The Zoo

We love the zoo! Most of our trips take us around the usual paths; the lions, tigers, monkeys. But lately we've found a new little section of the zoo that is just perfect for Si. The last two times we've been there, we haven't done anything else. A few weeks ago Si and I went with a friend and her two kids and we spent the whole time at the "farm". Turns out Si loves goats and cows just as much as he loves lions and tigers.

He also loves tractors!

This morning was "family day". It is really unfortunate that family day is rare enough to warrant a special name but between staggered work schedules and Caleb's class schedule, we have too few opportunities to hang out just the three of us! So, family day consisted of a trip to the Zoo and a lot of football on TV. Again, we spent several hours at the zoo and all of them at the farm.

It is so fun to see life through a child's eyes! Josiah is at a wonderful age as he soaks in life like a sponge. It is amazing how exciting life can be!

Si is peeking at a goat on the other side of the bench. The goat pen holds maybe 30 goats. All of them have little collars with their names and all are remarkably patient. We love the goats.

We recently brought home our first set of Little People. It is the Little People farm and matches the playground area at the Zoo Farm. It is a perfect toddler play area and Josiah is getting to be quite the expert on the slide!

Caleb was the photographer for most of Family Day Zoo Trip but luckily I snapped this quick one in the parking lot to prove he was there! We'd already changed Si's shirt because of a mud puddle, but it really was the same day. Love these guys!

I am so thankful for family days!

wanna be like Dad

It was a weekend of projects. Josiah is nothing if not ready to help! It is so fun to see this kiddo be "all about his daddy". He truly wants to do whatever Caleb is doing. Try as I might I couldn't keep him away from the tools or out of the yard while Caleb installed the new dishwasher and spread the new grass seed/steer poop. I am more sure than ever that I have bred a tiny Caleb.
I especially love this next one; he really might be the most adorable child in the world!

In AZ you have to reseed your winter lawn every fall, unfortunately that means spending the next two or more weeks with a backyard of dead grass covered in manure. That's why in one day we went from green grass to, well, the pictures that follow. 27 bags of steer manure smell like you'd assume it would. Won't be spending too much time out there in the next few weeks. Sorry to our neighbors who chose to spray paint their rocks green rather than replant grass every year.

Josiah saw this project through from beginning to end. He stayed outside and followed Caleb around the yard for hours.

Seeing my son love his daddy so much has so encouraged my own love for my husband! It has blessed me beyond words to watch Caleb become a daddy; and not just a daddy, but a truly devoted, loving, fun daddy who is involved in every aspect of Si's life. One of Caleb's pastor friends joked tonight that this sermon was the first one Caleb had preached since Josiah's birth that didn't include a story or illustration about Josiah. Thanks, Josiah for making every aspect of our lives better: just by being you!

a weekend in october

My 31st birthday was this past weekend. We had a nice quiet weekend planned. Caleb planned a date night for Friday night and a friend watched Josiah. I had an all-day retreat for church on Saturday so our only real plan for the end of the day was to spend some much-needed time as a family!

The one little nuisance in our prep was this crazy cough I couldn't seem to shake. I have been coughing for a couple weeks now but had no other symptoms to speak of. I decided against going to the doctor and hoped it would just start to get better on its own. We also had a well-baby check up and shots for Josiah on Friday morning so we both attended that appt. and proudly told our pediatrician that it had been months since Josiah threw up.


We left the ped's Friday morning and by Friday night when he went to bed , he'd thrown up 6 times. We were concerned and besides thinking it was a little ironic we'd just told our doctor how he never throws up; we assumed he was having a reaction to the shots (although he'd had them all before and had never had a reaction to any of them) or maybe it was that toy he'd borrowed from a sick-looking kid in the waiting room. Either way we'd hoped it would get better through the weekend. It didn't. 6 throw-ups a day was par for the course this weekend. This poor little angel is sucking down Pedialyte like crazy because be can't hold anything else down.

Caleb and I still went on our date night; still thinking Si was suffering from a reaction and knowing he was in the quite capable hands of one of his AZ grandpas. We had sushi and watched "The Social Network". Both were amazing and come highly recommended by me!


We also got our family time on Saturday. I still went to my retreat (even though the cough persisted) but I made it through. (who knows how many people are now coughing up a storm). When I got home Caleb, Josiah and I went to a little pumpkin patch and farmer's market, played at a park and ate at our favorite restaurant, which coincidentally, gives free meals out on your birthday! We had a great day and the pics below are from this day.

Sunday came and we had a whirlwind day, not unlike most of our Sundays, with church services in the morning and evening but this past Sunday we also added the annual church picnic which fell, of course, right during Si's normal nap time. So we did church, picnic, nap, church....all the while Si throwing up every few hours.

Monday finally roles in and I go to work in the morning. By noon Josiah and I both had diagnosis...Josiah: Some crazy contagious virus that is going around that he is too young for any kind of treatment for. Should last a few more days with the throwing up and several more after that with diarrhea. Anna: Pneumonia. While Josiah and I spent the rest of the day convalescing, Caleb was off to work and then school (he got an A on his Greek quiz). On the way home he says: I have a horrible headache and sore throat. I guess that was inevitable.

Although we have been freely spreading our gems around town all weekend, I still would not advise a trip to the Fields house any time soon.