First Grade!!!

Outside Mrs. Turner's classroom.

Ready to go!

Sitting at his new desk during "Meet the Teacher"

I can't believe it but Sam started first grade today! He was very excited this morning to go to school. He wanted me to take him inside but as soon as I took one quick picture he dashed inside the classroom. I didn't get as much as a hug or a good-bye mom. Ella cried the whole way out of the building and during the car ride home. She is missing her big brother and has asked several times when we are going to go get Sam. I must admit it is pretty quiet around the house and I'm missing him too. I am sure he is doing well and enjoying seeing his old friends.

Christy's baby shower

Ella and Maizie helping Christy open her gifts.

Sunday we had Christy's baby shower. I think it was a great success! We are all getting so excited to meet the new baby. Christy looks great and the baby is growing right on schedule. Ella keeps talking about how Christy has her new baby cousin in her tummy and she has pizza in her tummy, too cute! Sam just likes to give Christy advice on how to take care of a baby. If anyone is in need of parenting tips just contact Sam.

Scooters, Slip n' Slide & Sprinkler!

We have been spending a lot of time playing outside lately enjoying the rest of summer! The kids both got new scooters last week that they love. Sam got a power wing just like his big cousin Caleb and Ella got a mini kick like our neighbor Alex. They are both doing a great job using them. They have ridden miles already I bet.

Yesterday, we got out the slip and side and sprinkler and had some fun. Sam did a great job with the slip n' slide and Ella just had fun playing in the water. She isn't quite big enough to figure out how to slide all the way down yet. Our next door neighbor came over to join in the fun. Daddy isn't too excited about what it did to the grass but they are only young once and I assured him we can fix the grass.

Deana Rose Farmstead

There is a great city park near my parents house complete with playground, tractors to ride, animals to pet and feed, fish to catch, etc. The kids love to go there. Sam isn't a huge fan of the animals but loves running around and riding the small tractors. Ella thought she was ready to bottle feed the goats but when she got in the pin she wasn't so sure. I can't say as if I blame her though. As soon as the goats see a kid with a bottle it is like attack mode. They climb all over each other to be the one to get the bottle. Grandpa and Grandma ended up being the ones to feed the goat.

It was a nice day when we went and my cousin Scott and his family were able to join us. After playing we had a picnic lunch together. It was a nice way to spend an afternoon.

St. Louis Zoo

Friday we went to the St. Louis Zoo. The zoo was wonderful and we ended up spending much more time there than we expected. We got to see a lot of animals that they do not have at our local zoo. Sam's favorite animal exhibit was the penguins. You go inside this cold habitat and they have a whole room full of penguins and puffers. His favorite part of the whole day was riding the train. It makes different stops and I think we rode it four times. He enjoyed each one and was excited to see what color engine we had each time and loved the tracks that went through the tunnels.

Ella will tell you that her favorite animal was the giraffes but I think she was much more excited by the leopard. We told her we were looking for a jaguar and she was so interested in seeing "Baby Jaguar" just like on Diego. The jaguar was hiding in his habitat but right next to him was a leopard that was real close and to her looked like a jaguar. It was really cool how close he was to us. Ella was also a big fan of the carousel.

I would say that John and I liked the tigers and the sea lions the best. There were five year-old tiger cubs and they would play fight with each other which was neat to watch. The sea lion show was also entertaining. We missed the first show and I wanted to go back to see the next one but later decided it may not be worth going back across the zoo. John said we should go ahead and go back and I was glad we did. It was fun watching the sea lions slide across the stage on their bellies. One of the sea lions even threw frisbees into the audience with his mouth! It was a fun day!

The Magic House

On Thursday we took the kids to The Magic House. They had an amazing time! Sam had a hard time looking at anything for too long because he was so excited about all of the things to see and do. I think Sam's favorite exhibits were the replica of the oval office, climbing through the ducts and climbing the three story tree steps. He wouldn't get in the tree at first but once his little sister did it he had to give it a try and loved it!

Ella loved the interior decorating project in the construction area, playing all of the musical instruments and the bubble room. The best part for me was watching her with the electric ball that makes your hair raise. I guess her thin hair is good for something!

That night we enjoyed some delicious pizza with our friends Jamie and John in downtown Kirkwood. It was so nice to see them and catch up on everything.

Meremac Spring

Last week we took the kids on a trip to St. Louis. Along the way we stopped in Rolla and St. James where we used to live and work. We showed the kids the first house (duplex) that we lived in when we got married. Sam thought it looked a little small & so did I. It is amazing how much we have accumulated in ten years.

In St. James we took the kids to Meremac Spring. We had a picnic lunch, played on the playground and walked around the spring and trout hatchery. It is such a beautiful park. We all enjoyed ourselves.