Zoo!

I love the zoo, but I don't go anywhere near as often as I'd like to. What can I say? I'm also kind of a homebody! However, Todd was in Molalla gold panning today, and Beth had to stay out at Jobcorps, so it was just the kiddos and myself. I really didn't want to stay home all day, so we went to the zoo with my friends--and the kids' honorary aunties--Mandy & Melissa.

Being a wimp and the aforesaid homebody, I'm exhausted, and we only walked around for about 2 hours, since the zoo closed at 4 today! The weather was fabulous, considering it's mid-February in Portland--it was chilly, but sunny and gorgeous, which made things just about perfect.

Trin tried to take over the camera for the trip, and came out with some pretty good shots. This one of the lioness is my favorite though:

Garrett was a trooper. I know he was tired--he'd had about an hour nap this morning, and then he caught about another 30 minutes before Mandy picked us up, and that was it since he woke up at 7 am. Yeah. He was tired. You'd never have known it, though! He wasn't cranky at all, and he was really attentive to everything and everyone around him. He LOVED the fish and the bats, and he was pretty interested in the gibbons and the komodo dragon. Here he is, trying to touch the fish in the tank:

We finished out our day with the penguins....

Things are getting interesting

I just realized I hadn't said anything about G-man! He's up & moving now--pulls up to stand regularly and is starting to figure out cruising! Oh, and reaching for the buttons on the tv, beating on the window pane, and tormenting the dog...all normal 10-month-old activities, LOL!

He's working on talking, I think. So far, we've got the requisite "Mama" & "Dada", along with "baba" (bottle, of course, although that one only comes out every once in a while), and the new ones within the last couple-3 days are "uh-oh!" and "gak (yucky)". And, yes, along with the "uh-oh" came the very deliberate dropping of things to see how often Mommy/Daddy/Sister/Grandma will pick them up!

So frustrated...

I'm in a new position for me, not liking my job and not being able to get past the job part to truly enjoy my coworkers, and I really dislike it. Especially since I'm not in any kind of position of really compromising on the next job I do find when it comes to wages & benefits. Until Todd gets approved for SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance), I'm pretty much stuck. It's ok on the one hand, since I know it's a stable job with fantastic benefits, which we truly need, especially right now with Todd trying to get everything balanced out and managed. On the other hand, I like liking my job. Especially when I spend more time there than I do at home with my family!

So, I'm trying to brainstorm the things I love to discover the "right" career for me, and I'm feeling vaguely successful, but until I'm not the sole breadwinner for our family, it's all wishful thinking when it comes right down to it--very frustrating......