Kansas City

Well, I actually did it! I was able to take BOTH children, by MYSELF, to Kansas City during the day and survived without even a headache! Packing up Tuesday morning was an event, but we got out by 9:15 a.m. and actually made it to my mom's house by about 2:15 (with about an hour's stop over for lunch in Concordia, MO). Colin did not sleep at all and our DVD player only lasted about an hour (I forgot to plug it in to charge!). He was in a pretty good mood and went to sleep easy that night. The very next day we found our way to Crown Center and had a great time just walking through the "Link". This is an enclosed bridge that is over the streets that connects Union Station, Crown Center, a large hotel, etc. We traveled this for a while then went into the shops after the center opened. This is my mom helping me keep track of Colin in the link.

Audrey spent most of the time on my hip, but did walk a little ways after her brother - laughing at him in her own little way!

Can't help taking a photo of this cheesy grin! I love when the boy is happy!

I must say that Colin was SO good to his little sister the entire trip. He is really growing up and is beginning to enjoy doing things with her ALMOST as much as she enjoys him. Here they are drawing together at the Crayola store.

Our main reason for going to Crown Center was to see the magnificent Lego artwork on display. We almost missed it as we walked past the room twice, but it was worth the trouble. I was amazed at the talent. It must have taken months for some of these. Look at this 3-D man looking at his reflection in the mirror! Everything is a Lego - the mirror, the legs, the reflection, everything!

Audrey was amazed at this sunflower, but Colin was ready to leave after about five minutes. In a few years when he begins to explore/play with Legos, maybe he will appreciate art like this.

The real hit with both of them was this Thomas the Train table and wooden train set that was set up for play. I think Colin could have stayed there for hours, but really didn't fuss when it was time to go. Grandma Verna got him a slinky, so that was tempting enough!

Thursday night we traveled to Columbia, MO where we stayed with Clayton's father, Steve. It was nice to break up the trip. Friday morning was a bit rainy, but we went out to watch Ginnie clean the barn and take care of the horses. Colin thought about climbing to the loft, but only if Mommy would go. Mommy was holding Audrey (who was feeling particularly clingy) so I didn't try.

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing inside with the box of old toys Steve and Ginnie have put together for such visits and then headed home with a very tired group (Mommy included). Both children wouldn't go to sleep until eleven the night before, so you can see how tired Audrey is in this picture. She hates having things on her head, but must have been too tired to take the bunny ears off! It was a nice trip, but not one I want to make again for a while - without Clayton, that is.

Fun at the new city garden

We had a great time visiting the new City Garden downtown this afternoon. It is a new sculpture garden with all sorts of interactive sculptures and water features. We spent most of our time at the syncronized water fountain and Audrey loved the water this time. She got totally wet and loved every second of it! All of the water features are interactive - a.k.a. you can get in the water. This was a sculpture that I almost couldn't get Audrey to leave. She loved being able to walk through all of the little "doorways" and play peek-a-boo with Colin and I.

They have two of these flamingos hanging around the park. You can move them if you like and they end up all over. Here is Audrey saying hello to one.

Colin really wanted to have his shoes off for this walk. Many children were swimming in this little pool with the waterfall. Colin was upset about the shoes, so he didn't get in.

The head is pretty cool, but very hot, hot, hot inside!

The fountains were the greatest hit with our two!

Look at the attitude on this little girl's face. She is going to be one to watch out for one of these days!

Visiting the Country

We had a wonderful time visiting my dad the last few days. The weather was beautiful, the food was rich, and we made memories that are priceless. The fresh air, sunshine, quiet, and room to run as fast and as much as they wanted left my children exhausted for nap time and bedtime. They slept so well and long that I actually got the best and longest sleep I have had since Audrey was born!

Here are a few photos of our first hours at the house. We were waiting for Dad to come home from the fields and enjoyed the cool breeze and sunshine. We walked around in the garden, ate ripe gooseberries and sour blackberries (well, Colin loved them), and played in the rocks in a little area in front of the horse barn (no horses there anylonger, though).

The rest of the days we spent feeding cows, shooting off fireworks, eating a fish dinner with Aunt Jaleta, bailing hay, and fishing. Dad ended up catching the one fish here and letting Colin hold it. I'm attaching a video of this part, also.

Colin was stroking the fish's eyes and gave him a good petting before throwing him in the water.

