After taking raw meat from James while he was trying to carry it into his room from the fridge, while holding the door shut on James crying, stomping and pounding refusing to go to sleep,
Emma: "Daddy, I know being a mommy or a daddy can be hard. Taking care of kids can be hard, and you guys do it a lot! It would be much easier with just a mommy and a daddy."
Andrew: "Yes, but we love kids, we love taking care of kids." (Hard to convince her given the circumstances :) )
Emma: "Well, there won't be kids around for very long! I'm turning 5 next year and I won't be a kid anymore."
Emma: "I think I know what I'm getting for Christmas: a dog, a computer, or an iPhone." :)
Shoot for the stars. :) What she's getting: a book.
James, after trying to guess a string of letters and getting them all wrong:
"James, what's this?"
"Letter!" With a big smile. :)
Emma, after Megan made numerous unsuccessful attempts to get James to correctly identify letters on a white board: "All right mom, I'll take it from here." Emma took the white board, pointed to a letter, and said "What's this, James?" James: "A 'B'!" Correct. :( Sister's touch I guess.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Toddler Art at the Library
James is loving all the one-on-one Mommy time while Emma is at preschool. She will look at something on the fridge in a bit of disbelief: "Who did that?"
James is so proud of what he's doing; so grateful for this cute little guy.
James is so proud of what he's doing; so grateful for this cute little guy.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Would You??!!!
And now for a segment I'm calling, "Would You??!!!" where I ask real questions searching for honest responses.
Would you leave a note if you bumped into someone's car and left a tiny scratch? Would it depend on how many other scratches the car already had? Would you base your decision on the size of the scratch or the price of a repair? Would you hesitate to leave a note if you thought the car owner would ask you to pay for the repair and you didn't think you could afford it or if you figured it would be a bigger hit to your pocket book than theirs? Would you feel the impact of whatever caused this to your car if you were in it at the time of collision? (See photo) Would you notice such a mark on your own car immediately or would you by chance not notice it for a few days? Would you call the aeration company that used a large machine to aerate your lawn to within a foot of where this is on the car and ask them to check with the employee (who seemed like an upstanding fellow) to see if there is any chance he might have done this and forgotten to notice or mention it to you when he told you the job was complete? Would you suspect a high schooler, or more likely, a preschooler's parent responsible for this in the preschool drop off zone at the local high school? Would you pay what it took to repair it, perhaps $500-$600 as guessed by the dealer to fix it to avoid people viewing your car as a clunker, or you as a careless driver who doesn't mind the dings and scratches that come to what may seem to some a cheaper car, but what is to you luxury and the biggest you could dream of six years out of college with another five to go before you could possibly think otherwise????!!!!!!
Would you leave a note if you bumped into someone's car and left a tiny scratch? Would it depend on how many other scratches the car already had? Would you base your decision on the size of the scratch or the price of a repair? Would you hesitate to leave a note if you thought the car owner would ask you to pay for the repair and you didn't think you could afford it or if you figured it would be a bigger hit to your pocket book than theirs? Would you feel the impact of whatever caused this to your car if you were in it at the time of collision? (See photo) Would you notice such a mark on your own car immediately or would you by chance not notice it for a few days? Would you call the aeration company that used a large machine to aerate your lawn to within a foot of where this is on the car and ask them to check with the employee (who seemed like an upstanding fellow) to see if there is any chance he might have done this and forgotten to notice or mention it to you when he told you the job was complete? Would you suspect a high schooler, or more likely, a preschooler's parent responsible for this in the preschool drop off zone at the local high school? Would you pay what it took to repair it, perhaps $500-$600 as guessed by the dealer to fix it to avoid people viewing your car as a clunker, or you as a careless driver who doesn't mind the dings and scratches that come to what may seem to some a cheaper car, but what is to you luxury and the biggest you could dream of six years out of college with another five to go before you could possibly think otherwise????!!!!!!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Back to School
Emma started up preschool just after Labor Day, and she's loving it! When we first talked to her about it, and informed her that it was going to be a lot larger than the preschool she attended last year, she had a few reservations. However, the day before school started, Emma, James, and I went to an open house where we had a look around, and helped ourselves to some refreshments (lots of donut holes, thank you, James!). After that, she was ready to go!
The official first day, as I dropped her off to begin the school year, she gave me a big hug, said, "I love you, Mommy!" and ran in without turning back. I was a little sad that she didn't look back, but I'm grateful she had a wonderful day. James was excited, too . . .
until he realized he didn't make the cut:
Poor kid, cried his heart out: "James go preschool, too!!!" Weeks later, he's still saying that every time we drop her off. And, while we're out and about, he'll ask, "Where Emma go?" or "Go find Emma." It's really sweet.
