Time for some r & r

It is so nice that it is Monday night, and we are still in weekend mode. Yay for three-day weekends! On Saturday, Lily and Carl enjoyed a day together, running errands in the morning and then going to Shrek in the afternoon. Unfortunately, Lily found one of the previews to be sad (an alien baby was shot out into space without its mother or father), and then she was sad when Shrek could not be with his family. Lily can be quite a sensitive girl especially when it comes to babies/families (human or otherwise). One day, I was looking at our wedding album and left it on the couch. I came into the room a little while later, and Lily was sitting so quietly with tears streaming down her face. I asked her what was wrong, and she responded that she really wanted to be at our wedding. It was so sad and so sweet.

Later on Saturday we enjoyed dinner on the patio together. This summer we decided to grow some herbs, peppers and tomatoes. We used the basil for the first time in my favorite pasta salad on Saturday. It was so nice to just walk out onto the deck, pick the basil, and then use it immediately, especially since half the time when we buy fresh basil, it goes bad before we get around to using it. I'm really enjoying this set up and planned dinners this week that use the dill and cilantro. I can't wait! It all just feels so summer-y, and we are all ready for summer-y!

Our little container garden

Lily's pasta salad review: "The pasta is delicious, and the beans are scrumptious. The cheese is good too. Yum!"

We spent Sunday out at my mom and dad's. Lily, William, Carl, mom, and I all enjoyed some fun in the pool before we met up with dad for some yummy bbq. Going to mom and dad's house is seriously better than going to a spa. There is just something about being with your parents. You can relax knowing that everything is taken care of, and relax we did!

Today, we stuck close to home and enjoyed more outdoor time. As you can see from the pictures below, all the kids love to spend time in the backyard.


Lily dragging a sackful of water to her playhouse.

Terra enjoying "her" pool (so she thinks).

William being his sweet, smiley self - enjoying watching all the action.

The Swagger Wagon

Back in February we knew that we had to get a new vehicle - one that was reliable and would handle the insane amount of cargo one must carry with them when traveling with both a preschooler and an infant. We really wanted to bring William to Indiana to meet his great-grandmothers and knew that it was not possible in a smaller car that was becoming more unreliable by the day. We did take that trip to Indiana in March (and have since been to Kansas City and back) in our new Chrysler Pacifica. The trips proved unequivocally that this was the right choice for our family. It has everything we need and nothing we don't. More important is the peace of mind (especially true for Carl) that comes along with a 3-year bumper-to-bumper warranty and a lifetime (as long as we own the vehicle) engine and transmission warranty. (A lifetime of free oil changes from the dealership is a nice bonus as well.) There is no doubt about it - we have entered into the family-class of vehicles with our crossover....and we love it! As the video below sums up our feelings on the matter, we definitely have the "pride in our ride".

EMBED-Toyota Sienna - Swagger Wagon - Watch more free videos

Week wrap-up

Since last Tuesday was Lily's last day of class, we've been hitting some events around town to keep busy. The picture below is actually from the Friday before (a little over a week ago), but I'm a little behind here. We went to the Transportation Museum for a Mother Goose performance they were having. The kids were invited to join the cast to sing a song at the end. Lily was so adorable about the whole thing. They practiced earlier in the performance, and then she had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the show. She was very worried while in the bathroom and said, "I'm not going to miss it, am I mommy? I really want to sing the song at the end." As you can see, we made it back, no problem. Lily was very focused while singing, and she was so excited to perform.



Now back to last week. On Wednesday, we went to the children's area at the Botanical Gardens. We are so excited that it has reopened for the season - yay! We didn't get any pictures that day, but not to worry - we will definitely be back there again this summer. On Thursday, we went to a science class for preschoolers. It was really cute. They learned all about the human body...well, bones, muscles and joints anyway. Below, the kids are exploring a model of how the heart pumps blood.

"When did I volunteer to be the patient? Maybe someone with more than an hour's worth of training, please?"

On Friday, we met friends at a park with some fun water features and then visited daddy at work. Below, William is catching up with Patrick.

Jack and Lily stop for a photo op.

Proud daddy showing off the latest addition to his coworkers.

More Magic House

Carl has been studying for his Boards lately so we have been trying to give him some time on the weekends to work in peace (which, of course, means we have to leave the house). Last Sunday, the kids and I headed to our favorite place...you know it, the one and only Magic House. (I should be paid for these advertisements by now). ;) We had such a great time together. After a few more visits, we may have actually photographed every part of the museum!

Our first stop was to the craft room to make a fun hat...which I then had to wear for the rest of our time there since my hands were full with William.

One of Lily's favorite rooms (notice the painting in the picture)

This room has been created to look like the one in the painting.

Pose with your favorite pet!

Uh oh, water rage!

Testing the waters

He likes it!

Sweet baby boy

Uniquely William

William is really not much of a crier. When he is unhappy with a situation, he does a funny little tongue roll. It is his very own language created to let us know that his current situation is need of correction. In the video, I had his food out, but he could not reach it and it was not going into his mouth. A very unacceptable situation indeed. William has continued in his eating oddesey without a hitch. New foods we added include: oranges, strawberries, blackberries, pineapple, apricots, zucchini, prunes, grapes, plums, potatoes, and garbanzo beans. We have not found a food yet that William does not like. He is currently eating three squares per day and growing like a weed!

