bird feeding at the zoo

so i posted my previous blog with some fun zoo pics and stories and forgot to include these! ive never been into this little caged area where you can go in and feed the birds... eric had a TON of luck... (as usual!)

 wondering where auston and i are?? well- let me tell you! this picture was taken immediately after this one...

everything LOOKS to be going fine right?? no- not right. those two birds directly above me and auston's head began to fight terribly RIGHT above our heads. somehow in a panic auston managed to dump the entire little cup of "birdie soup" (nector) all over my head and neck and shoulders AND those ass hole birds actually POOPED on me! apparently that's what happens when birds get angry. so needless to say- i was FRRRREEEEEAAAAKKKKIIIIIINNNNGGGGGG out! auston had run away and i was screaming my head off trying to get that disgusting orange colored bird poop off of me. yeah- nice.

when the sun shines bright good things are bound to happen!

it's totally true (at least for me) that when the sun shines bright good things are bound to happen. the sunshine just puts a pep in my step. it makes me feel alive. it makes me want to smile. i love it!

here are a few things that have taken place lately because of the beautiful sunshine... im finding blogging in lists is easiest- as random as they may be.

1) ill start by saying that this could quite possibly be one of the funniest things that ive heard little jenna claire say ever. on friday the sun was shining and it felt like a perfect spring day and so the kiddies and i decided a trip to the park was in order. as we were there i noticed ross standing on the side of the basketball court watching some boys that looked to be about his age playing a game of ball. he was just standing there- looking on and i decided to mosy on over. i wondered if maybe he wanted to play with them but didn't feel comfortable asking to join in. i can typically help with things like this so there i went. i was surprised as i made my way toward him when he quickly turned on his feet and ran toward me shouting 'oh my gosh! ms. maryellen! you are NEVER going to believe this... like... EVER!' (and yes- he IS in fact THAT dramatic :)) so i said 'what? what happened? what?' and he began to tell me (in the MOST dramatic way possible of course) that one of the boys playing basketball had said "a cuss." i of course responded in my most concerned voice possible- trying desperately to take this situation just as serious as he found it to be. i said 'oh man... that's terrible! why on earth do you think he did that?' and he proceeded to re-enact the situation... pretending to shoot the ball toward the hoop and then realizing he'd missed and getting upset and saying damn. but ross of course never SAID "the cuss" because THAT is just unspeakable (love). instead he spelled it. he said 'D A N M ms. maryellen! he SAID D A N M!' once again i did my best to act horrified and suggested maybe we go play on the swings. and though the story starts out with ross and gave me quite a little chuckle- it ends with jenna claire. THIS is where she came in. so from a distance she could clearly see that SOMETHING had gone on. something HUGE and quite possibly catastrophic. so of course she ran over to us shouting impatiently 'what? what happened? what ross? what?' so he began to tell/re-enact the entire story for her- loving that he had another audience to 'oooo' and 'ahhhh' at the complete and utter poposterousness of the situation. she said to him 'what did he say? what did he say? now ross- don't SAY the word. just SPELL it for me okay?' so he of course said another three times at least D A N M jenna!
D A N M. and HERE is where it gets funny.... REAL funny. as he spelled this i can see her little brownie eyes looking up to one side. i can tell that she's sounding out what he'd just spelled in her head... trying desperately to understand. she is just learning to read and so i wasn't sure how this would pan out until i could tell a light had gone off inside her head and she'd realized what's happened. THEN in the most serious and sullen way possible jenna claire responded and said 'oooohhhhh yes. i know that one. mm hmm. yes. i used to say that one all the time.' and there ya have it.

2) luckily that gorgeous weather continued into our weekend and we have loved every stinkin second of it! we were able to take bristol to the dog park for the first time in forever yesterday. she of course ran full speed for ten full minutes and then did this...

isn't she just the cutest?

then on our way home we stopped at starbucks where she (of course) was a huge hit. so the drive through girl gave her her very first puppy-chino. (really this is just a tall sized sbux cup filled with whipped cream). she loved every bit of it and managed to slop it ALL OVER THE CAR in the 5 minutes it took us to arrive home.

