Life Through Heather's Lens

Logan's Big Stage Debut

2012-01-04T19:02:00.001-06:00

When I was a kid, one of the things I loved the most was getting on stage, whether it was for dancing or acting in a play. Logan has definitely inherited that trait from me. This year he was in his first play with lines and everything - and he got the lead!

OK, so it was a very small, Off-off-off-off-off-off Broadway production, but everyone has to start somewhere, right?

Logan plays a kid whose parents are moving and he doesn't want to go.

That night, he has a dream about the Pilgrims on the Mayflower....

He decides that the Pilgrims were brave to go on their search for a new life in a new place.

When he wakes up the next morning, he tells his parents he is ready for the move!

***AMAZING play writing.***

In the second class play, Logan got a bit part as a very authentic-looking Indian.

"Happy Thanksgiving!!"

Some super cute classmates!

One very proud mama.

And Daddy too!

We love you!
Mama

Halloween!

2011-12-31T13:10:00.001-06:00

This year for Halloween Claire was Supergirl and Logan was a cool soldier. A few days before the BIG DAY we all went to a party at our neighbor Colin's house.

On Halloween we hosted our second annual hot dog and marshmallow roast. The kids (and adults!) had a good time, even if Halloween did fall on a school night this year...

And I don't want to brag on my awesome camo makeup job.....but I almost didn't even see Logan in this picture....

Props to the pumpkin carver!

Logan and Carter hanging around the fire.

Daddy and Claire Bear chillin.

Logan, Jacob and Carter.

FUN!

Love,

Mama

The End of Soccer Season

2011-12-16T16:02:00.002-06:00

So here we are at the end of soccer season in late October and Claire still can't bear to watch the game....

Just kidding! She will cheer and clap....sometimes.

Meanwhile, Logan is making some good progress with his skills! Check this shot out! Way to work it, Logan!

Looking like a pro.

It's about time for Claire to get cozy with blankie and Mom's lap.

Ahhhhh.

Now that is one adorable soccer kid.

Logan's team had a near perfect season with only 1 loss and 1 tie. If you look closely, there is our neighbor Isabelle playing for the gold team.

Cheers to the team!

Champions!

We are so proud of Logan for learning something new!

Way to go!!

Love,

Mama

The T-Rex Cafe

2011-12-14T11:14:00.004-06:00

The day after the Renaissance Festival we stopped by the T-Rex Cafe for lunch. It was an awesome spot!

It was like eating lunch at Disneyland without the $500 airfare.

The inside was just as phenomenal as the outside. Actually, even more so.

The kids can't stop looking at everything!

Everywhere you look there is something looking back at you!

Just to get an idea of the scale....Logan and Pappy are sitting down there at a table. Pappy is wearing a white shirt.

There is so much to look at! Dinos in the sky, an ice age happening on the balcony up there, and we were sitting on a volcano!

I love how they incorporated a volcano theme in the rotisserie.

There is even a special activity room where, after paying for a pricey meal, you can pay some more to get access to!

But, the kids had fun digging for fossils.

And after that, we got to pay some MORE for the Build-A-Dino experience. Oh boy. Here's Claire making her pteranadon.

And Logan made a woolly mammoth. (cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching....)

BUT, it was worth it. As long as you make the trip, you might as well get the whole experience, right?

RIGHT?

Anyway......we made a pit stop back at Grammy's and Pappy's before making the trip back home.

What a fun weekend with two fun kids.

Love,
Mama

Kansas City Renaissance

2011-12-04T16:11:00.001-06:00

Kids,

In October we took a neat weekend trip to Kansas City, where we spent an afternoon at the Renaissance Festival. They really take their Renaissancing seriously out there - it puts our little Ren-Faire here to shame.

Of course, Grammy made sure that you two were dressed appropriately.

We spent quite a bit of time in the children's play area.

This has to be one of my favorite pictures of Claire I've ever taken! Her head is so perfect for the picture. Hilarious!

All the "rides" at the festival are man-powered. We spent a good amount of time on them!

Claire's turn for a ride on the cool dragon swing.

But wait! All rides are on hold because it's time for a PARADE. And what better way to kick off a parade than a codpiece? I mean....an old guy with feathers.

Fairies!

Who invited Nostradamus?

I never had a weird drunk uncle, but if I did, I imagine he'd be something like this:

Clearly, all that parade watching put Claire in a trance.

More man-power.

(so cute!)

Looks like Mermaid Claire must have gotten a little whiplash on all those rides. Gotta little kink in the old neck there?

K.C. has gone all out in creating their little medieval world. Check out all the fancy buildings!

I had no idea there were camel rides back in the day, but Claire could not resist.

Annnnnd, she looks thrilled, doesn't she?

Logan liked this ride much better, I think. You had to ride the horse down the cable and put the sword through a ring in the dragon's mouth while you were moving. It looked pretty tricky!

But Logan made it on the first try and got knighted!

Look how seriously he takes his role! Super cute.

Claire cheering her brother on!

Here's the dragon. The ring is right by his nose.

Logan lining up his aim.....

SCORE!

Another round of knighting....

And Pappy did a brief tutorial in archery on our way out.

It was a fun, fun day! I love taking you guys out and showing you new places!

