Our Hurrication: A Day at the Zoo

Since our area of Georgia was evacuated due to the pending arrival of Hurricane Irma in mid-September, we decided to take no chances and leave town.  I was mostly afraid of the flooding that would occur in our area if we did suffer a direct hit from a major hurricane.  Even though the hurricane did take a drastic turn to the west and went over central and northwestern Georgia, our area still saw some major flooding from the rain and some downed trees from the winds.  I can only imagine what a major hurricane would do to this low lying area.  Our backyard already stays wet most of the year.  I am glad that our house sits a little higher off the ground. 

We still see the evidence of a pretty significant hurricane event from Matthew last year.  We made a smart choice to head up to Columbia, SC to stay with Eddie's Aunt who lives alone now that her children are all grown and moved away to other parts of the country so we enjoyed getting to spend some time with her.  She went way beyond her necessary hostess duties and cooked some yummy meals for us.  I had brought some food for us so we wouldn't be an inconvenience, but she had stocked up on a lot of goodies to feed us.  She also provided us with some entertainment for the two days we spent in Columbia while she was working.  She had purchased yearly passes to the Riverbanks Zoo for when her children and grandchildren visit, and her office had passes to the South Carolina Museum. We spent two very full days enjoying these South Carolina treasures. 

The Riverbanks Zoo is a very nice zoo with lots of interesting animals with nice habitats.  I really do love going to visit the zoo because it gives my children and I a chance to learn about and see many animal species we would never see otherwise.  Zoos are also a way for humans to help protect and conserve species that are on the verge of extinction while allowing people to see them and appreciate them and help fund their care.  I just happened to finally watch The Zookeeper's Wife movie based on the bestselling book, and I just cried and cried both over the human loss and the animal loss that was shown in the movie.  So much senseless violence and tragedy occurred during the Holocaust and World War II and is still occuring in parts of our world today.  Sigh.  Okay, I will try to move on to happier events like our zoo trip.

The must have picture in front of the zoo.  Daddy didn't want to be included. 

My sweet Mattox was ready to head off and explore. 

He and Brody lead the way. 

The first stop was to see the otters who were all snuggled up in a tight ball sleeping. 

Then, we saw the big bears. 

Ignoring us and scavenging around for food. 

One of the bears finally came closer to the windows to get a drink of water. Daddy compares his hand to a bear's paw. 

The baboons are always entertaining in their fun habitat. Mostly, they were picking bugs off one another. 

The majestic lions.  Only the females were visible...or maybe that was a young male?  

The Siberian tiger was hidden way up in the fartherest corner of his exhibit. 

Next, we saw some adorable sleeping koalas.  Apparently, koalas sleep a lot because they only eat eucalyptus leaves which don't give them much energy.  I really wanted to give them an energy bar.  Ha! 

Sweet baby Grayson with the koala...as close as he could get anyway. 

The large komodo dragon was a little hard to photograph because he was camouflaged with his surroundings.   And ewe to that green tree python.  I do not want to encounter him in the wild. 

We got to feed some lovely birds.  

Brody and Mattox loved feeding the birds. 

Mattox's happy face is the best!

Look at that cute little hand holding out the food.  He was not afraid a bit. 

He didn't want to let Brody have a turn. 

If only you could hear his laughter in these pictures. 

We loved this beautiful carousel with the gorgeous painted animals.  

Evan decided to skip the ostrich this time and picked the black panther.  

I just loved all of the animals. 

Daddy and his boys on the carousel. 

The pink flamingos are always so bright and colorful even on a cloudy day. 

They are really funny looking when they stick their heads into the water sideways to eat.  

Very pretty and unique birds. 

The boys loved the giant tortoises. 

The giraffes are always my favorite zoo animal.  I love how those top two look like they are kissing. 

Brody was fascinated by the giant tortoises. 

Ostriches, crocodiles, and zebras too. 

One of the zebras finally came closer.  Evan is such a good big brother. 

I do have a special place in my heart for the elephants, especially the mommies and babies. 

We sat and rested and watched the sealions swim. 

Mattox and Brody were tired.  We got many "compliments" on our unusual stroller.  Eddie didn't think we needed the double stroller on this trip and left it at home because we had a full car with the dog, and he didn't want to have to put it on top.  He forgot that we would be spending the day at the zoo.  They do have these strollers to rent, but they aren't made for infants.  We strapped the carseat onto it with the seatbelt straps so it was secure, and Mattox could happily climb on and off by himself. 

