Idaho Falls Zoo

Liam and I have considered ourselves really lucky these last couple of weeks. Surprisingly enough, the end of the year is only a few short months away and Nic still has quite a bit of time off to use, even if he takes some around the holidays. So the last couple of weeks we have gotten to enjoy three day weekends with our favorite guy. We've definitely taken advantage of that extra time and have done some fun things together. Last Friday for example, we took a trip to the Idaho Falls Zoo! It was a first time visiting this particular zoo for all of us and with it still being relatively small town we weren't sure what to expect but it was so amazing!!! 

Liam's favorite books to read before bed lately are ones with animals. His understanding of animal names and sounds has really exploded lately. We'll ask him, "Liam, where's the zebra?" and he knows exactly which animal to point to and exclaims, "There!!!" It was the perfect time to take him to the zoo and show him those animals he has been learning in person!

Liam and daddy in matching North Face sweatshirts!

One of the first animals you pass is an alligator and let me tell you what, those things are so ominous in person! They hardly move a centimeter and it is hard not to imagine them just pouncing from where they lay halfway underneath the water with their eyes fixated from above. haha It was kind of intimidating so I didn't stand around long to get a picture. ;) They gibbon monkeys on the other hand, now that is animal we could have watched ALL DAY and not gotten tired of it! They were so entertaining, swinging by their long fingers from branch to branch to their hammock, to the ground, and back again. All the while picking up random boxes or pieces of cardboard scattered about their enclosure along the way. They were so noisy with these big whooping calls that it said they make to warn others of predators or danger in the area. Their noises made Liam nervous at first but they were just so active that they won him over pretty quickly.

One animal I was surprised they had were the flamingos!! I've always wanted to see them in person and hadn't until this zoo. They were the most beautiful pink color and it was so interesting to see them resting on one leg so naturally. 

One of them had an adorable baby covered in grey feathers!

My baby bird who definitely did NOT hatch from an egg. ;) Trust me. haha See him pointing his finger at it? He is in this adorable stage where he points to have everything around him and expects you to tell him what it is. It might get old eventually but for now, it is fun seeing him so interested in learning about the world around him.

Naturally he found a stick to carry in the first 5 minutes of being there. Are you even surprised? ;)

I'm not sure what exactly it is about this next picture that I love so much but it just evokes this sweet tender feeling in me. Comparing his hand size to this animal one. 

A baby zebra!!! I'm not sure it can get any cuter than that!

As we were standing there watching the zebras a loud crack sounded from their edge of their habitat and it spooked them all towards the other side. Upon closer inspection we realized they had cut down a tree branch from outside of their area and it landed over the fence. They all cautiously moved back to the other side and began eating from it!! This might have been one of our favorite moments from that day because as the zebras ate, their tails swung in a circle, they were so giddy! It was hilarious to watch!

I love these sweet boys.

We visited the lions next. Every time Nic or I have ever been to a zoo the lions are ALWAYS sleeping and it is kind of disappointing. This time the female lion was not only up and stalking around the cage but also roaring too!

Liam watched her closely for a minute or two and then yelled, "ROAR!" Nic and I were floored! He has never made a lion sound before, even when we point to them in his books at home. It was so adorable!

Mid zoo, we stopped to get Liam a treat. Cotton candy ice cream, lucky boy! He loved every single bite. Nic and I haven't been eating sugar so it took all of his poor willpower not to eat the last couple of bites Liam didn't finish and just to throw the rest in the garbage. haha By the way, if' you've seen this particular episode of Friends then you can probably relate but doesn't Liam look like Joey here when he is doing that Japanese lipstick commercial?! haha So funny!

Some other animals not pictured that we saw were a baby camel, a baby snow leopard, so many tropical birds (a toucan who even said "hello" and "pretty bird" to us!), and penguins!! We went back one more time to visit the flamingos and gibbon monkeys while Liam finished his ice cream. Do you see the flamingo-pelican cross in the next picture?! So crazy!

We were seriously impressed with all of the animals the Idaho Falls Zoo had. We will definitely be visiting again!

diapers, pikachu slippers, and flashlights, OH MY!

Liam's current favorite obsession besides remotes, because he'll never quit those, are flashlights. Combine that with a little boy who is happiest in a diaper and wearing the most absurd slippers that are five sizes too big for him that Nic wore as a kid, and you have our silly Liam Rex.

I tell you what, I have a feeling these are going to make some epic black mail or graduation cake pictures someday! ;) I can not come up with this stuff.

Turning the fan on and off a thousand times throughout the day is a pretty fun game too ...

So pleased with himself. Haha

And for slipper to foot size comparison ...

Gotta catch 'em all! I mean, gotta catch ya later! ;) I've got to go make sure this kid doesn't kill himself in these things because he hasn't taken them off since Grandma Williamson gave them to him on Saturday! 

meridian weekend part 2 & the Western Idaho State Fair!

Meridian weekend part 1 here!

On Saturday, my mom babysat Liam during his nap time so that Nic and I could go on a date together! In our typical young-at-heart nature, we went and saw Finding Dory. Not only was it both hilarious and adorable like we expected it to be (I love Ellen Degeneres!), but there was only one other mom and her daughter in the entire movie theatre! It felt like we had it all to ourselves and no we did NOT put our feet up on the seats in front of us and make ourselves right at home. ;) Thanks mom for watching Liam so that we could be just us for a while!

By the time the movie was over, Liam was awake from his nap and we headed to the Western Idaho State Fair! 

(Sorry for the blurry picture!)

