Bronx Zoo, NY Aquarium and the Beach!

We LOVE the Bronx Zoo! I didn't think I liked the zoo until I came to the Bronx Zoo. It is a huge zoo and has so many animals and things to do. there are so many different animals and it is always a full day event. This time we went with some friends from church which was fun to explore with other people as well. The girls were so excited to see so many different animals and go to the petting area where they could feed some farm animals. Charley squealed with excitement each one would lick the food from her hand and Bergen was fearless feeding the goats and chickens. A few days later we also made our way to the Aquarium. I was trying to go to a few places where Charley was still free before she turned 3. The Aquarium was a lot of fun too and is where Bergen learned the word "fishy". We saw lots of fish, penguins, sharks and were able to pet a few water animals. It was a really HOT day so we actually didn't stay too long, but it was a perfect way to tire out the girls so they slept the entire way home. 

Charley has been transitioning to no naps and so this happens a lot. She will still fall asleep doing quiet time. I think it's so cute so I creepily take pictures of her sleeping on her floor. She is still tired during the day but if I let her nap, it takes her hours to fall asleep at night so I try to keep her up during the day so she is tired for bed. She is really good to have quiet time in her room and will usually just play and read books. She is the best! 

We also went to Fire Island with some friends a few weekends ago. Fire Island is in Long Island where you have to drive to a ferry dock and then take a ferry to the actual island. It was fun for the girls to take a ferry. We went with the Deckers who were here for the summer. We got to the beach and walked along a little trail called the sunken forest and then chilled on the beach. It was kind of sad because right when we got there, Charley and Spencer went into the water. Spencer was holding Charley and a huge wave came and toppled them into the water. It scared Charley really bad and the rest of the time she wouldn't even go near the water. I think she is mainly scared of the sound of the crashing waves. This beach had some really BIG waves so I don't blame her.. but we went to the beach last weekend to a different beach that had much smaller waves and she was still deathly scared of the ocean. Poor girl! Hopefully it phases out. Spencer and I both tried so many times to take her into the water with us but she would just scream and want us to hold her each time. I guess we will do baby steps and hopefully she will learn to like the ocean again! (AND it's just the ocean.. she is doing swimming lessons right now and LOVES the pool and swimming!) 

Charley turns 3!!

Charley turned 3 in July. This year we decided to have a family celebration since her cousins from Texas were going to be in town. It was kind of nice not having to plan and prepare a huge party. I think we will do a family party every other year to keep things low key. Charley started the day off with donuts with Dad and Bergen. She wanted a pink donut with sprinkles so he took her to get one. They then went over to the pet store to get a fish! Spencer let her pick one out and she chose a red betta fish. Afterward they came home and she opened presents from her Grandma and Grandpa Ellingson who gave her money and Gramma B and Bart who gave her a little toy piano. She loved both! Her and Bergen still fight over the piano and I will catch Charley playing the music and then dancing around and singing.. it's pretty cute. With her $10 she got, we went to Target and she chose a Curious George jack-in-the-box and a play dough set. She plays with both just about every day! We then went to the splash pad for most of the day until her cousins arrived that night.
That night we had homemade pizzas, opened more presents and then had a brownie layer cake with strawberries. Spencer and I got her a Daniel Tiger figurine set and a balance bike. Her cousin Rebecca made her this most amazing princess dress with a crown an cape! It is really amazing how she made it and Charley loves it! She wears it so much and twirls and dances around in it. It was fun to see her open it and get so excited about a real princess dress!

Happy Birthday to this amazing 3 year old! I love Charley so much and am so grateful for her sweet spirit. She is fun, always happy, loving, obedient, energetic and caring. I love seeing her little personality shine through. She is such a good sister, the best sleeper and very curious. She loves the water, playground, and reading books. She wakes up happy asking for breakfast every morning and usually goes to bed without a fuss (after some milk). We love this girl so much!! 

Spencer is 32!

Spencer is 32! He was gone for the first half of his birthday in Utah for a week-long work trip, so when he finally flew home we celebrated the rest of his day with some yummy burgers and fruit pie. While he was in Utah for his birthday, I put an envelope with a present in each one for him to open each day he was gone.. making it a birthday week. I told him he could only open ONE each day and he actually did it! I had different presents like golf tee-time in Brooklyn with a friend, a little shopping spree with me to get some new clothes (that he desperately needs), a coupon for a massage, a professional haircut/shave and then the final present was tickets to see the Killers! The Killers were sooo good and so fun! They were actually 2 hours away so we had our awesome friends come over to the house and stay here with the girls while we went. We ended up getting home at 2am.. so they are pretty much the best! But it was so worth it because we LOVED listening to the Killers.
I just love this man of mine so much! He is such a great dad and husband. He is a hard worker, loving, kind, honest and spiritual. He strives to do what is right and is patient with our girls (and me). He loves his family and helps me out around the house so much. We are a really good team and I love having him by my side.