Shake Sharers

How do you get kids to share? Give them one Steak n Shake shake and two straws.  Done.

Why the Face?

Henry is not happy unless he has at least 35,000 toys in his crib.  The more the merrier with him.  I like these pictures because it looks like he is in pain, possibly from the tow truck sticking him in the back.

In reality, the faces he is making is more likely a result of the bright flash from his mom's phone while he was trying to sleep.

But, I guess we will never know for sure.

Kids+Tools+Dirt

And this is how we spend many of our days....and nights!

My Two Clean Princesses

If only "Princess" Henry would stay still long enough for a clear picture.

How's Pre-School Going You Ask? Well.....

It has been a bit of a rough start with our behaviors, but he will get there.  Right?

A Night Out...

Jason's cousin, Mike, got married to Liz a few weeks ago.  It was a beautiful wedding at a winery and we had a wonderful time. My favorite part was being kid free for the night and getting to hang out with family that I love very much.  I enjoyed dressing up in fancy clothes if only for a few hours.

Us and our little photo bomber.

Us after a couple of drinks.

My brother in law and his sweet bride to be! Love them both so much!

That's What I Call a Bubble Bath!

Bread Co. Fun

 Since Amelia has to be at school around 7:35 and Henry doesn't need to be at pre-school until an hour later, we have been enjoying some cool fall mornings at Bread Co. together.  I usually enjoy some steaming hot (bottomless) coffee while Henry prefers the Cinnamon Crunch bagel (until the Pumpkin Pie one arrives, that is).

Sometimes we bring a big pile of story books to read.  Sometimes we spend the entire time "reading" My First Big Book of 100 trucks.  And sometimes we take silly pictures.

All of the time I try and savor the moment.

Another Trip to the Zoo

A nice, crisp fall day brought another trip to the Zoo where Henry enjoyed looking at the animals, but enjoyed watching some construction trucks build a new habitat even more.

First Dentist Appointment

I apologize for the strange picture of a picture, but I couldn't resist sharing the photographic evidence I have of a great first dental first for my little guy.  I have definitely been blessed with two children that LOVE to visit the dentist.  They love getting x-rays, having their teeth cleaned, and getting their flouride treatment.  It is all worth the 3 cent toy, new toothbrush, and sparkle toothpaste. Hooray!

1000 Words

Balloon Glow 2012

We have been attending the Forest Park Balloon Glow for many, many years.  Since around the time we started dating, in fact.  We've come a long way from parking our chairs on a hill away from the action and sharing a nice bottle of wine and quiet evening together while admiring the view in the distance.

These days, we meet friends and lay a blanket down as close to the balloons as possible.  Sure, there is still some nice bottles of wine, but it is certainly NOT quiet.

It doesn't make the experience any less fun though!  It is certainly one of my most favorite nights of the year!

My Big Brownie Helper

Summer Fun List 2012

Better late than never...

Despite our late posting of the actual list itself, it was another successful summer of fun activities!  I'm going to retype the list, since some are difficult to see:

0.   Have a Harry Potter Party (some butter beer, some friends, and a movie...check)

1.   Go to a New State (we did 3: Kansas, Kentucky and Indiana!)

2.   Ride a roller coaster (at Holiday World)

3.   Pick Some Fruit

4.   Ding Dong Ditch a friend

5.   Camp Out (this is ALWAYS on our list and we've NEVER done it)

6.   Play Glow in the Dark mini golf

7.   Learn how to Juggle

8.   Complete Library Reading Program

9.   Have a Sleepover with a Friend

10. Go to the Drive in Movies

11. Go Roller Skating

12. Have a Water Balloon Fight

13. Cheer on the Cardinals at a Game

14. Enjoy a Sno Cone

15. Check out the New American Girl Doll Store

16. Fill 3 Buckets

17. Learn to Ride a Bike on 2 Wheels (close, but no cigar)

18. Take a Nature Walk

19. Go See Bigfoot (Henry's big contribution to the list)

20. Go to the Pool

21. Go Fishing

22. Drink Root Beer Floats

23. Act Out a Play as a Family

24. Read a Book Under a Tree (One of my favorite things to do with my kids and I didn't even suggest it!)

25. Go See a Movie

26. Give Each Other Hugs (Another Henry contribution)

27. Make a Fairy Wand

28. Have a playdate with school friends (Kylie, Natalie, Libby, and Megan are all friends we saw this summer from school).

29. (This one was written in by a teasing uncle during Amelia's birthday party.  It said, "Give Uncle John a hug".  Amelia promptly crossed it out when she noticed it.  She was completely unamused).

 

History Buff

History was never, ever a subject that I was interested in as a child.  It seemed that every History class I had in school was beyond boring and it wasn't until I was teaching myself that things started to click.  I was lucky enough to take a class of teenaged boys all the way to Washington, DC back when I worked with juvenile offenders.  The trip was rather stressful as you can imagine, but we had worked so hard to learn all of the historical significance of the various sites and monuments around the city.  That is no easy task. 

Now that I have my own little captive audience, I love to share and learn about important historical figures. Amelia knows about Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Helen Keller among others.  History has never been more interesting to me than when I study it with her.

On this day after school, she had finished practicing her spelling words and wanted some free time to draw.  When I had come back over to come on her, she proudly showed me her drawing of the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln.  He was "freeing the slaves" she explained and wrote, "God gave him the courage to do that".  I was so proud!  It's good to know she is listening.  Although, maybe I shouldn't be surprised, this is the child who drew a picture of Rosa Parks on the bus at age 4.

Here's to raising a little girl that loves history instead of hating it!

Grandparents Day 2012

 Henry loved having Grandma and GG join him at preschool for part of the day.  They had a Cardinals themed day with lots of activities, like making paper hats :)

After school we had lunch together at Henry's restaurant of choice!  He is so lucky to have so many loving grandparents in his life!

Apple picking 2012

We picked a beautiful day to take the ferry to Grafton and pick some apples!  I will keep the commentary fairly short since I am still trying to catch up on the blog.

Riding the ferry is always a huge hit with both kids.

The highlight for Henry is seeing and riding on the tractors.

We all spend a quarter each year to get apple cider and then the kids don't take more than a sip of theirs before they are ready to discard the rest.

Yay, apples!

Filling Some Shoes

Little O's

I have a new little guest poster today who is eager to help me play catch up on this blog! Here is her first entry:

We went to LITTLE O'S to get some dessert.  It was so fun!