Lots of outside time

The weather has been pretty nice lately, so we have spent A LOT of time playing outside. We have gone to several parks, and just had lots of fun. We went to a splash park last week, which the kids loved.
They liked playing in the mud the most. Alyssa was covered and very proud.
Dallin was teaching her how to play in the mud...
Alyssa was very upset when I told her it was time to go home...here is her pouty face.
One night we got pizza and ate in the car at the park. Then the kids explored a new park. They thought this was awesome and so much fun.
We got some new neighbors, and they gave Dallin this jeep. He loves it so much. It is huge compared to our other one. Now they both love to drive their jeep.

The Zoo!

We went to the zoo this past Friday. We have a membership, and the kids LOVE going. Alyssa loves the "amals" so much. The last couple of mornings when I ask her what she wants to do, she says "amals" over and over again.

We always have to go see the giraffe first because they are Dallin's favorite!
He is such a cute and fun kid.
Alyssa loved the penguins.
Alyssa got in some good daddy time. They bonded a lot this weekend :) Alyssa is very much a momma's girl, so it made Jeff happy.
We went to the children's zoo part where they get to pet some animals. They liked the ducks.
Dallin petting the sheep.
They were move brave than I thought they would be. Here they are petting the goats, which Alyssa kept calling dogs.
Then it was time to feed the goats. Alyssa was pretty scared at first.

Dallin was brave from the start.
Alyssa got a little better, but normally just chucked it at them.
Then they got to brush the goats.
It was a perfect day. The weather was perfect. We got Mexican food for dinner, and then ended the day at the park. The kids liked having Jeff there. I was informed he is much better at pushing them in the swings. I love weekends like this!

Enjoying the Summer

This is kind of a random post, but I had few pictures from the summer so I thought I would post what we have been up to when we don't have family here or aren't visiting family :) A lot of these pictures were taken on my phone, so sorry about the quality.

The best news is that Alyssa has been willing to TRY new things. It doesn't mean she likes it, but she is willing to try and actually likes A LOT more. She wants to try what we are eating most of the time. It only took until she was 20 months old:) Her favorite the past couple of days are cucumbers. She just loves them (and yes, she is a very messy eater).
Alyssa found a new chair when she is playing with the trains....I don't like this chair.
Grandma Petersen bought Alyssa a purple purse from Michaels. She LOVES it and carries it everywhere. She normally has some keys, a phone, and a fake credit card in there. I just love how she is mowing the lawn AND carrying her purse around in purple clothes. She has been obsessed with purple lately.
Our little messy eater...
Alyssa finally is able to drive the jeep. She is so proud of herself, and she LOVES it. She can't really steer, but she holds the steering wheel in one spot so she just does circles the whole time. She had already been driving it for about 45 minutes so the Jeep is about to die in this video.

A friend of ours has a trampoline that the kids thought was awesome. Alyssa only loved it when Dallin wasn't on it.
We walked to the park today, and Dallin rode his bike. There is a slight hill on the way there. I could hear him the whole time going, "I think I can! I think I can! I Think I can!" Can you tell what book he likes lately? He cracks us up.
We found this neat park that is purple. Dallin always talks about how it's a girl park, but he loves the spiderweb there. He has become quite the climber.
He also LOVES to hang upside down on everything. I think his cousin taught him this, so he thinks he is pretty cool.
We got some boats stuck in the pond, so Jeff had to go in and retrieve them...Dallin went right where we told him not to go. His boat got stuck, so Jeff tried to hit it just right and got another boat stuck. (We are up to 4 boats now...) Dallin thought it was pretty funny, but I don't think Jeff was very thrilled.

Fun in Iowa

It was our niece's birthday this past weekend, so we decided to go visit them in Iowa. Dallin and Alyssa had a blast. Jeff got to go golfing, and I got a break from entertaining the kids all the time. It's always fun getting to be with family. The kids played outside A LOT in their new and awesome playground. I'm pretty sure we pushed the kids for several hours in the swings.
They also have a bounce house with a slide that Dallin LOVED.

Alyssa just loved trying to squirt her big brother. She also got the adults a few times :)
Alyssa enjoyed splashing in the pool with Ella.
Since it was Kendra's birthday, we had some delicious cupcakes :) !!! Alyssa enjoyed the frosting.
And so did Dallin. I don't think either kid ate much of the actual cake part, but they were yummy.
Dallin and Ella playing trucks
The last night we were there, the kids thought it would be funny to all sleep in the same bed. There was a lot of giggling going on :) Dallin slept in until 10 the next morning! He was a tired boy after playing so hard during the day.