Emus, Wallabies, and Antelopes...OH MY!

Saturday we took Ansley to the local petting zoo. They were having pig races, pony rides, face painting, and all kinds of good food! My new friend, Courtney asked us to go along with her and her little girl, Aubrie. They make a trip there EVERY DAY...I know, she is one dedicated mom! Aubrie loves it there and Ansley does too! They have a big barn where you can see all kinds of animals from goats to kangaroos and emus. Ansley has never been exposed to many of the animals we saw, but she really took a liking to the antelopes! She was very curious about them!
After a little time, she was brave enough to finally start feeding some of the goats. To see her muster up the courage to place her tiny hand in front of the goat's mouth was so precious! She loved it! She also loved the roosters! She was entranced by the cock-a-doodle-dooooo!
Not only could you feed so many different types of animals, but Ansley was also able to ride a pony while she was there. She was adorable...she would kick her legs on the side of the horse to try to make it go faster and she would rock back and forth. Ride 'em cowgirl!

We will definitely be taking Ansley back soon. She really enjoyed it! However, next time we'll be picking a cooler day!

How funny is this picture...Ansley in a cowgirl hat and Aubrie with a bow!

The girls feeding the goats

This girl was sweating!

This girl loved the pony ride!

We had a great day visiting the animals with Ansley and Aubrie!

Couponing!!

Wow! So I've been on a long break from blogging! I have recently started couponing and going to garage sales...both of which, are pretty time consuming! Put a 1 year old in the mix, summertime, work, and you have a pretty busy momma! I know garage sales and couponing sounds like a waste of time, but I've really found some great deals (a barbie corvette for Ansley) and last week I basically shopped for free at several stores! I will later do a post on my freebies! Stay tuned! I will post soon on our fun trip to our local petting zoo!

What a Great Sunday!

We had a wonderful day worshiping the Lord!  Our new worship pastor and his family had their first Sunday here as new members of Lynwood Baptist Church...whoo hoo! And Jason and I joined the choir (we both love to sing...I'm not saying it's good, but we love it).  We have been eagerly anticipating this day!  Brian and Sonja are amazing singers and we can't wait to see where their worship style takes our church!  The Anderson/Chrisman combo will be life-changing for many!  I don't have much else to post right now...other than this sweet girl!  I took this a couple months ago and forgot to post. I am a Gleek for sure and Ansley apparently enjoys it as well. The "knee bend" is her dancing (at least then it was...now we have some quick footwork action too)! Ha!   

River Rats

This past weekend we were asked to go to the Lake of the Ozarks with our friends, Jen and Geoff.  It feels like we just got back from Destin, so to pack for another trip was tiring, but this time we didn't have to pack all of Ansley's stuff.  Woohoo!  Thankfully, the grandparents watched her, while we played at the lake with our friends (we missed Ansley tremendously, but knew it would be better for her to stay home and easier for us)!  I'm so glad we were able to go!  We had so much fun cruising the lake on the Pinkel's boat, relaxing at the pool, and playing on the jet skis.  We also met Geoff's sister, Erin and her family...they were so sweet and she had such good advice (she is a mother of 3 girls, all about a year apart)!  We had some great conversation and hope we can see them again sometime! 
It was a weekend of fun for all of us!  We didn't take many pictures, but here are a few.

Love these girls!

Geoff was our captain

Look how roomy!  This was Taylor's hangout!

What a beaut!

Our lunch spot

Love the JWB on the back of the boat...Just Win Baby (Geoff's dad is head coach of Mizzou football)!

MIZ...ZOU! 

My favorite spot on the boat!

Thank you Pinkels for a fun, relaxing weekend!

Destin, Baby!

Our little family was able to enjoy the oil lined beaches of Destin, Florida this past week with our friends, the Ewaskos and little Bandermanns.  Just kidding about the oil lined beaches, it was BEAUTIFUL (contrary to a lot of the reports I received before going)!  We had an eventful, yet relaxing stay at the Seascape Resort and ate enough crab legs to flounder an army!
Ansley was a little out of her element there...the 12 hour trip in the new car seat was a little aggravating (she couldn't quite recline) and she suddenly decided she didn't want to eat the food I brought for her.  She also realized that sand didn't taste good or feel good in the eyes either :)!  We definitely learned that taking a one year old on a beach trip would not be the smartest idea next time!  Oh well, you live and learn!  No matter what, she's still a joy, even when she's fussy (I'm not sure our friends would say the same-ha)!
Our days were mostly spent relaxing by the pool, sun-bathing at the beach, golfing (Whit and the boys played), lounging in our condo, eating at some great seafood restaurants, taking an adventure at a small village called Baytown Wharf (Whit and I), and antique shopping.  It was all-in-all a great trip!  We had a fun time with Ansley at the pool once she got used to the water, seeing Alex and Ansley cuddle was so sweet, and spending time with friends that we absolutely LOVE was a blast!  Here are some pictures from our trip.

We all did the balcony pictures when we got there :)

We had a gorgeous view of the turquoise water!

  

 Ansley ready for the pool

 She looked like our little boxer

She had fun playing in the sand.... 

 Until it looked good enough to eat!

 Next morning...Ansley and Alex watched some toons.

Ansley's bedhead cracks me up!

 Whitney showing off her skills

Our beautiful pool

Of course, she loved running around the pool!

Love this one!

Jason splashing us

Dinner at Hog's Breath.  I know...sounds appetizing.

Alex wanted all kinds of kisses from Ansley!

Ansley loved the beach in the evening!

She loved the wind blowing in her face and the water rolling up to her toes!

Precious little footprints

      

Ok...really goofy picture!

Ansley watching the waves

Yay!  Destin was so fun!

Can't wait to get back!