A Saturday at the zoo

On Saturday morning we got our yard work and chores done as quick as we could so that we could take our kids to the zoo!  We technically felt like we had two zoo experiences that day when one of our errands that morning was to Zamzows for fertilizer and we all got to see them feed the tarantulas and bearded dragon crickets! Boy was that equal parts horrifying and fascinating! haha I think I'll stick to the real zoo thankyouverymuch. ;)

There weren't very many people at the zoo which was so nice. We started with the side that has the tiger exhibit but their poor tiger recently died so it was closed but Lyla looked adorable riding a baby pretend tiger!

I love Liam's imagination so much. I always have but even more so when I see all of his facial expressions that go with it. Turtle face!

My FAVORITE picture from the day!

My mom didn't have any afternoon plans so we invited her to come along with us! Her and yaya checking out the meerkats ...

One of their new animals they've added since we last came turned out to be Lyla's favorite ... Sand cats! They were all huddled up together in one small box.

Goofiest baby bird I've ever seen. ;)

I waddled my way along behind everyone. haha Everything is incredibly swollen and sore at this point. While I don't have a ton of energy left, I want to make the most out of my last weekend(s) as a family of 4. 

It was so fun to see the giraffes SO close to the fence. They are such an incredible animal ...

I think I have a picture of my kids on this safari jeep every year since Liam was a baby. <3

A few of the indoor exhibits were finally open again like the penguins! We wore a mask inside. 

One of the indoor exhibits that was still closed of course were the bats. Liam was so disappointed!! In fact, he shouted "I've been stuck at home for a year and this is what I get?!" haha It was comical to the rest of us but he really meant it. Poor guy. His other favorite is the crocodile. When we got to that exhibit we weren't quite sure if it was real?! It wasn't out in the pond like it usually is ... instead, we could only see its head peaking out from inside with its jaw permanently open from the door that leads to the indoor habitat. The indoor habitat was completely closed off and the water drained. What do you think ... does it look real?! 

We couldn't believe how much the baby anteater had grown! After only a few months, you can no longer tell the difference between the momma and the baby because they were the same size. Since we went in the afternoon, a lot of the animals were laying down and sleeping including the emu's who apparently lay on their stomachs with their neck extended on the ground. We didn't know they slept that way, it looked incredibly uncomfortable. The butterfly exhibit closed at 2:30 so we just barely missed it!

It was about 86 degrees but felt pretty hot so we ended our zoo trip with orange and blue slushies for the kids courtesy of my sweet mom. Those tongues! 

They put just about everything they saw in the gift shop "on their birthday lists". So sneaky that they make you exit through there ... parental torture! haha So happy we could give these cute kids a fun Saturday!

Liam's First Day of FIRST GRADE

I can hardly believe my favorite not-so-little guy is in FIRST GRADE this year! It has been quite the adjustment for us all having him gone all day. Lunch time is quieter, Lyla asks me every 10 minutes "Is Liam coming home soon?!" because she misses her best friend and playmate, and I feel like I am constantly checking the time thinking I'll miss the bus and it is still hours away. One thing I can say for sure is, distance makes the heart grow fonder. I can't wait to see him at the end of the day and hear all about it!!

The school district boundaries changed at the end of last year so he is at a new school. When we went to his open house he told me he was surprised "his teacher was so old" (haha!) but he is liking her so far. We also checked his class roster and didn't recognize a single name from our neighborhood so I helped him meet a new boy in his class and encouraged them to sit by each other so they would have one familiar face on the first day. Made my mom heart so happy when he came home and told me he made his first friend in that boy and that "he plays subnautica" like me!".

I sent him with cold lunch the first day that he picked ... carrots, grapes, a yogurt, and a half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I opened his lunchbox when he got home to find he had only eaten his grapes and 2 carrots! The next day same thing ... he wanted to try hot lunch ... pizza, corn, mixed fruit, and chocolate milk. I also sent him with pretzels for a snack during class. He got off the bus telling me he didn't feel well and I immediately asked him what he ate. The chocolate milk and fruit ... that was it!! Crazy kid. I'd be starving too! 

