Supper by the Shore

(Well, not exactly, but its the only illiteration I could come up with on a Sunday night after a super busy weekend)

Jason got home a little earlier than usual on Friday--before I had a chance to even start dinner.  So, we had the "Do you want this or that or those" conversation for a good 45 minutes before deciding that we would just pick up some pizza for dinner.  I certainly did not put up a fight because I honestly think I could eat pizza every day of the week--especially when that pizza is Stefanina's. 

On our way out the door we decided we would make our pizza night into an impromptu picnic.  So I quickly packed up some fruit and drinks and we picked up our pizza, salad, and garlic bread and headed to City Centre park to enjoy our dinner.  And while it definitely was not a picnic Martha Stewart would feature on her show (we didn't even use plates!), it was lovely nonetheless.  The park is beautifully landscaped and we had our picnic in between the lake and the gazebo.  Amelia thought it was so funny that we were eating outside, sitting on a blanket no less!  

And, of course, she loves pizza just as much as her mama so she chowed down!

Afterwards we checked out the fish in the nearby pond and then stopped by the playground on the way out!  

How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways.

The ways in which I have fallen in love with my iphone all over again, that is.  Check out the ways we used our iphones just on our KC trip alone:

1. We did not write down any directions before leaving.  We depended completely on the GPS to get us to the hotel and concert venue.

2. We checked how to get to the concert early on Friday and learned it was only 22 minutes away.  However, we checked again as we were leaving the hotel for dinner and learned that our iphone also shows traffic and that the travel time had been increased to 54 minutes...oops.

3. During the brief amount of time we thought Jack Johnson might be staying at our hotel, Jason used the facebook application to chat with his brother and tell him that, well, we thought Jack Johnson might be staying at our hotel.

4. We used the "Urban Spoon" application to locate restaurants of all types on the way to the concert venue.  True, we ended up eating Taco Bell because we ran out of time (see #2), BUT we knew where the closest Thai, Japanese, Italian, BBQ, Greek, and Wine Bar were.  

5. We played Jack Johnson's newest CD while sitting in traffic because I had it loaded into my iphone.  At the same time, I also played a challenging game of Sudoku to help pass the time.

6. While in traffic, we began to wonder whether or not we could bring in a camera to the concert.  We also were not sure of the cost of parking--both questions were answered quickly thanks to our iphone.

7. Prior to entering the concert venue, I called to check on Amelia--one of the 875 times I called during the 24 hours we were gone.

8. During Jack Johnson's amazing encore, (and I am a little embarrassed about this one), I used the "mylite" application to turn my iphone into a lighter (see above picture).  Hey, when in Rome.....

9.  By some grace of God we parked by a secret rear exit of the parking lot and were able to avoid at least a 90 minute wait to leave through the main exit.  Again, with the help of GPS, we were able to find our way back to the highway using some back roads and some expert navigating by yours truly.  

10.  Most of the way back to the hotel was spent pouring over articles about Jack Johnson, his background, and the meaning behind his songs.  (dorky, I know).

11.  On Saturday morning, we briefly discussed visiting the outdoor pool at our hotel.  But, one look at the weatherbug application on the iphone showed us the outside temperature was only 72 degrees.  

12.  So, instead we decided to visit the Farmer's Market on our way out and used the iphone to find information about the hours and location of the market.  Then, again, we used GPS to get there.

All of this in addition to checking our email and stocks constantly.  Have I mentioned how much I love this phone?

There and Back

We're back!  We had a fabulous time in Kansas City.  We were there for about 24 hours when it was all said and done, but it was a 24 hours well spent, for sure.