Just to illustrate how their love runs deep: This week, while Andrew and Emma were talking, they somehow came upon the topic of how Andrew and I decided to marry. Emma had lots of questions and Andrew explained to her that when she's older, she can find someone who she has a lot in common with, someone who she wants to spend her life with, someone she loves. Emma declared, "I already know who I want to marry, Daddy. James! I want to be with him forever!"
Monday, August 26, 2013
Doctors Make the Worst Patients
One element of our weekend included a tour of the Festival of Nations, where people representing dozens and dozens of countries set up bazaars, sell traditional food, dance, etc. in Tower Grove Park. I absolutely love learning about different cultures. We met a woman from Iraq who wrote our names in Arabic, another from Russia, and a third from Japan. We saw dancing, tasted food, saw different traditional crafts, and explored all that the festival had to offer.
My personal favorite was the dancing. I saw Polynesian, Filipino, and West African:
James was thrilled about his name being written in Japanese, and petting the animals at the international petting zoo.
and learning how to make German bobbin lace:
As for Andrew . . . well, looks like he is allergic to Burma. Yep. The day after the festival, were worried the itchy bumps that began to spread all over his body looked a lot like bed bugs, and he decided that if I woke up this morning with the same symptoms, it had to be so. Lucky for me, that didn't pan out (phew!). After refusing Benadryl cream and a consult from my allergist uncle (who happened to be at my grandma's during a video chat last night), I got a text from Andrew today saying the doctors working with him in the radiology department had him sent down to the ER:
It must have been something in the Burmese food we ate. Sorry, Andrew :( Thankfully, he is on the mend.
My personal favorite was the dancing. I saw Polynesian, Filipino, and West African:
James was thrilled about his name being written in Japanese, and petting the animals at the international petting zoo.
Emma enjoyed getting her hair braided by a beautiful woman from Senegal:
and learning how to make German bobbin lace:
As for Andrew . . . well, looks like he is allergic to Burma. Yep. The day after the festival, were worried the itchy bumps that began to spread all over his body looked a lot like bed bugs, and he decided that if I woke up this morning with the same symptoms, it had to be so. Lucky for me, that didn't pan out (phew!). After refusing Benadryl cream and a consult from my allergist uncle (who happened to be at my grandma's during a video chat last night), I got a text from Andrew today saying the doctors working with him in the radiology department had him sent down to the ER:
Seven Years
This weekend we celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary. Andrew planned a surprise date, and pretty much knocked it out of the park with this one:
Yes! He totally scored on romantic points. Thank you, Andrew for being the love of my life, and sharing in adventures for the past seven years, and many, many more to come. I love you!!
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| Dinner at Top of the Riverfront |
.JPG) |
| This awesome, claustrophobic capsule that takes you up in the St Louis Arch |
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| Atop the arch |
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| Looking down on a Cardinals' game from 633 feet up in the St. Louis Arch |
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Monday, August 5, 2013
Sunday Synopsis: Three Weeks
Okay, any chance I can catch you up on the past three weeks in three minutes? I'll try to move fast or it may never happen!
Fourth of July in downtown St. Louis:
Ran a 4-miler with my friend Rachel (simple race, sure, if you haven't taken a MONTH break from running to move across the country!!)
Parade down Market Street:
Airshow over, under, through, and around the famous arch!
Fireworks under the arch at night:
It was AWESOME to experience so much of the city in one day. Thanks to our friends Rachel and Jesse for showing us a good time! :)
Playgroups
I have great outing options for me and the kids through church, a medical organization (WUMCHA), and just informally with friends.
So far we've done Frisco Train Shop:
The wading pools at Tower Grove park:
The wading pools in Citi Garden (right in the heart of downtown St. Louis)
Grant's farm, with a very eclectic collection including elephants, zebras, Texas longhorns, camels, and the famous Anheuser Busch horses, to name a few. It's like the Wheeler Farm of St. Louis, but much bigger. There's a tram ride in, and James kept standing up. The tour guide repeatedly called over the PA for a little boy in a blue shirt to sit down. Took me a moment to realize who! We particularly loved the elephant show where the front row is kindly provided with umbrellas to protect them from the shower of water the elephant sprays out of his trunk!