He's mobile!

So William is not crawling yet, but he is officially a "scoocher". As you can see in the video, his scooching enables him to get into everything his little heart desires. Oh boy!!

Happy boy

William is almost always smiling, laughing, or giggling. The most common remark we get from others is, "He is such a happy baby". And he truly is. Even when he is completely exhausted or ready to eat, you can almost always get him to smile. He has such an amiable personality.

The latest development with William is that he started babbling (using syllables such as "da da" or "goo goo") about a week ago. When he first made the "ga ga" sound, even Lily noticed right away. She looked at me and knew something was different from his former cooing. It is so exciting to be in process leading to his first words. We can't wait!

William rolls all over the floor now and can get to anything he desires with his twisting, turning and scooching. His efforts are usually put toward getting to Lily's DVDs - he loves those things! Also, he has an unfortunate proclivity for cords. I know that this is just the beginning of the need for increased diligence in keeping an eye on him...I'm afraid the days of him getting into everything are upon us! Below is a short video of giggly William on Mother's Day.

Mother's Day

Mom with some of the grandkids

Mom with William

We celebrated Mother's Day at my mom and dad's house. We were fortunate enough to enjoy great weather and walk to one of their playgrounds. I love holidays that celebrate family because that's what it is all about after all. And what better way to celebrate a family holiday than with family? We are so grateful for all the mothers in our lives including my mother, Carl's mom, and Carl's grandmothers.

The watchful older sister

Lily listens for William to wake up in the morning and then rushes in to be the first one to greet him. Often I lay in bed and listen to their "conversations" before I get him up for the day. On this particular morning, I went in to find this. It is kind of hard to see, but Lily is listening to William's heartbeat with a stethoscope. I never know what to expect with Lily!

Good friends

Lily and her friend on their school playground.

Doing the crabwalk at their school fair


Walking hand-in-hand at Grant's Farm

Taking cover together at a rainy-day picnic

Busy bees

We've been on-the-go a lot this month. May seems to be the start of the "busy season" for us that typically lasts until September. So far this month we've had three birthday parties, Lily's school fair, the WUMCHA picnic, and a trip to St. Joe/Kansas City to celebrate Mary's preschool graduation and visit Tori, Sophia and Leo. Thrown in there was also finals week for my three classes, and Carl is currently studying for his boards. We've also been hitting various places around town now that the weather has been getting warmer and less rainy. Of course, there was Mother's Day a couple weeks ago, and Carl and I just celebrated our 9-year anniversary on Friday. Whew.

This past weekend also marked 2 years in St. Louis and in our home. To properly celebrate this milestone, we did a few house projects, and I am absolutely thrilled with the results. With just some small changes, I feel like our house has been transformed and reflects our style so much more now. Since Lily's last day of school for the 09-10 school year is tomorrow, I have really started to get summer fever and am looking forward to lots of kids' activities in the upcoming months. Lily and William have been enjoying all the activity, but it can be exhausting, as shown in the pics below.

Lily's protege

Most of Lily's play at home includes acting out little scenerios with dolls, stuffed animals, My Little Ponies, etc. or dressing up in various outfits and making her own plays.

Guess who now gets the makeover treatment for plays as well!

Standing the test of time

Lily - 2006

William - 2010

The same toy loved by two 6-month-olds four years apart.

Double decker

Lily in 2006

William - 2010

I actually did not stage this picture - Lily put the ring from her elephant stacking toy on William's head the other day. These repeat moments are so funny. How fun to get to experience all these great moments again...now with Lily directing!

I've decided this when it comes to blogging... When I'm really, really busy, I have no time to blog at all. When I'm fairly busy, I have time to put up a picture or two now and then. When I have time to post pictures, stories, and whatnot, I'm not as busy as I think I am. After a very busy past couple of weeks, I am finally feeling able to breathe again...and post again. More posts coming soon!

Lily's first haircut!

Selecting her shampoo flavors

Getting a wash with the super-cool elephant sprayer


Ready for the cut

My big girl!

I know, it is hard to believe that Lily will be 4 1/2 this month, and this is her first haircut ever. But, it's true! We have never cut Lily's hair before. She was a bit uncertain about the whole thing at first, but she developed a "spa girl" attitude quite quickly. She must have enjoyed the process because she asked to get her hair cut again two days later....maybe not quite yet but before another 4 1/2 years pass us by for sure.

Picnic at the park

My friends and I had our monthly picnic at the park on Friday. We did not stay that long due to the ominous weather, but we got a few updated pics of our littlest ones.

Lydia - 7 months

Patrick - 6 months

William - 6 months

It's magic!

This video was taken a couple weeks ago when we met a friend and her daughter at the Magic House.

Adventures of Lily and William

We had a princess birthday party at our next door neighbor's house yesterday that started at 4:30 pm. Lily decided that she needed to start getting ready for the party around 1:30 pm. After playing for a couple hours, she completely passed out and took a little snooze prior to the party.

William has graduated from eating in the Bumbo seat to eating in the high chair!


Lily passed out again, this time after a birthday party last weekend. At this party, Lily got to meet Uniqua and Tyrone from the Backyardigans. It was very exciting.

Lily playing "teacher" after school one day. Her teachers must dress a little differently than mine did. ;)

Lily teaching William the fine art of bubble-blowing.