We had lofty goals to be up by 7:00, Amelia dropped off by 7:45, on the road by 8:00.  In reality, we were up at 8:30, Amelia dropped off at 9:20, and on the road at 9:55.  We had planned to meet my cousin Laura and her little man, Evan for lunch, but obviously missed the boat on that one.  We ended up rolling into KC about 1:45.  We checked into our hotel (which we once again secured through priceline for a decent price) and walked around a bit to check out the area. While walking around we came to realize that our hotel was connected to Crown Center, which mostly consisted of small shops and restaurants.  We ate at a so-so tourist trappy place and did some shopping.  Actually, I should probably say window shopping because the only thing we bought was a bag of random sweets from a candy store.  Union Station was across the street from our hotel (and actually connected to it by a large clear, covered tunnel), so we wandered around over there for a bit before heading back to the hotel to rest a little before heading out to the concert. 

view of Union Station from our hotel room

We had noticed while checking in that there were two large tour busses that were not typical passenger busses.  There was a lot of activity around the busses--people getting off and on, coolers getting loaded, etc.  We also noticed several younger, musician-looking (I don't know what made them this, they just were!) people wandering around the hotel and traveling to and from said busses.  So, I wouldn't say we were stalking the busses (or the people for that matter), but we definitely kept them in sight at all time while wandering around the area.  We also were lucky enough to have a room that faced the front of the hotel were the busses were parked.  But, unfortunately, I do not think the busses were those of Jack Johnson, instead I think they belonged to one of the opening bands instead.

We eventually headed out to the concert, grabbing a quick dinner on the way.  There was TONS of traffic heading to the ampitheater and by the time we arrived, there was little parking left.  In fact, we ended up paying $10 to park in a field with grass so high we feared the Corolla may not make it back out.  Then, we hiked about 3/4 mile to the site of the concert.  I was a sweaty, muddy mess by the time we arrived and cursing myself for wearing heels to the concert.  We found our seats, which were incredible, and listened to a little bit of Rogue Wave, the second of two opening bands, before deciding to use the bathroom and get some drinks.  Well, 45 minutes later, I was STILL in line for the restroom and by then we had both decided it might be too risky to put anymore liquid into our bodies for fear of spending the entire concert in line for the bathroom.  I met some nice ladies in line and even chatted with someone from Kirkwood before finally making it through the line just in time to get back to our seats before Jack Johnson came on.

He.  Was.  Awesome.  That is all there is to it.  Jason and I were both almost giddy during the whole experience.  I have always been a fan, but I think his new stuff is the best yet. He played 26 songs, which was basically all of his good ones, several new ones, and a couple of cover songs as well.  He is super mellow and relaxed up there, so much so that he forgot the words to a few songs (which apparently happens fairly regularly).  He came out for a 6 song encore and ended with a beautiful combination of "Angel" and "Better Together" that was simply amazing!  Needless to say, we both enjoyed the concert very much. Even though our tickets ended up being free, he is definitely someone I would pay to go see in the future.

It was pretty late when we finally got back to the hotel, so we slept in on Saturday morning, watched some cable TV we don't normally get to see, and then headed to the City Market, the region's largest farmer's market.  It was a beautiful morning.  We grabbed some breakfast there and bought tons and tons of produce.  The prices were decent and many vendors offered samples of their produce which made it virtually impossible to walk away without wanting to bring some home.  We ended up with zucchini, squash, watermelon, grapes, lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, and corn.  After the market we headed back to the car for the journey home.

I think it was the combination of watching Jamie Oliver on the Food Network that morning and visiting such a wonderfully abundant produce market shortly after that led Jason to come up with an elaborate dinner menu for Saturday evening.  We asked my parents to come over as a thank you for watching Amelia and shortly after returning home, Jason went straight to work preparing a delicious dinner for all of us.  The menu included a tomato/basil/mozarella salad (similar to what Jamie Oliver made on his show on Saturday morning), grilled chicken with mango, cucumber, and cilantro relish, grilled corn with herb butter, multigrain bread, and fresh watermelon for dessert.  I cannot even express into words how good this meal was!  I am seriously considering getting cable just so Jason can get inspired more often ;)

Kansas City seems like a great place to visit and we plan on returning soon with Amelia.  Everywhere we looked there were kids enjoying themselves.  Kids were playing in the fountains, watching the jugglers at the market, eating at a restaurant where a train delivers your meal, and there were even kids at the concert--lots of kids!  As an added bonus, Amelia already has built-in playmates in KC since she has four second cousins living there!

