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!

Summer in July

 I'm smiling so big right now to be welcoming August! I'm trying my best to soak up these last weeks of summer and our family of 4 but also simultaneously really looking forward to what is ahead. Like back to school, cooler temperatures, the start of fall, and a brand new baby joining our family! 

I'm doing my best to make our mornings productive and fun but then I completely crash by lunch time. haha Very little energy to nest during this third trimester. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself that this last month of summer will likely not be filled with constant trips to the park/splash pad, crossing off things on our summer bucket list, and play dates. My body is telling me to slow down and my feet are a little too swollen for that. Speaking of our summer bucket list, I'll share it here soon but a friend of mine made me feel pretty good about how much we've done together as a family this summer after I showed her what we've crossed off so far ... staying at a hotel, trips to Washington and Pocatello, floating the Boise River, Roaring Springs, and the Whale Beach to name a few. July was no exception and I'm grateful to be surrounded by family who have made it fun too!

Other fun summery things that happened in July ....

Grams and Pa took Liam on his very own date to get a snow cone! He felt so special and loved every minute of getting to talk their ears off about all of his favorite subjects. haha

Liam has been working hard this summer to read his first chapter book (a third grade level one no less!) and is down to the last couple chapters. I'm so proud of him and how far her has come in the last year!

Lyla is loving being surrounded by baby things! Every time it is her turn to pray, she says "Dear Heavenly Father, I can't wait for my baby to come soon!" Man, it feels like just yesterday she was the teeny one in this crib ...

Summer = Ice cream! It has become a daily question from these two whether we can go get ice cream, they love it just like their parents do. ;) Big smiles the times we say "yes" ...

My sweet neighbor invited the kids over for a play date the other morning and Liam was concerned his beloved dinosaur would miss him while he was gone so he put together this set up by the front window just to make sure they could "still see each other from across the street" ... how adorable is that?! <3

My Aunt Wendy and cousin Amanda came to visit for a long weekend too! It was the best getting to see them twice in one summer! We got to have a girl's day with pedicures, shopping, and lunch. 

Then we got the whole troop together to spend some time in the sun ... Lyla loved the floaties they brought with them!

A childhood tradition ... covering yourself in sand.

Liam is getting so good at balancing on the paddle board!

It was a great weekend!

Lots of fun this summer and it's not even over quite yet! We still have swimming lessons, a baby shower, friends visiting, family pictures, back to school haircuts, and everything in-between ... all within the next 3 weeks! haha I better go take a nap to keep up. ;)

Saying Goodbye to our friends

 Shortly after we moved to Meridian, we met the Cardon family and they quickly became our best friends! It's not often that you meet a whole family where the kids get along and the husband and wife both enjoy the other couple's company too. Lauren and I would get together once a week for a playdate with our non-school aged kids during the week and twice a week in the summer. We'd have playdates at each other's houses, visit every park in the city, go to the river, play at the library, etc. We've gone to the zoo, the birds of prey center, and Sandy Point as families on the weekends. We created annual traditions of Halloween and Christmas parties, as well as a double date to the pumpkin patch/corn maze every fall. Our kids have grown together and so have we. 

As many people are experiencing, including Nic, the work environment changed during Covid and some businesses closed their doors and made the transition to working from home a permanent one. This is what happened with Spencer's job which opened the opportunity for them to live anywhere they wanted. Their dream has been to have land and fruit trees so they bought a home in Shelly and we helped them move on Friday. Not before one last Saturday spent together at Sandy Point the weekend before though ...

Our two Liam's together! 

They chased the geese with squirt guns all morning! haha

And even found some tadpoles in the shallow water ...

Liam was determined to unearth this root until he realized it was connected to a whole bunch more and went a lot deeper than that tiny shovel would allow him to dig to very quickly ...

No falling off the turtle today which is cause for that big grin on her face! She doesn't like getting wet unless it is on her own terms. haha Boy will she have an experience at her first swimming lessons this next week!

Lauren and Griff on a kayak ride together ... our kids are begging us to get one of these!

All I want for Christmas are my two front teeth!

Lyla did fall off the kayak while riding with Ephriam ... she didn't understand that she needed to keep her body weight in the center and kept leaning to the right. She was NOT happy!

Super dad to the rescue! He pulled her around while she laid on the back of the kayak like this instead ...

Like a big kid on that tube with a paddle! haha

Nic also made this cute fish with a moat around it for the kids!

Man I'll miss this girl! It's friendships like these ones that are the worth every bit of the extra effort when you live long distance. Time to make new traditions together. <3