spontaneity at its finest.

in my books, its officially summer.  why, you ask? i shall tell you. because somehow, at the beginning of every summer, there are a few rituals that subconsciously come together without any planning or premeditating which undoubtedly mark the months to come. the zoo, bear lake, red butte hikes, road trips  and provo canyon picnics are just a few of these annual events. and this weekend 2 of them came together.

first, the zoo. friday, i found out i'd be watching both kids (henry is often at school when i nanny) so we packed some lunches, threw a diaper bag together and ventured off to that great place. it definitely helps to have a best friend who loves the zoo as much as any 6 year old to help out.

just two little boys in the dinosaur shop

baby girl :)

he loves them. they adore him. its too cute.

they're really good at settling down for pictures.

my favorite animal in the whole wide world. 

aside from elephants, of course.

obsessed with these two.

we're part asian. its fine.

giving derek sass? weirrrrd.

this little one stole my heart 25 months ago :)

next, bear lake.  after the zoo on friday, derek and i settled down to watch Tangled- we really like children's activities, what of it?- and once it ended, we realized that in two hours, my cousin and derek's best friend, will,  would be graduating from high school in bear lake. so within minutes, we gathered some belongings and hit the road. somehow managing to get there on time, though slightly disheveled. after spending a night with all my family and friends up there, we got some bear lakey raspberry shakies, walked to the beach and had a picnic while blasting quality music. then had to say goodbye to our favorite place on earth and head home.

 my precious little cousins. 'cept, they're not so little cause
 i'm wearing 5 inchers and i'm still shorter.

they're not even out of elementary. s'not right.

quick n' tasty 

lovin' us some shakies

 beautiful bear lake, my second home. 

 i'll think i'll keep this lil guy

i'm definitely not a spontaneous person (everyone knows how i'd die without a planner in hand at all times) but i'm glad i have someone that forces me to step outside the box and have a little fun here and there.

-little