A Day At The Zoo

Dawson and I went to the zoo last Friday with Suzi, Ander, my brother Jon, his wife Becky and their three youngest kids, Stockton, Sammee and Davis. The weather was beautiful, so everyone else decided it was a good day to go to the zoo as well. The parking lot was completely full and the zoo itself was absolutely packed with people.
It was Dawson's second time at the zoo and he seemed to enjoy watching the animals more than he did the first time, but he also wanted to run around and wouldn't hold my hand so I had to confine him to his stroller after we'd been there about 45 minutes to keep the little mischief-maker from getting away from me.

Ander and Dawson sharing lunch

Dawson looking at his reflection in the globe fountain by the entrance to the zoo

Stockton, Jon, Davis and Becky looking at the penguins

A lazy tiger

Dawson checking out the lazy tiger

Stockton, Davis, Dawson, Sammee and Ander. As you can see, it was really hard to get them all to look at the camera at the same time.

Checking out the jrafs (Dawson's word for giraffe)

Sammee holding Ander's hand by the penguins. Sammee was really good at taking care of Ander while we were there.

Dawson decided to take a snooze right before we left the zoo

Ander's favorite part of the zoo, the big water fountain right in front

More Random Stuff

Dawson got his first "professional" haircut today from his Aunt Becky. She thought it would be better if I wasn't in her salon with them while she was cutting his hair so I talked to my cute nephews Stockton and Davis in their family room while I listened to Dawson screaming at the top of his lungs. He looked adorable when she was finished but he was so traumatized by the experience that he just sat in my lap the rest of the time we were there, and got upset every time Becky offered him something to eat. He is such a little stinkerpot about getting his hair cut, but I'd like to have Becky do it every month from now on (if she's up to the challenge) so he can get used to having it done.
The New 'Do

Pretending to be asleep so I'll stop taking pics


Clowning around

We stopped at Southtowne Mall afterward so that I could get an Animal Circus cookie from Scoopology. It's my new sweet "fix" and I've eaten 4 in the past week alone. It's a big, soft sugar cookie with pieces of circus animal crackers baked into the dough. Sounds kind of weird I know, but they're absolutely scrumptious.


Now that I'm done talking cookies, I feel the need to give a happy birthday shout-out to all my peeps who have had birthdays during the past week - my nephew, Taylor, who turned 11 on the 4th; my sis, Suz and my dad, who turned 32 and 70 on the 7th; and our brown cow of a dog, Zeus, who turned 7 today. Happy Birthday All!
Dawson feeding Zeus a birthday bone

Taylor is now 11!

Who can forget Suzi's awesome leaf-style?

The BIG 7-0! My dad will be coming home with my mom from their mission in Hawaii in less than a month - yea!

Random Stuff

Ok, so I've been an avid watcher of "The Bachelor", especially this season because I really liked Jason. I have to say that I am really disgusted at last night's finale. I've lost all respect for Jason, not only because he proposed to Melissa, then changed his mind and decided he loves Molly instead, but also because he broke it off with Melissa on TV in front of millions of viewers and then professed his love to Molly. Totally uncool in my opinion. If this guy is that fickle, how is he ever going to find someone he wants to spend a lifetime with? I don't see it happening after last night. And if Molly is dumb enough to marry him, she deserves what she gets. I would have had a lot more respect for Jason if he'd broken it off with Melissa and tried to work things out with Molly in private, instead of flaunting it in front of the whole world. Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I feel much better...

I went to an eye doc yesterday because my eyes have been itching and watering almost constantly for the past month. The doctor turned my eyelids inside out with a q-tip (ewww) and after examining them he told me I have giant papillary conjunctivitis (huh??). He said that I got it from wearing contacts for so many years and told me I had to wear glasses for the next two months to let my eyes heal. He also suggested that I might want to consider having Lasik done so that I don't have to worry about getting this condition again. I've always wanted Lasik but couldn't justify spending that much money on my eyes at one time. I'll probably end up getting it done now, though, because I hate wearing glasses and I don't want this to happen again.

We barbecued some salmon last night and Dawson got hold of Scott's baseball cap. He wouldn't take it off and kept pulling it down so we couldn't see his face. You'll notice he has no pants on in any of the pics. As soon as we get home from the gym, the store or anywhere, his socks and his pants have to come off. He'd take his diaper off too if I didn't put a onesie on him every day. Thank goodness he hasn't figured out how to undo the snaps yet!

The Wedding

Scott's niece, Alicia, was married last Saturday in the Salt Lake Temple, so we were busy with wedding and reception stuff most of the day. Alicia is only 18 (gasp!) so we both think it's crazy that she is now married, especially since she's only known her husband for a few months. We're happy for her and her new hubby, of course, but they both just seem so YOUNG.
Scott and I were married when we were 21 and when I look back I feel like I was way too young and immature. (Scott definitely was.) I'm amazed that we've weathered all of the storms that came our way and are still happy and in love after almost 18 years.
We had to leave the temple and the reception early because of our energetic child who can't sit still and doesn't listen AT ALL when we ask him to come to us. We were chasing him all over the place. Whenever we caught him and picked him up, he would get really mad and try to get down so that he could escape again.
What a fun age...
The newlyweds, Richard and Alicia

Me holding the unhappy squirmer

Dawson getting ready to make a break for it

What's up with the sunglasses???