zoos :: whos

throughout the summer we've been able to enjoy a few days here and there in the mornings to hit up the zoo before the death of heat and humidity get to much to bear.
i'm not too sure why i feel the need to take pictures almost every time we go to the zoo. because honestly we go at least once a week if not more (weather permitting) and well, everything is the same each time. pretty sure the excitement comes with brody. every time he loves something new. can i just tell you that the age he is in, is fabulous! i love that he knows all the animals, there sounds and most importantly his love for them. with waves of "hello" and "hi guys" and copious amounts of kisses he throws out to the animals is sure to warm any heart.
as of right now, the alligators and goats are by far the favorites. and the runners up might just have to be the moose's and fish where the brown bears live.
other highlights include, riding the train, the carousel, the boat ride and playing in the polar region and the bug play ground.
and last highlight is brody getting his hand stamped on the way out of the zoo. it is a must! hey Columbus Zoo is voted #1 Zoo in America. just saying!
this my friends is summer zoo days at there finest!

beauty :: flowers

with summer in columbus...it always brings beautiful flowers! in the evenings when we are at the park, i am wandering around taking pictures of the all the outdoor goodness. behind one click of camera, un-edited pure beauty! i seriously can never get enough. i have hundreds of pictures and i am always leaving wanting to come back and take more the next day. nothing better than perfect lighting and beauitful flowers.

ohio state fair :: a fair day

we ventured to the ohio state fair grounds for an afternoon of fun! our first order of business was to go and see all the animals. mission accomplished! and it was great! brody LOVED all the animals! he made all the animals noises, would say hi and blow them all kisses. i think if he could have, he would have brought a cow home with us. he loves cows!
after making our way through all the animals we hit up a few rides.brody and tyson had a blast going down the big huge yellow slide.
in the kiddie area there was a petting zoo with some goats, lamas, camels, zebra and some other unusal animals. you could purchase little cups full of carrots to feed the animals. brody loved having the animals eat out of his hand. this kid has no fear! i was afraid he was going to have his hand bitten off a few times. but he loved it! brody would have stayed all night long feeding the animals carrots if we would have let him.
after enduring the heat and humidty we took a break and went inside the arena and watched barrel racing. it was a lot of fun!!
and before we left the fair, we hit up the indoor market place and found a candy heaven! we got ourselves a little treat to eat on the way to car.
our time at the fair was really great, but by the time we got to the car, we were super grateful for air conditioning! :)

celebrate :: Lucky 7

{our video from our wedding reception}

happy 7 years to us! this is one of my favorite post! we've had so many adventures and i know we have so many more to come!

xoxo

must try recipe :: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

this pie is sooooo delicious! tyson and i were able to polish it off all by ourselves!

1 chocolate cookie crust (I used an Oreo pre-made crust)

filling:

1 cup cream cheese
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
4 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup whipping cream

topping:

2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream

optional:

chopped peanuts
chocolate curls

To make the filling: Using a stand mixer with a beater attachment, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar until blended.

Whip cream into very soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Spoon filling into the cookie crust.

Make the topping: In a pan, combine the sugar and 1/2 cup cream. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Lower heat immediately and simmer, without stirring, 5-6 minutes until slightly thick and pale yellow. Remove from heat and stir in butter and chocolate until melted. Let chocolate mixture cool slightly.

Pour the topping over pie and spread to cover completely and evenly. Chill, uncovered, about 1 hour until firm.

it's soooo yummy! enjoy!!

my boys...

i love them!

hair today :: gone tomorrow

the brody bear has been sport'in some rather long locks of lovely hair lately. well not even lately...like for the past 4 months. but we've loved it because it just curls right up and he is adorable and it just looked good...well good, up until about a month ago. and we just kept putting it off getting it cut. part of us loved it. and the other part knew it was time for a choppy chop. this wasn't even his first hair cut by any means. so alas brody's mop is no more. boy he looks like such a little boy! and oh how we love him!