And We're Off!

In less than 24 hours, Jason and I are taking off to Kansas City for the weekend to see Jack Johnson!  These tickets were part of Jason's 30th birthday present (back in April) and it seems like we've been waiting for this concert for a very LLLLLLOOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGGG time.  So, after a trip to the park this morning, Amelia and I have been busy trying to pack and get ready.  

As you can see, I've had plenty of help.  Although, I've yet to break it to Amelia that she won't be coming along :)

Like Daughter, Like Mother

Amelia's summer reading program through the library ended last week.  The program ran from June 2-August 2 and we read 54 new books to Amelia during that time.  As I've already mentioned in previous posts, it was a great motivator to get to the library at least once a week and Amelia seemed to enjoy choosing new books during each visit.  It is pretty rewarding to browse through the children's section at the library and recognize several books that we had previously checked out.

In addition to an appreciation of some lesser known titles and an expanded vocabulary for Amelia, there was another unexpected positive outcome of participating in the reading program.  One day I happened to overhear a librarian during one of our weekly visits to the library say there was openings in the "Time for Twos" story time.  I had pretty much given up on EVER making it into one of these exclusive story times because they fill up super fast. Unfortunately, I am not organized enough to be on the phone at exactly 9 AM on the first day of registration to secure a spot. But, because we spent so much time at the library this summer we got the added bonus of participating in a 3-week session of story time. Each session was 45 minutes and included a story (obviously), a game, some songs, and a craft.  Amelia enjoyed the weekly sessions so much!  In fact, she still talks about it and once I know the day of the week I will be working this school year, I plan on being one of those moms on the phone at 9 AM on opening day so that Amelia can attend again.  

But, Amelia isn't the only one who spent much of her summer behind the pages of a good book.  I've always been an avid reader, but there is something about summertime that always makes me a little manic about reading some great novels under the warmth of the sun.  I was fortunate enough to borrow a huge stack of books from a friend (thanks Danielle!) early in the summer and I've been working through those as well as some other recommended reads. For those of  you on Facebook, they have an interesting application you can download called Visual Bookshelf.  It will keep track of all of the books you've read as well as keep a list of books you would like to read (and a list of books you are NOT interested in).  If you are feeling ambitious, you can rate and review each one.  Lastly, you can see what your other "friends" are reading and/or what they recommend. The site itself will make recommendations, too, based on past books you've read.  

Anyway, here's what's been keeping me busy this summer:

Slam by Nick Hornby

Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini*

Its Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

The Glass Castle:  A Memoir by Jeannette Walls*

We are All Welcome Here: A Novel by Elizabeth Berg

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

Prep: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld

Ridiculous/Hilarious/Terrible/Cool: a Year in an American High School by Elisha Cooper

Jesus Land: A Memoir by Julia Scheeres*

Body Surfing: A Novel by Anita Shreve

I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley*

Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini*

Sharp Objects: A Novel by Gillian Flynn (reading this one now)

Going back and perusing the list again, I think it is a nice assortment of fiction and non-fiction.  There are a couple of Young Adult Fiction books and a book with short, comical essays.  There was even a "classic" thrown in for good measure.  I've starred my top 5 favorites.

These are the books either sitting next to my bed or waiting for me on reserve at the library:

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

Miserly Moms: Living on One Income in a Two-Income Economy by Jonni McCoy

Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes and How to Correct Them by Gary Belsky

I would love to hear some other favorites out there.  If you have one to share, please email me or post it in the comments section.

iLove iPhone

Jason and I would love to take this opportunity to introduce the newest members of our iFamily:

Aren't they cute?  

Yeah, that's right we totally splurged, bit the bullet and bucked up for not one, but two iphones! After much talk, speculation, number crunching, and researching, we just couldn't resist the temptation any longer.

