Portland Zoo and the Salt & Straw.

On the second Tuesday of every month the Portland Zoo has an admission price of just $4.

So of course we took advantage.

Once again we packed the girls and the hundreds of things you need to care for them and headed to Portland!

Olivia getting all geared up for the fun day ahead!

We were a little bummed because there were supposed to be little lion cubs but they were hiding on the other side of the rocks so we couldn't see them.

We did however get a nice view of daddy lion and you can definitely tell he thinks he is the shiz!

Olivia was pretty excited about the flamingos.

She calls them "fee ee doos."

And the big mean crocodiles... she and Michael were both fascinated with those. 

Olivia was lucky and got a close view of the cheetahs.

And Clara...well she was just happy to sit in her stroller and swing her little chubby legs back and forth.

I love this baby of mine.

That's about as close as she'll ever get to riding a lion :)

THE ELEPHANTS!!! My most favorite animal. 

They were in the process of constructing a huge elephant exhibit so we didn't get a good view of them but we did see them and that's all the matters.

I couldn't possibly call a zoo visit successful without seeing my elephants!

One of Michael's favorite animals is this huge polar bear.

He says he wants to cuddle with it haha.

The black bears were friendly and would come up super close.

Look at the little turtles! Aren't those just the cutest little things you've ever seen.

We were all freaking out.

Standing in the eagles nest!

So happy to be at the zoo!

Once again not a perfect family shot but boy do I love this family of mine!

After a fun hot day at the zoo we decided to try out the famous Salt & Straw.

We had heard so many good things about it and me being the ice cream fan that I am had to try some.

After a little difficulty finding it, and then struggling with parking, we made it and let me tell you it was worth it all.

I would have hiked 10 miles for it, no joke!

My flavors of choice were the sea salt icecream with caramel ribbons and the honey balsamic strawberry with cracked pepper. Michael got the sea salt with caramel but when he tasted my balsamic strawberry he went right in for more! It is hands down the best strawberry ice cream I've ever had!

We'll be back for sure. Many many more times!

Well Portland, you did not disappoint.

We all left with huge smiles, full tummies and unforgettable memories!

Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day!

I wanted to just take a minute and express my overwhelming love and gratitude for my own mother.

She has taught me so much. I think the most important thing she has taught me is the power of unconditional love. Never once did I ever feel like I wasn't loved or important. She always made sure I felt like the best person in the world. This is something that I hope more than anything my own children feel from me. That no matter what they do they can always count on me to be there for them and to love them all the way through.

I love you mom and I'm so blessed to not only have you as a mother but as a best friend.

One of my favorite parts of mother's day was getting to hear my little Olivia sing a mother's day song during sacrament meeting. It was her very first time and it was perfect!

Aren't these tulips lovely?!

Thanks love!

(This was a few days later when they bloomed.)

Another one of my favorite parts of mother's day was getting to talk to Emerson.

Technology is amazing. Connecting my family from Utah, us from Oregon, and Emerson from Connecticut so that we could all see each other is beyond me but it was wonderful!

I am so proud of Emerson and the missionary that he is.

His positive attitude, spiritual thoughts, and willingness to work hard no matter what inspire me every day.

9 months and counting!

I think my very favorite part of the day was getting to spend it with my two perfect babies.

Being a mother is the most challenging yet wonderful thing I have ever done in my life. Some days I wonder what the heck I am doing...yet it's those perfectly pure smiles and silly little giggles, tiny kisses and hugs, innocent eyes and forgiving little hearts that make being a mother the absolute best thing in the entire world.  I thank my Heavenly Father every day for blessing me with my sweet Olivia and my sweet Clara. 

I am so blessed.

Rainy days and colds.

After some good weather, the rain came back. And a long with that came a couple colds.

But we didn't let that stop our fun!

We had to take Clara to the doctor so she could get some medicine for her little cold.

She's the cutest, even when she's sick!

Sometimes (okay a lot of times) we find little disasters around the house created by our one and only Olivia.

This time she got to the cheese!

Olivia is loving the game mancola. Mostly because of the marbles.

Every time we put Clara to sleep the first thing she will ask is if she can play it!

(Clara is not allowed to play for obvious reasons.)

Olivia loves to run errands with me especially when we run through the pouring rain into Great Harvest to pick up a loaf of their cinnamon chip bread and enjoy a warm caramel cinnamon steamer from Starbucks!

Okay that was fun now it's time to go away rain and sicknesses!

Exploring the Willamette River.

One afternoon, we decided to go on a little adventure and explore the beautiful Willamette River.

We parked at a local park located right on the river and just started walking.

For what seemed like forever since I forgot the stroller and my sling.

Let's just say Michael and I both got a good workout!

We found little caterpillars along the way.

Olivia was a little nervous and kept her distance.

We came to a park where you can walk right down to the river and play.

Olivia loved throwing rocks and wading around in the cold water, Clara loved trying to eat the rocks, Michael loved looking for turtles and snakes, and I loved searching for teeny tiny sea shells. I'm not even kidding. There were sea shells and they were the smallest cutest little things I've ever seen. I'm mad I didn't get a picture.

The more and more I explore this little city of mine the more and more I fall in love.

Visiting Pa and Ma.

One weekend we decided to take a little trip up to Yakima to visit the Mickelsons.

Buck is such a good sport!

She was pretending that he was her horsey.

They built a fire pit in their back yard so of course we had to make smores.

Clara could not get enough of the graham crackers!

Yum!

I don't think I could ever get sick of these! 

Oh and excuse the burntness of my marshmallow. I am much too impatient to sit and wait for it to turn a nice golden brown, I just light that baby on fire and get it into my mouth asap! 

Olivia loved playing with their little bunny!

Gotta love selfies with Pa!

Aunt Rachel is the best!

The girls just love her!

I did manage to take a family photo.

It's not frame worthy by any means but hey getting four people to hold still and smile all at the same time...well it's pretty much impossible!

Thanks for letting us come visit. We had so much fun!

It's official they're getting married!

I was beyond excited when I received this snap chat from Winston as he was getting ready to board his plane to fly to Arizona to surprise Jill!

Ahhh the ring...it's gorgeous!

We could not be more excited for these two to get married.

We have fallen in love with Jill.

She fits perfectly into our family and we can hardly wait for August 13th!