Daddy's Girls

I saw on Facebook the other day that there were some new baby sheep (Lilli, "they're called lambs, mom"... Oh right!) at Jubliee Zoo so of course we had to go. To be honest I wanted to see them as much as she did.  All of the boys are at the deer camp for a work weekend so Hailey and Case got to come with us.  There were 6 lambs from (we think) 3 different Moms and they were so cute!  We also got to ride ponies.  I'm not sure where she got it but Katie has been telling me for a week that she wants to "ride a horsey" so it was perfect that I got to grant that wish too.  Case wasn't too sure at first but I think he liked it.  All of that was fun but the part I always like most is the hay ride where you get to see the big animals.  It was hilarious to watch Hailey's reaction when the huge camel came running up to us ready to eat out of our hands.  She was more unsure than the kids but she she ended up loving "Dezi." Case reacted the same way b

Bossier Parish Schools have been closed the last 3 days because of bad weather.  It sleeted on Monday and there was enough ice to play with.  Matt even got out and threw some "sleet" balls.  Then Tuesday the roads were to bad so they closed again.  By mid day it had cleared enough for me to go by the office and the gym so I was glad to get out because I was going stir crazy.  Then today we had more snow than I've seen in the 14 years I've lived in North Louisiana.  There were huge snowflakes and it was beautiful.  The whole family got out in it and built a snowman and had a snowball fight.  It's a good thing we ended up doing that before the kids nap because by the time they woke up the snow had stopped and half of it was melted.  It didn't last long but it was fun while it did! But this Mama is glad to go back to normal routine tomorrow. 

I'm really joking with my post title.  That "other stuff" was really great too.  We got to spent a fun night hanging out with cousins and visiting and eating some delicious food.  We got to see Josey's Mom, Dad, brother and Yaya and we also went to Wild Kratts Live! But I must say I'd been counting down the days until I got to hold that sweet baby so that may have been the highlight. ;)  On Friday we got to Holman and Brandi's house around 4:30 and got to spend the evening watching the cousins play and catching up.  Holman grilled delicious steaks and asparagus and had shrimp fettuccine too.  It was a really fun night and every time we go we wonder why we don't do it more often.  We really live too close not to.  Then Saturday morning we all got up and went over to Chad and Rachel's to meet Josey! She is the sweetest baby and I spent most of the time holding her but I did give everyone else a turn too.  We left Katie with Matt and Chad while Rachel and

We're so proud of Lilli for doing so well on her karate testing yesterday.  She knew all of her moves and was disciplined in doing them.  She definitely has earned this green belt. I've been very happy with all of the things she's learning while doing martial arts and I hope it's something she continues to enjoy for a long time.  

On Wednesday we let Lilli skip school to meet some friends for a morning of Sesame Street Live. Katie talks about Elmo all of the time so I think I may have been more excited than anyone because I couldn't wait to see her face when he walked out of that stage.  I had the camera ready to go and..... You may think this is a look of pure amazement but it's really just the face of a toddler about to burst in to tears.  For 10 minutes she cried and said she wanted to go home. But once she saw how much fun the other kids were having she decided it was ok and ended up dancing the whole time.  She even voluntarily walked up to one and gave him a high five before it was over.  We all had fun!

I am so lucky that I'm able to have a relaxing Valentines Day with all of my loves. We were all up bright and early together and all of us girls had sweet surprises of chocolates and flowers from Daddy.  I got red roses, Katie got tulips and Lilli got a Bella Lily (how perfect!).  Lilli also had homemade cards for everyone.  Matt and I took turns going to get a massage (our gift to each other) and we also took the girls for a picnic at the park.  I think everyone got to do exactly what they wanted today.  Happy Valentines Day! 

The thing I love most about Sci-Port is you never have the same visit.  All of the exhibits stay the same and the kids would be happy to just play all day but the staff is always up for doing experiments and getting the kids engaged.  Today we learned about the human heart and even got to see a real one.  We watched an experiment where he dropped a mentos into a 20 oz coke and saw it fizz everywhere.  That was cool but he lost Lilli's attention when the next one was about the difference ph levels of candies. So we left that and wandered around and found someone reading a book about a bird.  We sat in for story time and talked to her cockatiel before making a bird feeder to hang in the yard.  Even Katie was in to that one.   I'm really loving being members because we can go all of the time and it's so fun to watch what they get out of it.  I hope Lilli always keeps this love of learning.  

On Sunday, all 4 of us met Cara and Luke at the Krewe of Barkus Mardi Gras parade.  It was a completely crazy event with literally hundreds of dogs and about half of them dressed up for Mardi Gras.  The parade "walked" at 3:00 and was full of festive dogs but we also saw a cat, chickens, a goat and pig.  Of course the girls thought it was the best thing ever but I think for me and Matt the one time was plenty. :)  And the weather has been beautiful so I asked Yaya to meet us at the duck pond for a picnic to enjoy it.  The girls love feeding the ducks and playing on the playground but especially love getting the cuddles from Yaya. 

Lilli really wanted to go to the Krewe of Centaur Mardi Gras parade but Matt and I were not interested in taking her.  Cassie and Dillon wanted to take Lily to the parade but they were not interested in having to chase Luke around the whole time.  The solution? Swap kids for the evening.  Lilli was super excited that she got to go to the parade with Lily and Matt and I were super excited she got to go without us having to.  Worked out well for everybody. She had a blast and racked up on beads and toys.  And we had a blast playing with the toddlers in the backyard.   On a side note- I mentioned way back in my 4th of July post last year that Dillon was about to leave for a 6 month deployment. He got back the day after Lilli's birthday and his family couldn't have been happier to see him.  Dillon, we know they missed you but we (along with the rest of the country) truly thank you for your service. 

We've had Bella a little over 2 weeks now and it's amazing how fast she's grown!! I took her back to the vet today and she's gained 7 pounds since we got her.  She's now 20 pounds and in perfect health.  It was admittedly a rough start with her.  I was prepared for the struggles with housebreaking but I completely had forgotten how much they chew. EVERYTHING. The kids were terrified of her at first because every time she wanted to "play" that meant knock them down and jump and bite all over them.  We've turned a corner though because now they're getting to know each other and she doesn't play quite so rough.  They're actually enjoying playing outside together and Jackson has decided she's not so bad too.  She's definitely already become a member of the family.