Photo #197 Today's Nemesis

Oh, what a day it has been.  So, this morning, I had to go to our local DMV to get New Mexico plates.  I dropped Jackson off at school and Molly and I headed there.  We arrived at 9:00am and, after waiting for an hour (the standard DMV waiting time), I finally have my number called, only to discover I don't have all the papers they need for my registration.  So, we head home and I searched the computer for a little while and finally found what I hoped I needed.  We got back to the DMV around 10:45 (this time I brought a coloring book and crayons for Molly).  At our DMV, they have what we like to call the "teaser window."  This is where one worker calls up each number, finds out what you are there for, and sends you back to your seat to wait for another hour.  Finally, I got everything completed at 12:30.  Thanks you, DMV, for stealing three and a half hours of my life that I can never get back and not allowing my daughter to get a nap.

Despite all the frustration I went through, I did realize how well God took care of me through all of it.  Molly was fantastic!

She seemed to be having a wonderful time.  Some of it was spent coloring.  Most of it was spent taking the paper wrappers off of all the crayons.  I love her.  :)

Photo #196 Memories.....

For those of you who have known me for a VERY long time...the following photo may bring back some memories.  Now, I can't decide if I can consider them fond memories or not.  I still love my brothers like crazy, despite what they may have done to me in my younger days.  :)  This one is for you guys, Jeremy and Neil!!!  I couldn't ask for two greater brothers.  Missing you!

And Grandma....don't worry.  She wasn't crying.  She was actually enjoying it.  No, Neil and Jeremy, I did not always enjoy it. :)

Photo #195 We Love the Zoo!!!

:::Warning:  There are a million photos in this post! :)  :::
Today was a PERFECT weather day.  When I got up this morning, it was 60 degrees and completely sunny.  By the time we got to the zoo, it was about 70 and still completely sunny.  So, what better activity for a day like today, than going to the zoo!  Little did I know, I would be bringing two little monkeys there.

When we got there, not many of the animals were out yet, so I let the kids play on the playground for a while.  Jackson seems to have mastered the art of climbing!  I was impressed.  I know this makes Grandma nervous but just know that he made it back to the ground safely. :)

Watching a train go by.

Molly wanted to get in on the climbing, so she got on the turtle. :)

Eventually, I started noticing more of the animals were out so we headed off for more of our adventure.  First, we checked out the black bear.  This is definitely the closest I have ever been and hope to ever be to a black bear.  He was adorable!  Initially, he was laying down relaxing, then Molly started eating her cookie and he perked up and came over to visit us!

Next, we said "hello" to the ocelots, or as Molly likes to call them, the "kitties!"

After the kitties, we spent quite a bit of time enjoying the river otters.  I would have to say they are my favorite!  To me, they're kind of like the puppies of wildlife!  The kids enjoyed them, too.

And here are a few more animals we encountered!
The great horned owl.

The giant tortoise.

And last but not least, the ugly duckling!

Photo #194 "Make Me A Princess!"

This morning, Molly came to me saying, "Mommy!  Make me princess!"  I wasn't entirely sure what to do.  After some quick thinking, I grabbed a pen, twirled it around and say, "Abracadabra!  You're a princess!"
The response I got?  "Mommy can't make me princess."  And a very sad face to go with it.  Then she asked, "I wear my tutu?"  Of course I said "yes."  After putting on her bracelet, headband, and tutu, I had a very happy little princess Batgirl.  :)

 

Photo #193 A Little Treasure

I'm pretty sure Molly is as girlie as a girl can be.  She loves ponies, princesses, tutus, headbands, ballet, and so much more.  This morning, I was thrilled to remember something I found that belonged to her.  Her Aunt Erin made a bracelet for me with "M O L L Y" on it and a tiny bracelet with "M J M" for Molly and gave them to me as a Christmas gift.  I found Molly's bracelet and tried it on her to see if it would still fit.  It fit perfectly and Molly was thrilled to wear it!

Photo #192 The BIG Day!!!!

Today was Jackson's very first day of preschool!!!  Everyone was very excited for him.  I made a wonderful breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausage, got his lunch and backpack ready, and off we went!  We got there a little bit early so we couldn't go to his classroom right away.  We waiting in the lobby with other parents and children.  While waiting, Jackson was walking around and talking to everyone.  It was delightful!  He enjoyed showing all of his "friends" his backpack and lunch box.

Eventually, we headed to his classroom.  He tried to tell his new teacher, Miss. Mel, that he needed to have the blue cubbie because blue is his favorite color (his name was by the yellow cubbie), but he didn't win that battle.  Go Miss. Mel!

We picked him up at 2:30 and found out he did not nap.  This did not surprise me, but it did explain his cranky behavior.  I am hopeful that this will change after a couple weeks.

Today was also Molly's first gymnastics class.  I didn't know it before we arrived, but it is a "Mommy and Me" class.  It took a little bit for Molly to warm up, but once she got going, we both had a blast.  To my amazement, she does fantastic forward rolls and hand stands against the wall.  She can also hang from a bar for..... well.....forever!  She really is my little monkey!  We are both looking forward to going back on Thursday!  Unfortunately, with me being involved in the class, I don't really know when or if I will ever get photos of her in action.  I'll work on it.

Benny misses his little people while they're gone.

Ready.....set.....PRESCHOOL!!!!

Photo #191 A Little of This. A Little of That.

I know it has been a few days since I blogged, but it's not for lack of taking photos.  Here is a collection of photos from the last few days.

This is one of Benny's favorite spots in the house.  :)

My new favorite photo of Molly and her tutu!

I just found out the the Alamogordo Academy of Ballet starts classes at 3 years old.  Guess what Molly will be doing next year?

The power was out for a little over an hour so we decided to do some mini golfing. :)

Benny keeps watch for us.

Yesterday, Jackson came to me with a HUGE smile on his face and said, "I brought you this flower, Mommy."  We put it in water and he was very excited to put it in the center of the table.  I think it's beautiful.  :)

Photo #190 Let's Try That Again

Since our park pass was good for a week, I decided to take the kids sand sledding, again.  This time, we got there around 8:30am and the weather was perfect!  70 degrees and completely sunny!

I managed to get Molly to go down the hill, again.  This time, she started about half way up and was all smiles at the end.  Unfortunately, since I had taken the kids on my own, I was unable to get a photo of her success.  After several times down and UP the hill, I decided we were done sledding and let the kids spend some time playing in the sand.  This was my photo op.  Enjoy!

Photo #189 Our Little Ballerina

Molly is turning out to be quite the ballerina.  She loves to dance and twirl around the living room floor all the time.  She had a little tutu that came with some pajamas, but, this morning, we bought her a big girl tutu!  She loves it and I love watching her twirl all around!  Unfortunately, there isn't anywhere near us to get her into dance classes, but she will be taking a toddler tumbling class at a local gymnastics gym while Jackson is at preschool.  It's as close to dancing as we could get and I'm sure she'll love it!

Photo #188 That Wasn't So Bad!

This weekend, we were delighted to have some friends we made in Ohio, come down to visit from Albuquerque.  We took advantage of the touristy time and went sand sledding with them!  We had heard about it and watched others do it, but this was our first time going.  Loads of fun!

Even after crashing, Jackson was ready to head back up the hill and do it again!

Molly went down once......once.  She wasn't too fond of it and was much happier just playing in the sand.

The following shot I like to call "Agua!  Agua!"

Their little feet!

The slope!