Love,

Mama

Kickin' It

2011-11-28T12:00:00.001-06:00

Dear Logan,

This fall we signed you up for a beginning soccer league. You were really excited to play!

Sure, we were the only parents who hadn't provided shin guards on the first day. But we're new to this too. Neither one of us ever played soccer when we were kids!

Don't worry, we had you all decked out by your second game.

The suspense of the game was almost too much for your sister!

(Not really. She just didn't want her picture taken.)

You had a great time and eventually you even scored a goal!

Love,

Mama

It's a Pirate Fest, Matey!

2011-11-20T01:05:00.001-06:00

In September we went to the Pirate Festival in Wentzville. You guys were super fired up, as you can see.

But what's more exciting that a fire-breather? Well, a fire-breather balancing on a rubber ball of course!

Anxious anticipation in the crowd....

CHEERS!

Fire seemed to be the theme of the day. Apparently pirates used to love having some fire around. And honestly, who doesn't appreciate a nice roaring fire aboard the deck of a creaky wooden boat?

There was some funky hoop dancing.

And after the dancing, you guys got invited up to play games with the hoopers. Fun!

Pirates also apparently loved a solid drum corps.

Well. Who doesn't??

We can't seem to pass up an opportunity to paint ourselves these days. Claire got a cool pink and purple dragon on her arm.

And Logan got an awesome fire-breathing dragon!

(Again with the fire? Seriously...)

Claire even met a pirate puppy!

There are days when I could use a set of these around the house...

And lastly, we stopped for a little fire dancing on the way out.

All this fire and dancing will make you tired. Or maybe just hypnotized.

You are getting very sleeeepy.........

Oops, guess the hypnosis wears off quick!

Have I mentioned lately that I love you,

my adorable pirate princess and my handsome pirate boy?

Well, I do.

Mama

Claire's First Day of Preschool

2011-11-18T14:32:00.001-06:00

Claire,

Believe it or not, you really were excited to start preschool. You have been talking about school for months and couldn't wait to go!

No, really...

I'm serious.

I promise I did not force you into this.

Despite your steadfast refusal to sit criss-cross applesauce, walk in a straight line or allow the teacher to speak without you talking right along with her, you are one kick-butt preschool student.

And I love you like crazy.

Mama

The State Fair

2011-11-16T12:18:00.001-06:00

The weekend after school started we headed back to Slater for the Missouri State Fair.

Naturally, Jason picked up Pappy's guitar for a strumming.

We found possibly the cutest baby goat ever at the fair!

Claire loved the pony rides.

Claire loved the petting zoo too!

I love this picture!

I think this may be a baby camel, but Claire just looked at this picture and called it an elephant!

Logan always loves this jumpy thing.

Tricks!

Claire loves jumping too! Bouncy houses are her favorite things.

And who doesn't love the big slide?

Uncle Jason and Claire coming down the Super Slide.

Uncle Jason was a real sport with you guys!

I warned Uncle Jason about this vomit-inducing ride....

Hmmmmm, the nausea sets in....

Oh yeah, it hits.

Having fun yet?

Nothing says "State Fair" like the bling of the pink flashing-light-princess-cowboy hat.

Claire is loving milking this "cow"!

I always love our trips to the State Fair!!

I always love you!

Mama

The First Day of Second Grade!

2011-11-14T17:27:00.000-06:00

Honestly kids, the time really does fly. It seems like my sweet baby boy was just starting kindergarten yesterday and then BAM! Second grade. Here are you and Jacob H. waiting for the school bus.

And now the rest of our bus riders: Jacob H., Logan, Mackenzie and Isabelle. What a cute bunch of kids!

I love you love you love you, big boy.

Mama

A Day at the Park

2011-11-08T14:04:00.001-06:00

On my last day of babysitting, which also happened to be the last Friday before school started, I took all the kids to the park for the afternoon. Even the kids next door to us! That's a lot of excitement!

Claire got up and performed on the "stage" for me.

Little L. was all over the place.

Whee!

You are so brave, Claire! The way you hopped right on that pole and slid down! You never even hesitated.

Logan had lots of fun racing around with the neighbor kids.

I guess that's the way to burn off some pre-school year steam!

I love you guys so much!

Mama

Friends and the Zoo

2011-10-19T10:46:00.000-05:00

The last week of summer before school started was my last week of babysitting. So I rounded up C, little L's big brother whom I babysat for over a year before he headed off to preschool full time, and we headed off to the zoo with our neighbors.

C. and Logan

Now here is a gang! These are all the kiddos we had with us that day!

Claire and sweet little L.

Lots of energy in this group!

L. and Claire on the train.

Look at that sweet face! I don't miss how exhausting babysitting is and the constant housekeeping it requires, but I do miss that adorable little face and sweet personality.

A red river hog. He looks very goblin-esque, don't you think?

One of our Asian elephants.

Our rhino. Now if I had to guess after all my rhino spotting at The Wilds, I'd say this is actually a white rhino because of how far down his head placement is relative to his back and his wide, flat lips. I'll have to check the sign a little more closely next time to see if I'm right!

Fun day with friends!