He wasn't looking super forward to school starting after not loving it that much last year. I think it was because he was so bored academically in Kindgarten and his teacher just had him using iPad programs all day since he already knew all the content. I was hopeful that this year would be different for him learning all new things and so far he has had much more positive things to say. Like less worksheets!! No homework! And getting to read a ninja book during class. ;)

Love this boy so much! So handsome for his first day!!

He added a new monster toy keychain to his backpack that he got from a prize box at his last speech therapy appointment. We also put a pin from my aunt on there that she shared with us. It is this cool campaign with the slogan "live a great story". I love everything that it signifies!

He is stoked to be riding the "blue" bus (his favorite color!). Every bus has a color so that the kids don't have to remember the numbers. The bus has been significantly late in both pick up and drop off this first week. I know they are getting to know their route but he didn't get home until 5:00 on Friday which is our dinner time! It's just such a long day for a 6 year old but he is doing really great with it so far. 

Masks are required again this year which we are grateful for because we hardly had any sickness in our house last fall/winter and are hoping it will help protect the baby too. 

On to week two!

Summer Bucket List | The Last Couple Weeks of Summer

 Here we are two days into a new school year and I am a mixed bag of emotions. I found myself counting down the last few days of summer looking forward to routines, schedules, and alone time again. Now that it is here though, these have felt like long days too. haha It may have to do with the fact that Lyla misses having her buddy to play with every minute of the day and the last couple weeks of pregnancy feel like an absolute eternity. We'll all get there! 

At the beginning of the summer, we made a bucket list as a family of all the fun things we wanted to do together. Looking back at everything with a star, we did a lot and made so many fun memories! There were just a few things we didn't quite get to, like planting flowers from seeds and closet makeovers (having fun in the sun was more important than taking on home projects). Covid also began ramping up again in our community near the end of the summer so we have avoided indoor activities like the Children's Museum and Aquarium as much as possible. Looking at this list though, I can confidently say our kids most favorite thing we did this summer was stay at hotel for our trip to Washington. haha They talk about it ALL the time! 

Here's how we spent our last couple weeks of summer ...

Later bedtimes buried in stuffed animals. <3

Dressing up in our Sunday best and attending church a few times until we decided it was best to stay home again before baby comes ...

It's Lyla's wink and Liam's toothless grin for me ...

A weekly trip to the library to get new books until Lyla became obsessed with their play kitchen and put this fish in her mouth ...

A band performance in the living room featuring rockstar Liam (and his homemade guitar out of legos!), pop star yaya, and the Bubble Guppies! We were even given the most adorable handmade tickets to attend the concert.

They are the cutest! Sign me up for their world tour ...

We had family/maternity pictures taken in the Boise foothills one evening. The kids were so patient so I promised Liam he could explore the hillside when we were done. He ran into one too many bugs so it didn't last long. haha But look how handsome he looked!!

Our days grew more simple as I grew slower to keep up with them. haha Luckily the weather cooled a bit and we were able to go for more neighborhood bike rides to the mailbox and find tiny caterpillars on the driveway ...

She found a leaf for it to eat. <3 Also her cute cheeks covered in pink sidewalk chalk! She wanted me to trace the outline of her body and then rolled in it as she stood up. haha

They made an adorable chalk circle home for the caterpillar to "live in" with his leaves. 

A BIG bucket list item ... Liam read his first full chapter book this summer! A third grade reading level one too, we were so proud of him!

Lyla girl got her annual haircut before she starts another year of preschool in a couple weeks! She only wanted a trim but it still looks adorable on her ...

Cutest girl, cutest smile!

The kids have played a lot of balloon ball with leftover balloons from the baby shower that are still holding strong and have built many castles and towers with magnet blocks ...

Nic and I went on one last date night before baby comes (thanks mom!). We almost had another anniversary experience when we didn't make a restaurant reservation (because most aren't taking one right now) but it turns out that wasn't the case for the Melting Pot. We had to quickly change plans and got half price appetizers at the Yardhouse instead and it turned out to be a $12 date night instead of $100. Can't beat that! haha The company was pretty great too! ;)

On the last day of summer, I took them to the Boise River to collect a few rocks to bring home and paint!

We also checked off "trying a new ice cream place" on our bucket list and got Bite Me Bars to go. They were such a fun treat!

