We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

How about you, you, you. You can come too, too, too. We're going to the zoo!

So the boys and I packed up and went to the Houston Zoo today. We had loads of fun and James was really excited to go. Last night he was naming off all the animals we would see...hippo, lion, giraffe, tiger, elephant, bear.

Okay, that was like three weeks ago, but now I am picking up where I left off. So to the zoo we went with my great friend Mandy Hales and her daughter Sophie (who, according to James, is his best friend). We saw all the animals James was hoping for with the exception of a hippo. We even saw the lion and tiger very close up. I could probably go on forever, but let's just say it was your average trip to the zoo with heat, crazy parking, ice cream cones (thanks Mandy!), lots of animals, lots of kids on field trips, and lots of walking. But the our kids seemed to enjoy it and Matthias slept at least half of the time.

Pics are of us in front of the elephant, a tiger (just like Jabber...James' pal), and James watching the mommy orangatang harass her baby (she was trying to snuggle with the baby and the baby was trying to wriggle away).

Wicked: A New Musical

Taylor and I went to see Wicked last weekend and it was incredible!!

Before the play we went to dinner at Artista, a restaurant in the theater. The food was very yummy!! For our apetizer we had crab legs with garlic mashed potatoes and lots of butter which were so tasty. For our meal we had my favorite-swordfish. This one was wood smoked and delicious served with grilled zucchini. For dessert an amazing chocolate/carmely tart with coconut ice cream and candied walnuts!! It was all quite tasty and not too expensive.

Then we went to see the play and it was wonderful! The singing gave me chills and the story is fun. Our seats weren't too bad, about sixth row of the gallery (3rd level) and we brought binoculars so we were able to see well. We had fun dressing up (well, I did) and going out for a nice evening.

In other news we are planting a garden of zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes. I am very excited to have fresh vegies!! Laters.

Update

Life is going well. The boys are both growing SO fast. Last week James and I made a list of all the words he knows and it is over 100 with new words adding every day. He is really starting to talk a lot and we can actually have some what of a conversation with him...it is so much fun. Matthias is also getting very talkative. He is always making some sort of noise...I guess so we don't forget he is there! =] Matt also LOVES sucking on his hand and can get almost his entire fist in his mouth...something that James didn't do as a baby.

The boys love playing with each other and have so much fun together. Matthias is always watching James and seeing what he does. James likes to try to roll around on the floor with Matt like Dad does with him. Today James dragged Matthias right next to a box and then started leaping off the box over Matt (while I was in the bathroom), so I had to get Matt away before James jumped a little too short. They are already becoming great pals and I am excited to watch their friendship grow.

We are doing well and learning a lot. Taylor has been working on fixing the Pontiac for a couple of weeks now and really learning about how it works...hopefully he can get it to work again!! I am constantly trying to balance my schedule again...James and I were so comfortable in our routine and we are still trying to figure things out again. Life is good!!

Yee-Ha!!

Took the boys down to the Texas Rodeo this afternoon. James loves horses and was really excited to go. Last night we told him we were going to the rodeo today and he started neighing and bouncing around...we really need to stop giving him advanced notice of exciting things. Makes it hard to get him to bed. =]

James loved seeing the horses and even petted a few on the nose. We also went into the petting zoo where he was able to pet sheep, goats (including a cute baby one), baby deer, and a zebra. We also saw an ostrich and a baby camel. Then we went to the livestock show and saw pigs, rabbits, cows, and chickens. Matthias loved the fluffy baby chicks.

Overall we had a great time and saw a lot of cool stuff. James was still free this year so that was a plus. Parking cost $12 bucks...lame!! Taylor and I ate some yummy BBQ and the weather was perfect!! Right now the rain is pouring down and we have a flood warning.

Hope you enjoy the select pics of our rodeo fun!! Love, the Texas Harveys.

ABCs

So James surprised us all the other day by singing the "alphabet song" with his little magnet alphabet toy. We captured his singing on video and I am trying to upload his video to the blog. James is learning a lot of new words and starting to communicate better. His speech teacher will be here any minute, so we've got to run. Hope you enjoy his ABCs!!

At popular request, I have added the following...

So last Wednesday started out fairly normal, but as soon as I put my contacts in, my eye started bugging me. It just felt like I had an eyelash or a hair or something in my eye. My eyes frequently bother me, so it wasn't too out of the ordinary. However, after my shower it was really getting to me, so I decided to investigate.

I started looking in my eye to see if I could find an eyelash or something and then it started to bleed a little. So of course I called Taylor, and when he didn't answer I called my mom to see if I should be worried. She also didn't answer and I really needed to have an opinion on whether I should be worried. I contemplated calling Kathy, but then my eye really started bleeding and everytime I blinked it would gush out blood. It was pouring everywhere. At this point I didn't need a second opinion on whether I should be worried or not...I was starting to freak out. So naturally I took a picture. Then I decided to call Taylor over and over again until he answered. Fortunately he answered and told me he would meet me at the eye doctor, who I called next and was told to rush in. I was crying and shaking at this point, James was watching Backyardigans and Matthias was starting to cry for his lunch. I called Mandy who rushed over to watch the boys and I had my neighbor drive me out to meet Taylor.

Once I got there the bleeding had stopped, so my eye doctor started poking at my eye with a pointy little stick which really hurt and of course did not make my eye start bleeding again.

The diagnosis: Dr. Moffatt told me I have a mole on the inside of my bottom eyelid and the blood vessels have grown over it. In rubbing my eye I popped one...hence all the bleeding. Nothing super serious. He recommended that I see an eye lid specialist to determine if I should have the mole removed or not.

Two great things I learned from this experience...One, if you ever think you might want a picture of something later, take it so you don't regret it. You can always delete it later if it is just too gross. Two, never shoot down your kids dreams in life...they really can be anything they want to be. Somewhere in the world there must be an eight year old kid aspiring to become an eye lid specialist and there really is a market out there for him.

In other news Taylor switched groups and is now working on a new project, with a new boss, in a new office, and a new job. Should be loads of fun. But he will miss Uga.