To My Beloved Zoo

After I posted our good-bye to Indianapolis, I felt like I couldn't quite move on yet.

And then it hit me.

I hadn't given a proper farewell to the Indianapolis Zoo.

So here I go. (Side note: All of the following pictures have been taken at this zoo)

This zoo is absolutely, hands down, undoubtedly my favorite place in Indianapolis...quite possibly in the entire world.

This is where my family has come for the last 2 years to celebrate...well...pretty much everything.

 

The first time we ever came here, Avery was 3 months old.

And we've watched this baby elephant grow along with our daughter (they were born a month apart.)

Then:

 

And a year and a half later:

It's been our date night.

It's where I would walk mile after mile trying to go into labor with this guy.

It's where Avery learned her animal noises.

It's where we pet our first (and probably only) shark.

It's where Kyle met the muntjak, which became his favorite animal.

It's where I furthered my love of rhinoceroses.

We've celebrated Halloween here.

We've celebrated Christmas here.

We've watched the zoo grow and change.

We watched this aviary get built.

We saw many a dog show in this new arena.

We even got a butterfly house.

But most importantly, this is where my family has grown and changed.

It's where we've spent time together with no distractions.

It's where Avery learned to splash in puddles.

It's where Sawyer embraced being in a floral stroller.

 It's where Avery gave her first kiss to someone outside of our family.

It's where Sawyer learned about sea life.

It's where my kids learned how to take naps outside of their cribs.

It's where I switched from carrying this girl around

to carrying this boy around.

Which helped this little girl learn how to walk holding our hands.

It's where they my kids enjoyed being outside together.

So even if my love for this place is a bit extreme, I can't help but want to thank it for being the most perfect place to my family!

You will be missed dearly!

Good-bye

Good-bye ducks that would walk by our front door every day. We loved feeding you the heels of our bread!

Good-bye best friend Hayden, who was only two days older than Avery.

We loved having you just around the corner from us!

Good-bye Sawyer's room, aka our walk in closet. Do we seem a little less like the Dursleys from Harry Potter since we hung a picture of Kyle and I over his pack n' play?

Good-bye 3040 Tinkersfield Lane. It was crazy busy getting everything painted, packed, cleaned, and moved out, but we did it!

Goodbye Indianapolis! It's been real, but we are moving on to the next phase in our lives!

Graduation

Kyle graduated about a month ago, so now seems like the perfect time to recap the experience.

Kyle's parents came into town and got some quality time with the grand kids. Avery soaked up all the stories she could from Grandma.

And Sawyer ADORED his Grandpa.

Honestly, I have never seen Sawyer giggle as much as he did while he was in his Grandpa's arms.

It really is just sweet to see family bonds span generations.

Side note: Whatever toy your sibling has is *always* better than the one you are holding. It's an indisputable fact.

 

Kyle graduated in the evening on Mother's Day, so we did a photo shoot earlier in the afternoon.

Kyle in all his graduate glory.

Kyle seriously did an exceptional job at juggling his school and family responsibilities.

Which is probably why I love these pictures of Kyle in his cap and gown holding his kids.

Both of these facets of life took a lot of Kyle's time and energy, and both were (and are) thoroughly worth it.

Plus he's been a darn good husband to boot.

It's funny to think back to when we got our Bachelor's degrees.

It was just the two of us. And now, 2 years later, we've doubled in size!

Which is awesome! Problem is, that awesomeness can't be contained for long, and gets manifested by no one looking at the camera.

Or having 3 out of the 8 eyes shut.

Make that 6 out of 8.

And Kyle's tassel and sleeves? Those things were going nuts in the wind. This picture shows both beautifully!

While we were finishing up taking pictures, Avery found some fresh goose droppings to get a hold of.

That's when we called it a wrap and headed back home to wash her hands (repeatedly) with soap and water.

Then we laid the kiddos down to bed and headed over to the convention center for graduation.

On the left is Liz, Kyle's mentor for his thesis. On the right is Jane, the head of the I/O Psychology department.

Here Liz is hooding Kyle. She was really nervous about doing it wrong, so Kyle and her had practiced before to perfect it.

But you know what they say about the best laid plans...I believe Kyle's hood is both upside down and inside out here.

Fortunately, he graduated all the same!

Way to go Kyle! You are awesome!

On the Mend!

Thank you everyone for your prayers, texts, comments, phone calls, and love. We have been touched by all the support we have received.

As this picture shows (even though it is 2 1/2 weeks old), our Avery is doing amazing as ever.

The urine culture came back negative yesterday, which is great news! No urinary tract infections to worry about.

And we have now been fever free for 40+ hours! I think we are officially done with whatever triggered her episode. Hallelujah!

Sawyer has shown 0 signs of catching whatever Avery had, so we are counting our blessings and hoping it was a one time (and one kid) experience.

Kyle and I only checked on Avery twice last night, so I think we are getting over the trauma as well. It has been hard to lay in bed at night and not have our minds wander back to what Avery's listless face looked like during the seizure.

But we have been comforted during this time. I have no idea what we would do without the gospel and knowing that our Heavenly Father is aware of us and our children.

We love and thank all of you again!