What a great zoo day!!! I just love a zoo.

The girls are precious as always!! I love the stuffed animals they chose! Super cute!!
Your trip is SO CLOSE!!! It sounds like it'll be a fabulous time!!
We want to go to Louisville Zoo, too. Jill has been, but I haven't. She's wanting a
Disney Store visit, too, and Louisville is our closest one.
Good morning, Memom!! I am at work and will be seeing patients in a few minutes. Ah, a start to another week. I will make it! So glad you are leaving this weekend!! You need the break. I am sorry you are still going through all this mess at work. Jason is going back to work next year and I am pushing for him to try private school. Cooper was in private school this year till the day before school when we had a major disagreement with the principal and he was not very friendly at all. So, we decided it was best to take him out for the year and put him in our local kindergarten until we decide what to do. It is a great school, but I volunteered the other day and I could see how frantic the teaching is now. It seemed like they did not have time to do anything in a thorough way. That scares me some. Also, there was one little girl in Cooper's class that was way behind and his teacher just did not have enough time to help her extra. I hope she gets help after school. It really opened my eyes and I will most likely be putting Cooper back in private school next year when Blake starts Pre-K. The only problem is that I will probably want to go back to the private school he was at this year. The superintendant is wonderful. I may have a meeting with him because there is still concern about the elementary principal and the issues we had this year. We will see. I hope you have a great week! Have fun this weekend and if you remember please add me on the texting list. I love getting your pictures!
I hope you get all of your school worries worked out. I feel like I am doing flash card Language right now. I am trying to teach verb tenses, but there is so little time. We have a thirty minute block, and we push it the whole time. I need 45 minutes, though, to go over it more thoroughly. I'm just hoping some of them pick it up.
Our system is going through some major issues right now, and for the first time since I have been there (about 16 years), I am thinking the private school pay and job 'insecurity' is looking better and better than what we have going. The rumor is that it is no longer a good thing to be a seasoned teacher. They want those, and the higher pay scales, gone so that they can bring in two year Teach for America kids and new teachers and pay less. It is sad that it has come to being all about the money, if that is true.
That is SO funny about the "peeting"!

I am definitely going to think of Bella when I see the mingoes, and meerkats will definitely make me think of Brooklynn.
It's pretty funny to hear it in action, too. Maybe we can tape it one day and let you hear it for real.
I'm back and all caught up! It looks like you guys had a wonderful time at the zoo, and brought back some nice new "friends".
Do you by chance know the names of the new friends? I just love hearing Brooklynn's creative ideas.
Your next trip is so close! How exciting!
Sally Lemur and Manny Meerkat was what they started as. Bella's little meerykat was dubbed Froggy later that day.

I don't know if those are still the names as of today. Brooklynn usually ends up putting either Sparkly or Rainbow in front of her names, so it could be Sparkly Sally Lemur at this point.
I am so excited for you!! I hope that you enjoy your special time with Brooklynn!
I cannot believe that this time next week I'll be in Animal Kingdom!!!
I hope we will get to see you and yours during the trip - possible Sunday.
I figured you wouldn't be there then

One day! I did start a PTR for that trip if you want to come over and join!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2814758
We don't have pre-first here, what's that like?
I visited your PTR before I started here.
Pre-first is just another developmental year between K and 1. It's for younger kids or any kid who just needs another year of maturing before facing the rigors of today's elementary school curriculum. In all my years, the 99.9% majority of people who gave their kids the extra year were happy for it, and I have heard many, many more parents of middle schoolers and high schoolers say they wish they would have done the same with their kids.
I hope my October trip a) will happen and b) will coincide with some of my DIS friends that I'd love to meet in person!
NYE? I wish! We're still trying to make Europe happen in March. No extra pennies are to be spent. Stupid airfare...If only we could drive to London!
I'm curious too -What is pre-first?
See above for the pre-first explanation.
Europe will be awesome. I don't think I can take a flight much more than two hours, though, so I think my worldwide travels will be very limited to this section of the world.
I am glad you found a "real" looking meerkat. I did not venture out to CS but all I saw in the gift shops were Timon.
I was that way too. I think by the time I made to the gate at the airport I was relaxed and glad to be on vacation. By the time I got off the plane in Orlando it was like being home.
We like the real animals, as I can use them in the classroom sometimes, too. Brooklynn loves animals, so one day when she is maybe a vet, she can decorate her office with all the animals she's collected.
I just had another chunk of valuable time taken up for Thursday evening. I didn't realize they were going to start the tutoring program the day
before fall break, but they want to do the introduction day then so we can go full speed when we return from break. So, Thursday, when it is all coming to a crucial point for being ready, I'll be tutoring until 5:30 and
then getting going on the crucial part.
Looks like a fun day at the zoo! I love the one of Bella walking alongside the stroller with her hands on her hips. Such a cutie!
By the way, did you get my letter?
Yes ma'am.
How are the wedding plans coming along?
Looks like a great day at the zoo! Don't you just love getting out and doing stuff like that in the fall.
Yay for mingos!


Glad you got to see Tanya again. I know it's hard on you guys getting to know someone and being used to having them around and then things don't work out. It's great that they are still friends though.

For being in the real AK next week!!!!!!!!!!! I sure do hate that our trips don't overlap though.
It was a wonderful weather day for the zoo.
Trent's problem is that he thinks girls are too possessive and jealous. If they get at all like that, doesn't like it, but I tried to tell him that it's sort of normal for girls to feel like that when they like you. Who knows what his future holds? He is his own man, that's for sure. He is highly opinionated and can be really stubborn and annoying, but he can be such a tender, thoughful, caring sweetheart, too. Right now, he is trying to save up a good down payment on a house so that he doesn't waste money on an apartment. I think that is a very smart move. He has a good head on his shoulders, and he is a hard, hard worker. Everyone everywhere he has ever worked has said that, so that's a great quality. He's just got to decide if he wants to be 'possessed' by a girl or not.
