This is what keeps me smiling

 How can I pack when this sweet boy is around?

 Who can say no?  He just wants to be held!  I love it when he does that to my mom and Tommy.

A trip to the Zoo where we did not leave anyone in the Ape house.

 Did I tell you we went to the zoo?  I didn't?  I find that hard to believe.  I was truly proud of myself.  I took the kids to the zoo.  No, I don't think you heard me.  I took the kids to the zoo.  Yes.  Me.  I drove the Washington, DC with 4 kids in tow and went to the zoo.  Yes, this is the same Fuzzy who freaks out about everything, and I almost didn't go.  I got the kids all ready to go and just about chickened out, but once we were all ready, I was not going to stay home. 

 Now, mind you, I didn't go alone.  I was part of a convoy.  I have been spending some mornings praying with some moms from school, and we decided to take a trip together.  All 6 adults and 26 kids.  We did!  We had such a great range of kids, that I felt like supermom.  Emma found a 7th grade girl to be buddies with, and Patrick found a friend who likes to read up on everything just like he does.  I had just William and James!  It was such a great day!  We actually stayed a bit longer and I got a little panicky because it was just me and the 4 of them.

 There were a few buildings I did not brave (you know, the ones that require you to take the kids out of the strollers and hold them, and/or chase them through the exibits).  While I waited outside, I decided to see if my prince would come.   

 There was also a sighting of Little Sisters of the Poor!  Isn't that cool?

 While we waited, we had front row seats to the orangutans going up to the o-line.  Even the big hairy, old one went up too!  William know (from the veggie tales song) that if it doesn't have a tail it's an ape, if it has a tail it's a monkey!  The lady who was working outside was officially impressed.

 There's Patrick and his reading buddy.  He's a grade younger, but taller, unfortunately.  (C'mon, Patrick!  Grow!)

 This happened to be the only elephant that we got to see that day.

 The Red Panda.

 Promise you, this is the real panda in the panda house.  We had to puuush our way to get up close to see him.  We went through the building twice to get a better view of Patrick's favorite.

 We made it into the Ape house.  William loved watching the gorillas, who were eating.

 Yeah, it's Emma's favorite too.

 We were able to get super close to the orangutan and watch him eat with his lips that turn all sorts of directions.

 That is William's hand.  Isn't that cool?

 And you know what?  My prince DID come!  My dear, sweet, wonderful husband came to meet us at the zoo.  AND he did the best thing EVER:  He drove us all home.  Isn't he the greatest??!!

 We were last at the zoo when these were just cubs.  I know they are cubs still, but they sure look big.

 Patrick loves doing the "Tiger Tracks" near the Big Cats section of the zoo, and it was nice that I could let him take his time.

My, Grandma, what big paws you have.

 It was feeding time for the Tigers too, and this one was unusually vocal.  We were listening to him growl, and William would growl back.  The two of them went at it back and forth.  I wished I could have caught it on camera, it was priceless!

Here is proof that we saw a prairie dog.  Those things are never out when you go by their habitat.

So, there it is.  I am pretty proud of myself for going, and I know it was the encouragement of the sweet ladies that I have made friends with that got me out the door.  Granted, I don't know if we would do it again with that many people, but I am so glad we went.  I know I beat a dead horse have mentioned this before, but I felt like I missed a lot last year with the kids.  I don't want to miss what is going on this year, even with all the chaos that is our life right now, and that I get to make some good memories (and be the cool mommy) makes this feel so good.

Congratulations, Emma!

Every month the school has a special virtue that the kids all work very hard to emulate.  I got a call from Emma's teacher telling us that Emma received the virtue award for the month of April.  The virtue?  Stewardship and Service!  We are soo proud of my sweet, helpful Emma!

On a side note, I just want to say that Emma's teacher has been so amazing for her this year.  She has pushed and challenged Emma beyond anything that I could have ever imagined, and she has totally blossomed under her guidance.   This has been an amazing year, and I just hope her enthusiasm continues through all the years of school.  We are so blessed to have Emma, and that the Lord provided such a great teacher!!!

