Emaline's First Trip to the Muny!

Since my cousin is in town, I decided to invite her and her daughter to go see Disney's Beauty and the Beast at the Muny in Forest Park. We got tickets for the opening night (and it was the opening of the season). I was a little worried about taking Emaline, considering she'd never been to a stage production. I figured that since she could sit and watch a movie in the the theater that she would be okay with the songs, costumes and dancing and I'm glad we went! She did absolutely wonderful and enjoyed it. It was pretty funny though when she would talk VERY LOUDLY when the show was going on. We all laughed a couple times at her cute comments. I'm glad that Selena and Makenna were there to enjoy this fun activity with us. We sure do miss them! :-( It was so fun though and I can't wait to take her again, probably next year since all the other shows are geared towards adult subjects).

Visit from Cousins and Six Flags (on the hottest day ever...)

My cousin Selena and her two kids, Matthew & Makenna, decided that they needed a break from the cooler Montana temps and drove to STL to visit with us for two weeks in the HOT humid weather! I can't say enough how much we enjoyed visiting with them and catching up. The kids all played together great and Matthew & Makenna were great helpers! They are such good kids :-) One of these extremely hot days that we didn't spend in the pool was devoted to a trip to Six Flags amusement park. So, we piled into two cars and took the 15 minute trip west (it was me, Josh, Em, Steph, Kaya, Selena, Matt & Makenna). We had so much fun! Since it was pretty warm outside, there were not a lot of people at the park and there were virtually no lines for the rides! It was great. The kids rode all the big rides, and when we could all go together, Josh usually sat out and watched the stroller or we took turns. It worked out perfectly. After sweating everything out...we ventured over to the water park and let the kids run wild. Emaline and I even rode the Big Kahuna together! She loved it. Glad that we could show the older kiddos a good time and Josh even got to come with us :-) It was a great day. Here are some pics from the day!

Birthdays Galore!

Em sliding down the big slide with a little help :-)

Yesterday we enjoyed TWO birthday parties. Yes, two. The first we went to was an awesome party at Bounce U in Chesterfield for the girls' friend Brooke. It was the first time that we had ever been there and I don't think we could hold Emaline back from the fun again! As the name implies, you are bouncing around everywhere and the kids think that's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Emaline I think enjoyed it a little bit more, as Piper didn't know what to think about the kids running around and the giant contraptions they were jumping up and down on. There were two rooms to have fun in and Emaline tried to climb up the big tower to slide down the big slide, but it just didn't happen. We all then filed into the "party room" for pizza, drinks and cake! It was a great time and thanks to Brooke for inviting us!

Em blasting balls at her friend Dylan
Mal and Piper enjoying some downtime

The girls trying to sneak away with treat bags!

After a little shopping and naps in the car, we headed out to Lake Saint Louis for another fun party with our friend Sydney. It was at this great park, Hawk Ridge Park and it had everything! Sydney's mom, Tara did a great job setting up for the ice cream social and splashing that occurred. There were activities for the kids, snacks and ice cream, what more could you ask for? Well a little splash pad and extensive playground. Although we had fun, it was super HOT that day and we were exhausted by 5pm. It was so much fun to spend time with friends and can't wait to see everyone again!

Em and Piper partaking in the water!

Family Visit to KC

I decided last month that we needed to take a family road trip somewhere to regroup and just have some fun! So, I called up my friends Liz and Sarah in Kansas City and asked if we could come stay and visit. We actually went a couple weeks ago, but we've been sick, so not much is getting done around this house! It was a perfect visit and such an easy trip for us. The girls finally got to use the double DVD player for the car and boy, those things rock! We heard laughing all the way there :-)We stayed at our friends, Paul & Sarah's place on the KS side. They have a 14 month old girl, Mimi, who I was so glad that my girls met. They all had a ball together, from playing on Mimi's swing set to splashing around in the sprinkler. On Saturday, we hooked up with our friends, Liz, Jimmy and their son, Garrett to venture to the Deanna Rose Farmstead in Overland Park, KS. It was so fun to see this depiction of a turn-of-the-century farm and schoolhouse. There was baby goat feeding, mining for gold, fishing, pony rides...you name it! I think Mimi and Piper just enjoyed watching the chickens! It was very interesting and we couldn't have asked for better weather. After spending all morning running and playing, we walked to a nearby park pavilion with a playground and had lunch, thanks to Jimmy & Liz for stuffing our faces! Since the girls needed some nap time, we headed back to Sarah & Paul's for some R&R, which included the girls all putting on their pseudo-swim attire to brave the cold water from the hose. They played in Mimi's cute little splash mat and ran around like little chickens without heads!
After getting cleaned up, Liz, Jimmy & Garrett joined us again (bringing the Wii-fun!) for some BBQ pork steaks and beers. It was so laid back and wonderful to visit with my good friends. The kids played, ran around the yard and we even got some dance time with Garrett on the Wii! Also, as an added bonus, other friends from college just happened to be in the area and came to join us for a drink and some Wii time! It was so much fun and I'm so glad they got to meet Miss Emaline (Piper was already down for the count at that point!). Then to bed and up early the next morning to make the drive back to STL so Josh could be at work at 3pm. It was a fantastic weekend and I wish we could've stayed a little longer. Can't wait to visit again! Thanks to Paul & Sarah for hosting and to Liz &Jimmy for driving out to meet us! Wish you guys lived next door....

You can see all our pictures of that weekend, plus more of May here.