Lately - May Edition

The weather has finally been nice enough to spend time outside. Of course now the kids complain about it being too hot when we go out. The other day, just the kids and I went to a playground and they were ready to go after about 20 minutes.

We compromised by playing in the shade.

...and getting ice cream after.

Yay! Playdates at the park! Finally!

I have no recollection of the context of this picture. But what a cutie. Oh, and you'll probably be seeing a fair amount of that hat this summer. She got to pick out a hat that we're trying to get her to wear to protect her scar from the sun, and this is what she chose so we're going with it.

I was able to accompany Brooke on her class field trip to Cosley Zoo. It was rainy and in the 40's that day (yes, in late May), but we still had fun.

Matt's dad, Jamie and Will joined our family for our church's fundraiser 5k (we did the 2 mile walk). Miles and Brooke stepped it up at the end and ditched the stroller. Thanks to Debbie who stayed home with Paige - because it was yet again too cold for the baby to be out.

This little lady is getting more and more alert. She's already losing that "newborn" look, which makes me sad. Newborns have their own sets of challenges, but I really want time to slow down!

She's really not usually cross-eyed. I think I was a little close with the camera.

There's a smile!

Miles is pretty into his baby sister. You can't tell from this picture, but he was leaning so far in to hug her that his feet were off the ground.

He's also into trying out her equipment, whether she's using it or not.

I got out the play mat the other day. I'm not sure how much she's going to be able to use it, though, because I was running interference the whole time she was down there. (Thanks Aunt Jamie and Will for the cute jammies!)

There are definitely worse problems to have than being too well-loved.

Happy summer!

Tiny Dancer

Brooke's ballet recital was the weekend before last. She's been in this class since early January and the parents have been able to observe a dry run of the dance for the past month or so and I have to admit, I was a little worried about how things would go. Brooke even commented on being "nervous" the day of the event. She also invited pretty much everyone that we saw in the days leading up to it.

The girls danced to "Be Our Guest," a song that Brooke knows and loves. And how cute were their costumes?

I was really impressed with Brooke's performance. Her class was for 4-6 year-olds, so she was on the younger end of the spectrum, but I really think she held her own.

And in Kinderballet, it's always cute to be a beat or two behind on occasion, right?

Zach, her future husband (although he'd protest that title), came to watch after she invited him. He even brought her flowers!

Her BFF, Kali (on the right), had her class recital in the same group as Brooke.

Here was Brooke's cheering section (minus Katie and Zach). She should not doubt that she's loved.

 

It was a special day for a special girl.

Gigi and Papa Charlie Meet Paige

The weekend before last, my mom, grandma and grandpa came up to watch Brooke's ballet recital . It was also an opportunity for my grandparents to meet Paige.

It was a short but sweet visit and the kids had a great time with them.

We're so blessed to have family that loves us so much and is willing to make the sacrifice to travel to see us.

Uncle Tim is 30! - A Photo Dump

We headed down to St. Louis for the holiday weekend and to celebrate my little brother turning thirty. I'm not even going to talk about how it feels that my younger brother is now in his thirties.

We'd been saving the DVD player in the Suburban for "long trips," hoping that it would entertain on our way down (although in all fairness, Brooke and Miles are generally really good on long drives - even though they never sleep). Miles wasn't a huge fan of the headphones, but kept them on for a little while on our way home. Brooke loved being able to watch movies. We had to stop once each way for Paige to eat, but she slept the rest of the way. We both agreed that traveling in the new car was significantly more comfortable than it had been in the Pathfinder.

The whole crew. Ozzie even had a nice little spot in the middle. Can I just comment on how impressed I was that we fit 2 strollers, a set of golf clubs and all our luggage in the back?

Once we got to St. Louis, the kids got to check out Luke and Lexi's new backyard toys. Our neighborhood playground now looks really lame.

Here they are in the bounce house that Krissi set up on the other side of the yard.

*Note: due to the large number of photos in this post, the sequence of events discussed in this post will not be chronological.*

On Monday, we made a quick trip to the zoo. The kids enjoyed the Children's Zoo - although they were most impressed with the non-animal-related features.

This slide was cool in theory. It went through a river otter tank. But it was the slowest.slide.ever.

Yep, we're cool.

Checking out the apes. It was a warm day, so my kids didn't last long. This is the best they could muster toward the end of the morning.

Of course, we finished things off with a carousel ride.

On Friday, we went to Grant's Farm for a(nother) quick visit.

Another carousel ride.

Waiting for their (not free) snow cones that they enjoyed while the daddys enjoyed their free beers.

Paige slept peacefully through most of the visit.

Throughout the visit, Luke could not get enough of Paige. If she was around, he was there. It was very sweet.

I've said it before, but these two are trouble. It's a good thing they're cute.

Paige also got lots of cuddle time in with Aunt Krissi. We got some great smiles out of Paige this weekend!

The guys golfed on Sunday.

And after, my parents had a barbecue to celebrate Tim's birthday/Aunt Esther's birthday/Memorial Day. Everyone got their quality time in with Paige.

Miles enjoyed a few extra sweets.

And the kids enjoyed some fun water time.

Happy birthday, Tim! We love you!