Nolan Came Home!

Last Wednesday, on April 18, 2012, we got to go pick my little brother, Nolan, up from the airport! He  had been serving in the Georgia Atlanta mission for the past 2 years.

It was one big family get together! It was the first time since Dawson's mission farewell that our entire family was together since Dawson and Nolan's missions overlapped by just a couple months. 

Sooo..... everyone loaded up in the big white van and we were on our way to the airport! All of us...my Mom, Dad, Zach, Wyatt, Olivia and Enoch and also Stacie, my amazing sister-in-law (Dawson's wife) and their two kids, Oaklee and Bridger. They were out here visiting while Dawson was still in Nebraska working, but he met us at the airport so when we first got there it was a fun reunion for their little family! They were so excited to see him :)

 

In the airport on our way to see Nolan! Kimbri was being entertained by many different people while we were waiting:

Zach letting her stand on the side of the flat escalator thing.

And I believe this was Wyatt's hat. She was trying so hard to get it off her head but the more you pull down at it the more it's gonna stay on! (Also, I can't get these pictures to be centered...? Oh well.)

  But I think she was loving the attention :)

   

  

And she also loved Zach's old stuffed lion animal!

We waited and waited for Nolan to come down those famous escalators. We were surrounded by so much family! It was the start of a crazy busy but amazing week. So much of our extended family was in town because of graduation for two of my cousins, Janelle and Landon, and I. So Nolan got quite the welcome! 

I was busy holding Kimbri and she was starting to get pretty fussy while we were waiting for Nolan so I didn't get any pictures when we saw him for the first time but maybe I can find someone else that got some and upload them later....

I did manage to get one picture when we arrived back home. It's with all our siblings, except Dawson who was still on his way back from the airport. And I guess I accidentally turned my head right as the picture was taken...oops!

It was soooo great to see Nolan and to have all our siblings all together again!!

A Trip to the Zoo

A little over one week ago we went to the Zoo. "We" included my Mom and three of her kids (Olivia, Enoch and I) and three of her grandkids (Oaklee, Bridger and Kimbri)! It was super fun!

**Word of warning....this post contains probably close to 50 pictures so be prepared**

So this is Kimbri while we were waiting for my mom who was in line getting tickets for the zoo. I decided to have her wear her pink and zebra print bow that my friend Diana gave her. Zebra print... come on, it's soooo fitting for a day at the zoo :)

I'm not sure what animal this was. In this picture whatever animal this is just looks like a dark brown or black blob. Haha! But Kimbri was very interested in it!

Olivia, Bridger, and Enoch... sorry Enoch, I cut off part of your face in the picture.

Enoch, Bridger and Oaklee in front of the elephants!

Mommy and Kimbri in front of the baby elephant.

After seeing probably half of the animals at the zoo we took a little break at some picnic tables and had a little lunch. Yum!

The GIRL cousins!!! And they were even matching! Pink and white striped outfits :) In the first picutre Kimbri was looking but Oaklee's eyes were closed and in the second picture Oaklee was looking and Kimbri was looking away :) But these girls are super adorable either way!!

After lunch the kids had to spend some time on the metal rhino.

Enoch

Enoch and Oaklee...and some other kids that I don't know.

Enoch and Oaklee again with their cute smiles!

Unfortunately Kimbri was not able to sit by herself  on the rhino :)

Bridger loved the riding in the wagon around the Zoo!

Next we visited the indoor area where there were tons of different snakes, spiders, and even.... a sand cat? I had never seen or heard of one of those before. And in the middle there is a room with birds flying around and turtles hanging out in the dirt under the walkways. 

Then we visited the giraffes....one of my favorite zoo animals!

I believe this was the gorilla area....

Olivia...Enoch....Oaklee...Bridger 

After most all of the animals we went to the carousel. And all the kids loved it! Kimbri was asleep the first time around but here we are: Olivia helping Bridger sit on the polar bear, Oaklee in the middle and I was in the back. To the right of the picture is Enoch on a tiger.

Here's a better shot of Enoch on the tiger:

I always loved these as a kid! Where you get to go inside a cave thing and poke your head out. These kids all seemed to have fun doing this do.

Oaklee

Enoch

Bridger and Olivia in the top one.

After that we crossed this bridge to the park where the kids went down the slide, sat on the fake crocodile, went down the slide, sat on the big play spider, and sat in enormous eggs and just had a great old time. Kimbri woke up just in time to do some playing herself :)

Bridger is such a handsome little boy!

Enoch helping Bridger go down the slide.

Some egg pictures... sitting in the egg was a major hit! They loved it!

Kimbri hanging out on the crocodile....

and in the egg.

More crocodile pictures. In the second picture down Oaklee and Bridger had a blast putting wood chips in the crocodiles mouth:)

Kimbri going down the slide with Olivia

After playing at the little park area for quite a while we all headed to the little train that goes around the Zoo. Kimbri kept grabbing at the tickets and had to have one ticket in each hand....

All of us on the train!

Kimbri and Bridger hanging out inside the Zoo shop.

And to end the day we all went one more time on the carousel. Kimbri got to come this time since she had finally woke up from her nap. Kimbri is sitting on an Okapi....which I had never heard of...and later found out that although it has markings like a Zebra on its legs, it's more closely related to the giraffe. Anyway... know you know what an Okapi is and here is Kimbri sitting on one. She loved the carousel. 

And on our way out of the Zoo Enoch was just dying to have his picture taken on the trunk of the big metal elephant :) We had so much fun spending a day at the Zoo!!