Visit from CA Cousins!

This time around, we had our visitors from CA come to stay with my Mom & Dad. My niece, Natalie and cousin, Elyse came for a week together to swim, hang out and run around town with us! We also had a zoo trip squeezed in there :-) Apparently, it is really easy to entertain teenagers when there is a pool on the premises! They enjoyed swimming and playing with all the kiddos and of course, Emaline was in heaven getting to play with the older girls.

First Day of School!

I cannot believe this day has come, but my baby is going to school! Granted, it isn't all day, everyday school, but still! She is getting older and older every day. We go to school through the Rockwood School District early childhood program, two days a week, half-day. So, its not like she's already applying for colleges, but still all you mother's out there know it pulls on your heart strings a little to know that your babies have to go out into the world and do something on their own. She has been at school for two days now and is already loving it. There was also no turning back. Me, Josh and Piper all dropped her off and she hit the ground running. I had to remind her that I was leaving and that I needed a kiss goodbye, she turned around, gave me a quick smooch and said, "see you later Mom!" and off with Ms. Linda she went. We all peeked into the classroom for a little bit from the window, but then Josh said we should probably leave before school was over for the day. :-) I can't wait to see what kind of things we will learn together as the school year goes on!

Storytime Live!

Sometime way in February we decided to buy tickets to go see Nick's Storytime Live! at the Fox Theater this summer. Well, that day has finally come upon us and the kids couldn't have been more excited to go to the theater. This was actually mine and Emaline's second time seeing a Nickelodeon show and Kaya, Aunt Stephy & Piper's first. It was so much fun! We got snacks, drinks, fun toys and a new recycled bag to use at the library (at least, that's what we use it for!). The four stories included Ni Hao Kai Lan, The Backyardigans, The Wonder Pets and finally Dora the Explorer. The kids were all really well behaved and loved every minute of the show! Can't wait to go to another show next year!

Birthday At the Magic House

We were invited to our very first birthday party at the Magic House! Our friend Claire, had a wonderful gathering at the Magic House and we got to paint with rollers, play with homemade play-doh and decorate our own cupcakes! It was great fun and thanks to Miss Jessica for inviting us! Hopefully, this will be the first of many trips to the MH. :-) Happy Birthday Claire!

You can see all pictures from this day and others here.

Zoo Day!

Happy Fourth of July!

We spent another low key Fourth at my parents' house because Josh had to, yet again, work on this holiday. :-( So we went swimming, ate lots of food and got to see my Mom's good friend from grade school, who she recently found lived in Branson! Such a small world....thank goodness for Facebook. After all our gorging ourselves on good food, we got all the kids together to head to the fireworks at the Mall. Then...Emaline AND Piper fell asleep on the way home. So, unfortunately for us, we had to cut our night short and when we got home and I got both kids into the house and into bed, Emaline woke up and the first thing she said was, "so what time are we going to see the fireworks Mom?". My heart just broke. After telling her we didn't go because she fell asleep and that Piper was down for the count she just started crying. Many years ago, when Josh and I were first married, we used to sit up on our roof and watch all the surrounding cities' fireworks displays. So, I thought, maybe Em and I could poke our heads out of my bedroom window and see some glittery lights through the trees. Thankfully, I was right and she got to see some rocket's red glare and did some oohing and ahhing of her own. It was actually a really great moment for me and her together. We then saw a bunch of the neighbor's grand kids setting off some sparklers and such and we walked over there to watch their show. They even let Emaline have a couple! Thanks Sheila ;-) Afterward--bed. I was pooped.

I'm glad that everyone enjoyed their Fourth this year and all were safe. Here's to another great year!

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.