We're Going to the Zoo Zoo Zoo...

How about you you you... Does anyone else remember that song?  Those really are the only words I can remember so that's all that I've been singing... over and over and over again!  Well, we took a trip to the Houston Zoo today (yes, TODAY -- can anyone believe that we're so caught up that we're giving an update of what we're currently up to?!) and had such a fun time!  We weren't sure whether or not Graham would like it or not but he enjoyed just about all of the animals he could spot.  Most of them were pretty close but some were too far away and too still for us to be able to show him.  The other challenge was trying to explain that most of the animals had names other than "kitty," "dog," and "bird."  He finally remembered monkey, cow, and fish but it took a little bit of prodding.  The animals don't tend to always look like the animals in the books we read and don't always make the same noises that we try to get him to imitate (I don't have much of a skill for imitating animals like elephants, for example).  Nonetheless, we had some great family time as we explored the zoo together!

Into the entrance!  Nat looks mad in this picture but he's not, I promise!

Seals... Graham wanted to go into the "pool."

Nat and Graham watching all of the fun birds!

Zebras...

Big fish!

One of the highlights of the zoo is the farm and petting zoo that they have in the children's section.  We all loved it, but Nat and Graham especially did!  Here they are with one of the cows.

Goats are one of Nat's favorite animals ever.  He didn't want to leave them!

Some bears...

The tigers were kind of hard to see.  They were sleeping in the back of their habitat.

So we got up close and personal with the tiger cutout!

Wild dogs... I know that there's a more specific name for them but this is all I can remember.

Big longhorn cattle!  We thought these might be Texas natives, but I think the sign said they were from Asia?

A BIG turtle!

Then we were off to the monkey/ape area.  They were so very loud which made it quite the experience!  These guys were leaping all around their area but came together for a second for some love!

This one was swinging all around and making the most noise.  He sounded like he was blowing into a jug for part of the time and yapping for the rest!

The orangutans (not sure how to spell that) were quite entertaining.  This one was doing somersaults for us, swinging back and forth, and flipping upside down!

Here we are in front of the giraffes!

This giraffe came almost to the very edge - he was so tall and wanted the leaves of the tree that were shading us!

Last stop: elephants.

We saw many many more animals than this but these were some of the favorites.  All of us were super tired by the time our trip was over, but Graham beat us all.  He was asleep within five minutes - the time it took for us to get somewhere for lunch!  We can't wait to go back!

A Walk in the Park

Well... big news!  We put an offer on a house last week and it was accepted!  Our home inspection will be completed tomorrow so we're praying that it will be clear as to whether or not it's a good investment.  In our excitement we decided to check out the neighborhood park which is right down a greenbelt trail from the house.  Unfortunately, these pictures were taken at the wrong park, but I decided to post them anyway!  This park is further down the trails into the next neighborhood.  We found our real park but I forgot to take pictures :o)

Another Haircut!

As we were giving Graham a bath the other night, we realized just how long his hair was getting again!  So... the very next day we gave him a haircut.  This was the first time that he didn't squirm or scream on us so we actually had fun!

Goooo Redskins!

Last Sunday was the Redskins' big game against the Cowboys. To get us geared up for the game, Grammie and Pop-Pop had mailed us a package that arrived just in time! We were able to cheer for our favorite team AND have be able to wear shirts for their support! I think they must have known... they won!

New Shoes

In an earlier blog we mentioned how much Graham loves shoes... he's obsessed with them, really. Well, last Saturday we went shopping and bought him some new shoes. He wanted them on his feet from the time we saw them in the store and as soon as we got home he HAD to have them on his feet!

Showing them off!
He's getting to be such a big boy!

Toys and TV

Who thought it would be so much fun to sit in a box filled to the brim with toys?

Although Graham doesn't know the right buttons to push yet, he has the stance down to turning on the "TT" (TV)!

Warm Bath!

After several painful cold bathtimes, Graham was SUPER relieved for warm baths! His first one was at the Farrell's house (our pastor and his wife). He screamed for the first few seconds until he realized that it was warm water and then smiled and started swimming around! This is from his second warm bath (at our apartment). I was terrified that he would hate baths forever after this - what a relief!

A Week Without Electricity

On Saturday after the storm blew over we decided to head back to our apartment to see if there was any damage. We didn't have electricity (to be expected), but thankfully we didn't have any water or wind damage - even to our car that we left (without thinking) under a flimsy metal awning. We remain so grateful as we know of many people who were not as fortunate. This is a building that we passed on our way home where the whole first floor completely flooded. People were walking around the balconies on the second floor and rescue boats were being sent out from the highway to bring them onto dry land. ***Note - I don't know why this is underlining but I don't know how to make it go away. Hopefully it won't keep doing this!!

It was much cooler outside than it was inside so we spent most of the day catching the breeze that was left over from Ike.



Helicopters (big ones!) were flying over for a couple of weeks! Graham loved watching them.
But he hated cold baths :o( How sad is that face?!
Aslan was so hot that night that he didn't want to even get up for water. We gave in and brought it to him instead.
Trying to boil water over a small alcohol stove covered by a cut out coffee can. It worked...kind of.

The next day we stood in line for over an hour at the Lowes and we were able to buy some small propane cans for our camp stove!
Poor Aslan... "I just want to be outside!"
What a breakfast!!
We came to a point where the grocery stores were not selling ice and we had already cooked all of our meat and other perishables but we didn't have a way to keep them cold. So after listening to the radio (and calling my dad to look online for us) Graham and I made our way to the FEMA distribution center that was close to us. I was amazed at the line of people waiting in their cars. This is a picture of a portion of the cars that we were trailing around a big sports complex.
And then we made it to the trucks - We were so thankful for the ice to last us until the next day when the stores started getting ice in again!

Graham loved the wind up radio
More camping meals :o)
Nat went back to the church to work for most of the week. Graham and I thought of fun things to do while he was away... Like eating.
Playing in the open windows...
Loving Aslan

and building forts out of couch cushions!
We also received a call from a friend from church (Traci) who lives in Kemah and had water damage in her house. We were able to go and help her with some work in the house (pulling up carpet) and outside of her house too. She amazingly had electricity so I even took a hot shower and she was gracious to offer it to us the rest of the week as needed! Traci cleaning up her yard.
Nat and Graham playing around :o)
Since we were in Kemah to help her out we took some pictures of some of the damage that was still left over right near the bay.
Supposedly, all of these boats were in the median of the road after the storm. I think that these models from Johnson Space Center started out in the same position they ended up...
The week continues on without electricity...
And Graham and Aslan continue to love on each other in front of the open windows.
Nothing like music and dancing to wind down the evening!
The following Friday afternoon our electricity turned back on -- hooray!! We were at the point of taking up an offer to stay with someone else at the church who did have electricity and I was about to start packing our bags when, voila! There it was! Despite it being a little annoying, we really don't have anything to complain about and enjoyed the days and nights we had camping out in our apartment! It did help that the temperature during the day never went above 81 degrees, though - it was in the 90s the week before and the week after this ordeal! We were also very thankful for the encouragement and prayers of our families and friends!