Triangles
Triangles.
It's how the cool kids eat their peanut butter sandwiches.
And Then They Handed Him Back
Today was the last day of school for Sam...and Mama!
Sam had a great day, even though it was a little bittersweet saying goodbye to his amazing teachers. He had so much fun this year and learned
a lot
.
Oh, and he grew. Tall.
Remember the picture on the left? It was taken August 31st,
. He was just 18 months old. On the right is his picture from this morning, the last day of school, 27 months old.
Where did my baby go?
When I picked Sam up from school on the first day, he'd been crying and looked exhausted, but still wanted to show me his stamp. I still had my camera with me from the morning, so I snapped the pic on the left. I took a similar picture yesterday after picking Sam up from school, and this time he was a much happier - and bigger - boy!
Today was my official last day of school, too. I loved my job, but it will be nice to have a break from the stress of getting Sam ready in the morning, getting him and all of his stuff in the car and to the church on time, and then making the extra little trek to my school!
Come August, though, we'll be ready to be a teacher and a student again!
Greatful for a wonderful school-year for both of us and looking forward to a fun, relaxing summer!
The Dallas Zoo - Our Little Animal
Our little critter had a great time on his first trip to the zoo!
His favorite part? His new wagon!
Please don't feed the animals!!
The Dallas Zoo - Feathers and Scales
There were those who soar and those who slither. And then there were those who flirt.
Among the birds at the zoo was the owner of this awesome pad, the stork.
And the beautiful, long-legged flamingoes.
Plump little penguins,
and Sam's favorite bird, the Bald Eagle!
In the Butterfly House!
This guy was trying to digest the meal he'd just devoured - ten whole mice!
(they're all sitting in that pouch there, underneath his throat)
And then there was this handsome bird - and old California Condor. He's fifty-eight and loves to flirt!
Some scaly critters...
Mr. Boudreaux, showing off his choppers!
Peek-A-Boo!
The Dallas Zoo - Children's Zoo
Some of the tamer animals for the little ones!
Best buddies!
A pretty barn owl and a giant bunny. These bunnies can grow to be three feet long and twenty pounds!
Sam and I went into the goat pen with Gram and Pops to pet and feed the goats. One of the goats tried to munch on Pops' shorts! Naughty goat!
Checking out the ponies!
Checking out the fish pond with Gram and Granny.
Best buddies!
The Dallas Zoo - Savannah Animals
Get ready for some hungry - and sleepy - animals.
These were some of the prettiest animals at the zoo, but also some of the sleepiest. I didn't know lions yawned so much!
The elephants weren't quite as sleepy as the lions. They were all walking around, playing with the hay in their corner of the "savannah". I think elephants seem sweet. They are my second favorite animal at the zoo :) This one looks like she's giving us a sheepish little smile!
Don't worry - I wasn't really this close to Miss Cheetah, I was behind some glass. She just liked walking close to us, showing off her spots!
We took a vote Monday and all agreed the giraffe was the Straka Family Favorite Zoo Animal. These sweet babies came right up to us, looking for food. Some of the kids there were feeding them romaine lettuce, supposedly one of their favorite foods, so I just snapped away. I could have stayed there all day, taking pictures of these guys. There were so sweet.
The lady on the left deserves special mention. Her name is Katie. She's pregnant. And she will be pregnant for *gulp*
fifteen months
. In a row. And that's not all - she will spend those months
standing up
, and will continue to stand up right on through, including during the grand finale when her baby will drop to the ground from about six feet up.
Yikes.
Good luck with that, Katie. Better you than me, that's for sure.
One of the giraffes checking out Sam and Gram.
SLURP!!!
This camel was taking a break...
A rhino!
Ha! This zoo speaks my kid's language!
The Cweek!
Sam and I had a fun playdate yesterday. Several of us "momtogs" and our boys met at a neighborhood creek to let the kids splash around in their rainboots. The water is very clear and shallow and the creek is nestled in a quiet spot, downhill from a walking trail. The only thing missing yesterday was a little sunshine, which would have made for some pretty sparkles on the water. But Sam had a pretty good time, anyway, especially considering we came directly from school when he's often tired and cranky. He was a little reserved in the water, but did wade out into the creek with me and had a great time playing with a stick on the "shore". We'll definitely have to go back to cool down on a hot sunny day this summer!
Lemonade for Sale!
A friend of mine from our photography group hosted a lemonade stand photoshoot and asked me to help with a few of the details. It turned out really pretty and the kids had fun. Sam was kind of whiny until the very end, then he decided to be a good sport and play lemonade stand for us so we could get some pics!
Mother's Day
We had a nice, relaxing Mother's Day this year. Brian got up early to make me breakfast and had Sam bring me a flower from the bouquet he bought, along with a funny card (which was addressed to "Mum"), into the bedroom when I first woke up. "Here you go, Mama", he said!
We enjoyed an awesome breakfast - eggs, sausage, bagels with salmon and cream cheese, juice and coffee - before heading out to meet Gram and Pops for a picnic at Frisco Commons. Andrew, Great-Grandma and my Uncle Brad joined us, too, and we had fun eating lunch and taking a walk in the windy, but pretty weather. Sam was such a patient boy that we finished our day at the park with some time on the giant wooden playground. Sam did the silly stairs with Gram, the swings with Pops and the horsies with Andrew.
Jan and Emil sent me the sweetest card and Nell and I chatted on the phone later that evening. Thanks, too, to Brian and Brad for the flowers. It was fun photographing something new for a change and they look great in the house! The two pictures of Sam at the bottom of the post are from the Mother's Day Tea at Sam's school. His teachers did a great job of celebrating us moms and Sam enjoyed showing me the puzzles he plays with at school!
Easter
Finally - Easter pictures!
A small Easter basket at home, then off to Gram and Pops for another basket and a backyard egg hunt!
Horse Country
We took a ride to the country recently, to test out Mama's new car.
Our neighborhood is just south of an area kind of known as "horse country", so we were hoping to see some horses and pretty ranches. We found some sweet mares, a couple of noisy donkeys, and caught a beautiful sunset on the way home. Oh, and Mama's new car is awesome!
Ribbit
Sam gets credit for the outfit and the funny face.
I can only take credit for the photos!
Central Park
I took Sam to play with some friends in Central Park last week. Frisco's Central Park, that is.
Aside from a few tantrums here and there, Sam had a great time being able to run around without me having to stay right on him. There are huge longhorn and cattle sculptures, fountains, and an outdoor amphitheater. Sam loved walking along the theater "seats" and blowing the pinwheel in the wind.
Sunset
We took a walk to the neighborhood pond the other night to feed the baby ducks.
We stayed for a while and as the sun began to set I snapped some fun silhouette and sun flare shots of the boys. Enjoy!
