Fun at the Zoo!

"But ask the animals, and they will teach you;
the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
Ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you;
and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
Who among all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?
In his hand is the life of every living thing
and the breath of every human being."
Job 12:7-10

After several L-O-N-G weeks of being stuck at home because of sickness, the Lord gave us a special gift... FREE tickets to the Greenville Zoo! 

 And it was a beautiful day to be outside learning from His creation. 

Today was our 2nd family trip to the zoo.  This past June we took Josh for Father's Day.  It's crazy how much can change in 6 months!!  And we sure have had some big changes...Mary Kathryn was technically with us on our first visit and Josh was recovering from his knee surgery.  Needless to say we were a sight to see, a gimp and a prego waddling through the zoo chasing a 20 month old.  :)

Last time Levi would cry each time we would leave one exhibit to go to the next.  He would have been content to stay at the beginning with the elephants all day... 

Today he was off to the next thing before we all got to to see what was happening.  It was all we could do to keep him still long enough for a picture.

Last time he needed help to see the animals...

Today he was flying solo!

Last time he was shorter and squishier with short hair...

Today he was taller and thinner with long curly hair. 

Last time he rode in his stroller...

Today he walked the whole time. 

  

Last time he didn't know who Mary Kathryn was.  Today they are BEST friends!

Last time Mary Kathryn was along for the ride. 

Today she was mov'n and a grov'n!

 

Last time I had to carry her the WHOLE time.

Today I had some good help (especially when she was fussy)!

500 in 5 months

Five months ago I took the challenge to begin counting my blessings one by one.  My dear friend Alisa shared with our Bible Study Ann Voskamp's book "One Thousand Gifts" and blog aholyexperience.com . Watching Alisa face some of the most difficult trials her family has ever faced last year and seeing her joy in it all was contagious.  

8 hours before she was born, we were mall walking trying to encourage her to come out!

As I anticipated Mary Kathryn's arrival I knew all the joy and excitement, the newness of her presence would begin to fade as would the sunshine and warmth of fall turned to winter.   I knew the months ahead were going to be hard.  Finding the new rhythm of life, takes time, patience and practice when your family grows.  I remembered the cold months of January and February 2010, Levi was tiny and I was a mess.  I didn't know if I'd ever be "me" again.  I never found the "me" I thought I wanted back, but I did find the new and improved version of me!  The addition of the characteristic of being "Mommy" was born in me.  

Lyssa and Mary Kathryn, 1 hour old :)

I was confident that with the challenges of new a baby girl would come a harvest of blessing greater then I could imagine.  I also knew that harvest would not come easily; it would  take time, effort, and patience.  I decided that I would get into the habit of counteracting my sleepless nights, my physical & emotional exhaustion, my fear, my anxiety, and my frustrations with counting the smallest of blessings. 


I never could have imagined how counting my blessings (even the hard ones) could have made these long days of winter so enjoyable.  We have been battling sickness since the week before Christmas...#384 - Thank you, Lord, that I have the privilege to to be home for days on end with my sick babies.  Without the first 383 gifts, i never would have been able to thank Him for sickness and endless days stuck inside. 


Just the other day I realized I had counted 500 blessings in just 5 months!  #500...What comfort knowing You have no Plan B, all 500 of these thankfuls - easy, hard, happy & sad - are all essential components of Your beautiful plan for my life. 

A few thankfuls I just happened to get pictures of...

#23...a morning spent with Levi on the couch watching "Bobby"

the Bobcat  scoop up dirt & put it into the dump truck

#32...Levi's 1st night out of the crib - bittersweet

#43...Levi's excitement to take "nap-nap" in his big bed

#62...Our time as a family at Sky Top Orchard

#80...Bailey Rountree - so fun being mommies together!

#120...seeing Mary Kathryn sleep through Levi's party in Gigi's arms

#199...Fun costumes, Levi called himself the Cookie Monster

and Mary Kathryn was the angel on top of the Christmas tree.

#231...Mary Kathryn's 1st pair of ruffle pants

#243...SaraBeth Bass' healthy pregnancy

#274..."Happy Kathryn" - what a sweet nickname from Levi



#283...wearing cowgirl boots with a dress

#308...washing dirty finger & cheeks

#333...building a gingerbread house with Levi

#338...having the Christmas Tree Farm all to ourselves

#361...Levi's delight to collect all the snowman ("No-Man") ornaments

#371...Alyssa getting to fly home for Christmas 2 weeks early

#373...the way we laugh - she's may favorite person to laugh with

#437...his foot print of dried chocolate milk under the table

#443...Josh getting to be with Mary Kathryn the 1st time she sat up

#477...4 days of fever for Mary Kathryn - Lord, we know you are
 building her immune system

#492...swing shift allowing Josh to be home the first two days she was sick

 

After Nap

"Aff-ah nap" is Levi's favorite phrase at the moment.  If he asks to watch a moo-ie (movie) or eat marshmellows or go outside, and I say "No" or "Not right now" he immediatly comes back with

"Aff-ah nap."  He's not asking, he's telling me that he will wait to have his way, but after nap we're gonna do what he wants to do.  

When I go to check on Levi during nap this is what I am expecting to see.

But this is what I often see.

.  



As I pull back the curtain this is what I find. With the biggest smile on his face he begins to tell me about everything that he has seen out his window...the squirrels, the kitty cats, the big trucks, he even talks about the wind in the trees. What delight to find him enjoying the Lord in His creation. 

Both of our kids typically wake up happy and ready to play.

Levi loves to narrate life for Mary Kathryn.   It works out because she is Levi's

biggest fan; she will listen for as long as he will talk. 

He tells her about everything, and today he was showing her his new

Thomas underwear from Lyssa. And he wanted to hold her hand, so that

they could take a picture together.

"After Nap" faces are my favorite

This hat and shirt were gifts from Meme (Amy Noblitt). 

He was so thrilled about them he took off his church shirt in the sanctuary

and insisted on wearing his new Doggie shirt home. 

He wore both the shirt and the hat for 3 days straight...yes, I did wash them at night :) 

The Corner Bagel Shop

This morning we enjoyed a field trip with MOPS to one of our family's favorite places, The Corner Bagel Shop.  Levi asks several times a week if we can go to the Bagel Shop. His favorite things at the Bagel Shop are Happy Cow chocolate milk, the basket of toys, and of course bagels.  What's a kid not to love?!  A restaurant where you can have dessert with your meal and play while you eat. 

This trip to the Bagel Shop was particularly fun because we got to play with some

of our favorite girls...Linlee, Katie, Julia, Lila, and Lillian!

And Mr. Pete showed us how they make bagels...

First, they pour all the ingredients into this big mixer to make the dough. 

Second, they put the dough into a machine that forms it into "bagel shape." 

The bagels are then placed on these pans and frozen. 

Bagels are made 2-3 days a week, very early in the morning before the shop opens. 

 

Each morning they bake enough bagels for that day. 

Did you know that a true NY style bagel is boiled for 2 minutes before it is baked? 

Boiling it is what gives it the chewy outside and the soft inside. 

All the left over bagels are thinly sliced, dipped in butter, and baked

to make one of my favorite treats, bagels chips!