Love,
Mama

Wildlife Through Heather's Lens

2011-10-12T11:00:00.001-05:00

On our first night in our super fabulous yurt the Pere David deer managed to keep me awake most of it with their loud bellowing down at the watering hole right below us. I woke up feeling crummy and wishing for a 12-gauge shotgun, but as it turns out there is sort of an interesting story behind the deer. This species is native to China, where a French missionary (we can assume his name was David) was stationed. He loved the species so much (honestly, I have no idea why. He must not have had to camp out next to the herd.) that he ended up sending 12 animals back home to France, where they and their offspring were put in zoos around Europe. Some time later there was an uprising in China, and the group that had taken over occupation of the Pere David deer's natural habitat ended up dining on them to the point of extinction. Therefore, all of the known remaining Pere David deer on Earth are descendants of the 12 lucky animals that got shipped off to France. So they really are Father David's deer!

We milled around our yurt patios in the morning, looking out at the grazing pastures. Here is a herd of Persian onagers.

More loud deer.

A bactrian camel and some wild horses.

A view of the grounds from our patio.

You can see the zip line towers in this picture. We are going to have some good times on those later!

The path leading up from our yurts to breakfast!

Deer! Apparently no one had ever seen them swimming before they came to The Wilds.

Loading on to our safari bus!!

Did I mention this was an anniversary trip for the Trohas??

Dad and Mom on safari!

A close up of the Pere David buck and a doe. That stuff hanging off his antlers is mud and grass from the pond. He thinks it's pretty.

This is a greater one-horned rhino. Even though you can't see the horns from this angle, you can tell it's not a white rhino because it's in the water. These rhinos have necks that allow their heads to tilt up and back, allowing them to partially submerge themselves in the water. The other rhinos can't lift their heads up, so if they walked into the water they would drown. You're welcome for the trivia.

Trumpeter swan.

The Wilds' herd of American bison.

Our little yurt village from the grazing pastures.

Here come some rhinos!

Thanks again for the awesome telephoto lens, Grammy & Pappy!!

Have I ever mentioned my dream to be a National Geographic photographer???

We can see you.

A Sichuan takin.

Louie getting personal with a camel.

Want some more trivia? Of course you do!! There are two types of camels, those with one hump and those with two. Two humped camels are Bactrian camels. Bactrian starts with B, and a B has two humps. One humped camels are called Dromedary camels. Dromedary starts with D, and a D has one hump. That's how you can remember which is which. You're welcome again.

Cheese!

Daddy taking a close-up look at the camel.

A close-up view of the Persian onagers.

Feeding time!

Delicious.

Here is a Przewalski's wild horse mama and her one-week old baby!! What a cutie! Trivia time! Przewalkski's wild horses are native to Mongolia and have never been domesticated. They must be some pretty crazy-wild horses!

A pretty little piece of pasture.

Down at the man-eating catfish pond.

Just kidding. They don't really eat people. But they did get pretty excited to see us! I wouldn't stick my hand in that water!

The carnivores aren't allowed to roam the pastures for obvious reasons. So the carnivore enclosures are kept separate. Here is a cool looking African wild dog.

We got off the bus and walked around the enclosures for a while. Our tour guide said sometimes the wild dogs stalk little kids and old people from the other side of the fence. Creepy!

But they are really beautiful animals. You know, as long as there is a fence between you and them.

A cheetah mama and her babies. The cheetahs have also been known to stalk people from their side of the fence. Our tour guide told us the story about an elderly lady using a walker in front of their enclosure, and a cheetah running full speed and taking a lunge at the fence to try to get to her! Wow.

(I kinda wish there had been an old person on our bus now.)

This is not a fox, it's an Asian wild dog called a dhole.

Look at all those lazy cheetahs!

When we got back around to the African wild dogs, they put on a bit of a show for us.

Next we got to go see some giraffes.

Check out that tongue!

The lake from a different perspective.

Here is a Bactrian deer buck surrounded by his wimmins.

An old Sichuan takin. He looks kinda mopey, don't you think? Our tour guide said when Disney came out with the animated movie Beauty and the Beast, they used the takin as a reference for creating the Beast's look.

A male ostrich. He takes his fence patrolling very seriously.

Here we have some white rhinos and some scimitar-horned orynxes.

Check out the stance of this common eland! National Geographic, I tell ya.

A very relaxed sable antelope. Also? National Geographic!

These safari buses were so cool. We were able to get so close, and the animals just walked right up!

A cluster of Grevy's zebras. We weren't able to get too close to these guys. They pretty much just stayed off to themselves.

After our bus tour I took a walk around the butterfly habitat. I didn't see many butterflies, but the scenery was pretty!

National Geographic, anyone?

There were lots of wild blackberries. And yes, I ate them.

A swallowtail butterfly coming in for a landing. They are fast and hard to photograph!

Some pretty Queen Anne's lace on the hillside.

Look close! A butterfly!

Back at the yurt, I paparazzi'd this photo of a horseback tour going by.

And of course, some rhino butts.

Then it was time for some zip-lining!!

Here is Valerie learning the ropes.

Look at Daddy go!

Practicing his self-rescuing technique.

And he's off!

Go Valerie!

Valerie.

Look at Daddy!

Wow!

Here comes Louie!

And it's Mama!

Check out that cannonball technique.