Concerts for Children in the Piper Palm House in Tower Grove. Emma was chosen from the audience to conduct the string quartet! :)
Botanical Gardens. In my top three favorite things about St. Louis (along with the arch, and, hmm, maybe the zoo, except we haven't made it there yet!)
FYI, we haven't paid a dime for any of this. One of the many reasons St. Louis is such a great place to live!
Home and Garden
"Reclaiming the land," as my dad would say, is happening in our backyard. We have so much natural growth, things LOVE to grow here in the Midwest. We have pulled out bags and bags of weeds, Virginia creeper, tree shoots, etc, in hopes of cleaning up a bit and discouraging the mosquitoes and chiggers. Sad little James has a dozen mosquito bites on his face today, even after we bathed him in deet during a yard work session yesterday. Andrew has mowed and trimmed, doing a beautiful job, and James (with his love of cords and all types of electronic appliances) begs, "More mower, Daddy," "More trimmer, Daddy," every time he sees them in the garage.
Emma has LOVED biking back and forth on the sidewalk in front of our house. She said just yesterday, "Little girls need time to ride their bikes." :)
Decorating is moving slow, but I promise to show photos when it's somewhat "done." After five arrangements in the kids's room, I finally discovered one that was functional, cute, and really opened up the space in there. Andrew spends every spare minute sanding the boards he purchased to build a small swing set for the kids.
Emma is our little outdoor explorer, catching "rolly polies," fireflies, and just yesterday, a toad. :)
A friend shared some African violet leaves with me, and they have since sprouted roots, so I repotted a few, hoping that from one leaf, many flowers will grow, just as with one friend, many more friends and experiences will grow with us here in St. Louis.
Our most recent addition arrived yesterday:
Library
I LOVE libraries, I always have. I remember Andrew and I going to a local library in college for a date, I love them so much. Well, we are within reasonable walking distance of two libraries--one city, on county--and we are loving the library programs. We have been participating in summer reading where the kids earn prizes for minutes logged. We are finishing out the summer here with just over 600 minutes for Emma. We hope to get more next year when we can start at the beginning, instead of half way through. We also love the summer "Wacky Wednesdays" with an hour-long children's entertainer. One week it was Juggling Jeff (Google him, he's awesome), and some wild bird sanctuary that showcased tarantulas, owls, rats, a python, and a vulture. Pretty exciting stuff. Emma's not scared of anything, but for me--with our kitchen littered with dirty dishes (plugged sink, waited a week for the plumber) and my wild imagination--I had to make an excuse for James and me to step out as they dangled the rat in front of our faces.
MUNY
St. Louis is home to the oldest and largest outdoor theater in the nation, the MUNY. We had a FABULOUS night at Les Miserables. I loved Javert's voice best of all, and it was neat to hear him sing and swear by the stars under the stars. :)
Swimming Pool
Can you believe you get all this for $4?? I felt like we were in a full-blown water park. The kids love the lazy river, we went around half a dozen times. One of my top three favorites!
Grocery Shopping
The last time I moved, adjusting to a new grocery store was perhaps the hardest part, and I think that is the case for this move to St. Louis. I never really considered myself a foodie, but it's crazy how many stores I have to run to to get everything we need. Prices are ridiculous! So, we go to Aldi, a penny mart that only takes cash, you bring your own bags, and a quarter to use the cart. The first time I went in, I thought it was way to ghetto, but they have good food for SUPER cheap (milk is a dollar less than anywhere else) and great imported German chocolates to keep the kids happy while we shop. :) However, they don't consistently carry all produce, just what is local, fresh, and cheap, so I have to run to a separate store for something like a jalapeno or cilantro. Also, I don't prefer items with sugar or salt added (yogurt, applesauce, tomato sauce, etc.), so we have an extra trip for these things. To think, my previous grocer had inexpensive items, along with bulk foods (I can't find bulk bins anywhere here), whole wheat options in pastas, flours, etc, all for an affordable price. Oh! How I miss my Smith's Marketplace!
Congratulations if you made it this far! Sorry to ramble on. I love the adventure of the move. It's great to take different streets and go exploring around town. A few weeks after living here, Emma asked, "Mom, why aren't you using Siri [iPhone GPS]?" I proudly responded, "Because I know how to get around without her!" We are, in short, getting around great, and having a wonderful time. :)
Fourth of July in downtown St. Louis:
Ran a 4-miler with my friend Rachel (simple race, sure, if you haven't taken a MONTH break from running to move across the country!!)
