Dallas Zoo

Wednesday, May 12th, we decided to take the kids to the zoo - for the first time!

We have been waiting for the prime opportunity to take Braxton to the zoo (like many other places). We wanted him to be a good age to walk, enjoy, understand certain elements, good weather (warm but not Texas hot) etc...

In addition to all of our desires/qualifications for the 'right' time, we were blessed to have family in town (including: my mom, David's parents, David's grandfathers and his aunt & uncle). David was able to leave work at 10 am, and it was the perfect opportunity...weekday not weekend :)

Braxton LOVES all animals and was so excited for the 'real' zoo after having been to the petting zoo the prior Saturday. He continued to ask to see the animals and remind us about going. Specifically, he wanted to see the giraffes, zebras and elephants.

So, we headed out to the Dallas Zoo. Supposedly the Fort Worth zoo is much better, but it is also much farther.

Little did we know that the Dallas zoo is undergoing some major renovations; therefore, no elephants, giraffes or zebras were to be seen :( Braxton stayed in good spirits in spite of this and loved every minute! He ran, jumped, climbed, played, ate A TON, laughed, wanted to hold and feed the animals - it was an awesome time! Needless to say, he crashed at the end...you'll see a pic of him resting his head on Daddy's on the way out.

Enjoy our slide show!!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Chaplin Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

petting zoo

My friend, Lyndsey, was having a fundraiser for the Susan G Komen walk which included a petting zoo, bounce house, play area, maze, tractor/train ride and silent auction. We (David, me, Braxton, Ayla, Evie, GG Chaplin, Mark & Jenifer) had a great time! The animals just loved Great Grandpa Chaplin :)

Braxton has been to two petting zoos before but never the actual zoo. So when he saw the lamas, he thought they were giraffes (so cute)! We were planning a Dallas zoo trip on the following Wednesday, so we assured him that he would see giraffes then. (more on this later)

parent dedication

"In this special portion of our worship service, parents make a pledge before the congregation to raise their child in a Christ-centered home, and the people of Lake Pointe commit to support these parents as they do so."

Lake Pointe has added a special Friday night celebration for those participating in parent dedication. This night entails watching a prerecorded video from the parents to their children, a photo slide show of the children, presentation of each family including names, special scriptures and spiritual meanings of their names! It is a very special commitment, and we appreciate all of those that were in attendance.

We were also included on Sunday morning at the beginning of corporate worship. During this time, we were presented on stage with the children introduced and a scripture read by the pastor to each child. We were able to have even more family attend this day. Another big thank you!!!

learning

the pediatrician suggested that we allow the girls an opportunity to learn to use a sippy cup at meal time with tap water. she said they could also practice the pincer grasp with puffs - so here is their first day in a high chair, with a sippy of water and a tray with puffs! they were pretty happy :)

i fed ayla first...she liked playing with the puffs more than the sippy. once the water touched her lips, she was pretty disgusted!

evie was totally into the sippy and like an old pro, picked it up and lifted it to her mouth immediately. she, too, was pretty upset about the contents. all in all, she enjoyed her new learning experience. ayla learned from braxton how to build a tower while evie ate, and evie joined them afterward! the girls were camera ready - these are some of my favorites!

6 months

Braxton David (2 years 6 months)

32 pounds

38.5 inches

Ayla Morgan (6 months)

13 pounds 4 ounces

24.75 inches

Evie Alois (6 months)

13 pounds

25.5 inches

Both girls are doing well...except for the three vaccines they received today :(

Braxton is over his scarlatina and doing awesome.

It's hard to believe 2 years and 6 months have passed since I gave birth to Braxton and 6 months since the twins were born (and I survived)!!!

It's crazy around our house most of the time, and I just can't ever seem to keep the house clean, the toys picked up, the laundry put away, etc... But as long as I keep my children and husband healthy and happy - life is good.

God is great, and I just can't thank him enough for my amazing life. He redeemed (& redeems) my mistakes ~ blessed (& blesses) me beyond measure! He entrusted (& entrusts)these precious souls to me (on His borrowed time), and I will do my best to teach them THE WAY.

I love you, sweet babies!!!

A Day at Dad's

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

bluebonnets

this was the best we could get of all the kids.

this was the best and first shot of braxton - posing all on his own.

it was more difficult to get the girls, especially ayla. she did not want to look up!

we'll see how it goes next year :)