When we remembered, we checked out the landscape for critters wandering by. Look! A giraffe!

And...back to the fun. Here I come!

Go Mama!

Valerie.

Louie.

Daddy coming in for a landing.

At the end of our zipline tour, we had to repel down the last tower. I won't lie, this made me like 100 times more nervous than the ziplining for some reason.

But Daddy looks like a real pro, doesn't he?

Louie's turn.

And now Valerie.

Our awesome tour leaders. We had tons of fun with these guys!

At the dinner table.

And back to the yurt for some more animal watching!

Our yurt stay included a safari tour each day, so the next day we were at it again. We saw most of our old friends from the day before....

Check out those sugar lips!

One more look at Junior.

What a sweetie.

The happy anniversary couple!

I think these are Eld's deer.

We never got a close-up of the white rhino baby, but here she is: Firefly!

Even though I'm from Missouri and have seen a lot of cows in my lifetime, I have to say this Bangteng cow is pretty good lookin! These cows are native to Indonesia, where they are hunted by huge packs of those Asian wild dogs, the dholes. Interesting, eh?

What an awesome stay! We will have to take you kids there some day!

Love,

Mama

Mom and Dad's Excellent Adventure

2011-10-11T10:18:00.003-05:00

It's been a long time since my last post. Things around the homestead have changed a bunch in the last couple of months! Dad and I went on vacation together without you guys in July. (Someday when you two are parents you will understand!) When we got home I babysat for two more weeks, then Logan started school and I took a week off . The second week of school I started a new job at the hospital and that kept me crazy busy for the first month! At the end of August Claire started preschool! So I have lots of pictures to catch up on and now that everyone's routines are feeling a bit more "normal," I'll start posting again!

So let's get back to where our lives got a little crazy! Like I said, Dad and I went on a little vacation. We went on a road trip with our awesome friends, the Trohas. Here I am in our Indianapolis hotel room on our first night.

The next morning we checked out some Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives locations around Indy and found this one on our way out of town:

Yum!

Finally that afternoon we made it to our destination! The Wilds in eastern Ohio.

We stayed in a FABULOUS luxury yurt.

Clearly Valerie is super excited to have made it!

On our first evening we took in the sights from our yurt patios. Here is one of the safari buses. (we'll ride that tomorrow!)

Our patios overlooked some of the grazing pastures. It was amazing to see all the different animals roaming around. Here are some Bactrian camels.

(did I mention our yurt was super cute?)

Trumpeter swans hanging out in the watering hole beneath our patios.

Getting close to my favorite time of day for photos....sunset!

Giraffe!

A grazing Sichuan takin.

Louie enjoying the sights.

Another takin.

We were out in the boondocks! Attempts to connect with the outside world will be futile!

Here's a look at our little yurt village from the Trohas' patio. Adorable!

This is about as relaxed as I've seen your daddy!

Eeep! Sunset!

Rhinos at sunset.....so cool!

One thing I have done for years is the progressive sunset series. Here we go!!

(see the rhinos in the road?)

Was that relaxing or what? Stay tuned for the rest of our adventures!

Love,

Mama

A Very Troha Birthday at Creve Coeur Lake

2011-08-28T12:45:00.014-05:00

In July we helped our friends the Trohas celebrate Cooper's and Louis's birthdays at a party at Creve Coeur Lake. Lately Claire has been demanding to carry her very own present bag to every party, so we must supply her with a gift bag and paper to carry with her.

Claire and Reagan looking very cute sitting side by side!

Logan and Louis playing in the sand.

Lighten up, Louis! It's your party!!

That's better!

Louie, Cooper and Valerie working on getting those presents opened!

It was super hot that day! I wish they let you swim in the lake, but Creve Coeur is too cheap to hire life guards.

Too bad we don't have a little sailboat!

Love,

Mama

Meeting Anna Lily

2011-08-18T12:15:00.009-05:00

July 14th was a very exciting day this year. Our good friend Maya got a baby sister that day! Maya's mommy, our awesome pal Lisa, called us very early in the morning to say little Anna Lily was on her way, and we got to keep Maya for a whole day and night! The next day I took the girls to the hospital to meet Maya's brand new sister.

On the way up, the girls stopped for some impromptu posing on the stairs. Claire, I admire your turnout here but your toes need to be pointed and for the love, would you stand up straight!

Much better!

An exciting moment! Lisa looks great! And check out that beautiful new baby!

*love*

On the way back to the car, Maya wanted to hold hands. It was so cute, I had to make a quick grab for my camera!

Oh those girls! I hope you stay friends forever!

Love,

Mama

The July Garden

2011-08-16T09:39:00.012-05:00

Well! It has been a tough year for gardening!! I was late (very late!) on all my spring planting because we had a very wet/cool spring this year. Then in July we had a horrible heat wave which really took a toll. Not to mention that the babies I babysat last year turned into little monster toddlers this year, and there went my reliable nap time that I used to get out and do chores in the garden! So I'm afraid my flowers have been very unspectacular this year. Believe me, no one is more disappointed than me!

But, here are some pictures of the garden in its peak, just so I can say I had a little bit of success.

