The Memphis Zoo

This past weekend, the kids and I went to Memphis to visit some of my high school friends and their families. We made plans to meet at the Memphis Zoo. Let me tell you, if you have not taken your family to this zoo, you definitely need to. It is leaps and bounds over the Nashville Zoo. The animals are up close and personal and there are some many different varieties. There are polar bears, panda bears, a black panther, and even baby giraffes. They also have a train that takes you around the petting zoo and a carousel similar to the Nashville Zoo. I did not see a big playground, but they did have a smaller version. I would highly recommend taking the family to the Memphis Zoo for a fantastic day! Sorry for the many pictures, but it was too hard to choose!





The polar bears were by far my favorite animal. This one name Cranberry was the entertainer. At first, she was playing with this log and then she discovered everyone was looking at her and she started to perform. She swam back and forth along the glass and the kids went crazy watching her and so did I. Then, she jumped from a rock into the water near the glass with a huge splash twice. It was very neat and we could have watched her all day.



The panda bear was pretty neat, too. They think the female may be pregnant and were going to perform an ultrasound on her. This "little guy" was a big baby and played with this towel forever. Isn't he cute?

The best part of the trip was seeing my friends and meeting their families. It was so surreal to see all of us with kids. The kids got along great and I hope that we can do this again. I really miss the ones that were unable to come, maybe next time.

The kids and I stayed at my friend, Jessica's house, for the weekend. Jessica and I stayed up way too late talking and catching up on life, as well as reminiscing about the "good old days." Thanks Jess, Brian, and Parker for being such great hosts. We had a blast!!

"Put it on the Refrigerator"

The other day, the kids were coloring pictures. They always love to show off their work and especially to their daddy. Maddie will usually replace an old picture with a new one on the refrigerator. Well, when Tucker came home from work, Nathan showed off his picture to him. He was so proud of it and Tucker told him, "Go put it on the refrigerator, buddy." Well, later when we got the kids down for bed, I came downstairs and opened up the refrigerator to get some water and I saw this.............

Tucker and I just starting laughing and thinking how precious Nathan is!!!!!

Family Night

Tucker came home from work one night and decided that we needed a "family night." The rules for the evening: Thursday nights, no T.V. or computer (movies are o.k.), play games or cards, play outside, etc, and the kids get to pick dinner. I thought everything sounded great except for the kids picking dinner. So, we tried it and it was actually fun. Maddie decided to have chicken nuggets and onion rings for dinner (a dietitian's nightmare). We had planned to go over to the school and let the kids ride their bikes, but the weather was too cold. So, Tucker went for a quick run. The kids and I got the finger paints out and they had a great time. When Tucker got home, I got into trouble for starting family night without him. Then, we played UNO. I helped Nathan and Tucker helped Maddie. I won two hands and everyone else won one hand. We had a great night and it was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we were unable to have family night this past Thursday because I was washing clothes and getting packed for a trip to Memphis with the kids (see later post).

The Masterpieces

The Hair-cut

Sorry for the lack of postings lately. I have no excuse! I do have a few things I wanted to share with everyone. First of all, Nathan is doing better with his coughing and we are only using the inhaler when we need to. The rest of us are still doing well!

A few weeks ago, I decided to cut Nathan's hair. I am tired of taking him to get his hair-cut every month. I have been cutting Tucker's hair and he thinks I do a pretty good job, so I figured I could cut Nathan's. So, I went to get the clippers and away I went. I think I did a pretty good job. The only thing I don't like, it makes him look so much older!!!

Before

After

Nathan's New Bedtime Routine....

I took Nathan to the doctor on Wednesday last week. I gave the doctor my spill about me thinking that Nathan had some type of asthma or allergy. Of course, he told me that Nathan was too little to do testing on and that with his yucky nose, he probably had a cold. Furthermore, he informed me that kids with allergies have nice clear runny noses. So, after we talked for awhile about his symptoms and the coughing at night and in the morning, he agreed that Nathan probably has some underlining problem....so he agreed to give him an inhaler to try right before he goes to bed. Also, he can use this every 4 hours as needed. I am so thankful that the doctor listened to me and my concerns! Nathan's coughing has improved so much over the past week. He has not coughed at night and he coughs maybe 3-4 times when he wakes up in the morning, HUGE improvement! Also, I can tell that he feels better! Thank you modern medicine, FINALLY!!!

