Lions and Tigers and Bears...

We went to the Idaho Falls Zoo yesterday! 

Annie is finally at a perfect age to enjoy the animals and take interest in specific ones. Her favorite was definitely the snake. Who knows why... They scare me.

BIG thanks to the Maggie and Bentley for taking us along! We love their company.

 My little chick... 

 Shae loved these chickens, up until they pecked her hand. It made her jump and she immediately started crying. I couldn't stop laughing... You would think it had bit her hand off.

 The infamous drinking fountain... They may have enjoyed this baby more than seeing the animals.

 Annie's picture "for daddy". Sweet smile :)

 Loved this tiger! It was moving around all over for us. We even watched it cool off in the waterhole.

 Maggie and Bently - Arn't they cute?

 Shae has a little bit of "tiger" that runs deep in her veins. Maybe it's the red hair?

 Annie found the lion fascinating.

 She came so close to us!

 They have a little petting zoo. Annie enjoyed the part... Shae, not so much.

 Sweet Bentley with his sucker. He was a happy camper.

Not sure why Annie's smile is so strained in this picture... Maybe I've asked her to smile for pictures one to many times :)

Thanks again Dalton's! We had a fun day.

Bishop's Barbecue

Today was the annual BBQ at Bishop's house. We always have a good time at Bishop's house and it's hard to leave!

In fact, I'm pretty sure we are the last ones to leave every time...

 Annie LOVES all of her nursery leaders... Kristen and Martha are two of many. She will be sad to leave them in a few weeks. Makes me teary eyed just thinking about it.

 Maybe this is one of the reasons we are the last to leave... Bishop has a putting green in his backyard. Nathan is obsessed.

 Nathan and Bryce... They're good buddies.

 Sister George (Bishop's wife) is another one that we will be sad to leave! Annie was her little side-kick all night.

 Shae can't get enough of Bentley. 

 The girls were intrigued by this little puppy. Poor dog was chased all night.

 Of coarse, the tramp was a favorite. Another reason why we are looking forward to living at Grandpa's and Grandma's house!

Good food and GREAT friends! We had a fantastic night.

Church Park

Today, Annie, Shae, and I decided to walk to the "church park" (as Annie calls it). On our way there we received a pleasant surprise when Nathan drove passed us. He was on his way home from school. He joined us.

Side Note: Nathan gave a presentation at school today, so he dressed up. The girls and I were at the table eating breakfast when Nathan came out of his room. Annie immediately announced, "Oh, you look CUTE daddy!"

He was flattered, I'm sure :)

So... I'm still working on my camera taking skills... Unfortunately, these are not my best (aperture is low on a couple of them) but they were too cute not to post :)

I love my little family.

These girls usually take showers...

So they are taking full advantage of the bubbles and splashing privileges.

Red, White, and Blue

We had a fun 4th!

We started the day off with the Rexburg parade. We had quite the crew with us! Katelyn's family was in town! We enjoyed spending time with them.

Here comes the parade! Annie was ecstatic...

 Shae was glued to Katelyn during the whole parade. She waved, clapped, and cheered.

 I love when the farmers come through with hyped up trackers. 

 This couple definitely deserved to be in the parade - They had been married for 63 years!

 I always get the chills when the flags are carried in. So proud to be an American!

Once Nathan was home from work, we took off to Idaho Falls for the Melaleuca fireworks show. It was fantastic, as always.

Annie kept saying, "Shae! Clap for the fireworks, Shae!"

And they did... both of them.

I feel so blessed to live in America and to be free. I'm grateful for all of the soldiers who have risked their lives to secure our freedom.

Happy Independence Day!