That big fluffy green plant? Is actually a weed. I started off the year thinking it was a perennial of some sort. As soon as I realized it was actually a weed, it had buds on it. So I kept it around to see if it ended up being anything "pretty." The flowers are actually tiny and white. But since it's about the healthiest thing in my garden, I let it live.

Thank goodness for good old reliable day lilies!

Things will be better next year for sure!! For one thing, I've got a new job now. Instead of babysitting 50 hours a week, I got a job working 3 evenings a week at a hospital down the road. I hope it makes things a little easier here at home. We will see!

Love,

Mama

The Zoo in July

2011-07-21T12:08:00.024-05:00

The day after we got home from Chicago, I took a vacation day from babysitting and we headed out to the zoo with our good friends, the Trohas.

River's Edge is such a great feature of the park. It's really shady, the exhibits are au naturel, and the one-way traffic combine to make it a great place to hang out. Here's our rhino - it's pretty rare that you ever see much of him besides his backside.

Of course the hippo exhibit is my personal favorite. It's so fun to see such huge animals THIS CLOSE to you.

Logan, Cooper and Reagan hanging out on the cobra. I have soooo many pictures of this cobra with kids climbing all over it!

Now Claire wants a piece of the action.

One of the little elephants was out that day with mama. We actually had a brand new baby elephant born this year. They announced the name the day we were there: Kenzi.

We always finish up our time in River's Edge with a stop in the "cave." From behind you could almost believe that Reagan and Logan were teenagers. *sniff* They are getting so big!!

It was a little warm that day, so we took a break to cool off at the misting station!

Little Louis got a push-up to help cool off!

Of course we have to finish our time at the zoo with a train ride! What a crew this is, eh?

I love to see my kiddos sitting side by side so nicely!

Always a fun time at the zoo!

Love you so much guys!

Mama

July 4th Weekend Chicago Trip

2011-07-19T13:02:00.049-05:00

Kids,

For the holiday weekend this year we got to go see your Aunt Terry and Uncle Allen, who live outside of Chicago now. We just happened to get there on the day after Grace's 8th birthday party, so we got to eat her birthday cookie with her.

On Sunday we all took the train into downtown for the Taste of Chicago! I've been wanting to go to this event since I first heard about it when I was in college, so I was really excited!

Here are cousin Grace and Claire at the train station.

And here are cousin Andrew and Logan waiting for the train.

Here it comes!

After about an hour's train ride, we were in downtown!

Oh my goodness, here we are!!!

We did a lot of, well, tasting. Logan sniffed out a sausage.

And Claire......she fell asleep.

Here's some of that famous stuffed Chicago pizza!

Aunt Heather and cousin Grace

Andrew and Logan sharing an ice cream.

Claire.....still sleepin'

Here's a view of the crowd. It was busy!!

Figuring out how to tackle a caramel apple is tough with so many teeth missing!

We took a break from chowing down to get a group shot in front of this fountain. Claire was......still sleeping!

Looking out over Lake Michigan

Chicago skyline

Sweet little stairstep cousins!

Finally! Claire's awake! And we had just enough tickets to land a cookie for her!

Later we got some Italian Ice from a street vendor. She looooooved it.

But oh, my, look at that Italian Ice face!!! Anyone who knows me knows that this is about to send me into a heart attack!

Heading back to the train we passed this restaurant advertising "sympathetic bartenders." I've never seen that advertising angle before, and it made me laugh.

Back on board the train to go see some fireworks!

Uncle Allen took us to the naval base where he works. They had a carnival and a fireworks show.

Nothing like the too-close self portrait!!

The next day we hit up the Jelly Belly factory before heading back home.

Claire-Bear made a new little friend while we waited for the tour to start. She is getting really good at making friends now!

We got to ride a little train and wear some super fancy hats on the tour!

Good times!

Love,

Mama

Quail Ridge Park

2011-07-16T13:38:00.008-05:00

One day I found myself with only one kiddo to babysit, so we took a rare trip to Quail Ridge park to celebrate.

Here is Claire pushing little L. on the swing. Even though Claire is almost a whole year older, L. is a few inches taller already!

Logan begged me to let him have the camera for a bit. It was hard to let my (expensive) camera go, but I thought he was ready, and he really loves to take pictures. The rest of these shots are his.

Good job, Logan!

Love you guys!

Mama

Logan's Sleepover

2011-07-15T11:25:00.002-05:00

The day after we got home from my reunion, my old pal Brian came into town with his little girl Charlie. They spent the night with us before heading out to Six Flags the next day. Aside from having cousins over, this was Logan's first official sleepover!

Having fun!

Love you so much,

Mama

High School Reunion, Day 2

2011-07-12T11:56:00.022-05:00

Does my class know how to throw a party, or what? On Sunday we got together for a family BBQ at the city park. Here is our class as it was in 1991, immortalized in butter cream!

The kids played at the Kiddie Park while the grown ups chatted and ate. This is my high school friend Brian's little girl, Charlie, with a random dog that had the unfortunate luck to show up at the park that day and ended up being manhandled by the kids all afternoon. Brian was two classes ahead of us, but he came in to hang out with us anyway. His best friend, Jamie, is married to my best friend, Tricia.

Speaking of Tricia, this is her little girl, Chloe.

Claire-Bear!

