Lions & Tigers & Bears...OH MY!

I know. You can't get over my clever title. :)

Today we took the girls to the zoo! We love going to the zoo and we've been there a thousand times. Today was a little different because we got to see the MOLA. Paul was about beside himself because, even as an adult, he LOVES all things reptile. He has talked about it enough that even the girls couldn't wait. I couldn't even tell you how many times they asked, "Can we go see the MOLA now?" Paul and I both thought that it was cool, but were a little disappointed. The best thing about it was all of the new, big, poisonous snakes they now have...a king cobra, a green mamba, and a gaboon viper were some of our faves. Yes friends, I've watched so many shows about poisonous reptiles that I'm actually a little bit knowledgeable on the subject. :) Besides the MOLA, we loved our usual favorites...the monkeys, big cats, flamingos, and so many more.

Something totally disgusting, not surprising, and hilarious happened while we were there. We were just finishing going through the monkey house and walked outside to look through the big window at the chimpanzee enclosement. There was a brand new baby chimp sleeping on his mama who was also dead to the world. I don't believe in evolution, so I'm not trying to relate in that way, but I could sort of relate to her. Having a newborn is hard work. Her baby was napping, so she was napping. Good time management, I say. While baby and mama snoozed away, daddy was chillin' right next to them. He wasn't getting a nap in though...he was gettin' his sip on, if you know what I mean. Mama chimp, who obviously feeds her baby her own milk, wasn't even budging as daddy chimp yanked, twisted, and sipped on her milk giver. Paul and I couldn't stop laughing. Disgusting, very human like, and hilarious. Ah...I hope no one is offended by this little monkey to human comparison. I'm just sayin'.

Cute Little Guy

Now for the even cuter pics...

So much fun!

Checkin' Things Out!

I don't usually focus on taking lots of animal pictures, but today I thought I'd get some good ones. Fun stuff...

The zoo ROCKS!! :)

Go Rangers!

Sadly, the Rangers didn't win the only game I've been to in forever, but we had a fantacular time! Dad gave us the tickets, which were awesome, and Paul, Gracie, Nkere, and I got a night out while BigPa and Gigi watched the kids. Almost as soon as we got there, they flashed my seat up on the big screen (section 16, row 16, seat 7) :) and I won an autographed Michael Young lithograph! How fun is that? I'll be giving it to Dad because he is the biggest Rangers fan in our fam, but I loved that I won! There's just something about beating out thousands of other random people. :)

Thanks Daddio for giving us a fun night out and thanks to you and Momina for entertaining the little peeps! :)

I love going to a summer baseball game!

Love my peeps!

Action Shot...Josh Hamilton!

Of course there have to be some nerdy sister pictures!

She's one of my best friends!!

So fun!

We got to see fireworks after the game...I love me some good fireworks! :)

It's Time to Become a Fish...

We started the girls (Gracie Claire & Sydney) in swimming lessons this week! After a few prayers to deal with some worry, they were so excited to start! The first day was a test/safety day. They swam with each child by themselves to see what class to put them in, then they discussed safety at the pool. While they were waiting for their turn to be tested, all of the kids sat on the edge of the pool watching. At one point, Gracie Claire put her arm around Sydney for a few seconds. When she took her arm away, she turned around to me and said, "Mommy, we just prayed together," and she gave me a thumbs up. My heart did a little burst of pride! I love that they're turning to the Lord in their times of worry, even at this young age! When the teachers started talking to the group about safety (there are between 15-20 kids) Gracie Claire and Sydney were the only two who raised their hands to answer questions. What can I say? They love to participate and to talk. (Watch out Mrs. Kindergarten teacher...Gracie Claire is on her way! :)) Anyway, I was one proud Mama! Today, was the first day in the pool learning lots of fish skills...kicking, paddling, blowing bubbles, climbing in and out of the pool, and many more fun things! They were both so brave and had a great time!

Working on their skillz!

What does Molly do during swimming lessons you ask? Stuff bagels in her mouth. Stuffing anything into her mouth makes her so happy! :)

Little Mermaids :)

Summer Fun

We've loved going to the pool a lot this summer! The girls are getting a little more brave each time we go. Gracie Claire has even started holding her breath for an extended period of time and swimming under water! Woot! Sydney isn't so courageous, but she's loving it all the same. Molly, on the other hand, is seriously going to be our child who will break a bone. She's afraid of nothing!

Swimming Sisters

Our Little Beauties

We Heart Summer! Thanks to the hubby for letting me do a self-portrait. He's a huge fan! :)

Happy 4th!

