Hogle Zoo

For Bailey's birthday my Aunt and Uncle bought her a zoo pass for the year. We made sure to put it to good use on Sam's first official day of summer break.

 

 First stop was to see the elephants. In front of the exhibit they have a huge statue of an elephant that makes noises which Bailey was not a fan of at all.

 

Good thing Hazel could care less about the noise and music.

 

She did love watching the real live ones as long as she was able to have a firm grip on my neck to keep her safe.

 

We tried to get her to stand against the wall with her arms out, but were unsuccessful. Once inside she loved watching the gorillas until one walked really close to the glass and all the kids started screaming. That pretty much scared her to death so we moved on to the carousel.

  

 

The lion made her a little timid and when Sam tried to sit her on it she made sure to resist.

 

Which Sam was more than okay with because he got a huge hug out of it. 

 

And then they settled on riding the peacock around.

 

Cute little Hazel loves sitting forward so she can see the world. And of course sucking on her finger.

 

It wouldn't be a trip to the zoo without getting a picture of Sam with his little friends the giraffes.

 

Since it was a hot day we let Bails sit down and relax with an ice cream cone and some cotton candy.

 

I wanted to let Hazel have a little taste since she is about the age Bailey was when she had some, but Sam said No. Poor Hazel. Maybe next time when Daddy is not around.

 

We also had to get a little updated picture of our little family growing old together on the rocking chairs.

 

 

And then we ended our visit with a ride on the little train.

 

 

On our way out a nice girl snapped our picture in front of the sign.

 

It was so sunny I could barely keep my eyes open without them watering like crazy. Hopefully by the end of the summer we know this place inside and out.

Church Time

Headed off to church

 

in her Sunday best.

Party Time

In honor of Bailey's birthday we waited for the weekend (and for Sam to finally complete year one of medical school) and then threw her a little birthday bash. We invited a few of her friends over for a little lunch and games. I told Sam I would be in charge of all of the food, but he had to take care of the games/entertainment. Listening to him brainstorm aloud all of his game ideas created a lot of eye rolling, shoulder shrugs and 'I don't cares' from me. I must say that during this planning phase I was a nervous and a little embarrassed it was going to be a bust, but alas I had to bite my tongue and call it a success.

 

Because who doesn't absolutely love the idea of hanging up toys and treats from a covered parking posts with TOILET PAPER and then shooting them down with squirt guns. I am just happy this idea evolved from his original plan of shooting hostess cupcakes down. Sam just had to remind me constantly throughout his planning that you can take the boy out of Idaho, but you can not take the Idaho out of the boy.

 

I am pretty sure it was a toss up on who had more fun, the kids or the dads. Bailey found the safety of DJ to help her squirt everyone including innocent me filming all the chaos and poor Hallie just trying to eat her fruit snacks.

 

At one point Jack came over and tried to save us...or rather deflect their attention off of us and onto him.

 

And then Own came over to test out his luck.

 

And then around this point all the Dad's got into it and all the wives rushed inside because we were getting the brunt of their attacks.

 

This was Bailey's first real encounter with a toy gun and lets just say that she now spends the better part of her day trying to get me or Sam to run around the house shooting the bad guys with her. I guess this fun afternoon made a real impression on her.

 

Next up was present time. I guess they all love each other a lot.

 

Then it was back to the backyard for some more fun. Sam decided not to put any water in her new sink or sand water table so the kids wouldn't get soaked. Of course they all outsmarted us by retreating to the icy cold water in the freezer to splash around in.

 

Pretty sure Bails was driving everyone nuts with her dip...

 

and fling

 

that really only she could think is funny. Especially after feeling how cold that water was. Thanks everyone from coming and celebrating with us. We had such a fun time. Especially Sam with the raving success of his game. You should see the wheels turning in his head of ways to make it even better for next year. Happy 2nd Birthday Bailey Boopers. We love you so much.

Bailey Turns 2

My little baby turned 2 today. Our original plan of celebrating in the morning was ruined when we realized that Sam's final was in fact Wednesday afternoon instead of Thursday. That accompanied with an 8:00am meeting with his research doctor meant the festivities needed to be pushed back till after naps. While I built her toys, Sam aced his final and then ran to Zurchers for a bundle of balloons.