3) spent today at the zoo with tracy and auston... THAT was FUN! i started taking care of auston when he was only 6 months old. he was SO cute! hard to believe these days... he's a big boy now and even has big boy hair that blows in the wind when he walks (he was BALD at a bat as a baby!). i love it and i love him! it's remarkable the attachment i feel to him even after all this time! i wanna hear every single thing he wants to say because i remember day after day after day playing with him when he said nothing.  his mama tracy is an absolute joy and i am SO incredibly greatful to have her in my life! she is a great friend to me. like a sister really. anyway- here's 'the boy.'

i wonder if one day it'll be the same feeling for little sophie when she starts to talk and walk and run... i love her the same way i've always loved him. i can't imagine loving either more. and i seriously cannot believe how big he is! if THAT'S how i feel as a nanny i can't imagine how it feels as a MOM! sheesh! the following picture is not great quality but i just hafta share it because it is adorable!

1) how HOT is my husband? seriously.

2) look at that little man just giggling away!

3) LOOK at the elephant in the background! how cool is THAT!?

4) this picture is why i KNOW my eric will be the world's best papa- he's a natural.

anyway- the zoo was a fun time for sure! it felt amazing to just be out enjoying the beautiful day! and to do it with such favorites was like icing on my already amazing cake! my favorite animals today were the meerkats and the elephants. some of the meerkats had just given birth to little itsy bitsy teeny weany babies and they were UH-dorable with a capital A. like- ive never seen such cuteness! and then the elephants were just totally up close and entertaining! ive never seen them come up so close and it was awesome! SUCH a good day... i am thankful for that.

anyway- those are the stories for today. hope you all are doing well friends. be blessed and as always- be thankful!







a random list... because that's where my head's been lately...

1) my husband is the world's BEST back cracker on the planet. no joke.

2) sophie is changing every single day. she is growing and learning, and everythings just going so fast. i wish i could slow things down a bit.

3) everything is NOT as is might originally seem. im learning that.

4) this winter weather has got me feeling kinda drab. im just ready for spring.

5) yesterday i had the time to just sit and PLAY with my two favorites and it made my week! ive gotten so used to running them here and there, having to get homework done, snacks fed, this that and the other. but to get to sit and talk with them... to be silly with them... to have fun... to play. it seriously was a good, good time and i needed that.

6) bristol's been waking up every night puking on my carpet and im oVer it. it seriously has GOT to stop!

7) mike doucette is doing so much better these days! his spirit and his will to fight have returned and i couldn't possibly be more thrilled about that! keep praying.

8) i miss having friends.

9) anderson cooper went on this rant last night about an ohio congressman dennis kucinich, and how he apparently is suing an office building cafeteria on capitol hill for $150,000.  so i guess THREE years ago this db bought a sandwich/wrap that SAID it had some pitted olives inside and the reality was that there was an unpitted olive he bit in to.  oh. my. gosh. that's ALL i can say. can you believe that this piece of work was actually in the running for the 2008 democratic presidential nomination? i am blown away by this whole thing. i loved anderson's rant- i think you all should look it up, and enjoy a good chuckle also. i hope this congressman looses the case, and realizes he is absolutely ridiculous for even considering a lawsuit like this. he should be ashamed of himself.

10) i tried my hand at baking bread this past weekend, and thought for sure id wanna post a pic with the recipe on my blog to share.... wrong. it turned out terribly. it was a lot of work, took a lot of time, and made a gigantic mess... and then it turned out dense and hard and hideous. i was not a happy camper.

11) this past month hasn't really been a good one it seems- every week eric's come home with some new, upsetting information about his company... i think that's coming to an end though, and i am hopeful that february will be a fresh start. we'll just pretend that's when 2011 begins, k?

