Zoo Much Fun

Beckett and I went to Scovill Zoo yesterday, and it was so much fun!  He has always liked animals, but this is the most animated I've ever seen him.  He chased peacocks, talked to all the animals, and ran around.  The weather was perfect - about 70 degrees - and the zoo was nearly empty.  We had a lot of fun.

 

 

 

Then it was time for the CHOO CHOO!  "All aboard the Z-O-O Express!"  The conductor gave us a personal tour -we had the whole train to ourselves!  He also took our picture, which was very nice of him!

 

 

Atlanta

My dad turned 60 on September 12th!  To celebrate, he invited all of his family to Atlanta for a long weekend.  Mandy came from Florida on Wednesday, Aunt Kathy and her friend Pat came from Houston on Wednesday, Aunt Nancy, Uncle Bob, and Granny B. came from North Carolina, Matthew flew in from Vegas, and Shonn, Beckett, and I drove in from Illinois Friday after work.  We stopped about halfway there for the night and joined everyone at Stone Mountain on Saturday early afternoon.  It was a lot of fun catching up with everyone, even though it was a short trip. 

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Beckett loves books.  He loves this one so much, he fell asleep reading it.

Saturday night, we hung out in Uncle Bob and Aunt Nancy's room and ordered pizza!  Beckett got plenty of snuggles! 

We also watched tv with no sound.  For some reason, it was playing a radio station.  But we just made our own soundtrack and everyone was hilarious.  Lots of laughing!

Shonn and Uncle Bob at breakfast Sunday morning.

Beckett loved "driving" the high chairs on the shiny tile floors.  He was a crazy driver!

Mandy and Levi getting ready to head back to sunny Florida!

Granny B! 

 

Mom took all the good group pics, so when she emails them to me (hint, hint), I will upload them!

Unbeleafable Art

Beckett and I did an art project over Labor Day weekend and it turned out great!  I sketched the tree trunk and he decorated with fall leaves. 

 

Here is the finished product in his playroom:

Boom, Boom

Shonn took Beckett to the small circus that visited Mattoon tonight!  Beckett rode a small Shetland Pony for about three steps and then wanted Dad to take him off of it. Then, they went to see the elephant.  Beckett says, "Boom, boom" for elephants, and one day I mentioned it to Shonn.  I said I thought it was so cute how Beckett came up with that, and I wondered how.  Shonn said, "Oh, I taught him to say that."  I was so surprised, and I asked him why.  Shonn told me, "Well, that's what I said when I was little."  Cute.

So, Beckett got to feed the Boom Boom tonight.

Shonn said he liked it...until the trunk kept searching for more food.  And then he was done. :)

Steak and Shake

We had lunch at Steak and Shake after church on Sunday.  Beckett loved the banana shake!

Routine

 

A great part of school starting is getting back into a routine.  Beckett is such a little learner right now - exploring everything and so curious.  I'm excited to see what this year has in store for him!

 

I created this two-page daily log sheet so that I have a record of his learning and growth to share with him (or his future wife) someday.  Plus, it makes me feel more a part of his daily life.  Grandparents did this last year, and I've already loved looking through it, even though it was only a year ago.  :)

 

Here's the front page of the new log!   Beckett's Busy Day

School's Out Forever

Well, August 1 marked the first time Shonn hasn't begun preparing for back-to-school since he was 5 years old!  I am so proud of him for making his dream a reality and for the hard work he does for our family.  He is so amazing at managing people, meeting with customers, designing creative outdoor spaces, and making landscapes more beautiful. He has an excellent reputation for kindness, going above-and-beyond, being trustworthy and a hard worker, as well as doing excellent work. We have a lot of long-range plans for the business and I have no doubt he will make it a success.  Here are a just a few pictures of the numerous jobs he has designed, managed, and implemented this year.

You can see more at www.hildlandscaping.com!