Now that Liam is back to school, she is my little sidekick all day. We stopped at Hobby Lobby to get some craft supplies for a take home gift for her birthday party and she was loving this kitty hat. She picked out an actual kitty stuffed animal instead though. ;)

Despite the heat while in my third trimester, it has been a gr summer! I've loved every moment and memory I've made with my people! 

Big Brother & Big Sister Gift Ideas

It feels all too real that I am in the final month before this baby joins our family! I've been washing all the tiny newborn clothes, folding swaddle blankets, prepping the car seat, closing out my baby registry, etc. and with each thing I check off the list, I feel more and more ready for this baby to come. One special thing on that list has been putting together gifts from the baby to Liam and Lyla. I did this for Liam when Lyla was born and it really eased that transition the day we brought her home from the hospital. My hope is that it helps them know their new baby sibling loves them and that we do too, know matter how much time is required to devote to this new baby, they are still so special to us.    

From the moment I saw this "sissy" sweatshirt I knew Lyla would love it! It's one of her favorite colors and will be perfect to wear as she tells everyone she knows that she is a big sister now! I've had a much harder time finding a "big bro" sweatshirt so I found a plain blue one and with the help of a friend, plan to try ironing on some vinyl lettering so he has one too! I'm going to leave them behind with some treats while we are away at the hospital so they can wear them when they meet their new sibling. 

  

Lyla's gift from the baby is a matching baby doll carrier to the one I have (can't wait to twin!) and a new soft dolly to carry around in it. I chose the pink one to hopefully lighten the disappointment she may feel for a moment if she finds out she had a little brother instead of a sister that she is hoping for. haha 

Liam's gift is everything he loves too ... a camo fanny pack to carry around his treasures (or stuffed animals) in, and the cutest snow dragon!

I'm excited to see their faces when they open them and even more excited to write the name on the gift tag of who they are from. ;)

Other big brother and big sister gift ideas I've done in the past are these adorable books that teach them all about being a big helper. This camera to take their own videos and pictures of the new baby is a huge hit at our house too and comes in both pink and blue. You can also never go wrong with activities to entertain them while you spend 24/7 nursing like these Melissa and Doug reusable sticker books which are a favorite at our house.

Baby Sprinkle

 On Saturday, my mom and sister-in-law hosted a sprinkle for baby and I and it was the sweetest thing ever! Lyla came as my "girl date" and wanted to twirl with me all morning in her new dress. <3 It felt so special to share it with her along with every other family member and friend who came!

Nicole had the cutest balloons installed on my mom's porch as well as a balloon arch inside! There were beautiful flowers everywhere and a stack of thank you notes for guests to write their address on (such a genius idea).  

Isn't the balloon arch amazing?! Nicole also had adorable cookies made as party favors in the shape of bottles, onesies, etc. and sprinkle donuts! Both were Lyla's favorite part. ;) I even took some home to my boys who greatly appreciated it!

Besides the amazing treats, we had yummy quiche and fruit salad made by mom for brunch!

It was so fun to have a couple of my nieces join this time with their grandmas and moms. My sweet neighbor Danica came and my long time friends from high school, Dani and Sidnee, were there too! So lucky to have so many amazing people in my life who love this baby and I so much!

We played a pass the gift game that went with a poem all about the guests in the room. Danica won that one. Everyone also guessed how many "sprinkles" (Mike n' Ikes) were in a jar and Edie won that game.

Lyla was all about playing puppy all morning but accidentally knocked over an end table and got extremely embarrassed about it. She spent the whole time hiding under my arm while I opened gifts and I felt bad I couldn't get her to come around for this part. We were spoiled with so many diapers and wipes, something you can never have enough of, along with a forward facing baby carrier, swaddle sack, new toys for the baby, and even some amazing products to pamper myself postpartum. So grateful!!!

A cute cookie monster!

I didn't take a single picture because I just wanted to soak up the moment so I tried to gather a few my mom took. I just wanted to give an extra special thank you to the woman who has now hosted 3 special baby showers for me over the years. Each one I won't forget! Love you mom! I'm also so grateful to my sister-in-law, Nicole, who went over the top to make this celebration so special for me. I'm so lucky to have both of these women in my life!

Grateful for friends who no matter how busy their lives are or how far away they live, are always there for me. <3

Getting so excited for this baby to arrive!!!