We had a fab time hangin' out with the fam for a cookout on the 4th! We decided against going to see a big fireworks show due to the fact that the ladies were bushed by 8:30 and seeing as how we wouldn't have gotten home until close to 11, you can see why we decided to watch some fireworks on the TV. Of course we dressed in our Red, White, and Blue! We are so thankful for those who fight for our freedom and especially thankful for the freedom that we have in our Savior! So, happy 4th (a little late) from our little firecrackers to yours! :)

Sleepin' Over With PaPaw and Janny

The little ladies spent the night with their PaPaw and Janny Friday night so we could have a date night! Wahoo! Don't get me wrong, I love being with my girls, but I also love getting some adult time with the hubby and that happens very rarely lately. They had a great time going to Chucky Cheese and visiting their Great Granny. They loved getting to play with Hank (PaPaw's and Janny's dachshund) and getting to eat lots of yummy treats! We met up with them at Uncle Julio's for lunch and for PaPaw and Janny to hand them back over to us. Thank you, Mike and Janice, for giving us a date night! We know the girls had a blast with you both!

My Pretty Syd

Eclipse

If you know me, you know I'm a Twilight Saga fan! Therefore you know that I was in the theater with some of my closest peeps seeing the trilogy the night that Eclipse was released! It was crazy nuts fun and I'd totally do it over again! By the way...I've seen Eclipse a second time and loved it even more. No haters...

Amanda & Emily = Team Edward all the way!

Loved spending time with some of my fave girls!!

Toy Story 3

Great anticipation filled our house as we waited for the 3rd round of one of my fave movies! The girls couldn't wait to go to the theaters to see it! We took all 3 and let's just say it wasn't the smartest move on our part! If you know our Molly, you know her alien-like, shrill, deafening screams. She doesn't scream like this because she's throwing a fit...no. She just does it because...well, we're not really sure. I guess she enjoys seeing people stare at us like we're some sort of crazies for letting our 20 month old scream like a cat. Many times her squeals will be followed my laughter and clapping. Many times we're the one laughing and clapping. It truly is funny! Well, she chose not to be respectful of all other movie goers on the day that we chose to hope for the best. After a good portion of the movie was over the chaos began. The shrieking turned into a bit more than I could handle and I was waiting for someone to come tell me to please remove my noisemaker from the theater. Paul was in the bathroom with Gracie Claire and I was left to get the other two out of the theater along with all of our goods. I'd made it a few steps down with Molly and said goods in hand when I hear my Syd's deafening cries behind me..."MOMMY...HOLD MY HAND!!!" Back up the theater stairs I go knowing that Paul must've planned to leave at the most strategic time knowing I'd be stuck scrambling out of the theater with two little children, Molly's bag, 2 cups, my purse and a blankie. Anyway...

BigPa gave the girls another chance to see the movie without their alien sister. Excited isn't even the correct word to describe how the girls felt about going for an outing with BigPa. He picked them up (along with Sam) and took all three to see the movie. They had a great time spending time together, ate lunch at McDonald's and just loved hanging out together! Thanks to BigPa for showing 2 of his little ladies a fab time! :)

Daddy's Day

We celebrated Father's Day by getting up bright and early only to find out that Paul was off riding his bike. Hmmm...I guess it WAS Father's Day so he was in charge of all activities that day. Oh well. The girls waited patiently for their fab Daddy to get home so they could lavish him with gifts and love. Seriously...I couldn't ask for/create/want any other man to be the Daddy of our girls. Whoever they marry one day will have tons to live up to. I'm so thankful that he's the example of what a Husband and Daddy should look like! He totally rocks! Thank you babe for being the man that God created you to be! You're the BEST husband and the BEST Daddy! Thank you for taking your job of being a Daddy so seriously! Our girls are completely blessed to have you as the man in their lives! I love you!

Sydney and Gracie Claire were pumped to give Daddy his Father's Day gifts wrapped especially for him in a Tinkerbell gift bag! :)

What did he get, you ask? M&M's and an iTunes card were part of that awesome bag of goods!

These were our attempts at a "Daddy With His 3 Girls" picture. Someone in these photos really wants to rip into the ginormous bag of M&M's. Can you guess who? :)
Obvious Answer Below...

Of course we didn't forget our own Dads as we celebrated this Father's Day! Both Paul and I have wonderful Dads who have loved us through lots! We are so thankful for them as both our fathers and as our girls' BigPa, PaPaw, and Papa! They're awesome!

I have always been a bit of a Daddy's girl and am so thankful for a Dad who has taught me, loved me, counseled me, and showed me what a Daddy should look like! Love you Dad! You rock!

(L) BigPa and His Grandkids...all 6!! (R) We love our Dad!!