Summer Sickness

After a very un-Henrylike morning where he was stuck to my side constantly begging me to pick him up and "nuggle" with him, I should have known something was up.  But there was no fever or other symptoms so I assumed Henry was just tired and we headed out to the Magic House as planned to meet some friends for a day of fun.  We LOVE the Magic House, you know.

Well, in the two minutes it took us to walk from our car to the side entrance of the Magic House, Henry lost his breakfast EVERYWHERE.  It was disgusting and it suddenly all made sense.  The poor kid was obviously miserable.  Thankfully he waited to upchuck after we exited from the car and before we entered the Magic House.  As sympathetic mothers passed wet wipes my way, I tried to get Henry cleaned up enough to be able to put him back in the car for the long ride home.  I was able to cover his car seat in plastic bags and Amelia offered to hold a separate bag nearby should he need it on the way home (big sis of the year!).  Poor kid, though, none of that was needed.  He was sound asleep in the backseat before we even made it back to the highway and by the time we got home, he had a nice, high fever.

Luckily, the vomiting didn't return (but I was ready) and it seemed that his fever remained along with some sores in his throat.  Upon examination, the doctor suspected the cousin to Hand, Foot, & Mouth that he had contracted in May.

Being sick in the summer just sucks!  And so does puking in front of a huge group of people, incidentally.  Luckily after a full recovery we made it back to the Magic House (where Henry proclaimed, "That's where I threw up!") before summer ended.

Home Haircut

Henry looks particularly miserable in these pictures.  Turns out it wasn't all haircut related. At the same time he was getting this cut in our kitchen, a nasty virus was invading his poor little body and within 24 hours knocked him out cold.

A Busy Summer for Kit

Amelia's beloved doll, Kit, has had a very full summer already!  Unfortunately, she broke her arm early in the summer and has had to spend a great deal of time recovering.  Luckily, she has an amazing mother who crafted her a custom cast (from a toilet paper roll) and has been busy soliciting autographs on the cast from everyone she encounters (friends, family, restaurant waitresses, librarians, neighbors, etc.). Kit seems to be feeling better already!

Kit's mom also decided it was important to pick up a few books at the library to ease Kit's mind about going to the hospital and having a broken arm.  Luckily, a very kind and patient librarian was able to help Amelia out with her search and now Kit is well versed on everything that is involved when you break an arm.

She's doing better now, but things were touch and go for awhile.  Luckily, Kit's mom pulled through again by setting up a nice comfy bed for her to rest on in front of the TV.  She had a little bit of an upset tummy, hence the (oatmeal) container near her bed.  I think a day of rest is just what the doctor ordered!

Kit's mom has been busy, too, working on this surprise for Kit!  A new bed!  Amelia and Jason have been working very hard to put this together and the bed closely resembles Amelia's bed.  As if that wasn't enough, Amelia worked with GG (Kit's great grandma) to make the mattress, a special frame, and a tiny bulletin board to decorate Kit's shelf.  The only thing missing is a couple coats of paint, pink of course! I think she will love it!

Brother Sister Love

 The increasingly rare brother-sister snuggle fest siting caught on film.

Target's Dollar Spot is a Dangerous Place

A Day of Firsts

I had heard a lot about the excitement of visiting Bigfoot.  It is located up near my old stomping grounds and has been around for ages, so I didn't really think it would be too exciting.  But, one summer morning, I decided to load up the kids and head North to give it a try.  Turns out, the visit was very exciting! Both kids loved it and Henry threw his biggest tantrum to date when it was time to go.

They thought it was super fun to climb in the tires and walk under the monster truck.  You can get right up on Bigfoot and I was surprised when we spent upwards of 20 minutes exploring every inch of the truck.

And if that wasn't cool enough, we stumbled inside the shop to use the bathroom only to find a whole room FULL of additional stuff to touch and play on.  The inside proved to be even MORE exciting than the outside! And all for FREE!

I had promised the kids after visiting Bigfoot that we would go and find some water to play in (hence the reason they are both in their swimming gear).  We decided to check out the new all-inclusive park in O'Fallon and it was so great! We ended up running into our very first PAT educator and we really enjoyed exploring this fun new playground.  The only disappointment was the the splash pad hadn't been completed yet.  So instead of enjoying a nice cool down on a hot, summer mid-day, we nearly melted under the summer sunshine.  

 We will definitely have to come back and do some more exploring at this new park!  And hopefully we will be able to cool off in the process!

Wabash Frisco & Pacific Railroad

This little train ride along the Meramec River near Pacific is one of our favorite family outings to take during summer.  We had taken Amelia a few times, but this was Henry's first adventure on the little train.

Despite him looking less than enthused in nearly every picture (it was nap time).  He loved it!  He had lots of questions, but mostly wanted to see and watch the wheels!  (Not an easy task when you are riding ON the train).

It is a fun time and the 30 minute round trip ride is just about enough---for all of us.

Powder Valley

No matter how many times we have been to Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, it never gets old!  We have been there in every season.  We have taken others there and introduced them to this hidden (free) gem.  We have been there as a family of 2, 3, and 4.  We've hiked the trails in the blazing heat and the frigid snow.  It is perfect for us!

Going over the bridge is always a highlight!

And a walking stick is very important!

And, oh, the places you can stick your head!  The fun is endless!

July 4th, 2013

 A little light on the pictures this year, but here's what I got!  I will try to make it up with crazy amounts of pictures next year.

Just Another Day at the Transportation Museum

Yes, it's true, we have been to the Museum of Transportation dozens of times.  And that is not going to change anytime soon.  We just renewed our membership for the 2013 season, so watch out for more posts like this one....

We managed to arrive about 20 minutes before they opened.  Apparently, despite our constant visits to this place, I still overestimate how long it will take us to get there every. single. time.  Luckily, both kids were thrilled with climbing on some of the machines and playing in the pea gravel (of all things!).

When the museum finally opened, we were off!  In the summer, we always try and get the outdoor things done first when it is the coolest and save the Creation Station for later in the day when it is suffocating outside.  (In the winter we do the opposite: inside first, then outside).

My kids have been there enough to know all the special tricks.  They know which train cars are open for walking through, which trains have bells you can ring or whistles that can be blown.  They also know that if you sit in the very back of the miniature train, you get to say, "All Aboard" over the speaker.

    

I am not sure that the Creation Station will ever get old!  Even for Amelia who is technically too old to go in there anymore.She just plays less with the play kitchen, train tables, and puppets and is perfectly content sitting at the craft table and completely projects for the entire time.

Lots more fun visits ahead!