nashville zoo! so, jake loves dinosaurs. he rawrs and growls as he plays with them and makes them fight. and since they're extinct, it's a bit difficult to see one up close :) however, the nashville zoo just added "dino trek" as a temporary exhibit--large, animatronic dinosaurs that move and hiss and growl. it was perfect. so off to the zoo we went to celebrate jake's birthday. 

after lathering jake up with sunscreen (multiple times) we headed straight to the dino trek. it was pretty cool--and creepy--inside this dense, dark, forested area. jake's eyes were as big as saucers. he didn't move an inch in that stroller. he just stared down that triceratops. i was preparing myself for a freak out. 

down the path we continue, scott pushing the stroller, me snapping pictures, jake glued to his seat and quiet as a mouse. when i see something out of the corner of my eye. something behind me. i turn...velociraptor! it *screams* at me. i scream. that thing came out of nowhere. and i may still be traumatized by the scene in Jurassic Park where a velociraptor tries to eat the girl in the kitchen. scott just laughs and laughs and proclaims, "i wish we had a picture of that!" and then it spits at us. water spraying everywhere. scott ducking. me screaming/running down the path. jake in silent terror. it was awesome. and felt good since it was boiling lava hot outside.

once we compose ourselves we continue. and then jake hits his breaking point when i step close to a dinosaur. he points and frantically whines with pouty lips as if to say, "mom, watch out! too close! too close!" so jake was tucked safe in daddy's arms for the rest of the tour. and i am so proud of that brave birthday boy. he didn't make a peep after that.

that was probably the highlight of the day. and our chicken strips at lunch. and... the snow cone outside the reptile house. aaannndd...the amish family that came into the awesome bird hut with us. (seriously, that amish wife has a better camera than i do. maybe it's her one worldly possession she's allowed to have. if so, good choice.) we saw monkeys and giraffes and snakes and leopards and we had oodles of fun picking out birthday zoo toys at the end. jake received a drum, a tribal maraca-type shaker thing and a monkey book that he has already begun to destroy just a couple days later. he loves books to pieces. literally.

again, happy birthday jakey-poo. here's to next year's traumatizing birthday excursion!

jake's birthday gifts he received this year: books, lots and lots of blocks, vans, swimsuits, elmo guitar, bath toys, money and cards. thank you dear family!

first birthday. jake turned one (one!) on the 25th. birthday blueberry muffins began the day, along with many silly renditions of "happy birthday." i'm not sure he realized what day it was, but he sure loved my terrible wonderful singing voice praising him all the day long. scott was away on business and would be back that evening. so we errand-ed the day away, read books, played with toys, crawled around the floor in silly circles, hung balloons + streamers, took naps + started the birthday boy's cake.

i made Pioneer Woman's texas chocolate sheet cake and frosting. (the frosting has flour in it. flour. weird, right? but totally delish.) as soon as it was out of the oven, jake and i flew to the nashville airport to pick up scott. back at home, the birthday boy was smothered with kisses from daddy, then scott started up the grill to cook some hot dogs. we go all out :) i beat the livin' daylights out of the frosting (recipe said so), frosted the cake, whipped up some chips and dip, cut up some watermelon, and we were ready to go.

we were starving. and it was nearing 7:30. then a knock at the door. missionaries! they were being transferred the next day and wanted to say goodbye (love those two.) so our party of three became a party of five.

jake chowed down on the hot dog. his greasy little fingers squishing the bits into the tray as he tried to pick those slippery guys up. watermelon juice dripping down his chin. he's awesome. then cake time. i stripped him down to his diaper and then we all sang "happy birthday!" his baby blues sparkled watching that flame and he wanted nothing more in that moment than to grab a hold of it. as for the cake, he was pretty tidy. he'd pinch the frosting and taste it and looks to us for approval. finally, he dove in head first pressing his lips into the frosting. he played with it more than ate it.

and so, with dinner done and frosting on his face, the nakey birthday boy got a bath and a bottle (whole milk now!) and went to bed.  it was quite the busy day. we didn't even open presents. but there's always tomorrow when you're a sleepy, cute baby.

we love you jakester. happy #1 birthday. you are a joy. you are precious. you are the greatest. thanks for making me a mommy. (and for being cute, too.)

father's day.

a very happy father's day to this wonderful man, husband and daddy. it was his first year as a real live dad! and he's a whiz at it. he is patient, kind and oh so fun. you make our lives complete.

i commissioned jake to create a special father's day masterpiece for his daddy. he was totally into. until he ate the paint (baby edible) and decided it was gross. (cornstarch ain't too appetizing.) after that i had to force his hands to finish the painting. 

and i tried my skills at making our best bites' creamy cheesecake. the crust came out soggy. darned water bath! but it was delish nonetheless and scott was happily surprised.

we love you.

xoxoxoxoxo

life lately//via instagram

camp nakanawa//girls camp 2012

i'm glad i went, despite the fact that "tick check" was a legitimate part of our itinerary every day. i checked every square inch of my body every night in the shower due to some horrifying information: ticks like warm and cozy parts of the body. places like, oh, your bellybutton. the insides of your ears. armpits. and other non-mentionable places. the entire camp was enveloped in a mist of bug spray. i inhaled a fair amount. and it must have worked. because i'm proud to report that not one tick was found on my person.

it was miraculous. and the only thing more miraculous was our cabin of girls. they. are. awesome. the youth of the church here in tennessee are stalwarts. the theme for camp was all about Esther and what her cousin Mordecai told her in Esther 4:14, "and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" i tell you what, these girls have come to this earth for such a time as this. heavenly father needs their courage, faith, service for this day.

again, i'm glad i went. the cabins were spider-less. the views were gorgeous. the skits epic. the hair bows enormous. the spirit...wonderful. here's to the 100th year of girls camp. we celebrated Tangled style. by sending over 100 floating chinese lanterns up into the dark, vast sky and watching them cast their twinkling glow over the lake. it was magical.

cabin 19. yeah we were the best. our skit was hilarious, due largely in part to one fab young woman who played the role of king ahasuerus as elvis. and see that huge replica of the salt lake temple? it is nearly 8 feet tall and simply beautiful. it shone in the darkness on our night hike, lighting our path. very powerful. a big thank you to all the wonderful stake leaders who pulled off an awesome girls camp.

bert + engage now africa.

bert's b-day was awhile ago. may 14th to be exact. we dined on Ruth's Chris  delicacies and celebrated this beauty's 23rd. but it also felt like a bit of a farewell party too. bert was heading out in a couple of weeks to do humanitarian work in ethiopia with engage now africa. she's always been the tender heart of the family. she loves animals, works with kids in juvy, saves mice from swimming pools, and now. . . africa.

and bert is back. and she is honest about the experience. it was hard. and hot. and mentally taxing witnessing the extreme poverty of the tiny villages where she painted schoolhouses, built school desks, taught english lessons, distributed clothing, and had to "go" in a hole in the ground. bless her heart. really. she is a good person. a great person. and i am lucky to call her sister.

the children there called her "Fana" which means "light" in their dialect. now they may have been referring to the color of her skin. but i know she also exudes a light. a wonderful light of selflessness and love and of our Savior, Jesus Christ. she is wonderful. she is awesome. she is Fana!