Liam LOVES animals but only on his own terms. He is always skeptical and nervous when they get too close to him. Like this tank of baby quails that just hatched for example. They were truly terrifying! :) haha Such a cute nervous face this boy has ...

Liam saw the rides from a mile away. He's never been on one before so I imagine he was just completely mesmerized by all of the lights, sounds, and motion. When we started to ask him if he would like to go on a ride he would giggle and point excitedly! We had to make sure he was tall enough to ride some of the rides so Nic set him down next to the measurement board and he immediately started crying because he thought we were going to make him go on the ride all by himself. haha

Once daddy picked him back up and waited with him at the front of the train station line all was forgotten. He waited there patiently watching the other kids in front of him take their turn on the train while he smiled away at them!

He loved every single second of his first ride!!! So much so that the poor guy balled when the ride stopped and he had to get off. haha It's tough being a kid.

Even at the fair he finds something to hold in his hand. ;)

He measured 32'' and was only tall enough to ride three different rides, the train, the kangaroo, and a pirate ship that he went on with his Sita. Me and my little kangaroo ...

So serious while steering his ship like a true pirate! ;)

And the tears that followed after every ride was over (haha, does this make me a bad mom that I took a picture of it?! It was just too good.) ...

First horseback ride too!

He was jabbering away to me the whole time he rode this pony. 

And because the train was his favorite ride, he got to do it one more time before it was time for us to go.

Isn't my mom beautiful?! As usual, she was so good to us the whole weekend! 

I love Liam's little hand gripping the back of her shirt in this next picture. It is moments like these that I hang on to because after seeing my brave toddler be big enough to ride his first rides and absolutely loving it, I needed a reminder that he is still my baby. 

Until next time Meridian!

meridian weekend part 1 & a trip to the park!

We spent last weekend in Meridian seeing friends and family. I've loved how much we've gotten to travel as a family this summer and make memories together! Like our trip to the cabin at Bear Lake and going to the aquarium in Draper! We spent this last weekend in Meridian to see family and friends and while I do not care for that drive, I'm always glad we went!

Liam saying bye to Rue girl ...

He chased her around the house while we packed the car until she eventually hid under the table! haha That used to stop this little tornado from getting to her but now he just gives me that cute little smile in the middle picture and pulls the chair out to climb underneath with her.

Twin Falls is just about the halfway mark from where we live and Meridian and it just so happens my sweet friend Dani and her family live there. While we had dinner together at Cafe Rio, Decker (her 3 1/2 year old son) entertained Liam with peek-a-boo while Liam tried his darnedest not to smile. haha We were dying laughing at his closed lips little smirk he was giving him. Meanwhile I died and went to baby heaven holding her adorable baby, Avery. The outfit and headband she had on, ah, I need a girl! haha Anyway, it was just so great to see them (even though we missed seeing her husband Ryan!). Love you and your family so much Dani! P.S. I look like a GIANT next to her! haha I think she's 4'11?

We drove down to Meridian on Thursday evening so that we would have an extra full day to spend there. Somehow the 3 hour drive seems more bearable if you don't have to do it 24 hours later. So Friday! We met up at Storey Park with my sister-in-law's, nieces, and nephew! The kids had a blast playing together! Rounding them up for a family photo was a bit of a challenge though (I promise you, Liam had a good time!). haha He loves his cousins, just not so much the picture taking. 

Sweet Olivia pointing in this next picture melted my heart, she is the cutest!

We met up with my mom who got off work a little early for lunch on Friday at The Village. We tried a new-to-us restaurant that my mom recommended called Kona Grill. Nic and I both had their stir fry and it was seriously amazing but also the hottest dish I've ever eaten in my entire life! haha I literally went through 4 giant glasses of water by the end of the meal. So worth it! The restaurant had this amazing fish tank in it which provided entertainment for Liam (thankyouverymuch Kona Grill)!

After eating we had to stop and play around the fountain for a minute but I didn't last long after those 4 glasses of water before we headed home. haha You can really tell in this picture how much Liam loves this fountain, his whole face lights up every time he sees it. Keeping him out of it was a full time job! ;)

During Liam's nap my mom and I had some girl time and got pedicures! I always walk away from getting a pedicure absolutely loving the color I chose and never remembering to take a picture of the bottle or write down the name of it while I'm there darn it. Neon pink was the winner this time!

My mom lives steps away from an elementary school (the one I went to for 5th grade!) with a great playground so we took Liam there to play for the evening. He is getting so good at climbing stairs by himself and makes me so proud!

He wore his Italia shirt from Sita who went to Italy in the spring this year! He looks like a little soccer player whenever he wears it!

"Oh HI Liam! I see you!"

As the sun was starting to set in the sky, the sprinklers went off over the field that was next to the playground. Liam ran right over to them but then refused to touch the water. He loves water when it is stagnant but if it is spraying over his head he freaks out. My mom was trying to see if he would touch it if she did it with him.

He backed away a few times but then got brave and barely stuck his little fingers in there. :)

The sunset was absolutely unreal! These pictures just don't do it justice but I sure do love that sun drenched haze.

Liam crashed that night from sheer exhaustion and we spent the rest of the night watching the Olympics. Nic and I don't have cable and NBC was only offering 30 free minutes to watch it online so we've missed a lot of it this year. It made it that much more fun to watch while we were there. We caught a little bit of track and field, diving, and team floor routines for gymnastics. 

To spare you from total picture overload, I am sharing all about Saturday and our trip to the Western Idaho State Fair in part 2 of our weekend in Meridian tomorrow! You won't want to miss it because oh my goodness, Liam's face on his first rides ever is pretty much priceless! XO