All aboard!

Here are the grownups, taking a break from chowing down for another group picture! Have you gotten them straight by now? Here we go...

Top Row: Aaron P., Lorenzo C. (didn't go to the dinner the night before), Becky D., Tricia S., ME, Becky U., Joe P., Larry C.

Front Row: Jeannie P., Jen B., Stephanie N., Curtis J.

Still cutting up.....

Charlie and Logan riding the shuttle

Here's a cute bunch of kiddos on the train!

Charlie, Logan, and their little dog too.

Here are Tricia and Brian's other girls, Brooke and Riley

After the picnic, some of us went back to Pappy's house to hang out and play in the back yard. There goes Claire on the zip line!

Jamie takes a turn watching the kids while Claire scoots by on the zip line again!

Skip, Chloe and Claire

What a cute bunch of kids!

Daddy was sooooo good to Mommy that weekend. He did almost everything with the kids so I would have lots of time to chat with my old chums. Thanks, Daddy!

It was a real full-circle moment to see my old backyard full of my friends' and my children, the same backyard we all used to play in when we were kids. There's something really special and sentimental about that.

What a great time.

Love,

Mama

My 20th High School Reunion - Day 1

2011-07-11T12:56:00.011-05:00

Well hey kids, let's talk about ME for a change, eh? A few weekends ago I had my 20th high school reunion in my home town of Slater. It really doesn't seem like it's been that long, but the calendar doesn't lie, apparently. Wow. Here are some of your mom's OLD buds from back in the day.

On the first day we got together for a couples-only dinner. Here is my old friend Curtis showing off his original Wildcat jacket! Curtis and I graduated #1 and #2 in our class and I always had a lot of respect and affection for him. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have gotten that A in Chemistry! Thanks, Curt!

Cutting up in the group photo.....

My good friend Jen. We used to dance our little feet off together. I miss that girl!

Here's the gang that made it in! It actually turned out to be almost half the class, so I'd call that a decent showing! Now you know just how tiny our class was!

From the top row: Aaron P., Tricia S., Becky U., Becky D., Curtis J., Larry C.

Middle Row: Heather S., Jeannie P. (married Aaron!), Stephanie N., Jen B., and ME

Bottom Row: Joe P., and Sam K.

Let me tell you, it feels so GOOD to get together with your old pals and still be able to laugh like you used to!!

Check out these hot mamas!!

Heather S., Jeannie P., Becky U., Stephanie N., Becky D., ME, Jen B., Tricia S.

And our guys: Aaron P., Curtis J., Sam K., Joe P., and Larry C.

More to come later....

Love,

Mama

Logan's Birthday Trip to the Arch

2011-07-06T19:33:00.048-05:00

Well, we've been living here long enough. Guess it's about time to take the kids to the tourist spots! And what better opportunity than Logan's 7th birthday?

I thought you guys would get a kick out of seeing the Arch, so that's where we went first.

It was a long line to get inside. Daddy got us tickets up to the top while we wandered around the museum. The Arch is a monument to St. Louis being called the "Gateway to the West." So the museum is all about how the West was settled.

This animated robot guy told us all about how the military treated with the Native Americans and gave them these medallions to symbolize peace between the two peoples. Not that it lasted.

"Hey Claire, will you take a picture with Mommy, pleeeeaaaassse?"

"Uh uh."

"I'm outta here."

Nice. Thanks, daughter.

"No problem, Mom."

Logan wouldn't even take a picture with me period. Wow. I love the gratitude.

Can you spot the "real girl" in this picture?

Hanging out with the turn of the century peeps.

The kids had fun playing on this scale/weight thing while we waited to go up in the Arch.

Here we are in front of Door #3! Will it take us up? Will this stranger step in front of my picture at the perfect imperfect time? Will Logan twist his sister's head off? So many questions!

Kids, we are high.

Logan peeping out at Illinois.

Claire peeping out at Illinois!

Hey, whaddya know? It's Illinois!

Here's the Missouri side. That's downtown St. Louis.

Busch Stadium.

The old courthouse. Check out the teeeeeny horse and carriage!

Daddy and Logan riding the "egg" back down.

Claire and Daddy in "the egg."

After the Arch, we stopped at Union Station for lunch at Hard Rock.

What else does a 7-year old get on his birthday besides chicken strips?

After lunch we checked out the koi pond.

And we got ready to do a little paddle boating!

Daddy and Logan got in one boat.

Daddy's a little nervous that I'm about to man the other boat. Mama's not a very good driver!

Claire and I got in another boat.

Check out my "paddle face." I'd like to add that my left leg barely functioned for three days after this.

Claire made me paddle by these two turtles about 50 times.

I mean, really. Are they all that great? Well, this one was about the size of a skillet. I guess that made him kind of great.

I hope you enjoyed your 7th birthday outing, Logan!

Love you! Even if you wouldn't take any pictures with me (and made me cry. In front of everyone. At the Arch.....)

Love,

Mama

Logan's Seventh Birthday Party

2011-07-02T05:30:00.001-05:00

First of all, this is the face you get when big brother is having a party and little sister isn't.

And this is the daddy you get when there's an air hockey game and a competitive neighbor close by!

And this is the face you get when the party is ALL YOURS baby!!

