pay.  THANKS...think I got it!!  Sheesh.  It was well worth it, to see my own little boy off to his first day of school.  I got a friend to take a couple of pics, but Reid looked out to lunch in all of them.  

"Cheese!"  Reid's first cubby!  By his second day of school, they'd taped pictures that we provided next to his name so he'd know what cubby was his.  So cute!  He has ten other three year olds in his class...one just turned four--we already got an invitation to his party!

We are so very fortunate that Reid has a spot at Sunshine Kids (especially a Tues/Thurs spot...the Mon/Wed people kind of get the short end of the stick since so many Mondays are holidays!).  Their schedule is so cute and amazing..he went to Chapel on his second day at school!  He's already brought home some of the cutest art projects, we've completed two homework projects, and he has a scripture memory verse.  I am so thankful!!  All that, and it makes my heart feel good that he's in the building just behind my school.  With my luck, my planning time and lunch break will never coincide with his parties, etc., but a girl can hope, right?? :)

We ended up having our first (and only!) rain of the month that Saturday.  Reid went to the gym with me since they have a great kids area to play in, and Jason went to the grocery store.  When we got back, the "wet stuff" was falling out of the sky!  Reid wanted a "brella" to play with, so we pulled out his rain gear.

No little "brella" for this kid.  He wanted Mommy's big one!  "I a big boy, Mommy!"  I'll have to admit...he did look pretty darn cute.

I know I haven't been good about updating the blog and I'm really trying to get better.  I feel pulled in a million directions lately...don't particularly feel like a good wife, good mom, or good teacher.  I'm just plain tired and have been going to bed at about 8:30 or 9 every night (7:45pm after the first day of school!!).  My belly hurts after the long days, and my legs hurt beginning first thing in the morning, even with my stylin' maternity compression stockings.  But above all, we are blessed that we both have jobs, that we have a healthy three year old, and that we are expecting another healthy child.  God is good!