Long days, good days

Hello from Norfolk!  Well, it's just after nine and we are finishing our day.  It was a good one, but it started really early!  For some reason, LJ is waking up at 5:45 a.m., and I don't have the heart or endurance to let him cry.  It breaks my heart and I need Lance's hand to hold if we have to work through that.  He does so good, though, for not getting that sleep.  It may put him at a disadvantage (both of us) to start the day, but we had another good day today.

Because of our early rising, we got to the zoo just as the animals were waking up!  No, just kidding - we did get there when they opened, though.  It only cost SEVEN DOLLARS to go to the zoo!!  It's less than two miles from our house, lucky us, and I know we will be going back soon.  We did the whole zoo by lunch time, and both of us were tired.  It was perfect - a small zoo, and not too much for us to take on together.  LJ was able to walk a lot, and when he got tired, I made sure to stroll him for a while.  

My favorite exhibits were the elephants and the giraffes.  LJ was amazed by them, but that amazement faded quickly and soon he decided he'd rather climb on benches and stuff.  I was gazing at the elephants while making sure he didn't fall.  I think, surprisingly, the chicken coop was his favorite exhibit.  He kept running back in the barn.  We got to pet a pig ( I loved it), and we fed some goats, too.  Even LJ was brave enough to feed one.  He didn't really like it, but he wasn't scared either.  I have posted some pictures of us at the zoo.  What fun!

After that, we grabbed a bite to eat then went to get Rookie out to play.  It's so hard to make LJ stay with me when we take Rookie out.  He knows where the tennis court is now, so any time we go outside, he's headed that way FAST.  So, I just take more trips there.  He enjoys it so much, and Rookie deserves some good fetch time.  When they both tired out, we headed back home and got ready for a nap.  I laid down with LJ today for a bit, and after an hour and a half we were refreshed.

When we got ready, we decided to go back to the zoo park.  The zoo was closed, but I noticed a playground at the park entrance.  We stayed for about an hour, and while we were there, the ice cream man came.  What a blast from the past!  I'll have to remember my money next time and get something with gumballs in it.  LJ and I can share.  We made some friends there - there were other kids, and though I don't know where their parents were, LJ and I enjoyed playing with them.  Some kids are so sweet - you should have seen these boys and girls kicking the ball so soft with LJ.  He followed them around the playground, climbing places that were a bit too hard to climb and sliding down some of the biggest slides.  I took a picture of him at the bottom of a big slide, and he even took a picture of me - check it out.  I know it's not flattering, but he actually got me in the box!

When we got home, we had some dinner, (a toddler meal, soybeans, cheese and strawberries for him, tamales and a salad for me), and then did laundry and played till 8:30 bath time.  It was a good day, and he went down easily.  I just hope he gives me till at least 6:30 tomorrow - that'd be great.  

My bible study was good today.  It was in the book of John, "The sheep follow him because they know His voice".  It drew a parallel - It spoke of an entomologist who visited his neighbor, telling him he had heard over 18 different cricket calls with his natural ear in this man's yard.  The man thought it was funny because he had never heard a single cricket in his yard.  The entomologist's ear wanted to hear the crickets, and he had learned how to listen for them.  In the same way, we must learn to listen to God speaking to us, through practice and desire.  How cool.  I thought that was a neat way to understand that verse.  The entomologist doesn't necessarily FOLLOW the crickets when he hears them, but only by hearing God can we actually know where to follow.  I guess hearing is only a part, but it's the very important - how else would we know where to go!

I hope your day was good.  I'm going to begin picking up and heading to bed, at least to wait for Lance's call.  Have a wonderful night!

Love,

Jamie