Little sister, still feeling the pain.

Daddy, still playing the game...

Happy little (almost) 7-year old camper.

Aw, now there's a smile.

Wait. Nope. Never mind....

Looks like the neighbor is gonna win this one.....

But wait! The score is tied!

Finally, it's time to sit down for pizza.

And cake!

Oh my. That's a lot of candles!

Will he do it?

He will!!

With two of our neighborhood friends beside him. How much do I love our street??

What? The most awesomest medallion ever? For ME???

That is one happy kid.

The gang.

Logan's first celeb: Chuck E Cheese.

Claire, not to be outdone, poses for her own picture. Still no smile, though.

Getting ready for the TICKET BLASTER!

30 seconds on the clock!

Catch those tickets!

I AM MASTER OF THE TICKET BLASTER!

600 tickets, baby!

Then we gave our friends a chance to win more tickets and some candy with a pinata.

Score!

What a fun, fun day for a super fun kid!

All my love to you, buddy!

Mama

A Day at the Stadium

2011-07-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Daddy scored some tickets in the luxury suite from work one weekend and we got to go see the Cards play the Cubs. Here we are ready to walk out the door. Everyone is sooo excited, can't you tell?

Logan started to get a little wild in the box, so I took him down to the stadium's Build-A-Bear where he made his very own Fred Bird.

But when we got back to the box, Claire demanded to go make her very own "red chicken" too! So it was back to the store...

Putting in just the right amount of stuffing...

Creating a birth certificate...

Logan and his Fred Bird back in the box!

Showing off their red chickens!

Logan and I getting a rare-ish shot together!

Can you find Claire in this picture?

OH! There she is!

The game got pretty exciting toward the end. We went into the 10th inning, and Pujols won the game with a home run!

Cheers!

What a day! Thanks for taking us, Daddy!

Love,
Mama

Kimmswick Strawberry Festival

2011-06-30T09:40:00.024-05:00

The kids are all ready to head out to go to the Strawberry Festival.

Check out Claire's themed sunglasses. Tiny strawberries? Indeed. I rock.

The day was flippin' HOT. As in, over 100 degrees. So we didn't really do A LOT at the strawberry festival. We ate some berries and some fried food. And sat. And tried not to melt. On our way out, we promised the kids they could ride some of the kiddie rides. This was Claire's first time on a "real" ride. I think the look on her face here says it all.

"Oh, crap"

But eventually she settled into it.

This? My favorite shot of the day. Can you guess why?

Awesome.

WHEEEE

Logan has excellent piloting skills!

Claire is reeeeeaaaally concentrating. Gotta stay on course!

Love you guys!

Mama

St. Louis Renaissance Faire

2011-06-29T11:34:00.031-05:00

In May we went to the local Renaissance Faire with the Trohas. I was excited to see how this one went down, after years of going to the one out in Kansas City. I didn't think it was quite up to par with their ren faire, but I can't say I was disappointed either. Here are the kiddos ready to head out the door!

After walking around a bit, we got settled in to watch the jousting tournament.

After much ado...

....and prancing about....

....the jousters demonstrated their prowess by threading their lances through tiny hoops at galloping speed.

There's our champion with his little hoop!

Eyeing the ring for another round....

And then the real jousting began!

ooooooo

ahhh! Broken lance! See it flying through the air in pieces?

Yikes!

And then the bloody duel. And it really was a bloody duel. Our champion lost and got his throat slit right there on the field!! I wasn't expecting that bit of gore and violence. Glad we didn't have a front row seat!

Catching the bawdy pirate show...

....while Reagan got her hair done up in a fancy braid!

Pretty!

We ran into the queen and her court while we were waiting to get started on the face painting.

Logan chatted up the queen. He pretty much chats up anyone these days.

Claire sat so still and patient while getting her face painted.

Sweet lil ladybug!

Very nice!

Logan is getting started on a full-face pirate getup!

Cooper got a pretty cool dragon.

AAARRRRR!

Not sure if you recognize them, but that's Logan, Reagan, Cooper and Claire!

On the way out we had to spend $3 to dunk the guy. Logan never did hit the target.

But, they ended up dousing him with the water anyway. (As well they should have, for $3!)

That's a handsome pirate!

Claire and Logan listen as the king and queen bid farewell.

And after a song that was way too long, too boring, and too off-key, it was time to go!

But will we do it again? I have a feeling we will!

Love,
Mama

Claire Turns THREE!

2011-05-30T11:53:00.027-05:00

As much as we parents hate to face it, our kids never stop growing up! It's so hard to believe my sweet baby girl is already THREE!! To celebrate we took our first trip to the Magic House!

The kids loved climbing up the three-story "beanstalk."

And we spent a good bit of time in the Bob the Builder room!

Then we found a room dedicated to making bubbles!!! So much fun for Claire and I both!

I was grateful for the full-body bibs in the water play room!

Giant Legos?? Yes, please!

After lunch the kids played outside in the sand while Daddy apparently daydreamed.

Look at my babies!

We loved these giant foam building thingies.

Peek a boo!

Another round on the beanstalk....

A bubble pipe organ!

Claire did a little whirly bird dance in this cool room.

