The ZOO crew....

Our niece Mandi is here FINALLY and we took her to the zoo this past weekend! Here are a few pictures from our visit....

The elephant exhibit has a new viewing area that is really cool! Dylan saw it pick up the silver barrel that is in the picture to the left of the pole in front of the elephant and thought it was it's cup and started talking to it and showing it HIS cup! It was really CUTE...

Something else new and exciting that we hadn't seen since the last time we went was the new exhibit for the monkeys.....it was really neat to see them so close and watch what they were doing. It was really hot out so most of them found big leaves to sit under and shady spots to nap.





Here's Mandi running through the water in the splash pad area


We all got a little wet some more than others....



shirtless Trevor showing off for the girls!



Skip skip skip to my loo!


Yes their cousins! Identical cousins all the way ~ they laugh alike, they talk alike some say they even walk alike! (Sorry I watched Nick at Nite as a child instead of cartoons!) Anyway, we had a great time even with the heat. THANK GOODNESS FOR THE "TRAIN" RIDE!

When you wish upon a star................

We just got back from our trip to Disney Land and we had such a great time! It was all 3 boys first time, Jeff hadn't been in at least 11 years and I haven't been there for 15 years so it was definately time to go!

We were worried it wouldn't be too much fun for Dylan but he had a blast! His favorite ride was the Winnie the Pooh ride; I think he went on it about 10 times AT LEAST.





The boys had tons of fun and we made sure to try everything at least once....well almost everything. The pictures above are us on the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride. We did get a chance to do the NEW TOY STORY MANIA in California Adventure and it was pretty neat. We didn't think we would get a chance because the lines were 5 hrs long at first when it opened and 5 days later it was only 45 min! What luck to go by it at just that time.... especially since right after we got in line people started piling in and when we got off the ride there was up to a 2 hr wait.

Jeff had a great time too! He bought himself an authentic Indiana Jones hat and walked around thinking he actually was Indie! It was really funny ;) We also all got Mickey Mouse ears (well I got Minnie Mouse ears) with our names on them.... Jeff and I had Mom and Dad put on ours ~ my idea and I thought it was quite cute!

We also had the chance to see some friends from OR which was great! We spent a lot of time with our friends Stacey and Paige (Paige is Trevors "girlfriend") and had a ton of fun with them! We also had dinner with the Burdicks; another family we have missed a ton since we moved to AZ. It was so great to see all of them and we are so happy it worked out that we actually got to!!! We also had a chance to visit with my Aunt Carol and Uncle Dan (we actually stayed at their house) which was great and for the 1st time in 15 years I saw my Cousin Lee; the boys had a ton of fun with him in the creek in the backyard.

A few crazy things happened too OF COURSE...... while we were on the Matterhorn IT BROKE DOWN!!! We got stuck on the top 3 stories high and workers had to come get us ~ the good thing we got 2 passes to go on any rides and get in front of the line (well worth the paranoia we indured). Also on Thunder Mtn. Jeff and I rode together and somehow during the tossing and turning and FUN my camera got smashed and the screen broke (hence the not so perfect pictures). Last but certainly not least while we were on Splash Mtn. I had my cell phone in my purse and all though it didn't even get that wet my phone BROKE! Thank goodness for insurance....and all this within the 1st day and a half! No complaints though because it wouldn't be an adventure without mishaps! :)

Here is Jeff SURFING the matterhorn bobsled where we got stuck! He is so proud of this picture....

All in all it was a great trip that definately won't be forgotten! We can't wait to go again ~ hopefully sooner than later......until then ENJOY our PHOTOS!!!

To the man I LOVE....

Happy Fathers Day to my wonderful husband Jeff!

You are a great husband and father and I am so lucky to have you in my life. We have grown together so much and have created a perfect family during our journey together. It's crazy to believe that we are celebrating our 9th anniversary this year and I look forward to having a lifetime of many more anniversaries with you.

Thank you for supporting me and always being there for me. Not many men could deal with me and my crazy ideas! I love you so much and could not imagine my life with anyone else.

I know that we have had a crazy year and I am grateful that in the end of it all we are still standing and even stronger than ever!

You are a great dad and the perfect guy to play BALL with ~ just ask Dylan. Our boys look up to you so much and enjoy every second they spend with you. Each one of them has a part of you that makes them so special and I smile whenever it comes out in them because it only shows that we are doing something "right" as parents. I can only hope that our boys grow up to be like you.... a strong, understanding and loving man.

