6 Months!

No matter how you spell it, Henry is six months old!

Pudding Pops

I got some fancy new popsicle molds during my last Ikea trip and have been eager to try them out. Up until this point, I've been pretty boring with what I've put in them. Mostly just lemonade or Kool-Aid. Yawn.

I had some chocolate pudding in the pantry and since I had no plans for it, I thought I might give it a try in the molds. Turns out they are yummy! And as an added bonus, there is no dripping! (Of course, that doesn't mean it still doesn't get ALL over faces and things).

Regardless, they were good and we all enjoyed a few! We will definitely be making these again!

Night Owl Book Worm

I sneaked into Amelia's room the other evening and captured this fuzzy picture with my iPhone to give my blog readers a glimpse of my little girl's nightly routine. Jason and I have long ago stopped trying to get her to stay in bed and immediately go to sleep. The girl loves to read and will do it by sunlight during the day and nightlight in the evening.

She finished reading her 40th library book tonight which completes the summer library reading program. It took her exactly one month--and I only counted NEW books that we had never read before.

But perhaps the summer reading highlight for her is the group of chapter books we picked up at Target for only $1 each. Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Secret Garden, and the Wizard of Oz to name a few. These are shorter versions of the original with a picture on nearly every page, but have still taken us several days to read. At the end of each chapter, she begs to hear another. In fact, in the picture above, she had been thumbing through these very chapter books for the past 40 minutes.

We have finished her first choice (Peter Pan) and only have a couple of chapters left in The Wizard of Oz. I can't wait to see what she picks next!

Sissy Strikes Again!

Same thing, different day.

Doll, Schmoll

I am not sure what my preoccupation is with placing my baby in various unsafe, wheeled toys that are specifically stamped with the words "FOR DOLL USE ONLY".

But, I do. Often.

And it's fun.

Sink or Float

"Sink or Float" is an activity that I've seen around the internets too many times to count. It is also an activity that doesn't need much of an explanation and something I have been wanting to do with Amelia for a long time now. It would be better as an outdoor activity, but indoor works too.

Its funny that this is been in the back of my mind for at least 6 months and the day that I decided to do it was also the day that Jason was fixing the shower in our bathroom. You know, the same day that he turned off the water and then left to go to Home Depot for like an hour--right after I said to Amelia, "Let's play a new game called Sink or Float!".

But, she is a resourceful girl and was patient enough to let the trickling water left in the pipes fill up a small bucket. We gathered items around the house and predicted whether we thought they would sink or float. Then, we tested our hypothesis and put the object in the correct column. So simple, but popular nonetheless!

Joseph Had A Little Overcoat

Well, our summer reading is off to a quick start. Seems like once the warm weather hits, I cannot be without a good book to read. Seems as though Amelia is following suit. We've been hitting the library up every week and recently re-checked out an old favorite--Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.

We've borrowed this book at least twice before. Amelia likes the story (and the song we also have) and I like the pictures. There is one page in particular that I've always been quite fond of and every time we came to that page, I would say, "We should make a building like that sometime". The page shows a drawing of several buildings with windows and in each window is a real picture of a person. I like the contrast between the drawing and the real pictures. I am also sure there is a term for this type of art, but I am too naive to know it.

So, apparently, I had said that enough on that particular page that when we checked the book out this time, Amelia started saying, "We should make a building like that sometime" each time we would get to this particular page.

So, we did! Yet, another project that was perfect for her new easel! I cut out some quick rectangles from construction paper and added some magic marker windows. Then, I gave Amelia some old magazines and her scissors and watched her go to town filling her buildings with faces. I even found some old pictures of her, Henry, and other family members that made it into the windows as well.
Not the best picture, I realize. But, the project kept her busy for HOURS on MULTIPLE DAYS. I will definitely be storing this one away to do again!!

Monkeying Around

Have you heard of Monkey Tales Theatre?