This taken after Audrey fell head first into the gravel at the end of the driveway. She still looks cute, but if you look closely you'll see a few scratches on her cheek and a bit of a swollen upper lip. I just wasn't close enough to catch her. Poor baby. She was fine the next day.

This was right before Colin spent 1.5 hours bailing 25 round bails with is PaPa!

Audrey and I stayed at home in the yard while Dad and Colin were out bailing. I showed her how to make a flower chain necklace. This is Audrey modeling the said necklace, just before she pulled it off. Then, she enjoyed putting it on like a stole and taking it off again and again.

We had a great time, but it is always good to be home. We missed Clayton, too, along with Cammy. They were happy to see us, as well! Now, next week we're off to Kansas City!

Just gotta dance!

Today was pretty ordinary. We didn't even leave the house this morning. Usually we go somewhere around 9 a.m., but today Colin and Audrey were so into their boxes that we just stayed home. It was much nicer this morning so I dusted off the croquet set and tried to get something going with them. But, Colin threw the balls and used the mallets as a lever to pull up the wire "thingies" (for lack of a better word). So, we picked things up and came back inside to the boxes. Why mess with a good thing, right?

The boxes that I'm talking about are from Audrey's new car seat and from an old box of Audrey diapers. Colin put all kinds of stuffed animals in the big box and called it a cage, cave, house, bed, etc. as he played with it. We eventually put windows in it and he learned to get out of it by tipping it over and falling down with it. I put a pillow in Audrey's little box and she was very content just to get in and out of it and a few of her own choice stuffed animals in there. Whatever they did this morning, they both went down super fast for naps and slept about two and a half hours! It was very nice and quiet with Clayton and Cammy asleep, as well.

During dinner Colin commented,"it's nice being a family". I've made this comment several times meaning that it is so nice to have all of us sit at the dinning room table together for dinner each night. He has been agreeing with me frequently. I just smiled and agreed with him, but later I thought just how wonderful that is. Not only IS it so nice to be together in that way, but he RECOGNIZES it. After our nice family dinner was over, Colin went over and turned the stereo on and an Irish CD began to play. Not long after, Audrey toddled over and enjoyed watching him laugh and dance (and did just a bit of dancing herself, in addition to playing with the buttons on the stereo). That is what you see on the video. Our living room is not always that messy, but (as I said before) we didn't really leave the house much today and it showed!

Happy Anniversary!

Today was our fifth wedding anniversary. What do you think of when you think anniversary celebration in St. Louis? The City Museum, of course! Well, I was actually thinking we would drag our little ones to a nice restaurant (one that actually had food for adult tastes). But, Clayton suggested the City Museum and I eventually agreed because we are a family now and we could ALL have a good time.

Though we had a great time, this photo of Colin and Clayton looks like Colin wants to go home. In fact, this was taken right after a STERN talking to about running away from your parents in a crazy public place with lots of strangers. So, then he was made to pose for this photo. Poor guy!

Here is his real mood for the remainder of the time there. This was taken in the ball pit in the toddler section with Clayton. Audrey and I spent this time building block towers and knocking them down repeatedly.

I'm not sure when the rooftop became open, but we paid the extra money to see the top of the City Museum. This is a picture taken there while Audrey and I get a nice sprinkle of water as we cross the "stepping stones". Audrey LOVED this part! Clayton let Colin go down the slide in the background and he bumped the side of his face pretty bad. Clayton felt bad the rest of the evening because of Colin's red cresent near his left eye. Colin will be just fine, though, and already is.

We did have a very nice anniversary together. Clayton had to go back to work tonight, but he had the last three nights off so I can't complain too much.

On another note, about Clayton's job, we went out last night to the Fenton City Hall where he recieved an award for Officer of the Quarter. It was presented in front of the city council. He is the first to receive this award - ever. His superiors really like him, respect him, and know he is a very hard worker who loves his job. He was given a gift card and a key chain with his number on it. I'd love to say that Colin and Audrey sat/stood proudly as they watched their father receive this wonderful honor. But, to my own horror, I have to admit that Colin crawled around under and on the chairs while Audrey made complaining noises and wanted to eat everything in the diaper bag. What can you expect with little ones who are an hour past their bedtimes!? I know they are proud of him. On the way home, Colin made us laugh even after his unwanted antics at the city hall. I asked him what he would like to be when he is older and I listed off teacher, police officer, doctor, etc. He interrupted me to say, "I want to be me! And, that's all!" His delivery of these words was much better and I can't replicate it through the computer, but it was hilarious. After we laughed at him, he kept asking us to ask him what he wanted to be so he could say the same thing again and again! He is our funny little monster.

