A day trip to the zoo

Mom, Dad & the kids looking for the 3 new lions that moved to John Ball Zoo this summer. Poor, Christian he will get in the pictures as soon as he stops riding in the Bjorn.....oh that'll be around his first birthday!


Carter loves animals, here he is in the aquarium.

Ella in her glory, brushing the little goats. I think she named that one Polka Dot!


To add adventure to the day, we decided to go for a camel ride. Of course, Grandma wanted in on the fun and rode along with. Now the kids have ridden a horse and a camel!

One of Ella's favorite parts of the zoo last year was petting and feeding the manta rays. Here she is waiting for Grandpa to give her another fish to feed to the Manta Rays. I love her adventurous spirit.

It is so fantastic to have the summer off to enjoy time with the kids. We have had a great summer filled with sun, sand, trips to the library, the YMCA, and play dates with friends. However, we are now approaching that time of year that transitions us back into more of a routine and earlier mornings! I honestly can not believe that Ella is going off to school in just two weeks. The boys will be heading to a new daycare which is just up the way from us. I am looking forward to a great school year, as well. I have lots of new ideas that I am excited to implement and I won't need to be prepping for maternity leave! Whew! I just love my school, East and am so excited to have Ella coming with me for kindergarten. It will be special that I can bip into her room on special days, for parties, and see her projects displayed in the hall. We will just be up the hall from each other.

Speaking of school, Ella had a special day with Grandma Blackmer on Monday. They went shopping for a special 'back to school' outfit. After much deliberation, she finally settled on dark jeans, a beautiful 'sparkley" teal shirt and a bright hoodie. She gave Scott and I a fashion show when she returned home and we were shocked. It was as if our little girl turned 7 with the change of an outfit. Wasn't she just sucking her thumb and twirling my hair??

I am soaking up all the extra special snuggle times right now. Time just flies too fast. I could fill my whole day with cleaning, organizing, and prepping but I won't get these stages back with the kids. I am in a stage of constant battle with the laundry. With Carter back on the potty training kick, we seem to be doing a bit more than usual. He has firmly proclaimed that he WILL be peeing standing up. LOVELY! I am all for him exercising his independence which he does frequently, but this standing up business is messy! I swear the upstairs either smells like pee or vinegar! Constant disinfecting of the bathroom is neccessary. Ella has temporarily moved out of that bathroom. I guess I can't blame her. :)


Each summer, about this time, I find myself in a bit of a frenzy. I am trying to cram in all the playdates and day trips that we haven't done yet. So last Friday, mom and dad went with the kids and I to the zoo. (see above pictures) This will go down in my mind as one of my favorite summers. We have so many fantastic memories. I better go, Christian just woke up. He is cooing in his crib.....man I love that baby boy!