Grateful Monday

Life has been BUSY recently.  So busy, in fact, that I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed.  It's a good overwhelm....because it means that my dissertation research is moving rapidly along, but it's also a little stressful. 

So, as I start this very hectic week, here are five things I'm grateful for.

• A nice visit with my husband's family over the weekend.  We didn't have much time, but the time was well spent.
• Watching Liam "catch" his first fish at the Whitacre farm.  Oh boy was he excited!
• Cooler and very pleasant temperatures.  What a rarity for the end of July.
• Two conference papers accepted!  Both are at major conferences which is quite an honor.  Now I just have to figure out how to get a grant for the travel expenses.
• My sweet little boy who turns 2 on Friday!  I can hardly believe it.  I'm so looking forward to a special day with just my boys!

 Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

Grateful Monday

To start my week off on a positive note, here are five things I'm grateful for:

• A lovely, quiet weekend with my boys.  We travel a lot on the weekends so the occasional quiet weekend at home is a nice treat.  
• A family ice cream outing on Sunday.  As you can see, Liam really enjoyed his cotton candy ice cream with sprinkles! I'm not super crazy about avoiding sugar, but we don't eat much of it at all.  So on the way home after eating ice cream, he was a little wired, singing and shrieking in the back seat!  

• I'm finally collecting some data for my dissertation!  I'm currently in Indiana interviewing a teacher, and I'm grateful that this trip worked out.
• My sweet husband who is currently home with our son being a single daddy while I'm away.  I'm so very grateful for his support.
• This view on my run tonight.  My runs are slowly getting easier and I'm increasing my distance.  I'm currently feeling kind of overwhelmed so I'm super grateful for this outlet. 

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

4th of July Fun

We recently spent the 4th of July visiting my parents with my brother and his family.  It's been quite awhile since we've all been together so it was really nice to have several days to catch up.  

My brother has 3 beautiful children and Liam is finally old enough to really enjoy playing with them.  It was such a joy to watch him with his cousins.  He felt so big!  

Here's a little peak into our visit.

Our neighbor gave us this little rocking horse.  It was in pretty bad shape so my dad took it home and fixed it up.  Now it's good as new, and Liam is happy to have his "horsy" back. 
 

Here's Liam and Grandma playing some piano while waiting for the cousins to arrive.

Each of the grandchildren have a little treasure chest at my mom and dad's place.  When the kids come to visit, my parents fill them with goodies.  When the kids arrive, the first thing they do is check their chests.  This was Liam's first time getting in on the fun.  He was pretty pleased with his treasures!

We were so lucky that the 4th of July was such a beautiful day.  We actually really enjoyed our time outside.

The boys went fishing on Friday morning.  Here they are showing Liam their catch!

Here's Grandma leading an art session.

Liam and "Wibby" spent a lot of time with the bubble machine.

Isn't she the sweetest?  Poor thing is the only girl, but she doesn't let it stop her!

There's nothing like cousins!

Speaking of cousins, we also gathered with my cousins and their families for a picnic.  It's been far too long since we spent time together.  It was so nice to catch up and reconnect.  As you can see, we've got some pretty adorable kids between us!

Liam enjoyed shooting some hoops.

He also got to skip his nap which resulted in this look.

Although he did find some energy to climb a tree!

It was such a lovely visit.  I am very aware just how precious these times are and so thankful for the moments we get to spend together watching our children laugh and play. 

I can't think of a better way to spend a holiday!

xoxo

Grateful Monday

To start my week on a positive note, here are five things I'm grateful for:

• A wonderful visit with my family over the holiday.  It was so nice to have a few days to spend with one another and to watch our children play.
• A picnic with my cousins and their families.  We had a wonderful day, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect.
• The cooler temps which are allowing us to actually sit outside and enjoy ourselves this summer!
• Getting my grading done so I could step away for a few days and read magazines and relax.
• I've started running again.  It feels so good to get back into these shoes and hit the pavement.  I love to run and look forward to it most evenings.  I love the physical challenge and the satisfaction I get from building my endurance.  

My view on my run while visiting my parents.  A view like this keeps me going!

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

Zoo

We recently took Liam to the zoo for the first time.  We are blessed in St. Louis to have a zoo that is both awesome and free!

I've always had mixed feelings about zoos.  I usually come away feeling kind of sad after seeing the animals in captivity.  However, I also recognize the educational value and know that zoos do a tremendous amount in terms of research and preservation.  

Watching Liam for the first time was quite an experience.  The first animal that he saw was a hippo.  I'll never forget the look on his face.  As I watched him, I realized that he was in awe over the hippo's size.  Though we read books all the time about animals, he doesn't get to see exactly how big many of the animals are.

After seeing the hippo, we went and saw the elephants and caught a glimpse of this sweet little baby who is just a couple of months old.

From there, we headed to the reptile house where Liam was quite excited about the snakes.

We saved the primate house for last.  I'm pretty sure this was Liam's favorite.  At one point, he was literally running and squealing with delight over the monkeys.  We actually have a good friend who works as a keeper in the primate house.  She wasn't working the day we went, but we will definitely connect with her in the future considering how much Liam loved the monkeys!

He loved these guys and kept saying "mommy panda"...which makes perfect sense considering they are black and white.  

Overall, I think the trip was a success!  He loved it and we will definitely go back.  We are fortunate to live close, so we might as well take advantage of it while we can.

And if it makes this little guy love animals even more...then it's worth it!