 

26 balloons to be exact. 6 were free because the lady forgot to put the hi-fill in them. Sam was probably quite a sight trying to get all of these to fit in the car. It would have been even funnier if I made him take his scooter. I'll have to remember that for next time and bring the camera to capture it.

 

We brought the bundle into the house and then quietly stuffed them in her room.

 

This is what she woke up to. On the video monitor she just stood up and stared at them and then started pointing and counting away. She was thrilled to say the least.

 

She grabbed a hold of 2 balloons and then we carried her out into the hall and pointed to her new toys. We set her down and she ran over to her new sink and water table.

 

Sam and I were laughing as she pretended to wash her hands in the sink and dump water in and out of all the cups; complete with sounds effects. Apparently you don't even need water to enjoy these toys. Especially when you can climb in and sit without breaking anything. Our next few hours were spent watching her run back and forth from her room for more balloons to her new toys.

 

 

  

Hazel was straining her neck the entire time so she could watch Bailey run around like a crazy lady.

 

After toys it was time for her traditional Mcdonald's happy meal. I ran and grabbed it while Sam stayed home with the girls. They both needed diaper changes and I decided driving to Mcdonalds was better then dealing with more poop.

 

 

 

Such a big girl. She was thrilled to have her own little mini versions of everything. And I am pretty sure Sam and I both oohed and awwed over the little box of french fries.

 

I got Sam his nasty big mac and I ate my little baby hamburger and a zillion french fries and then instantly regretted my decision. To counter all the calories we inhaled (they list the nutritional facts on the wrappers now) we decided to take a walk over to the shopping center to grab Bails her birthday cupcake from the sweet tooth fairy. Hazel got to sit in the bob like a big girl for the first time and Sam got to carry Bails for the majority of the walk. We got our birthday cupcakes and came home to sing, blow out candles and skype with Grandma and Grandpa.

 

 

We tried to let her blow out her candles, but she just stared at the fire like we were crazy for letting her cupcake burn and when Hazel started trying to grab it Sam just blew them out for her. Maybe next year you can make a wish Bails. Bailey talked to Grandma and Grandpa for about an hour and showed off all her tricks and backyard toys. Then, because we didn't get enough calories today we headed to baskin robbins for a birthday cone.

I think we all hit our fat/sugar/junk food limit today. Happy Birthday to my favorite little 2 year old in the world. I love you so much that I am not even mad you took away my cookies n cream cone and gave me your freezer burned strawberry one. Cheers to a million more birthdays just like this one. Happy Birthday Bailey Boo.

Sunday Dinner

On their way out of town after visiting baby Isaac, Grandma Pam, Jana and baby Jack stopped by for a little Sunday dinner. We had delicious enchiladas by chef Robby.

 

While the food was cooking Bailey got to open her birthday present from Grandma Pam a few days early.

 

She got cute flowers for her hair, sidewalk chalk, and some kitchen supplies to add to her collection. This was a huge hit, especially for me. She has become obsessed with emptying my pots and pans out of the kitchen cupboard and then filling them with her snacks, water from sippy cups and my personal favorite, her feet. Doing dishes after you cook is a pain, but having to wash everything after the Bailey tornado hits was driving me insane.

 

She loves drawing with the chalk, and I think she may love throwing the eggs around even a tad bit more. I am quite impressed with how durable the chalk is. Too bad its days are numbered.

 

Dinner was yummy and the company was even better. Of course Sam kept us laughing the entire time. Grandma Pam was a very good sport when Bailey decided to quietly unscrew the honey bear cap before she used it leaving her victim to sticky honey everywhere. Less surprising was that Bailey was more than willing to help her eat her enchiladas once they were coated in a thick honey glaze.

 

Hazel of course makes everything better with her perfect smile. Thanks for visiting us. Glad you all made it home safe. Love you.

Garage Sale

Sam told me I have come a long ways since we first got married...

 

Because we went out in search of a garage sale this morning and found this beauty for $10.00. I just glared at him, while he laughed and she was all smiles while they cleaned it off with soap and water and then put it back together again. 

Chapstick

If you thought your chapstick was safe on the second shelf of the tower (about four and a half feet above the ground) you would be wrong. The little monster will climb up onto the coffee table, lean over and grab it off and then proceed to put it on...

 

  

and eat it. Just lovely.