If not, it is a non-profit children's theatre group that performs plays with a purpose. Each play has an important theme such as gender empowerment, disability awareness, and responsibility. The group was formed by two of my "mom" friends that I met through our playgroup. I've enjoyed watching the group blossom over the past year and am so proud of these ladies for pursuing their passion. I've even been able to contribute a bit to the group by creating activities for teachers to use in conjunction with the performances to help reinforce the message of the play.

A few weeks ago Monkey Tales had a fundraiser at Applebee's. It was an All-You-Can-Eat pancake/egg/sausage/coffee breakfast with the characters from the play. What a fun time! We arrived right as the doors were opening, so our table was the prime target for several of the characters to come over and chat. Amelia (who had no warning ahead of time) did not quite understand what was going on. She slowly warmed up to everyone (even the pirate, although it was touch and go for awhile), and was off playing hide and seek with the princess and lion before my coffee got cold. It is no surprise that Princess Marigold was her favorite of all the characters in attendance.

Baby Jack Comes to Visit!

So with a title like that, you would probably be expecting to see some pictures of a little guy by the name of "Baby Jack" (which, by the way, even his parents both "Baby" and "Jack" when referring to him), however, you will need to look very closely to spot the ONE picture I actually snapped of him during their visit. I am hoping to get some from my cousin who took many, many more than I.

My aunt Margy and Uncle Jerry from Spokane, WA came for a visit a few weeks ago. In addition, my cousin Mark, his wife, Liz, and their son Baby Jack from New York also came to town. Baby Jack was born just a few weeks before Henry in early December.

No visit of Uncle Jerry's is complete without a trip to the Museum of Transportation. He is crazy about trains and Amelia is about the only one who will listen to him ramble on about them anymore. We had fun at the museum, nonetheless, on one the hottest days of the summer thus far.

most of the gang riding the train at the museum

Amelia is constantly asking to climb trees and she just couldn't pass up this opportunity after spotting "a good climbing tree" on the museum grounds. Incidentally, a "good climbing tree" in her book only requires the tree to have a trunk.

Hey look, the one picture I got with Baby Jack!

My aunt Phyllis and Uncle John graciously hosted us for a day of swimming out in Innsbrook where they live. The kids had a blast! Amelia swam for THREE HOURS STRAIGHT! Needless to say, both kids were out before we even left the Innsbrook grounds. Such a fun time, though!

My cousin Mark visits St. Louis every July to teach a class at Washington University. He is a political science professor at the University of Rochester in NY. I am secretly hoping that Liz and Jack will join him every June from now on when he comes to St. Louis. They sure make the trip way more fun!

Baby Henry and Mark

Summer, Summer, Summertime

Given my love of lists, lists, lists, it should be no surprise to see another on this website. This time, however, I got Amelia involved in the planning. We sat down one night as a family and came up with 20 things we would like to do this summer. I copied our list to some leftover poster board. Then, Amelia and I looked through some magazines to try and find some pictures of the activities we are hoping to do.

Summer Fun:

1. Go up in the Arch.
2. Attend family reunion in TX.
3. Go fishing
4. Take a trip to the Lake of the Ozarks
5. Swim at the pool
6. Take a family picnic
7. See a movie at the theater
8. Take a nature walk
9. Go to the Incredible Pizza Company
10. Visit the Farmer's Market and pick out a new fruit to try
11. Camp in the Backyard
12. Complete the summer reading program at the library
13. Pick some fruit
14. Check out Purina Farms
15. Catch lightning bugs
16. Go to a parade
17. Take the car through the car wash
18. Make a dress
19. Visit a new state
20. Go to a Cardinals game

The poster is in a spot where we can't help but see it every day. We are 3 weeks in and have checked off 4 things so far.

Amelia watching "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" at the movie theater.

Celebrating her friend's birthday at Incredible Pizza Co.

(We also swam at the pool and took the car through the car wash for part of Amelia's father's day gift to Jason).

Let the summer fun continue (so I can cross it off)!