Tennis lessons

 After much deliberation...or maybe more accurately, a passing thought...Lily decided that she would like to take tennis lessons again this summer.  She really seemed to enjoy it though and even wanted to stay later in the 107 degree heat to keep practicing - that has to be a good sign of interest!

 Practicing her swing

 I love my little guy so much, and this picture is so him - adorable and sweet but with the potential for making mischief at any moment.

 Best little ball boy around.  The coaches loved him!

 Hydrating was very necessary on this hot, hot day.

While Lily was practicing, I got to play around with my camera.  I'm working on improving my photography skills, and I have a long, long way to go.  Luckily, I have the cutest little subjects around that make my photography look good despite my very less-than-perfect abilities.

Pictures from the day

 We had a fun morning with our playgroup at Team Central Gym.  William absolutely loves this place.  I have to get him into a regular gymnastics class soon!  Unfortunately, he fell asleep on the way home from the gym, and there went naptime!  So, I had a little extra "help" this afternoon when I was trying to get some things done around the house.  As I'm cleaning out my purse while the laundry is going, I hear "Mama, help.  I can't get out."  And there's my little boy stuck in the laundry hamper. 

Later I was putting clothes away in Emmy's room.  I turned around and there was Emmy being accessorized by her older sister.  Emmy, as always, was being extremely tolerant as Lily busily adorned her client, making exclamations along the way such as, "Oh, you do like fashion?!  I knew it; you are just like me!"  Never a dull moment, I tell you.

Doggie kisses

A new study was recently released that suggests that kids who grow up with pets are healthier.  The idea is that pets bring in more dirt and such and build up children's immune systems....or maybe they just get licked directly in the face by their pets.  Either way, now when my house isn't as clean as it should be, I can just claim that I'm doing my part to make my kids healthier by building up their immune systems.  Oh, the things I do for the sake of good parenting.

Magic House

 Hmm...what do we have here?

 Um, is this supposed to be amusing to someone?

 Oh, ducky.  Now we're talking.

 Water games for the bigger kids.

Bubbles + light table = pure magic

 Going up!

 You cannot grow up in St. Louis and not have the hair-standing-on-end picture from the Magic House.  Mission accomplished.

 It appears that they are letting anyone in to the Magic House these days.  Just check out these yahoos that we ran into at the Members Only morning:  Janie and her daughter Ariyonna and Molly and her littlest one, Charlie.

Hee hee

Look who's eating table food now!

So big!

In light of our challenges with William's eating habits, I am taking a different approach with Emilia's introduction to table food.  As seen above, I am giving her the typical small bits of soft food to practice chewing and swallowing (even though she does not have any teeth yet).  However, I am also trying to make lots of different purees with spices and tons of flavor and texture in the hopes that this will lead to a more adventurous eater.  I have no idea if this will ultimately affect her eating habits later on, but I figure it can't hurt to try!

WUMCHA Spring Picnic

I'm almost caught up on posts, but there are a few odds and ends pictures still out there that I'll try to post soon.  This picture was taken by a friend of ours at the WUMCHA Spring Picnic.  As always, it was a great event.  WUMCHA is a fantastic organization, and I've made some fantastic forever friends through this group.  It is always difficult to say good-bye to the outgoing members that are moving on, but it just gives us one more reason to travel to new places in order to see our friends again.

Visit from Carl's dad and brother

 Carl's dad and brother drove from Colorado to Indiana to see Carl's Grandma and stopped in St. Louis for a visit along the way.  Yay!  The kids love playing with (aka climbing all over) grandpa!

 Ryan (the IT guy) and Lily checking out Lily's computer

 Ingrid, the jungle gym

 With Carl's bad back and having two siblings under two, Lily does not get the chance to go bowling often which is unfortunate since we have a bowling alley within a short walking distance.  It was great that Lily got a chance to bowl with Grandpa, Uncle Zander and Aunt Ingrid.

 That's how it's done, y'all.

 We went to a great pizza place where the kids could watch the cooks tossing the pizza dough and making the pizzas.  Lily most definitely had a crush on one of the pizza guys.

 Carl's brother Zander (now entering his second year of college), Lily and me.  It is hard to believe that Zander was just 5 years old when I first met him!

 Ryan, William and Carl

The whole crew:  Zander, Ryan, William, Ingrid, Stan, Emilia, me, Carl and Lily.

Days with Daddy

 Since Carl switched hospitals for his fellowship at the beginning of July, I think there has been a noticeable difference in him.  He seems so much more relaxed and has been able to enjoy some good quality time with the kids.  We have taken full advantage of our pool passes this summer and plan to continue to do so through the intensely hot days still ahead of us.

 Monkey see

Monkey do

Sunny Days of Summer

 As any stay-at-home mom knows, the key to maintaining your sanity is having plenty of planned activities to occupy the kids.  On most days, it is easier to go out and hit the town for some ready-made fun, but sometimes it's nice to hang out at home too.  For those days, I try to have a couple activities in mind because trouble lurks in the shadows of the idle child.  Last Thursday, I wanted to take the kids outside, but to keep their minds off the heat, I had to pull out some new activities.  One was this sidewalk paint which (if I'm remembering correctly) is just equal parts cornstarch and water with a little food coloring.  William and Lily were both fans.

 Lily deeply into her masterpiece

 Of course, William can't do anything without it somehow eventually including choo-choo trains.

 The second activity was this balloon pinata game.  Perfect for a hot summer day.

Water bowl mayhem

 There is nothing so irresistible to a baby than the dog's food and water bowl.  Here is Emilia @ 8 months.

Here's William at about the same age.

On the Go

 William loves all things that go: planes, trains, trucks, boats...if it gets you from here to there, William is a fan.  The picture above was taken in May at the Transportation Day at one of our local parks.  It was a hot, hot day, but William thought all the vehicles were super cool.

Today we went to the Transportation Museum with Lindsay and her crew.  This is one of William's favorite places in the whole wide world.  Lily...not so much, but being there with Amelia makes it much more fun.  The kids got a case of giggles on the train and were laughing all the way through the ride.  From left to right is Amelia, Emilia, Lily, William and William.  Lindsay is due with her third child any day now.  Actually, her due date was yesterday, but little baby Spencer does not seem to want to come quite yet.  If its a girl, I was thinking some version of Lily/Lillian would be fitting:  Lyla, Lydia, Lilith?  I've always been a fan of Jillian...  :)



Our little big boy

 Just a little update on our little semi-pro pottier.  So things were not entirely cut and dry when it came to William's potty training.  He did great during the first week and then started having accidents at home (mainly when he was distracted watching tv).  Then he started having accidents while we were out and about.  Not all the time, just here and there.  Now he rarely has an accident at home but will occassionally still have them when we are out.  More times than not, he will tell me when he needs to go, and I can handle the occassional accident.  Overall, he's been a champ, and I'm very proud of him.

Besides, who could ever be upset with that sweet face?

Our Lily

I can't imagine our lives without Lily.  She always has some performance...some dance, some play, some scheme, or some song to entertain us day & night.  She keeps us smiling - and on our toes - and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Showing off her new moves after her hip-hop class

Loving on her baby sister

I love to see the bond forming between them

This, of course, has not diminished the relationship with her brother.  He remains the stars in her eyes.

That about sums it up.

Hugs before Lily goes off to school on Retro Day (we opted for a 70s look)