Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Wade and I took a day of vacation before Henry's birthday so we could take him to the zoo. My parents watched Sam so we could have a special day with Henry...just the three of us.

Stop #1 - the ducks and feeding the fish (of course)








We tried our best to get Henry to pose next to the gorillas. I think he thought they were real...this is the closest he ever got.




Now there's a real gorilla!


It was bizarre and a bit frightening. So many of the animals came right up to the glass to talk to Henry. Like Henry was the orangutan whisperer.






Watch it momma orangutan. This kid is mine.


It's Harry, the Big Foot!


"Cheese"


What a show off


Wait for it...wait...wait...


Why hello there Mr. Bear! I told you Henry was the bear whisperer.










My little fish


And yet again...


Henry whispers to the bear


The animal that captivated Henry most of all




After learning the difference between real vs. bronze

Horseback riding on campus

A few weeks ago at Henry's school, the OSU Rodeo Team and another organization (sorry, can't recall their name) brought horses to campus for the CDL kids. This was Henry's first opportunity to actually ride a horse and I just knew he'd want to jump right on. Wrong. He seemed ready to ride until it was actually time to get in the saddle. Henry was terrified. I mean, after all, the horse's head was nearly as big as Henry's entire self.

But Henry finally decided that he wanted to wear a helmet. I explained that in order to wear a helmet, he would have to ride the horse. He agreed. Don't most kids refuse to ride because they don't want to wear the helmet? Not our Henry...


Henry's horse's name was Honey




Very serious




Daddy was so proud


Henry and his buddy (Will) were very proud of themselves after their ride

Little Drummer Boys

Check out that drool!

Jessica, Ashley, Katie, Jordan, Annie and Meg

Oh happy day! I FINALLY have my old point and shoot camera back. There is so much to catch up on since it's been missing - pictures of Sam with his girlfriends (i.e. nannies) on their last day, Henry's trip to the OKC zoo, horseback riding on campus, and Henry's 3rd birthday party. But because Sam is trying to scale my leg at this very moment, I will not attempt to update you on everything all at once.

Random morning shenanigans while getting ready for school






Miss Katie and Sam on Katie's last day


As you can plainly see, they were both heart broken


Same day. Different nanny. Miss Jordan and Sam on Jordan's last day. Jordan and Katie watched Sam on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They bid farewell the week prior to "Dead Week" (which is always anything but dead) to get ready for finals. We wish them both nothing but the very best.




Since Katie and Jordan have been gone, Jessica (one of our nannies from last semester) has come back to help out. What a blessing.

And finally, Annie, Ashley and Meg. The roommates. Ashley watched Sam last year, but due to an INSANE spring schedule, wasn't able to continue this spring. But fortunately for us, her roommates had heard a lot about Sam from Ashley during the fall and were interested in taking the reins on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Again, we were blessed. These girls, all three of them, have been AMAZING.








You know the saying - it takes a village to raise a child. Well, in our case, that village is six nannies - Jessica, Ashley, Katie, Jordan, Annie and Meg. Sam is quite the stud. Henry had only one nanny, Candice, who we also love dearly...needless to say, the past 10 months have been CRAZY. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. We got to know six wonderful ladies, who loved on Sam Monday - Friday from 8 - 5. And Sam got to stay home his first year. Now, in June, Sam will begin the CDL with big brother Henry. Ah, to have them both at the same wonderful place. Heaven.

P.S. Jessica, watch out. We still have three more weeks with you. I WILL get a picture of you and your baby bump with Sam!

This one's for you, Happy

This past week has been an emotional roller coaster. Not only did I run the OKC Memorial Marathon RELAY (no, I did not run 26 miles and 385 yards alone...are you crazy?!) in the cold rain, but things have been more tense than normal at work, Henry has been abnormally defiant and stubborn, and Grandmother Happy has been very sick. So sick, in fact, that I feared Sunday afternoon would be the last time I held her hand. While visiting her in ICU this weekend, I began thinking of all the special things that make her Grandmother Happy.

And before I go on, I'm beyond thrilled to share that Grandmother is doing better and is talking and smiling again. She has an excellent lung specialist, a cardiologist, is surrounded daily by family, AND expects to be home sometime this weekend!

Things I'll always cherish and remember about my Grandmother Happy...

1) She is a lady.

2) She loves her children (all 5), her grandchildren (all 15), and even her great grandchildren (all 4). Unconditionally.

3) She loves the color white. Everything is white. Her kitchen in Edmond, for example, had white tile, white cabinets, white counter tops, a white kitchen table and chairs. EVERYTHING was white.

4) She loves mirrors. I'd be willing to bet there is (and has always been) a mirror in every room of her home.

5) Given the choice, she will always choose gold (unless white is an option).

6) She is a talented story teller. Some of my fondest memories with Grandmother Happy include laying on her and Papa Bo's giant king-sized bed listening to her read stories from The World's Best Fairy Tales. I still have the two volumes of fairy tales she and Papa Bo gave me on my 2nd birthday. Inside the cover, Grandmother Happy wrote "Michal Michelle, Happy Second Birthday - We love you! Grandmother Happy & Grandpa Bo"




7) After her stories, we would take afternoon naps. I always slept well in her bed, next to her. After our nap, I would always wake up to Grandmother fixing her hair. She would brush her long, white (does the color surprise you?) hair and then gently pull it back into a loose, but perfectly knotted bun.

8) Hugging each and every one of the four posts to that bed.

9) Grandmother's beautiful handwriting.

10) Her long fingernails. They were always perfect and a bright shade of pink. Excellent for back scratching.

11) Sitting on her lap, or next to her in the formal living room (in Edmond), and playing with her gold bracelets. She must have worn half a dozen at a time. Very trendy.

12) She calls her nice things her "pretties".

13) Spaghetti-O's are always better at her house.

14) Peppermint ice cream.

15) Picking up "hang yangs" (otherwise known as hamburgers) from Braum's.

16) How she loves Papa Bo...any time Grandpa does anything special for her, her response is always "OH, PAPA". One of best suprises must have been the time Papa Bo slipped a new ring on her finger while she was sleeping.

17) She is beautiful. As a little girl, I remember hoping to someday be as beautiful as Grandmother Happy. And she is as beautiful on the inside as she is the outside.

18) Counting and admiring her jewelry, especially her pendants. Years ago, she let each granddaughter chose one. This was my choice -


19) Christmas is never about gifts...although she and Papa inevitably surprised all 15 grandchildren with something for ages...Christmas, and every holiday, is always about family and giving thanks.

20) How Henry always wants to go to "Happy's House".

21) She loves to laugh.

22) She was always there, to share in all the greatest, most joyful days.

Me and my Grandmother Happy on my wedding day