Washed by the Water

Have you heard this song? I love it! I could put it on repeat and play it over and over.  It just speaks to my heart. 

It rained today, and Presley and I just played in it. Watching her have so much fun playing in the rain reminded me that life is what we make of it.  I guess we could have just sat inside and wished it wasn’t raining. Sitting and complaining is what we do so often in our lives.  It is not near as fun as laughing in the rain though! Somehow, I was able to refrain from rubbing mud all over myself, but Presley was not!

Ya-Ya

When we moved here, Shorty was always running off. I guess she wanted to explore and take advantage of her new freedom from a fence. We would go out and yell her name over and over. Presley can't say Shorty very well, so she just yelled Ya-Ya. She loves Ya-Ya, but I can't say that the feeling is mutual. Ya-Ya tolerates Presley very well though!

I am sure that Ya-Ya was here first.

Then, Ya-Ya decided to move to the couch.

Presley decided Ya-Ya was cold, so she covered her up.

Ya-Ya begs for help.

Presley needs a pillow.

Not quite close enough…

                           PERFECT!

Sunday Best

My grandmother got this sweet dress for Presley, and I just had to share some pictures with you.  We visited a new church this morning, and we really enjoyed it!  It was nice to know so many people even though it was our first time to visit.  Presley just ran up to the woman in the nursery and jumped up in her lap because she recognized her!

 

Presley’s Playroom

This room is what I call the saving grace of our house! We love that there is a place for all of Presley's toys, and we can shut the door when things get out of hand in there and unexpected company stops by!

This is the view from the door.

This chair is Presley’s favorite space. She sits to look at her books and watch her DDs (DVDs).

We painted a few of these with magnetic paint, and we painted all of them with chalkboard paint. The artwork near the bottom is Presley’s!

Can you tell that there is a ledge under the chalkboards to hold the chalk and the dust?

I have plans to get some sort of window treatment, and there is a nook where I have some storage, so I want to get a curtain to hide that. This room was a combination of a powder blue and a darker blue, but we spent hours to make it perfect for Presley! What do you think?

Worms

While we did not see worms at the zoo, we have PLENTY in our backyard.  Last night, Presley spotted one, so I picked it up and put it on a table.  She wanted more, and every time I found one, she said, “more!” Then, she started calling them baby, mama, or dada. Clearly, there is not much to do around here!

Sea Lions

I don't know about you, but the Sea Lions are one of my favorites. I love the water, and I am a certified SCUBA diver. I think that I am a little jealous of those graceful sea lions. I can't wait until Presley is old enough to dive! I hope she loves the water as much as I do.

She loves fish! I will take that as a sign! When we got home from the zoo, she ate almost all of her fish sticks, all of her macaroni, some cottage cheese, and no chocolate pudding. She definitely does not get that from me- that is all Nick. Although she does have a weakness for M&Ms!

Pandas and Penguins and Presley!

We have been a little stressed lately. Moving, renovating, and professional development are each equally frustrating. I can't see the floor of our so-called office. The construction crew doesn't know that, yes, a light in Presley's room would be nice- and no, I do not care that the fan works instead. As much as I love to work with them, the other science teachers in my building are about as worried about my physics class as I am worried about their biology class. SO...

We loaded up and went to the Memphis Zoo so that we could forget about our worries for the day! Memphis is only an hour and a half from DA, and Presley enjoyed watching Baby Einsteins in Nick's new ride. We had a great time walking around (sometimes in circles) and seeing all the animals. Here are some pictures (with crappy camera)!

I also know that lots of the people (all 5 of you) that read this blog have probably thought about visiting the Memphis Zoo, so here are some tips... You can buy tickets online and save yourself the long line. Kids under 2 get in free. You can take an ice chest in! We took a small cooler with drinks. They serve Backyard Burger products so the food was good, and Nick, Presley and I had lunch for 16 bucks. We ate in a place that backs up to the monkeys, so we enjoyed watching them while we ate lunch. They give you a feeding/show schedule on the bottom of the map. For instance, there is a 1:00 Sea Lion show. This means that everyone and their brother (literally) will be watching the Sea Lions at 1:00. Be there early, or enjoy being the only person watching the Polar Bears! And lastly, remember where you parked! =)