heat wave

it's been a scorcher lately. true summer weather. and we've done lots to stave off the heat, both inside and out. visit to the zoo. several trips to the pool. tot splash at our local sprinkler park. the beach. and lots and lots of popsicles.

we start with a recent trip to the zoo with several of my college sorority friends and their kids. kellie and anna also joined us. we enjoyed our walk to see all the animals, our picnic lunch and our catching up.

harper, brendan and abby. lucky little man : )

my favorite exhibit is the polar bear and seals. even if they don't show their faces. i love being in the blue tunnel, surrounded by water.

of course, little c slept through a lot of the zoo.

our beauty of a friend, anna

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on wednesday, we joined heather and the boys, along with a few friends of theirs, to relax at the beach where my cousins and i grew up. kellie and anna joined us again, too. we enjoyed the day, swimming and splashing in the warm lake, and escaping the water, heat and sun to enjoy lunch on the deck and popsicles on blankets in the shade of the trees.

oh, and will you look at that, she's sleeping again.

this one is becoming a little fish. she's finding more of her inner gills with every swim.

crosby is starting to eye every food we consume. especially when it's in her sister's hands. and she's on the move even more now. rolling front to back and back to front. turning around little by little. she'll be fully mobile before we know it. and then i think harper's in for a rude awakening. she's already been possessive of her toys, unwilling to share even the reading of a story.

i adore this next photo of the girls. they've both just turned 3, sharing july birthdays and a zodiac sign. they've known each other all their lives and their mamas are great friends. i hope someday they both have this photo, turned up at the corners and aged, stuck in the corner of their dresser mirror. i hope they look at it and smile, thinking back at their younger years and how long they've been friends and just how much they've enjoyed together.

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we are zoku-razy. trying all the ones in the book. we have our favorites, and we have ones that we will make changes to the next time we whip 'em up. but we have yet to find ones that we don't like, well, maybe the summer morning ones. and of course, i go by my palate as well as my exclusive taste-testers.

mint chip "whoa, mint." it was overpowering. needs more chocolate to tone it down. none of these 3 finished theirs.

cookies and cream "awesome"

cherries and cream "delicious"