Interestingly enough, our credit card company's fraud alert division gave Jason a call after he paid for the phones.  Apparently, THEY even realize how uncharacteristic this purchase is from our typical spending habits.

It may seem a bit strange for a stay-at-home-mom to need an iphone, but don't worry, I've come up with a list of reasons why I it makes sense:

1. the GPS will allow me to get directions in case I get lost on the way to playdates

2. the "Scribble" application (which allows you to draw on the screen with different colors using your finger) should keep Amelia occupied in an emergency (ie: long line at the DMV, dr. visit, traffic)

3. the calculator can be used to determine the cheapest price per diaper while roaming the aisles at Target.  Plus, if I turn the phone sideways, it becomes a scientific calculator in case things get really complicated.

4. I can store all of my favorite photos of my little lady--even pictures I didn't take with my phone.

5. 7 words: up to the minute message board posts

6. Never again will I be without the entire TMBG, "Here Come the ABC's" soundtrack, so I will be ready when Amelia requests some random song out of the blue in the middle of the grocery store.

7. I will be able to check the weather on the way to the park to make sure conditions are favorable for some playground time.

8. I can post to the blog in real time.  Tantrum in Target?  You'll feel like your there! Climbing out of the Crib (part 2)?  Be the first to know!  Even before Jason :)

Now, if I can just get this thing to dispense Cheerios, I'll be all set!  Oh wait, it does that too!

Seriously, though, this is just about the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life and I know that I haven't even begun to scratch the surface yet on all it can do.  I've had some time to play with it during the day, but not as much as I'd like.  Amelia doesn't quite grasp the fascination, although the word "iphone" is now part of her vocabulary.  That alone, was worth the purchase, right?  All in the name of improving Amelia's verbal skills.  We all have to make sacrifices for our children, I guess.

Amelia and the Giant Skull

Monsanto came through again with a great opportunity to visit an awesome St. Louis attraction without spending a dime! Because Monsanto works so closely with the Missouri Botanical Gardens, employees had the opportunity to visit the gardens this weekend and take advantage of all it has to offer.

Jason's mom came along for the ride and none of us could remember the last time we were down there.  I think Jason and I have only been down once since we've been married and his mom thought the last time she had visited was when Jason was little.  So much has changed!  

One of my favorite additions are these beautiful pieces of blown glass that float in one of the reflecting pools, although I think their inclusion in the pool is seasonal.

I was most excited about seeing all of the Niki sculptures on display at MOBOT through October 31.  This exhibit came to one of our favorite spots in Chicago, the Garfield Conservatory, while we were living there, but Amelia was a little young to partake in the full experience.  

There are 40 beautiful mosaic on display at the garden and many of them you can touch, sit, and even climb on!  Amelia wasn't too sure at first, but warmed up as we went along.  I think it helped to watch other kids climb on them too!

Her favorite was this giant skull.  When the sculptures first came to MOBOT, you could climb on the outside of it, up into the nose and eye regions, but for whatever reason, that is now prohibited.  It didn't matter much to Amelia, she seemed to enjoy hanging out behind the teeth inside the skull. Even after we moved on to other sculptures, she kept wanting to come back to this one.

We also took a trip to the Children's Garden which is a relatively new addition to the park.  Amelia wasn't too impressed, but was also wearing down by the time we got there.  However, she did enjoy the water area and ended up soaking herself with this neat little spigot she found.

There was so much to see and it is all so incredibly beautiful!  When Amelia is a little older and can last a little longer, I can see packing a lunch and spending the entire day here!

Just Peachy!

We made the trek to New Melle on Saturday morning to visit Wind Ridge Farm to do some peach and blueberry picking.  This was our first time at this great little farm only 20 minutes from our house. It was not very crowded at all, despite it being opening day for peach picking.

Amelia enjoyed the short ride out to the orchard on the wagon and wanted to sit right next to the tractor so she could get a good look at the "farmer".

We found a great spot to pick some peaches, although I think Amelia got the best spot of all!

