Happy November!

What a fun time of year! Here in Texas, the weather is perfect, and some leaves are even starting to change colors a little. Here are some things we've been up to ...



One of my tutoring families offered this desk to Ian since their child was all done with it. Ian has colored many pictures at the desk since he got it a week ago. The best feature, in Ian's opinion, is the working light that can shine from above or below.

 Last Friday, Ian was a very willing helper while washing off our kitchen chairs. Any project that involves water means a fun project for Ian! He's getting old enough where he can actually be helpful with certain tasks, even if there's a bit more mess at the end. :)

We went to the zoo last weekend. We went last right before Ryan was born. It was fun to see how much more Ian noticed about the animals and zoo now that he's six months older.

 As usual, the meerkats were a favorite stop.

 The elephant bath was also a HUGE hit. Ian wanted to stay there a long time watching the zookeepers scrub the elephants and watching the elephants do some "tricks," too.

 We got to use our garage sale-find double umbrella stroller at the zoo. Yes, this means we officially own about five strollers. But they all were bought used ... and they all have completely different purposes. Ha ha! This was the perfect stroller for the zoo, especially since the seats recline (and BOTH boys took a nap while we were there!). :)

 Ian convinced Momma to climb through the fish tube.

 Ian used a part of the money that Grammy and Papa sent him for Halloween to ride the carousel at the zoo. He was excited to choose the animal he got to ride on (a camel this time!).

 Ryan's morning nap ...

 It's always so fun to do things with Daddy! His boys LOVE him! :)

 During Ryan's second nap, there was a HUGE downpour of rain. We "camped out" on a bench in a covered area for quite a while 'til the rain slowed down.

 We were surprised at how much Ian loved the reptile and amphibian house this visit. We'll definitely have to visit again!

 We got the first "harvest" from our garden ... a single cherry tomato off our small plant.

 Ian ate it immediately. Our other "crops" are coming along slowly but surely. It has been fun to watch them grow!

Sometimes Ian's imagination cracks us up. It was fun to see his ideas of how to use this roll of curling ribbon.