Stopping for an ice cream treat. 

One of the best exhibits is probably the penguins.  I mean, who doesn't love penguins right.  "Cute and cuddly."  Haha!  That is from our favorite Madagascar movies. 

The boys enjoyed this little viewing tunnel. 

Mattox was just running around being silly. 

Trying to get a picture of us with the penquins swimming by was pretty hard because they swim by so fast. 

There were other pretty birds in the aviary exhibit too. 

Gorilla butt!  Haha! 

Brody and Mattox got a little personal interaction with the gorillas. 

Evan and I decided to attempt the high tree climber again.  Our last experience was in Myrtle beach several years ago, and we both failed.  Evan was much more brave this time and would have gone to the top.  I, on the other hand, still battled with much anxiety and fear of heights. 

We had just enough tickets left for Brody to ride the train.  He still loves a train. 

There he goes.  

He is getting so big.  Sniff. 

We also always think of the Madagascar movies when we see lemurs.  

The last exhibit we saw at zoo closing was the chimps who were being fed.  They turned their backs to us and ignored us.  I do love that quote on the sign which just summarizes how I feel about zoos. 

Labor Day Weekend {St. Simon's Island, GA}

For Labor Day Weekend, Grandma, Aunt Naomi, "Uncle Scott", and cousin Grady made another visit for the long holiday weekend.  Although the skies were cloudy, the rain held off so we could enjoy a little trip to the beach.  We decided to try St. Simon's Island this time, and after all of our beach trials this summer, I do think this one will be our new favorite.  It is an island next to Jekyll Island right off the coast from Brunswick, GA about an hour south of us and has all the charm and amenities of a little beach town with shops and restaurants and some nice beachfront parks.  Even on a busy holiday weekend, it was still very enjoyable.  It definitely has more amenities than nearby Jekyll Island which is mostly a state park and private owned community.  I foresee us spending many more summer days here.  The boys had a great time playing with their cousin and Grandma all weekend and were sad to see them leave. 

When the family arrived, these boys just immediately started an epic pirate battle and enjoyed lots of play time together.  I love little boy dress play. Grady was Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates battling the mean old Captain Hook (Brody).  

The trapped Captain Hook on his "ship." 

The drive to St. Simon's Island is an easy drive south on I-95.  If you are ever passing through and see this exit for Townsend Road about 45 miles south of Savannah, you can remember that this is where Eddie works.  The Marine Corps' Townsend Bombrange is located down that road to the west of I-95 pretty much in the middle of nowhere.  I do appreciate the beauty of the marsh now with its tall green grasses and winding waterways stretching for miles.  The only "downside" is that sometimes it smells bad at night, but I am not often in these areas at night.  The coast tends to have more of a "fishy" smell in the evening at high tide. 

I love the twisty old Live Oaks that cover the road and island.  

We walked along the main street and looked at some of the shops on the way to eat lunch before we hit the beach.  Mattox and Brody were just loving these bubbles one of the shops had put out for the kids. 

Bubbles are definitely one of Mattox's favorite things right now...and one of his favorite words. 

Soccer on the beach is also a favorite with these boys. 

Cousin Grady and his mom build a sandcastle. 

I just love this sweet boy!  He looks so much like big brother Evan here. 

And this sweet faced baby too.  

I love watching my boys play together. 

Sometimes selfies are the only way I am in any of the pictures.  

Evan is just the best big brother in the world! 

Mattox enjoyed some bird chasing.  He was so cute sneaking up on them, waving at them, and calling them excitedly. 

These two are quickly becoming the best of friends. 

Grady wanted to boogey board like the big boys. 

Watching and learning from big cousins. 

Evan and Brody caught some good waves. 

Just hanging out in the water with my boys.  Grandma preferred sitting on the beach under a blanket mostly to avoid the sun. 

Trying to get a picture with all the boys isn't easy.  Grayson was missing from these.  

I was happy there was a Pelican Snoballs (a NC favorite) set up in the beach parking lot, and they had snowcream flavor!  Yay!   The next day, we ate lunch for my birthday before Grandma and the family had to leave.  Grady and Brody enjoyed playing together while Evan acted exhausted. 

Daddy got me a huge pink cupcake for my birthday and regular cupcakes for everyone else.  Brody was super jealous. 

