{The Zoo 2011}

We finally made it to the zoo this year. I decided a couple of months ago that we would go the day before Ryan left on a business trip. It worked out perfectly. He had to be in Saint Louis on the 3rd, so we ened up going the day before and staying the night in his hotel room.

It would have been the perfect day if it wasn't the hottest day of the year!! Who decides to go the zoo on the hottest day? Ugh! It really wasn't all that bad. I had paid a little extra and got us all passes for the day, which included free train rides. What a relief! If we didnt' ride the train, I am not sure we would have made it!










The kids had a great time seeing all the animals. Their eyes get so big everytime they see a different animal, it's absolutly precious! I have to admit ... I loved it too :)

{Exotic Animal Paradise}

Yay, us Imhoff's LOVE Exotic Animal Paradise! If you have never been, it's this wild animal safari in Springfield, Missouri. You literally drive up, get your bag(s) of feed and begin the adventure.

I know some of you city girls are squirming in your seat right now! But seriously, you take a vehicle you don't care much about, and you drive through this wild animal infested trail. The animals literally come up to your car, stick their head in, and wont leave you alone until you give them food. They block you in, they refuse to move, and it's just down right hilarious. Some of their tongues are longer than my arm!!

The animals range from camels, zebras, tigers, bears, deer, and goats. I think they said they had over 200 different animals species. CRAZY. We always go once a year, and this year was Braeden's first "interactive" year. HE WENT NUTS! All I have been hearing about for the past week was how cool the zebra's were!

Look how much fun we had! ** WARNING: PICTURE OVERLOAD **

{Natty's Wedding - Saint Louis Zoo}

This weekend was filled with so much fun! Ryan, Braeden & I went to Benton, Missouri for Natalie's (Mrs. Statlers) wedding. I was one of her bridesmaids, so we made a big trip out of it. What should have taken us 3 1/2 hours to get there ended up taking us more like 5! Ryan thought it would be a good idea to take the "Scenic Route" instead of the highway. I do have to admit, it made the trip a little more interesting, but we definitely took the highway home. Anyone who has a 6 month year old knows they can only take so much of the car. So we arrived in Benton on Friday around noon, and spend the day getting acquainted with the town. After the rehearsal we went to a place called Buckner's Brewery in downtown Cape Gerardo. If you ever have a chance to visit there, go for it! It's so pretty and we were looking over the river, good food, and atmosphere. I actually would really like to go back someday. The next morning was Ryan's day with Braeden. The other bridesmaids and myself had hair appointments at 8 in morning, and after stopping at Starbucks we were ready to start the day. Natalie (Mrs. Statler) was soo beautiful, and it just looking at her made me even more excited for Ryan & I's wedding!! The ceremony was perfect, and the reception was a blast. It had been so long since I was able to hang out with the girls and dance, and just RELAX! I even got Ryan to dance with me ... I know, I can't believe it either! So needless to say, it was a perfect little vacation!

So I really thought that the weekend was over after that. I had got up early the next morning and pack & loaded the car while Ryan & Braeden were sleeping, managed to eat breakfast with Natty & Josh, and get myself ready as well. When we were on our way back to J Town we thought it would be so much fun to hit up the Saint Louis Zoo. Ryan and I LOVE animals, and really want to share that with Braeden. Soo... off to the Zoo it was. We had such a great time, and it was soo cool to see Braeden interact with the animals. I had an amazing weekend, and can't wait till our next vacation!!