First Day of School!

Oh, the first day of school! I've been simultaneously dreading and looking forward to this day for a few weeks now. I've been hoping and praying that this year will be a better year for Derek and that his teacher will be a good fit for him. Mitchell gave him the back-to-school father's blessing last night and that was a great comfort to me, even if Derek isn't old enough to understand everything that was said. Among the many blessings and words of comfort, he was told that his teacher will be able to identify his needs, his teacher will help him meet those needs and that he'll choose good friends who are uplifting. He woke up bright and early at 5:30 am (ish), got dressed, packed his own lunch and came to wake me up at 6 with his socks and shoes already on. Whoa. We couldn't fit all the school supplies in his backpack, so I tied the rest to his backpack in a Kroger bag, haha! He's not old enough to mind yet. After a quick breakfast (and a quick lunch repack, since yogurt and potato chips aren't sufficient on their own) we headed out to the bus stop. Bryce had been crying since he woke up and discovered that today is the day Derek goes to school and not Bryce. Derek cheerfully hugged both Bryce and Clara before bouncing onto the bus without a second glance. Look out Cockrell Elementary, here comes Derek Heath!

Our day was a lot quieter but Bryce cheered up when Connor and Kamryn arrived. Eventually, it came time for the bus to drop off its precious cargo and (thankfully!) the little kids were still napping, so I camped out in the driveway by myself for a bit. He finally arrived and said he had a great day! YAAAAAAAAY!!!! The cherry on top was Bryce's face when he woke up just as Derek walked in the house. Poor little guy is gonna have a rough time with his best friend in school every day.

 Ready to take on the world... starting with first grade!!

 Aaaaand there's my Derek, lol

 Still a half hour to go and the goodbyes have already started

 Bryce is devastated that he can't go too

 My three musketeers!

 Here it comes...

 For the 32nd time this morning, he kissed Clara goodbye

 Bryce is taking it like a champ now

 Yum, wet puppy kisses, haha!

 Mitchell left for his first day of 18th grade (second year of his MBA)! Hopefully his last year of school!! :D

 Bryce isn't sure what to think of Clara's new leggings

 Clara went straight to her drawer and picked out one of her favorite shirts to wear with her new look. That girl is going to have some seriously jealousy over that hair. (Bama is already in that camp, lol)

 Connor and Bryce wanted to take a picture together too!

 Bored. I'm ready for my Derek to come home!

 YAY! He's HOOOOOME!!

 Good day or bad day?

 Good day!!!! YAAAAAAAAAY! Looks like we're off to a great start in first grade! :D

 Bryce couldn't believe his eyes when he woke up to find Derek home!

 Oh these sweet boys

The first thing they wanted to do was grab their babies and watch Dinotrux. Connor hopped in the picture, too!

Trip to the Zoo

We dreamed big today and tried a big outing with all the kids. I couldn't have done it without Mitchell and Derek was a huge help too! He pushed the umbrella stroller and Bryce and Conner switched out riding in that while the girls rode in the double. We remembered to feed the giraffes today and had a blast running around, sweating buckets and seeing as many animals as we could. The kids loved playing on the elephant family statues and seeing the lions (half-hidden in the grass). After months of membership and no tram to ride, the tram finally reopened and Mitchell and I insisted on a ride. Who could resist a half-hour of sitting down and seeing animals? It was well-worth it and, at $3 per person per ride (without membership), the membership has paid for itself twice over in the few times we've come this year. We also saw the construction for the new hippo exhibit that opens in the spring. I can't wait!! It even has a hippo feeding station! Hopefully our next family outing goes just as smoothly.

 The whole crew at the Zoo!

 Kamryn and Clara chilling while the guys have a quick pit stop

Clara made a penguin friend!

 Connor was photo-bombed by the same penguin

 Derek is such a ham, haha

 The boys piled on the "mommy" elephant...oh, the irony, haha!

 The girls rode on the babies

 Brother and Sister

 One of the new elephants recently rescued from Africa

 Clara was very brave to feed the giant giraffe

 Connor desperately wanted to pet the giraffe while Derek snuck him some lettuce

 The zoo has lots of giraffes

 Bryce's favorite part of the zoo - the cheetahs!

 All piled into the safari jeep

 Let sleeping gorilla's lie

 A passerby stopped while I was taking this photo to snap his own. I guess we were a zoo attraction today, too

 Derek made friends with a chimp and her baby

 Bryce got a little friendlier, haha

 Kamryn was cranky during the tram ride but Derek and I were excited to see something new

 Mitchell sat with the rest of the kids on the other side of our train car. Eventually he took Kamryn, too, but she cried the whole time. Turns out she just wanted to sit on my lap. Love my stoic man for stubbornly giving me a break, even though the kids revolted, haha!

 The hippo statue and watercolor drawing advertising the upcoming hippo exhibit

 It's an exhibit for construction vehicles right now. The kids loved it!

 Pretty white pelicans

 Had to take a picture with the "Daddy" elephant for National Elephant Day!

 Derek picked this eagle to ride on the traditional carousel ride before we go home

 Bryce hopped straight on the cheetah, though the Triceratops was a close second

 Connor was excited to ride but Kamryn chose to hang with Mitchell on the bench

A long, hot day ended with a nice, quiet car ride home. Thank heaven for the DVD player! ;)

Cow Roundup

 So it begins. The land behind the house has been sold and will be developed into a neighborhood. Tammy was very vocal and very involved in the design of that neighborhood in order to preserve the quality of (and mitigate negative effects on) the Deer Run neighborhood where we live. Development should start this fall so we're enjoying the view and the cows while we can. This morning, two cowboys arrived to round up the cattle - I guess they've been sold. I was so glad I happened to glance outside at just the right moment! The boys and I went outside to watch and sat quietly by the bars so the cowboys could herd the cows right by us without spooking them off. The boys have been begging to go to a rodeo all day now, haha!

Getting a feel for the herd

 Making a run for it

  Cows every which way

Get along, little doggie! 

 Guiding the herd

 Aaaaand back to the corner

 Make me, buster

 Finally got them into the funnel

 Following through to get the cattle in the back pen so they can load them into the trailer pictured in the background

 They're a little bewildered

One lone donkey was left. Nobody wanted her. :(

Cousin Pictures!!

 Presenting the last complete cousin picture for the next three years....

 We finally had to move the oldest two cousins to stand behind the couch!

 Isaac (6), Derek (6), Logan (5), Andrew (5), Preston (4), Emeri (3), Bryce (3), Savanna (3), Clara (2), Sierra (2), Oakley (2 weeks shy of 2) and Asher (16 months)!

The reward for compliance? MARSHMALLOWS!! :D