Had to try for one more picture of all the boys with Grandma before she left.  Mattox was not being cooperative. 

Grayson's 9th Month

Nine months!  I do not know how you are already nine months old!  You have been out in the world longer than you were in the womb.  These nine months have definitely gone faster than those first nine months.  I really have to get on the ball and start planning your first birthday celebration.  You are starting to move now doing the army belly crawl and will get up into a full crawl position and make some good forward motions to try to reach a toy you want.  Once you figure out how much faster you can move on your knees, nothing will stop you.  You love to grab for things you want and that has resulted in a few accidents at the dinner table when we underestimate how long your arms can reach.  Haha!  

Size:  We went to your nine month well-check on September 6th, and you weighed 18 lbs. 5 .2 oz. which is just a little more than big brother Mattox weighed.  You were 30 inches long putting you above the 90th percentile there so you are definitely a tall boy right now.  You were 1 and 3/4 inches longer than both big brothers Brody and Mattox.  You have still been wearing size 3 diapers and mostly 9 to 12 month clothes.  

Developmental Accomplishments:  You are starting to army crawling more, and you just have to figure out that you can crawl much more efficiently on your knees than your belly.   You can also stand holding onto furniture for a good little while when we stand you up.  You haven't pulled up fully by yourself yet.  You still love your big brothers and laugh and "talk" a lot now.   You mostly say "mamamama" a lot.  You grasp and bang your toys together, and you taught yourself to clap at the end of this month!  Separation anxiety and stranger anxiety has really been increasing too.  It took you a little while to warm up to Grandma when she visited us this month.  You hate being left alone in a room and will try to crawl after me.   

Sleeping:  You have been sleeping in your crib in your room, but your increased separation anxiety has meant you wake up more at night wanting to be held or rocked or to get more milk.  Daddy has trouble getting you to stay asleep when he lays you down, and you will often wake up and start screaming again.  When you do finally go down for the night, you often wet out of your diaper because you like to turn yourself onto your tummy to sleep.   

Eating:  You have still been doing well eating, and we are still chugging away at breast feeding which I am thankful for.  You still refuse to take a bottle so you get about four to five breast feedings a day.   You still really love eating solids and have really been doing well with every food you have tried.  You eat more mixed combination meals with a fruit and oatmeal or yogurt combination for breakfast, a vegetable combination for lunch, and a meat and vegetable combination for dinner.  You have now tried avocados, peas, squash, apples, pears, bananas, sweet potatoes, peaches, green beans, broccoli, white potatoes, and mangoes.   You like white potatoes mixed with a green vegetable like peas, green beans, or broccoli.  You eat a chicken puree mixed with an orange vegetable like sweet potatoes, butternut squash, or carrots. You also love pieces of whole fruit like cantaloupe or watermelon in your little mesh feeder.  

Teeth:  You finally got your two top teeth for a total of four teeth with two on the bottom and two on the top. 

Nicknames:  Grayson Payson (goes with Evan Pevin, Brody Pody, Mattox Pattox), Gray Pay, Gray Gray, Baby Goo (because he is just a little gooey sweet mess)

{More pictures coming soon}

Sherry's 37th Birthday

37!  When did that happen?  Yikes!  I am definitely getting closer to that big 4-0.  As the pattern of this year has shown, we have been doing things a little more simply these days, including birthdays.  Moving a couple of times and almost doubling the size of your family in two years will definitely make you want to make life simpler.  Ha!  Also, moving far away from family and away from your favorite restaurants will make you change your routine too.  Thankfully, Daddy's family were able to come spend the Labor Day holiday weekend with us which helped make my birthday feel a little more festive.  Since we are not close to my beloved Cheesecake Factory, Daddy made me a delicious homemade chocolate cheesecake, and yes, it did rival the one I usually get from Cheesecake Factory.  It was very rich and velvety smooth with a chocolate ganache topping.  I also got several special gifts from Daddy and the boys.  Daddy let me go shopping for a new purse and even some shoes on sale at Dillard's, and he let me pick out and order a NC necklace and hat from Etsy.  I felt very loved and celebrated this year, but my boys always do a good job of that. 

Selfies with my husband wearing my new necklace. 

A very delicious birthday treat from my husband and surrounded by my little loves. 

I just love Brody's happy faces.  We blew out my candles together.  No, we did not attempt 37 candles. 

We also enjoyed cupcakes before Grandma and Aunt Naomi's family left.