Trip to the Zoo

On Monday "Aunt" Heather came to town and we took Claire to the zoo. We actually ended up buying a pass so now we can go all year long and also take someone with us for free! Claire LOVES the zoo and before we went all she wanted to see were the ducks!? Yes, my child would rather see a duck than a lion! Anyway, the highlights were seeing the hippos underwater, watching Claire get in the water without any hesitation, having a bird land on Claire's head (which freaked her out!) and feeding the goats! She was completely exhausted by the time we left and quickly feel asleep in the car. Here are some pics that we took:





ROAR!!






The monkeys were hilarious!! This one was trying to figure things out




Feeding the goats! They ate the food as soon as it came out of the machine!

To the moms out there

I just wanted to send out my admiration and respect to all those full-time stay at home moms I know. I just stayed home with Claire for a week and I was really looking forward to going to work today. Because I have always dealt with guilt issues, I feel bad even typing that but does that make me a bad mom? I don't think so and I want anyone else who feels this way to know you're not alone. As many of you know I work part time on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Wed. mornings and I absolutely love having something of my own. Fortunately, with my job I get to enjoy two of my passions - teaching and music. I'm truly blessed to have this balance in my life. I think it is such a release to have something to do outside of being mommy or wife... even if it's a hobby like scrapbooking! So all those full-time mommies please remember that when some think this job is easier than working outside the home, I know you're working harder than you ever have before! Keep up the wonderful work! You're children are reaping the benefits of your hard work and sleepless nights!

Oh, and for those who are working full-time please don't let anyone let you feel bad! You're also doing an amazing job and I also couldn't imagine how tired and stressed you probably feel right about now. Your little ones are also reaping the benefits of your hard work so... go get 'em girl!

Babies, babies, everywhere!

So it seems to be the season of birthing in my life and I love it even if it makes my pregnancy itch stronger! So many of my friends are having babies this Spring or have already been blessed by their arrival since '08 began! I know 5 people having babies in May alone! I hosted a baby shower this weekend for a good friend from high school, Christina and her baby boy, Dimitri Mateo. We had a great time catching up with each other and the moms who could come, playing a game of mad libs thanks to my creative hubby and ooohing and aaaahing over sweet baby gifts! A big thanks to my mom for helping me out and cleaning up afterwards so Neil and I could get to a concert! Mom, you're the greatest! Here are some pictures of the girls who could make it including Claire and the newest addition, 4 week old Lillian Michelle!

Christina, Me, Claire, Jenny, Lilly and Marie




Mommies!


Christina and her cake


Claire couldn't wait to hold baby Lilly but then she didn't know quite what to do!

Trip to Dallas

We had a great time this past weekend traveling to Dallas. We don't travel much so when we do it's exhausting but so much fun! Claire did really well in the car as long as we were singing her favorite songs and Daddy was pretending to be Elmo. Friday night we stayed with our friends Jeff and Tiffany Ketzle and their little 1 year old Caitlyn or as Claire likes to call her "Cake". We had a great time staying with another couple with kids so we could visit while the girls played so well together.

On our way to check into our hotel on Saturday, we drove by one of our favorite fast food joints, Cane's! It is a fried chicken finger place in Baton Rouge that I came to love in college and they are slowly coming to Texas. We did a quick U-ey and indulged in a box of chicken fingers and Cane sauce - if you know what I'm talking about, you're mouth is watering right about now! After a quick nap it was off to Neil's cousin's wedding which was really sweet and just perfect for the unique couple - toy Transformers on each table kept the kiddos entertained. Thanks Emily and James! Then we were off to dinner with Neil's mom, dad and sister's family. Claire had a ball with her crazy cousins and couldn't get enough of them. All in all it was a really fun trip and I'm hoping to take another road trip sometime soon =)

This is Claire at the wedding! She got her dress from Grandma


Claire's crazy cousins, Justin and Kyle


The Lewis 3

I'll give it a try

OK - so here I am giving the blog thing a try! I've been a blog browser for about 7-8 months now and I love to read people's pages so I thought why not try my own?! I believe my interest in blogging probably stems from my enjoyment of reality TV shows - it's like REAL reality shows on the computer and for anyone to see. I just really love reading people's life stories and see other kiddos grow up through pictures. It's funny how you can relate to people you've never even met and on here you can almost guarantee that's it's 100% real.

Anyway, I hope to keep some of my friends and family a little more updated on what is going on in our lives. Claire is growing up so fast and we're loving this age so much! She is able to communicate so much better now which sometimes confuses me when she decides to communicate through a 2 year old tantrum! Oh well.... guess it comes with the territory! We continue to be blessed by her and by each other. God has been so good to us and I look forward to sharing the other blessings He has in store for our family.