The lion says "Roaaaarrrrrr!"

A few weeks ago my friend Jess and I packed up our kids and headed for Hogle Zoo. This was my first time going out to a very public and busy place with both kids without McKay, so I was a bit nervous. It actually ended up being a wonderful experience and relaxing.....go figure! It's because Jess's kids are super well behaved and Dax loves Cam, so he plays really well with her and does whatever she does. They ran around to most of the animals Roaring at them like lions :) I love how well Dax plays with her. Maybe they'll get hitched one day!

It blows water out of his trunk.

Grayson and Jess's other little girl Leah are pretty much as easy as they come, so they both just sat in their strollers taking in the sites and what views they had of the animals. It was nice that Jess and I got to actually talk as we watched our kids play.

Dax and Cam sitting on the elephants nose. 

Jess, Cambri and Dax checking out the Rhinos

They are pretending to be eagles flapping their arms and yelling "Caw!"

They can't find the seals

This was one of Dax's favorite parts

Waiting for the polar bear.

Cam hurried to turn around so she could get her picture taken with her. (the polar bear is a girl I was informed)

Growling at the grizzly bears.

Goofing

He liked the bridge and wanted to run back and forth on it.

Gray had to get a picture with vulli his giraff and the real one.

Taking a break for a snack and drink

Last but not least we got to ride the carousal before we left 

Gray even got to ride it!

We had so much fun and cant wait for next time! ROAR!!!!

Fall is in the air!

A couple of weeks ago we decided we'd finally go and hike the Grotto up Payson canyon. I have been wanting to go on this trail for some time now and I am sure happy that it was the fall season when we made it.

This was Dax's 1st hike that he was out of the carrier and it was perfect for him since the trail was pretty short and not too many difficult things for Dax to conquer. My brother's family joined us, along with their super awesome and helpful kiddos.

I can't even explain how happy it makes me to be with McKay and our kids in the mountains. The air was crisp and fresh, the views were beautiful and the company was exceptional! 

At the trail head

As you can see the trail is well maintained

He was happy to have a helping hand while he crossed, but soon realized that he was capable of doing it on his own.  Dad knew he was not and made sure he was there by his side while they balanced across them.

Dax LOVED all the bridges.

A cave in the back part of the falls. I cant remember if Dax liked it or not. I do remember him wanting to splash in the water, thus the upset face he's making.

"Geese, Deyine and Geegee" or "Guys!" is what Dax calls them

Our attempt to get a family picture....sigh.... I guess we need to start going with the candid-like shots since Dax will NOT smile when he knows we want him to.

Gray loved it!

Dax was running so fast back down. All I could do is laugh at how funny he looked since he has not mastered the art of running.

This hill was actually pretty steep. (you cant tell by the pic)

 He liked sliding down on his butt like a slide

Discovery Gateway

We love this place wayyyyy too much! I actually just found out that they got the funds they needed by donation to build one at Thanksgiving Point. Hurray! When we move into our new home in Saratoga Springs we will be less than 10 minutes away from it. We could honestly spend more than half a day here and we basically did this time. We went for a couple hrs, left to have lunch, then came back for another hr or so. I love watching Dax's imagination and little body go a hundred miles per hr. It seems like he always enjoys different things each time we go too. This trip he spent a lot of time on the 2nd level which is were we sometimes don't even go. It's more for older kids.

Construction zone 

Hanging out with my bebe!

He cleared out the pretend vegetable oil and laundry detergent, although, he did get a banana and baguette in his cart too. This is always my favorite section.

This is in the 2nd level more for older kids. It was fun for McKay to play with him here.

He would say "YES!" along with a fist pump when the ball would go down their ramp.

Lol! Goofy Grayson.

Pretty happy to join in on the fun.

The helicopter was a huge hit. 

Snuggles on the news! 

Future weather man right there!

He was pretty wore out by the end of the day. We all were.

Giddy Up!

We went to Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point last week and I must say Dax was a huge fan.

This was as close as Dax would get to the turkeys at first until they started making giggle noises and pecking at each others faces. He thought they were laughing and giving each other kisses. He kept laughing at them then saying "MUAH!" 

Excitingly waiting his turn for the pony ride.

Loved the horses! 

The best part of the whole day was the pony ride. I really didn't know if he would love it or hate it and it just so happened that we had "that child" that was kicking and screaming while trying to get him off the horse when it was over. 

Mckay walked with him for a second, but quickly realized he was  a natural cowboy. 

He looked like this most of the time. Happy, yet relaxed like he had been on the range all day.

The short wagon ride. We were all pretty bored anyway, especially Dax if you cant tell by the picture.

Of course, Gray was my happy kiddo the entire time.