Moody Mornings

Though I get up at 5 a.m. each morning, my alone time each morning seems to be getting shorter and shorter. I blame it mostly on our vacation to Hatteras, NC (though it was a wonderful trip!). That eastern time did a number on our sleep patterns AFTER we returned. So, now both children are usually up by 6:30, if not earlier (Colin woke up at 5:50 a.m. yesterday). Audrey is pretty good about laying in her crib and just babbling to herself when she wakes up. Many mornings, I listen to the monitor and enjoy the music of her little sounds. A few mornings I've heard some different sounds and when I come upstairs into her room, I am greeted by the above sight. Colin has learned, somehow, to get into Audrey's crib and they play in there for a long time before I come in. It is so cute to watch the two of them play together well. When he chooses to, Colin is a very good big brother and really loves his little sister.

I'm also posting a video I took of Audrey this afternoon when she woke up way too early. Sleep seems to be an issue with us these days. Well, except for Clayton - who is currently going into his eleventh hour of sleep right now. I should make him wake up soon!

Back again

I began this blog with good intentions, but being a mother of two, a wife, and a teacher proved to take up much of my personal time. Now, I find myself awake at midnight - something that has come to be routine lately. I put Audrey down at 8, Colin goes to sleep by 9, and I usually fall asleep with him. Often, I wake up around 11 or 12, as is the case tonight. I found my old blog spot and decided to try to begin again.

My little people aren't so little any more. My oldest "baby" will be three next month and I marvel at how much he has changed and grown. I also have to remind myself, daily, that he is becoming his own little person. Just today I asked him to take his plate in from our dining room after lunch and he said, "no, thank you." It was a very polite response - something we have been working on for a long time. But, once again, parental teachings come back to haunt you at just the right moments. I told him that was not the appropriate time to use those words, and he just repeated them. When I tried again, his new response was, "I'm busy right now." I'm not sure where he picks these phrases up, but it is beginning to become hillarious. Just the other night, while Clayton was helping with the bedtime routine and after he had pottied, Colin said to his dad, "Jelly beans BEFORE brushing teeth. Are you kidding me!" He said this in response to Clayton asking him if he was ready to brush his teeth after he pottied. We are currently having to bribe him with Jelly Belly jelly beans to even get on the toilet. I couldn't help it at that moment, I laughed! To my surprise, I haven't hear the phrase "are you kidding me" since then. But, it was only last night.

Audrey is a dream come true. I love her brother beyond reason, but she is darling in her own right. She is full fledge WALKING now! Every time she does it I remind myself that I need to get the video camera, but then I get busy with something else. She wakes up happy, stays happy (unless tired or very hungry) and seemingly loves everyone she meets after an hour or so. She is talking much more than Colin did at her age, even though I talked to him more. I'm sure having an older sibling makes a big difference in lots of ways. We went to the circus for Father's Day last night and she was a real trooper. She got very tired at the end, after being so hot all the way through, but stayed happy all the while. I still remember the moment that I learned that she would be a girl. We went in for our ultrasound and the tech told us all about her health and growth. I wanted to hear that she was well and okay, but I was on pins and needles about her gender. I told myself that it really didn't matter if she was a boy or girl, but deep down I knew that I wanted her to be a girl really bad. So, after the tech told us about her health I reminded her that we DID want to know the gender. She had forgotten and said, it's a girl! I remember sucking in my breath and immediately tearing up. For a pregnant woman, I was very good at hiding my feelings and wasn't usually overly emotional, but at that moment a flood of emotion rushed through me. The realization that I had a daughter did not really hit me until a little later when I really allowed myself to believe it. But that moment will be mine forever. Even so, I didn't quite believe it so I asked the tech if she was certain. She showed me the girl parts to prove it and said she was giving us a good view. Needless to say, Audrey is a girl. The sweetest little thing ever, too. Quite the little lady.

Everyday I feel blessed to have both a son and a daughter who are healthy, intelligent, and beautiful. Add a wonderful husband and friend to the mix and what more could I really ask for?