8 Years at the Zoo

April 4th we celebrated our 8th anniversary. I can honestly say that I am more in love with my husband than I was the day I married him. But 8 years ago I didn't think it was possible to love him more than I did as I stood barefooted in the sand as we exchanged vows.

2012 has been a heck of a year so far.  It's been rough and honestly, I think that is why most of my endurance is gone. I'm zapped. I'm emotionally exhausted. I'm tired.

Brandon knows this. He feels it too. Except he admits he also doesn't have the side effects of weekly 17P shots to deal with or the exhaustion of pregnancy.

But he also knew that if he really did nothing for our anniversary as I originally asked, that there was a chance we'd look back and feel disappointed.

So he did what he thought was best. He thoughtfully made plans and quietly did the logistical work in the background.

We went to the National Zoo in Washington, DC. We've never travelled to DC for the day, we've only driven through on the way to New Jersey.

We had a fabulous time.  The zoo is kept up very well and it appeared that the animals were well cared for.

They had a ton of picnic areas and it was so easy to have a picnic which made any anxiety we had about Xander's food allergies disappear.  It appeared that there were more people eating packed lunches than ordering lunch, so it didn't stand out.

The one downside is that strollers are only allowed in one one of the buildings.  All the other buildings you have to leave your stroller outside.  There were long lines to go inside, so we skipped quite a few of them. 

Inside one of the buildings, I realized that a former teacher of mine was standing about 5 feet away from me.  She was my business teacher and taught me how to type in middle school.  Believe it or not, that was not an easy A and I didn't truly excel at typing until 9th grade. 

She recognized me after Brandon said something to her and we chatted for a bit.  How funny that I run into someone I know from back home in Washington, DC?

When we left, we googled DC Cupcakes and found the address for Georgetown Cupcakes.  I sat in the van with the sleeping children and Brandon got in line and then called me when he got a menu.  Thankfully the line went quickly because Xander was not happy that he was in the van and it wasn't moving when he woke up. 

My favorite cupcake was the Cookies and Cream one.  Delish!

We came home and fed the children Chick Fil A and as I put them to bed, Brandon went to go get takeout for us to have a meal on our own.  We ate, watched Survivor and then went to sleep. 

It was a lovely day!

Bran, 8 years ago, I never imagined we'd be expecting baby #5 or that we'd be living right outside of Richmond, Virginia.  I never imagined we'd be homeschoolers.  I never imagined any of this.  But God has blessed our willingness to go where we are called and do what He calls us too.  I can't wait to see what the future holds. You are still my Prince Charming and I can't imagine my life without you.  Love you to the moon and back, times infinity.  ~Babycakes

PS: Sorry readers, I have no pictures because my cell phone won't transmit them anywhere!  It is super frustrating and I hope to find a solution soon!  This post has been in the works since the 4th and I'm just getting around to posting it because I was waiting on the pictures! :(