The Columbus Zoo & Aquarium

 This was one of those super busy, amazing weekends. Not one minute was wasted.

We have been wanting to go to the Columbus Zoo all summer to check out the new Heart of Africa exhibit. Though it can be pretty crowded at times (it is always within the top 10 zoos in the country), we decided to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and go early on Saturday morning. We had a blast!!!

  First stop: the petting zoo. Emerson was scared of the animals at first, but once she found out she could brush the goat's hair, she was all in.

 

The Heart of Africa exhibit was just so cool. You almost forgot you were in Columbus, Ohio. 

Apparently, the lion doesn't just sleep tonight. He sleeps during the day while hundreds of people watch him and his friends.

Did I know that was a warthog simply because of Timon & Pumba? I can't say.

It was hard to get a good shot of this, but that is a Labrador playing with the cheetahs. They are being raised together. Is that not the cutest thing you've ever heard of? I loved watching them play together!

 

Emerson loved the bears.

And the "pink ducks"

When asked what animal she really wanted to see, Emerson said penguins, so we walked around a great portion of the park trying to find these little guys.

Anna and Leo (my nephew) had so much fun they passed out.

My first carousel ride!

She kept looking for Nemo. 

"Is that Nemo, mommy? Is THAT Nemo? Which one is Nemo mommy?"

Soon, sweetheart. Very soon ;-)

"Hey Leo! Wake up and check this out!"

When she finally woke up, Anna LOVED watching the fishies in the aquarium. Her squeals of delight made the whole trip worth it.

 

 Aunt Kiki!

If you are anywhere near the area, definitely go check out the Columbus Zoo! Fun for the family, inexpensive, and the Bavarian pretzels are pretty tasty! :-)

Lately

I am..

Enjoying...the summer evenings. One of my favorite things about summer is that I can still sit outside without the porch light on until at least 9pm. It's perfect.

Loving... my sweet girls. Anna's personality is really starting to emerge, and I just love watching the two of them interact more and more.

Obsessing over.... how gorgeous my girls look in the photos taken by a friend of "Ma" (aka Bev, my mother in law). Taking photos of three very mobile children can be a challenge, but Jenn did a great job!

I think Emerson is starting to look more and more like me (albeit a much more beautiful version) and I have to admit I'm not upset about it ;-)

Exercising... by running. Eek! I forgot how much I missed running (well, the endorphins at least) and dare I say I may be looking at running a race again this fall?!?

Getting SUPER excited for.... our trip to Folly Beach in less than 2 weeks!I can't wait to spend some time laying on the sand (though probably not much time since I have two toddlers) and exploring the gorgeous city of Charleston.

Watching.... The Bachelorette. Obviously. It's my summer guilty pleasure. Only a few more days until spunky Andi decides between nerdy Nick and jock-y Josh. It's very obvious that she picks Josh, and I think they're a perfect match.

But, if it were me, I would have gone with Chris. I have never been enticed by the farm lifestyle, but Chris's preppy farmer look is H-O-T. Period. Don't tell my husband.

Reading.... just finished Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlin and started Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead.

Dreaming... of another trip to Napa, and soon. It was heaven on earth to me.While we're at it, if I could just relive my So Cal girls trip, that'd be fine by me too.

Listening to... HA! I couldn't name one song on the top 100 chart right now. The only songs that go through my head all day, every day are from Frozen or Tangled. 

Well, that's me in a nutshell! Summer 2014 is proving to be one of the best summers yet! :)