We love you so much and hope that you have a wonderful day!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to ALL my dads!

I wanted to wish my DAD a Happy Fathers Day! He's the coolest dad anyone could ask for and if you wonder where my craziness comes from it's him! He's an extremely funny person that can make you laugh at all the right and well even the wrong times..... :)

Thank you for supporting me with all my crazy ideas and letting me figure it out so I can learn from it..... there are so many times when I just wish I could get the answer and have it done but in the end appreciate having to figure it out alone because it's helped me grow.

I'm glad your my dad because the things I have learned and inherited from you I wouldn't be me without. I must say my musical influences would probably be quite different and that would just SUCK!

I love you DUDER!

I also want to say Happy Fathers Day to Keith (my step-dad)....... I know we have had a crazy life in the past and things seemed hectic with me around and I just want to say thank you for putting up with me (or at least trying). We haven't always had the best relationship and I am glad now that I am older that we have put it behind us and developed a friendship.

I appreciate the things you taught me growing up although I might not have seemed like I did at the time...... I am a better person, wife and mom because of the responsibilities I learned from you.

Happy Fathers Day!

AND.........

I love you Papa! You have always been my 3rd father and I love you so much. I wish we could live closer and I miss you everyday. Thank you for always being here for me and loving me and taking care of me! Because of you I have been deemed a PRINCESS by many and I must say I really like that role! Most of my great memories as a little girl include you and I love you for that.

Happy Fathers Day Papa!

Last but certainly not least!

I want to say Happy Fathers Day to my Father in Law Richard.

You are a great man and have a great heart and I want to say thank you for all that you have done for us! I am grateful to be a part of the Stout family and to have you as my Father in Law.

TAG U'R IT!

I've been TAGGED! My "wonderful" friend Valerie tagged me.... this is a first so here we go!

A- Attached or Single: VERY Attached
B- Best friend: Jeff
C- Cake or Pie: cake
D- Day of choice: Fridays..... things just seem to go right on that day
E- Essential item: waterproof mascara
F- Favorite Color: PURPLE
G- Gummy bears or worms: Black Forest gummy bears or NOTHING and ONLY the white ones
H- Hometown: Arlington, WA (not Virginia the actual Washington state!)
I- Indulgence: Purses and flip flops
J- January or July: July ~ 4th of July is 3rd favorite holiday and 2 of our boys were born this month
K- Kids: AJ (9 1/2) Trevor (6 3/4) Dylan (22 months)
L- Life is incomplete without: My husband and kids
M- Marriage Date: August 30th (although Jeff always says it's the 31st-WRONG!)
N- Number of siblings: 2 sisters & 2 brothers
O- Oranges or Apples: Oranges
P- Phobias or fears: Lakes (the thought of fish swimming by me freaks me out)
Q- Quotes: Life is like a box of chocolates you never know what your gonna get; Forrest Gump
R- Reason to smile: french toast in bed
S- Season of choice: Fall - it means the holidays are coming
T- Tag 3 times: Lindsay Sarager, Susie Packer and Maren Urkov
U- Unknown fact about me: Have you ever heard of the Woo Woo Kid? Or how about Sonnie Wisecarver? No you say.... well now you have. In 1944 my Great Uncle was 14 yrs old and well for some reason he had a thing for older women and married a 21 yr old this was illegal you see just as it is now and he and her were arrested. A yr later the guy did the same thing and ran away with a 25 yr old woman. So you say what does this have to do with me well I'll tell you..... September 16th 1987 a movie premiered starring an up and coming actor by the name of Patrick Dempsey (yes THE Patrick Dempsey) called "In the Mood" the autobiographical movie about my Great Uncle Sonnie Wisecarver and Patrick Dempsey played him in the movie. As a 6 year old (my birthday was the day before the premiere) I could of cared less that I was at a movie premiere with actors such as Patrick Dempsey and Beverly D'Angelo (she played the wife of Clark Griswold in the Vacation movies) but it's true I did and that is something very few know about me. I wonder if Patrick remembers me.... hmmmmmm.... probably not huh?!
V- Very favorite store: Old Navy
W- Worst habit: I analyze way too much about everything
X- X-ray or Ultrasound: ultrasound
Y- Your favorite food: this is a tough one but I guess it would have to be fajitas
Z- Zodiac Sign: Virgo