Tracy Aviary

Today Grandma and Papa treated us to a day at the Tracy Aviary. We haven't been since Elizabeth was around 2 years old, so we were definitely excited to go check it out and see what's new. We were impressed with the new entrance and big gift shop.

As we entered, the kids were so excited to see a large lake with pelicans, geese, and ducks.

Grandma even splurged on some bird food from a vending machine so the kids could have fun feeding all of the birds.

Elizabeth and Zachary had a great time exploring. Grandma, Papa, and I had a hard time keeping up. Little Zachary loved climbing on everything and Elizabeth loved running ahead so she could make sure to be the first to see everything.

I loved watching Elizabeth and Zachary together. Zachary just followed Elizabeth every where she went. Elizabeth was such a good big sister and help Zachary along the way. She would point birds out to him and help him feed them.

Papa was excited to show Elizabeth and Zachary the eagles. They are his favorites!

Next, we were off to see the Utah birds that spend their winters in Argentina. I found it interesting that there are many birds that live in Utah during the Summer and then migrate to Argentina for the cold Winter season. That's a long way to fly!

Flamingos! I love Flamingos. Before we got to the Aviary, I told Elizabeth about the Flamingos. I told her that they are bright pink and that they like to stand on one leg. She was so excited to see them and kept asking where they were. She was so happy when we finally found them. She thought it was so great that they could stand on one leg and mentioned to me that she is going to practice standing one one leg too!

We are so lucky to have access to so many fun things so close to home. I loved seeing all of the different kinds of birds. I am truly blessed to be able to enjoy such fun and educational things with my parents and my kids!

It was getting pretty hot, so we welcomed the chance to go inside the South American Pavilion. It was air-conditioned and full of beautiful birds. Perfect!

There was one bird that kept squawking really loud. The kids were so funny. Each time it would squawk, Elizabeth would cover her ears and Zachary would squat down and yell as loud as he could! What crazy kids!

I loved walking the grounds at the aviary. There were beautiful flowers everywhere. Elizabeth had to stop and smell each one...so of course Zachary did too!

Elizabeth and Zachary had to climb on every rock they could find. I was a little nervous for Zachary but he did great!

The kids loved having grandma and papa with us. It was so great to be out in the sunshine enjoying a day with each other.

I am so grateful for my family. I love that we get to do fun things and experience new things together. There is no place that I would rather be then outside enjoying a fun day with family!

Grateful

Today Zachary accidentally drank some milk. I am not gonna lie...it scared me to death. There is no way to describe the terror as you sit there waiting to see if your child is going to go into anaphylactic shock. As I sat there, staring at Zachary with the Epi-Pen in hand, Elizabeth said the sweetest thing...

"Mommy, we need to pray to Jesus because Jesus has the power to bless us."

How had I not thought of praying? My heart swelled with gratitude for my little girl and her gentle reminder. After asking her if she would say it, Elizabeth uttered the most beautiful and heartfelt prayer I have ever heard.

"Dear Heavenly Father,

Please help Zachary so that he will not need to go the hospital or to the doctor. Please help him to feel better soon. I love you very much Zachary.

In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen"

I am grateful to say that Zachary is fine. I am humbled by the testimony of my sweet little girl. I am overwhelmed with the love from my Heavenly Father. I am grateful for this experience and for the knowledge that prayers are answered. 

"Dahee"

Zachary's vocabulary is growing from day-to-day. He is picking up at least one new word each day and is constantly repeating the things that we say! I love hearing his little voice. It is the sweetest. He speaks with inflection and can put quite the attitude (and facial expressions) with what he is saying.

By far though, my very favorite thing to hear is "dahee". Just today, Zachary started calling Matt "dahee" instead of "dada"! I love it!

Dribble, Run, Defend!

Today at soccer practice, the kids learned how to dribble the ball, ran races to see who was fastest and learned about defense. Elizabeth loves soccer and had tons of fun at practice today. She learned that she needs to kick the ball softly and run along with it as it rolls. This is something that we will continue working on at home!

As part of the practice, the coach had all of the kids line up. He then put them in groups of three and had them race. Elizabeth loves to run and usually has a huge smile on her face the entire time. My parents have even mentioned that I need to sign Elizabeth up for track. I am proud of my little Elizabeth. She ran so fast and finished either first or second in all of her races!

The last thing the kids worked on was defense. First the coach explained what defense was and gave them tips on how to do it.

Next, he paired up the kids and had them go up and down the field defending each other. It is so cute to see all of the kids trying and working so hard.

I am so grateful to have these fun experiences with my Elizabeth. She is such a good kid and I love seeing her learning and trying new things. Go Elizabeth!