Louisiana Trip

We took a trip to Louisiana this past weekend to visit Tucker's great aunt and uncle. Their daughter turned 50 last Thursday and her family had a huge birthday bash for her. Tucker's whole family went down to help celebrate. The adventure started out ~4:30 Friday morning. You might ask...."why leave so early?" Well, we wanted to get there early so we wouldn't be too tired and of course traveling with 5 kids makes a 7 1/2 hour drive even longer. Longer....that is exactly what it was.(Nathan has this "undiagnosed" problem of coughing in the middle of the night and when he wakes up in the morning. I think he has some kind of asthma or allergy that is not being treated yet, however I am calling the pediatrician today to get this solved.) Anywho, the poor little guy coughed for 4 hours straight. Once we reached Batesville, MS, I had had enough. So, we hunted down a walk-in clinic. Now, Nathan had pneumonia back in January and Tucker and I were afraid that it might be coming on him again, so we decided to get him checked out. Also, Aunt Claudine lives a far piece from a doctor, so better get a jump on it. After ~2 1/2 hours later, Nathan is fine. No more coughing, no wheezing, no crackles, nothing. So, off to Louisiana we go. He still coughed off and on in the car, but got better. That is until we went to sleep that night, he coughed pretty much all night and was very restless. He played fine throughout the day, but at night, the coughing started right back up. So, hopefully we will be getting more answers soon. Oh, it only took us ~12 1/2 hours to get there!!!!! What a nightmare!! Tucker's family were great troopers and very understanding, I was so thankful for that. Plus, it gave the other kids an opportunity to burn some energy. They spent that time at a nearby park and had a fabulous time I hear.
When we finally arrived, the kids played out by the lake and got rid of some of their energy. We visited with family and then they had a crawfish boil with corn on the cob and potatoes. I have never had a crawfish before and they were actually pretty good. I felt guilty for throwing so much of it away. You only eat the tails and of course some people suck the heads, but not me.
We got up Saturday morning and the kids played outside, had lunch, and then a nap. Then around 3:00, we went to the party. There was so much food, we had a little mix of good ole' cajun food and a fish fry that night with all the fixins'. The kids had a great time playing with their extended family and friends. We love going to visit Aunt Claudine and Uncle Allen. They are the best hosts that I know and they have the most beautiful place right on Lake Bruin. Thanks for the wonderful food, fun, and good times in Louisiana!!!
Even though the nights were so long for Nathan and me, all in all we had a very nice weekend. We couldn't have asked for better weather (in the 80's) and all 5 kids were so good on the long car ride there and back home. I hope and pray the next time we go to Louisiana, it will be a lot better situation for all of us, especially Nathan! I AM SO TIRED!!!!!!
Instead of posting a bunch of pictures, I decided to put together a slide show. Nathan loved playing with Ruby, watching the ducks, playing in the water, playing football and "baseball golf". Maddie had a great time playing with Audrey and Hallie and doing whatever they were doing! She is such the little follower. I hope you enjoy the pictures....

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Snow Day!!!

Well, I really had my doubts about the big snow that was headed our way. We didn't quite get as much as other parts of TN did, but we still had a great time. We woke up to about 4 inches of snow this morning. Of course, the kids couldn't wait to get dressed and outside. First, we walked down to Tucker's grandmother's house for some hot homemade biscuits and country ham...yum,yum! Then, we came back home and built a snowman, had a snowball fight, and then we went sledding down our hill beside our basement. Maddie and Nathan had a ball, until Nathan bit the dust and wanted to go inside. Maddie and I stayed outside and played some more, while Tucker went inside and sat by the fire with Nathan. When we came inside, then we all had some hot chocolate. It was a really fun day and I am so glad that we actually got some snow to play in. I am so sad though, because now the snow is almost all gone and no telling when another "good" snow will arrive. However, I am getting spring fever and ready for warmer weather. Here is a little montage for you to enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com