12) i commissioned john cannon (that artist i was telling you about who painted rhinehart) to do a fun piece for my dining room. it might sound random, but i wanted a scene of penguins- similar in style to rhinee- whimsical and fun. we'll see how that turns out. i am hoping, hoping, hoping he didn't try to paint it and make it all "real" looking and legit. i really only wanted fun... we'll see.

13) ted williams "the man with the golden voice" officially checked himself out of rehab this week. i am sad about it, and wonder what will happen next. i will continue to be hopeful.

14) i appreciate so much how driven my eric is. he is determined to succeed. he will not accept less than he deserves... and he deserves a lot because he is one of a kind. he has SO much to offer and is SO determined, i love that.

15) lately ive felt the sting of a cold, wintery january with nothing going on. last weekend eric and i were bored out of our minds! it was serious. i need something to happen. i need something to go on that is NOT drama-filled and annoying. i need something good. i keep thinking i should cherish the moments where we are bored and can fill our time with whatever WE wanna do. i know one day when we have kids, that just won't be the case... but to be honest, id trade my low-key, boring, i-call-the-shots-and-do-whatever-i-want life for the life of a busy mommy ANY day. id trade my perfectly neat, and tidy, and quiet house for a noisy, messy one today if it meant i could have a little person to spend our time with. just sayin.

16) i think it's crazy that oprah has a sister she never knew about! i like oprah- she keeps it real.

17) daisies are my favorite flower. im really looking forward to when daisies come around again.

18) i watched the state of the union address this week and i don't care what ANY of you say... i like o-biz.

19) im turning 29 in less than 2 months. not sure about how to feel about this.

20) lately my crackberry battery has been ridiculous and dies every single day by 4pm. sometimes it's noon. this irritates me.

21) i think it's an absolute atrocity that a grocery store in arkansas felt it necessary to censor the US weekly magazine featuring elton john, his husband and their new baby boy. seriously people- get over yourselves.

22) i wish my family and i lived closer... i think that would be fun.

23) it's supposed to be low 50's this weekend, and i am therefore planning to take my beloved boxer bristol to the dog park for some exercise. i feel bad that this cold weather has prevented that lately. i hope it's fun.

24) ive only been able to watch one episode of american idol this season, but can i just say.... i loved jennifer lopez on there! first of all, she's gorgeous. second of all, she's sweet. and third of all, her laugh just makes me wanna laugh. she's sorta contagious i think.

25) im quite hungry now, so i will now go find something to eat.

news.

in an effort to be a more responsible and educated member of my community i decided to watch the news last night. i typically never watch the news and because of this- find myself constantly sort of in the dark as to what is going on in the world. i never know what's going on with the weather... i never hear about the important stuff happening. to be perfectly honest- i found out about the arizona shooting days after it had taken place and felt a bit embarrassed for being so behind.

well- last night after dateline wrapped i decided to watch the news. half way through the news segment i was reminded about why i'd decided to avoid the news to begin with. they showcased stories that were nothing short of pathetic- sad- sorta devastating even. i learned about how three guys had been picked up for robbing a house earlier in the day. i learned about how a really nice woman who runs a ministry for battered women found herself battered and beaten by a stranger as she walked to her car from a meeting. her face was bruised and she may never see through her right eye again. i then learned about a hit and run situation that had taken place early yesterday morning... a guy came flying into this woman's car and simply drove off. nice.  next i learned about how all of these snow days here are negatively affecting tennessee students and people are concerned that the standardized testing scores will be embarrassingly low this year. i learned about a meth lab here in tennessee that had been discovered and even a huge heroin bust that taken place on franklin road earlier in the day. there was a brief update on the arizona congresswoman's progress- she's been transferred to a hospital in texas... still can't talk... still cant walk.... doctors are saying that her recovery will take longer than anyone originally anticipated. there was the weather forecast last- more snow. more cold. more ice. more snow. more cold. more ice. ugh...