Parade down Market Street:
Fireworks under the arch at night:
Playgroups
I have great outing options for me and the kids through church, a medical organization (WUMCHA), and just informally with friends.
(WUMCHA Welcome Brunch on the top floor of Barnes Jewish Hospital)
The wading pools at Tower Grove park:
(Can you see the arch in the background? I love it!)
Concerts for Children in the Piper Palm House in Tower Grove. Emma was chosen from the audience to conduct the string quartet! :)
Botanical Gardens. In my top three favorite things about St. Louis (along with the arch, and, hmm, maybe the zoo, except we haven't made it there yet!)
FYI, we haven't paid a dime for any of this. One of the many reasons St. Louis is such a great place to live!
Home and Garden
"Reclaiming the land," as my dad would say, is happening in our backyard. We have so much natural growth, things LOVE to grow here in the Midwest. We have pulled out bags and bags of weeds, Virginia creeper, tree shoots, etc, in hopes of cleaning up a bit and discouraging the mosquitoes and chiggers. Sad little James has a dozen mosquito bites on his face today, even after we bathed him in deet during a yard work session yesterday. Andrew has mowed and trimmed, doing a beautiful job, and James (with his love of cords and all types of electronic appliances) begs, "More mower, Daddy," "More trimmer, Daddy," every time he sees them in the garage.
Emma has LOVED biking back and forth on the sidewalk in front of our house. She said just yesterday, "Little girls need time to ride their bikes." :)
Decorating is moving slow, but I promise to show photos when it's somewhat "done." After five arrangements in the kids's room, I finally discovered one that was functional, cute, and really opened up the space in there. Andrew spends every spare minute sanding the boards he purchased to build a small swing set for the kids.
Emma is our little outdoor explorer, catching "rolly polies," fireflies, and just yesterday, a toad. :)
Our most recent addition arrived yesterday:
Now Andrew's life is complete!
Library
I LOVE libraries, I always have. I remember Andrew and I going to a local library in college for a date, I love them so much. Well, we are within reasonable walking distance of two libraries--one city, on county--and we are loving the library programs. We have been participating in summer reading where the kids earn prizes for minutes logged. We are finishing out the summer here with just over 600 minutes for Emma. We hope to get more next year when we can start at the beginning, instead of half way through. We also love the summer "Wacky Wednesdays" with an hour-long children's entertainer. One week it was Juggling Jeff (Google him, he's awesome), and some wild bird sanctuary that showcased tarantulas, owls, rats, a python, and a vulture. Pretty exciting stuff. Emma's not scared of anything, but for me--with our kitchen littered with dirty dishes (plugged sink, waited a week for the plumber) and my wild imagination--I had to make an excuse for James and me to step out as they dangled the rat in front of our faces.
MUNY
St. Louis is home to the oldest and largest outdoor theater in the nation, the MUNY. We had a FABULOUS night at Les Miserables. I loved Javert's voice best of all, and it was neat to hear him sing and swear by the stars under the stars. :)
Swimming Pool
Can you believe you get all this for $4?? I felt like we were in a full-blown water park. The kids love the lazy river, we went around half a dozen times. One of my top three favorites!
(Emma is on the slide)
Grocery Shopping
The last time I moved, adjusting to a new grocery store was perhaps the hardest part, and I think that is the case for this move to St. Louis. I never really considered myself a foodie, but it's crazy how many stores I have to run to to get everything we need. Prices are ridiculous! So, we go to Aldi, a penny mart that only takes cash, you bring your own bags, and a quarter to use the cart. The first time I went in, I thought it was way to ghetto, but they have good food for SUPER cheap (milk is a dollar less than anywhere else) and great imported German chocolates to keep the kids happy while we shop. :) However, they don't consistently carry all produce, just what is local, fresh, and cheap, so I have to run to a separate store for something like a jalapeno or cilantro. Also, I don't prefer items with sugar or salt added (yogurt, applesauce, tomato sauce, etc.), so we have an extra trip for these things. To think, my previous grocer had inexpensive items, along with bulk foods (I can't find bulk bins anywhere here), whole wheat options in pastas, flours, etc, all for an affordable price. Oh! How I miss my Smith's Marketplace!
Congratulations if you made it this far! Sorry to ramble on. I love the adventure of the move. It's great to take different streets and go exploring around town. A few weeks after living here, Emma asked, "Mom, why aren't you using Siri [iPhone GPS]?" I proudly responded, "Because I know how to get around without her!" We are, in short, getting around great, and having a wonderful time. :)
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