Here she is searching the orchard for the best peach, she had a hard time understanding that the peaches on the ground needed to stay there.

She had the tough job of carrying the peaches for about 12 seconds.  This picture was taken right before she said, "too many, mommy".  

Amelia liked arranging and rearranging all of the peaches in the bucket.

Here she is showing the "fruits" of her labor (sorry, couldn't resist).

When we picked about 8 lbs. of peaches, we decided we had enough.  Jason paid for them (only 99 cents/lb!) and Amelia and I headed down to the blueberry patch to get started picking those.  The bushes were more her size although she certainly was not choosy with her selections! After awhile, she got that the green ones needed to stay on the bushes and that we should only pick the blue berries off.  She would say, "no green, yes blue".  At that point, she decided she needed to go through our entire bucket and throw out the green ones, which were plentiful thanks to her early efforts.  

We picked about 3 lbs. of blueberries and by then it was heating up and we were all pretty sweaty. We also picked up a bottle of local honey while at the farm.  On the way home we stopped by a house that was selling produce from their carport and picked up some tomatoes, okra, and cucumbers.

Once home, we washed the fruit and veggies and dove right in!  Amelia had a peanut butter and honey sandwich for lunch, while Jason and I enjoyed BLTs with the homegrown tomatoes we picked up.  And, of course, we all shared peaches and blueberries.

After naps all around, Jason used my grandmother's peach cobbler recipe to make a yummy dessert for a get together later that evening.

We've never picked peaches or blueberries before, but it worked out so well, we are thinking about going back in a few days to pick some blackberries too!

Go Jump in the Lake!

We had a great time on our trip to the Lake of the Ozarks! We had nice weather, excellent food, and great company.  Jason's mom and grandparents also made the trip down to the Lake house on Thursday and then Jason's dad, uncle, aunt, and two cousins joined us on Saturday.

On the way down, we stopped by a small gas station to pick up some worms for fishing.  Amelia was pretty interested in the night crawlers as well as the other small fish available for purchase at the store.  On Friday morning, Jason's grandpa spent about 20 minutes getting a Tweety Bird pole all ready for Amelia and even put the worm on for her. Amelia's interest in fishing lasted about 20 seconds and just as she was handing her pole off to me, she caught a fish!  She did not really care for the creature flopping all around and immediately ordered us to put the "fish in water". And so ended her love (or lack thereof) of fishing.

Not unlike her attitude towards fishing, Amelia didn't care much for swimming in the lake either.  She got in on Friday briefly before begging to get out ("me up ladder"). It wasn't until Saturday, in fact, that things changed.  We blew up her baby pool and had it down on the dock.  

She was "swimming" with grandma in it and started to get a kick out of watching Jason jump in to the lake.  She was even more interested when he asked her to count to 3 for him before he jumped in.  Jason was making it look like so much fun that I had to get in too.  And with mommy and daddy swimming in the lake together, she just couldn't handle it anymore and requested to come in too!  

Amelia's favorite part about the trip seemed to be playing in the boat. She especially enjoyed "driving" the boat.  The jury is still out on how she felt when the boat was actually in motion, she gave mixed reviews.  

Other highlights for Amelia included:  endless TV watching/snack eating, collecting rocks during an afternoon walk with her mom and grandma (see her beautiful collection below), 

goofing around with Candace and Sienna and especially playing with some of their 

old barbie dolls, 

saying "hi" to the "boy" sitting on the retaining wall,

 waving at all of the boats passing by, and eating her meals on a tiny Amelia-sized stool.

Jason and I enjoyed some tubing as well as a trip to the outlet mall in Osage Beach.  I scored two pairs of jeans for Amelia ($3 each @ Children's Place), a belt for Amelia ($2@CP), 2 sweaters for work for me ($12 each @ Eddie Bauer), a pair of corduroys for Jason ($9 @ EB), and a pair of waterproof sandals for Amelia for next summer ($15 @ Bass).  All in all, it was a great trip!