MLK Day Adventure

Not too terribly long ago--MLK day, I think--I had had enough of being cooped up in the house.  Jason was off work and Amelia was off school, so we gave her a choice of 3 different adventures she could go on.  Our inspiration came mostly from an ABC book about St. Louis attractions we had checked out from the library. 

She immediately chose the Lone Elk Park--Powder Valley Nature Center--Ted Drewes option.  So off we went!

The first stop was the observation tower at Lone Elk Park.  Luckily, it was a little bit warmer that day so we could go outside for small amounts of time.  We climbed to the top and were able to spot the pond and several animals.

Then, it was back to the car.  We got to see the bison up close and personal!

I snapped this picture of Henry since it was quickly decided that his car seat should be turned around so he could enjoy the trip.  I had originally planned on keeping him rear facing for as long as possible, but I'm afraid there was no turning back (literally) after this day.  His latest car trick is making his socks disappear!

After a moderately successful drive through Lone Elk, we headed to Powder Valley Nature Center which turned out to be a little of a strike out.  The visitor center is closed on Mondays (boo) and the longer trail with the bridge that crosses over the road was closed due to the weather conditions.  So, we were stuck "hiking" the only open trail--The Tanglevine Trail--which was a whopping 1/3 mile.

As it turns out, 1/3 mile was PLENTY!  It was pretty cold out there afterall!  

We enjoyed spotting this "Tanglevine".  Amelia said it reminded her of Rapunzel's hair.

Believe it or not, we weren't the only "hikers" out there that day. Amelia spotted someone with a walking stick and immediately found one of her own.

Although the Visitor's Center was closed, it didn't stop Amelia from kissing the frog outside.  I think she was a little disappointed that it didn't turn into a prince or didn't turn HER into a frog!

After we pretty much struck out at Powder Valley, we decided it was time to grab lunch.  We thought we would get something quick and then hit up Ted Drewes.  BUT, apparently they are closed for the entire month of January.  I suggested going to Fitz's instead.  Not because the food is so delicious (it's mediocre at best), but because Amelia LOVES root beer and I knew she would enjoy seeing the bottling process.  What I didn't expect, however, was for Henry to love it as well!

I had to snap this picture of Henry at the restaurant because this boy is into EVERYTHING.  He is so grabby and so fast that we had to clear everything on the table far away from him.  I still don't understand why the youngest member of our party needed to occupy HALF of the table!

As an added bonus for the day, we discovered several ice sculptures outside of Fritz's.  Amelia really enjoyed examining them and even Henry got a kick out of touching them.  Brrrrrr.

 

n + e

Look at these two sweet little ladies getting ready to head out for a day at Build-a-Bear.  They are in their matching shirts I made for them for Christmas--one of the few handmade gifts I made this year.  The shirts couldn't have been easier to make and they turned out adorable--although these two can make anything look good!

Butterfly House

With the freezing weather outside, I was quick to accept a friend's invitation to join her at the Butterfly House!  I went in wearing 3 layers and was quickly down to one.  In fact, my camera kept steaming up, so I hardly got any good pictures!

Henry loved watching the butterflies--when he could find them!  They were way too fast for his little eyes to keep up with.

My favorite little lady...

Three of my favorite ladies....

Poor Henry hardly gets any attention when these 4 are together.

Amelia was WAY brave and climbed into the cockroach bubble.  It still gives me chills just looking at the picture!

And last but not least--a picture from earlier in the day while we were trying to kill some time before the butterfly house.  We were listening to a little Jackson 5 when she struck this pose.  I have a video that goes along with it, but I'm saving it for blackmail down the road....

Happy Birthday to Me!

Almost a month ago already, I turned 32!  To celebrate, we decided to head to a hibachi-style restaurant nearby.  In my 32 years, I have heard a lot about these types of restaurants, but have never experienced one myself.  And although this type of food isn't really my favorite, I was looking forward to it nonetheless.

I was a little worried that the fire may be too much for the kids.  So, during the day, Amelia and I watched youtube video after youtube video of hibachi grill chefs in action.  Little did I know that the huge burst of fire is something that only happens once, really during dinner.  I should have been worried about the noise--both of my children were less than thrilled with the loud sounds.

We decided to go early and order the special they had running.  It came with soup, salad, grilled shrimp, rice, vegetables and your choice of meat prepared on the grill. 

Henry especially enjoyed the soup!

Amelia took a few bites too!

My mom brought me this stupid special birthday crown to wear.

Amelia ordered mac-n-cheese and then attempted to eat it with chopsticks.

Lucky for us, the chef thought it would be fun to go around the table and flip a small piece of shrimp into everyone's mouth.  Jason was last to go, so he got 8 pieces fired to him in a row.

Next up was a neat little volcano trick.

 

It was a great time with family and I loved trying something new--even if it wasn't my preferred cuisine!  And in the end, I think the kids enjoyed it too!

Amelia and the Oobleck

 With several inches of snow in the forecast, I knew Amelia and I were going to need a little extra something to get us through a day of being snowed in.  We headed to the library and filled our bags with books, CD's, and a DVD.  While Amelia was off picking out a book for Henry, I spotted the Dr. Suess book, Bartholomew and the Oobleck.  I had never actually read the book before, but I knew of the gooey green substance, Oobleck, that fell from the sky in the story.

 That night and the next day we read the story a few times and then I decided to tell Amelia that I knew how to make oobleck.  She was ecstatic!  (She's actually made it a couple times before, but obviously didn't remember).

She decided that the oobleck should be pink instead of green like the book.  After all, pink matched her bow and dress.  Who am I to argue with that logic?

Seriously, though, this stuff is so weird!  You just add 1 cup of water to 2 cups of corn starch.  And actually, we cut that in half because we were running low on corn starch and it was plenty.

While playing in our oobleck, Henry woke from his nap so I decided to stick his hands in too.  He wasn't too thrilled with that choice.  He eventually warmed up a bit, but was never as interested as his sister.  Unfortunately I couldn't get a great picture of his disgusted face because I was trying to keep him from falling off of the stool he was standing on.

A copy of this book and a little container of corn starch (with directions to add water) would be a cute little gift!

Look Who's Walking!

A few days after Henry's birthday (we'll say January 4th for the baby book's sake), Henry decided it was time to get moving.  Out of no where he took 9 steps in a row!  And then 10! And then, I stopped counting. I just started saying "Henry is walking!".

He still crawls quite a bit, but he is getting braver with each passing day.  Just today he walked all the way across the room, stopping only once to lean down and "kiss" a book with a picture of a kitten on the front.

One thing is for sure, he is AWFULLY proud of himself!  He really thinks he is hot stuff.  I've also noticed that he walks a lot better when he is holding on to something.  Of course, whatever he is holding is usually in his mouth!

Snow Cream

 I'm not sure why I've never tried Snow Cream before.  It is such a simple recipe and I love ice cream of any kind.  My friend, Susie, mentioned she made it with her girls and we decided to give it a go.  We've definitely had enough of the white stuff around!

In case you don't know, the "recipe" is snow, a bit of milk, a bit of sugar, and a bit of vanilla.  Mix together and enjoy!

And enjoy we did!

A Year of Henry

(I promise this is the LAST birthday post!)