i turned the news off half way through and was quickly reminded that i don't care to watch the news because of one reason and one reason only- it's depressing. really depressing actually. for a person like me- who NEEDS to believe that our world is a good place MOST of the time.... the news is just too much. i don't like to hear about the drugs and the violence and the hate and the absolute LACK of integrity... all of these things that have somehow managed to just take over. i sadly suspect that this is not just true for my community and that the majority of you (regardless of where you live...) hear the same or similar stories each night on your news broadcasts. it's sad. it's disheartening. it's just not for me really...  as i layed in bed last night thinking of the news i had watched and about the stories i heard about- i wondered why on earth anyone would be so stupid to bring a kid into this sort of place... if the world is just filled with hateful wrong-doers and meanys... why bother trying to a raise sweet and educated and good kid? then i realized that i was being a bit dramatic and that i will continue in my persuit to bring a baby into this world but will choose to do so as a non-news-watcher. it's just necessary.

that's all.

daily reads..

so normally i find myself totally and completely captivated by reading books by jodi picoult, or even mary higgins clark. books that are suspenseful- the kind you just can't stop yourself from thinking about when you can't be reading... ive noticed a slight change in some of my reading choices as this new year has begun. not sure where the change came from, but i figured id share...

first- decision points by george dub. :)

im typically pretty frank about the fact that i haven't ever actually taken up with the "republicans" or the "democrats" and im being honest when i say i vote based on the issues at hand. so i don't want anyone to think there's some sort of political agenda here- just a book i can't wait to dive in to. i think the main reason i am so fascinated with the opportunity to read this book is because ive always really liked george dub. (ive referred to him like this for years...). also because i think as an american i don't always understand the laws in place, and the parameters set that our leaders are required to work within. im sure we all are guilty of looking from the outside and making snap decisions about what we think is taking place... as if we actually know the ins and outs, and the details of the situation. wrong.  i saw an interview with george dub on oprah last month and i was blown away by some of the things he explained... things that the media took and ran with, and painted a picture that was less than ideal for him as a leader. what's more though, i found myself in awe of his authenticity. he was so authentic, so real, so honest- about the good and the bad, that i found myself wanting more of that.

next up?? martha stewart cupcakes..

and yes- i AM actually reading through this as if it were a novel. i don't want to just be a baker of delicious delights, i want to understand what goes into what to create what. does that make sense? i want to know that one day i might be able to create my very own recipes of delicious goodness, and to do that i think i need to first read through a book (or two, or three, or four) or recipes. i just want to understand the key players in baking- what are the basic ingredients used to create a cupcake/cake/cookie? and how must those key players be treated in order to get the reaction id like? and what elements can i take liberties with, and experiment with to create my very own slice of delicious goodness? SO- yes, i am reading this book, one page at a time and my mouth is watering every step of the way. note: if i want to own a successful bakery one day, i think its key that i have this baking thing down, right?? yes, right.

last.. gringo nightmare, eric volz.

 

okay so im not sure if any of you ever heard of this story, but it is about an american (eric volz) who was framed for murder while living in nigaragua. this story is not for the faint of heart, as it is true... a real life nightmare. without giving too much away (cause im already very involved and dont wanna spoil anything) as a young adult eric became obsessed with bridging the gap between the american and latin american cultures. mostly because he himself was part "white" and part "latin american." after college, he found himself living and working in nicaragua as a co-owner of a magazine 'el puente' (which translates to, 'the bridge'). somehow this beautiful woman ended up murdered, and somehow, eric found himself taken as a suspect and then convicted of a murder he did not commit. when you buy this book, you are given access to online sites to view photos from the actual nightmare. as eric is describing the circumstances and what he saw, he notes 'exhibit 1' and you go online and can actually see for yourself what he saw- and what he is describing at that point in the story. as far as i know eric volz's return to america was nothing short of a miracle, and i believe he is still a wanted man there in nicaragua... i haven't finished yet so im not totally sure. BUT- i highly recommend you give it a try.

alright, well that's all ive got to share for now. ive struggled so far this week with some sort of flu and it's been terrible. i am happy to report that im feeling better now though... thank goodness!

i hope each of you fun friends find yourselves enjoying this wednesday! be blessed and as always- be thankful.