And afterwards we stopped by Jilly's cupcake bar for giant cupcakes! Claire stole the one with the green gumball and made Logan eat the one with the pink one, which he was not at all happy about! But on your birthday you should get whatever color gumball you want, right?

Happy birthday to my super sweet girl!!

Love you so much!

Mama

Not Exactly Bette Davis's Eyes....

2011-05-17T11:00:00.002-05:00

Here is some interesting eyewear, courtesy of Grammy!

Hee hee

Love you, my silly boy!

Mama

Cinderella's Tea Party

2011-05-02T20:50:00.009-05:00

Claire,

Once upon a time we were invited to a tea party with Cinderella!

But you were a little bit ungrateful for the invitation.

The other little girls, however, seemed a bit more appreciative.

But after an initial warming up period (read: when the other girls had finished tea and were having circle time with Cinderella) you settled in for a cupcake and a cuppa.

mmmmm

This may have been your fifth or sixth cup, actually....

Yep, still drinking!

The other girls had quite a bit of fun with Cinderella though.

And everyone lived happily ever after.

Love,

Mama

March of Dimes 5K

2011-05-01T17:31:00.020-05:00

For the last two years I have been walking in the March of Dimes March for Babies fundraiser with my good pal Lisa. This year, since Lisa is off having fun in Australia (the nerve!), I enlisted my neighbor Kelly to run it with me! We have been following the Couch to 5K running program for the last few months and it was finally time to put all that training to the test! And when I found out that Pappy had started running back home in Slater, I asked him to come on down and run it with us!

Skip and the kids got there after the race started, so they played around on the grounds in Forest Park until we crossed the finish line.

But WAIT! Here we come up the hill to the finish line! (and seriously - who ends a race on an UPHILL??)

Look! There we are! STILL RUNNING!

Crossing the finish line! The guy with the paddle is scanning our numbers for our "official time." To show what kind of newbies we are to the 5K circuit, we didn't even see what our official time was! Ha! We were somewhere in the 31st minute though!

Catching our breath!

My awesome neighbor Kelly! She is the best workout partner ever!

Yay us!

Yay me! (Logan said I did great, even if I didn't win!)

The kids really scored with the balloon people!

And then rocked out to the Motown band!

What a day!

Love,

Mama

Our Family Gymnast

2011-04-28T11:23:00.012-05:00

In February our cousin Grace had a gymnastics meet in our neck of the woods, so we got to spend a fun-filled weekend hanging out with Aunt Terry, Uncle Allen, and Andrew and Grace!

Here are Grace and her team getting ready to compete!

Grace's beam routine. Since we were up in the bleachers of the arena, it was really hard for me to get a good shot, even with my telephoto lens. I should really get a tripod!

Yay, Grace!

Grace taking her opening position for the floor exercise...

And here's a shot of Grace taking her place among the best! It was one of many times up to the podium for her that day. She is 3rd in this round.

We had so much fun visiting and watching Grace compete!

xo,

Mom

Reagan's 6th Birthday

2011-03-30T11:44:00.005-05:00

In January our good friend Reagan turned 6 and we were invited to a carousel party in Faust Park!

Regan's Mom, Valerie

Birthday Girl!

The Butterfly House

2011-03-10T11:25:00.026-06:00

Kids,

On President's Day I found myself at home with only the kids I gave birth to (vs. the two I babysit), so we went and celebrated with a rare field trip to The Butterfly House.

Here is Logan inside the cockroach dome - ick!

Claire's turn!

This is the first time I've been to The Butterfly House since I got my fancy new camera. And I even had my telephoto lens that Grammy and Pappy gave me for my birthday! SWEET!

In between telling Claire to slow down and quit running, I had a great time playing with my camera!

Pretty!

Claire met a little friend about her own age who was visiting with her Grandpa.

Wheeee! I'm having fun!!

000000000!

Lunchtime for butterflies! They are snacking on some nice mushy bananas. Maybe instead of baking banana bread and muffins when I have mushy bananas next time I'll throw them in the backyard and see what happens!

Catching the butterflies in flight is still challenging, and chasing Claire around didn't give me much time to play with my camera settings! GRRRR When are you kids going to grow up, anyway?

(just kidding, kids!)

See if you can find all the butterflies in this picture!

Quick time out for a brother-sister hug!

Then back to shooting butterflies!

I swear, Claire probably didn't even notice there were butterflies at all. She was just happy to run around the garden path! I love this shot of her leaving butterflies in her wake, even if it is blurry!

I believe the sign said this was the largest moth in the world, but now I can't remember the name of it. Dang, that's what I get for waiting two months to post the pictures!

Eventually the kids grew tired of learning of butterflies (even if Mama was eager to learn more about shooting them!)

So, it was off to the gift shop for butterfly lollies and back home again.

Yay for butterflies and telephoto lenses!!

Love,

Mama

Midwinter Boredom

2011-03-09T11:33:00.003-06:00

Claire,

Now that the excitement of Christmas is behind us, it's time to settle in for a couple more months of isolation before spring. Some days when it's just you and me, and the kiddos I babysit are napping and Logan is off at school, there's really not a lot to do except play a little photo tag in the kitchen.

I'm sneaking up on you....

Gotcha!

Love,

Mama