Mother Son Date Knight

Our Chic Fil A in the area had a date night for moms and their boys.  We had a lovely time, and the boys felt fully Knighted by the time we left!

The boys did a bit of fencing, Mommy received a crown and corsage, and we came home with goodies galore.  William said the mask was heavy and a bit stinky.  I was impressed that he put it on!  Patrick was eager to try out the fencing (I accidentally called it jousting, and he corrected me) and I was so proud of him. 

Fun with Mommy

Mother's Day fun with the kids.  :)  Don't you just love Emma's outfit?

Mother's Day

I love it when the kids come home with something for Mother's Day made at school.  They are so careful to hide it so I don't see it (Emma) or they come home and try to give it to me right away (Patrick).  It's been like that both years, and each time the kids are the same about it.  It's so cute.

This year, Emma had a survey to fill out about Me.  Favorite foods and whatnot.

I like it when my mom helps me with my homework.
My mom can do many things.  I think she is best at doing the dishes.
My mom is as pretty as a red rose.
My mom is smart.  She even knows what is best for me. 

Patrick had 2 cards for me, one with a poem and a tea bag to drink if he stressing me out.  The other card had some special instructions from the teacher.  I can't remember what it's called. 

Mommy
friendly, funny
loving, caring, snacking
I love my mom
lover

I love their perspective! 

Virginia Gold Cup

Thank you, Iveys, for another wonderful day with you!

Our first races.  We had never done anything like this before.

Emma added the boa herself.

Don't the ladies look lovely?!

I loved all the guys in coats and ties.

Soo many people came up to Emma to take her picture.  She really hoped to win the Best Hat Contest, but she came in 3rd.  The sweet girls shared their prize with her, though.  She was thrilled.  After we almost lost William in the crowd, he took a nice, long nap amidst all that was going on and was quite good the rest of the day. 

It was a lovely day for a race.

Emma picked horse #2 to win!  She was spot on.

Caroline was tickled to wear Emma's hat.  She wanted to see the photo as soon as I took it, and tried to slide the picture on my camera to see the others.  Made me laugh every time. 

Letting Go

I have finally figured out what the hardest part of moving is. No, it's not the packing. It's not even the mess that comes with packing, or showing the house or hunting for THE house. It's none of those things at all.

I have no control.

We have sold our house (yay!) and have found a new house to move into (double yay!). BUT, the house we are buying is a short sale. That means we are waiting for the bank, the homeowners, the inspections, etc, etc. It.is.so.much.WAITING. We have to wait for the bank to tell us everything is a go. We have to wait for the homeowners to prove hardship, we have to wait for the next step of the short sale process, which is ANYTHING but short. Every week we wait for more news, so we have some idea of when we will be in our new home, and NOT between homes. We knew it was going to be like this, but I don't think I fully grasped the process. As usual. I'm the idiot newbie when it comes to big things like this. So, that is one part of the waiting process.

The other waiting part is with our house. The new owners get a say on inspection, the price, the time frame of closing, the condition of things in the house, etc. I just realized today that we are like a pawn. Worthless and just for show at this point. Our opinion or needs don't really matter right now. We are the last ones to know anything it seems, and it just feels like there is no end in sight to this Limbo. We have a closing date set for our house, so we will need to be out of it then, but, here is the big question, where will we be going?? I was really hoping we would be doing some things to show that we would have a home to go to, but I am starting to think that it's not going to happen. Tommy came home from work and started saying that we need to think about where we are going to go. Um, may I suggest Disneyworld?? The happiest place on earth may just be what we need. Sigh. No, really. Does anyone want a family of 6 moving in with them for an indefinite amount of time? Maybe you will take the kids and Tommy and I will go to the hotel......that sounds quite appealing. :) Thankfully, we do have a lot of family in the area, but who really wants to impose on family, or anyone for that matter, for any length of time? Yeah, I didn't think so. That's what's going on here.

Yes, this is a whiny post, and thank you if you have gotten all the way through it. Maybe you have some good news to share with me, or would like to join me in my daily, daily prayer:
Jesus, I trust in YOU!