Video Montage!

Here are the video clips from Morgan's 2nd bday party. They took me awhile to post but they are priceless! As you can see, all the kids had a great day! From top: Baby Emma enjoying her Flavor Ice, Holden taking a spin in the kiddie Cadillac with Morgan's buddy, Tycee, Singing the happy birthday song to Morgan, and two clips Holden and girls thoroughly enjoying that cake! =o)

Jay the Acrobat

To conclude my Comlara Park posts....see what a studly guy my hubbie is! (Hey, being short is good for something!!) =o) He's a big kid and I love him.

Comlara Collage

There were so many cute ones! Classic summer time....ahhh, I miss it!

The great outdoors =o)

A few days before school started, Jay and I took Holden and "the girls" to Comlara Park. Jay's sister, Allison babysat for our cousin, Chelsey, this summer. The park is out in the country and has a big lake, campgrounds, and several small playgrounds. We thought it would be something different to do, and it was a beautiful day. We quickly discovered how different it is with girls than boys. "EWW! There's a BUG!" was the quote of the day, as well as running commentary about sweat, mud, spider webs, and numerous other indignities. I think they really did have fun despite it all, and I know Holden had a blast! Dirt is his middle name. I love how the pictures turned out....oh, and do you like how the kids are all in various shades of turquoise? It wasn't planned!


Walking to the lake....love Chelsey's antics!

I love this picture!

Family love!

Isn't this a cool shot of the girls? You can see the clouds reflected in the water.

Zoo Buddies

During the last week before school started we were"on the go" knowing it would be awhile before we could pack so much in again. Holden just adores his neighbor buddy, Brady! They had a great morning at the zoo together and were quite the hams as you'll see below!

Stroller viewing! Looking at the wallabies together.

Mug of Brady...isn't he cute?! Even if he is wearing a Cubs shirt.

I love that his hair naturally spikes.

Michelle and Isabella met us there and this is the one shot I got of Bella as she was camera shy on this day. I always get the sweetest shots of her hugging Mommy's legs. What a cutie pie! Look at those sandals! I am so in love with little girl clothes. I think the boys will be fighting over her in a few years!


Jay trying to convert Brady. Mike (Brady's Daddy) will love this shot.
Note that his arms are in a vice-lock....he kept trying to throw the hat off!

"Hey, look at that!"

Holden loved climbing on the tiger and actually posed for me. He is getting his molars in so there's a lot of finger chewing going on....which at the zoo means me wet-wiping his hands about 500 times! Too many animal germs!

They are so goofy together. If I remember correctly, they were roaring like tigers here.

The following three pictures are sequence shots of the boys in their strollers. We had them sitting there, looking at the "singing dogs" while Kam and I chatted. All of a sudden we realize that they are just being hysterically goofy together. Holden had a red button on his stroller that Brady wanted to touch. Holden would block him from touching it. You'd think this would start a fight, but instead they both thought it was a hilarious game and started playfully swatting, head wrestling, and wildly giggling. So cute! Of course it looks like they are holding hands in the second shot, but they are really preventing each other's hands from moving!

I love this one....when in doubt, go for the head butt! I can just hear their giggles now.

They are such good buddies. It is fun to watch your child make friends.

Granny's bday: Part 2

Holden loves exploring Granny's apt. and the retirement residence! So many things for him to get into! =o) He especially enjoyed the kitty, buckeyes, and her fountain. With a little hallway running and boom box DJ-ing mixed in.

Granny and Holden both share a love of the great outdoors. We had a beautiful, cooler day so we paid her garden a visit. Holden enjoyed chasing butterflies with Papa, looking at flowers with Granny, and finding lots of interesting things along the way.

I am still working on posting Morgan's bday videos but they weren't loading right this morning so I gave up temporarily. I'll keep trying!

Celebrating Granny's bday! Part 1

We recently celebrated my Granny's birthday with her and had a great day!


Here she is enjoying her pie and opening her presents. We ate at The Busy Corner for lunch, so we each got a slice of the pie of our choice to go. Later when we weren't so stuffed, we lit candles on each piece of pie. Holden was fascinated with the candles even though he doesn't get the concept of blowing them out yet. He was watching us very closely! =o) Isn't my Granny cute?

I just love these shots of Holden and my Dad, his "Papa" at the Busy Corner. They have so much fun together!

More bday pics!

I love these two shots of Holden, Morgan, and her neighbor friend, Tycee, eating their cake together.

This last collage is everything else...go-carts, pool fun, enjoying family...I wish everyday could be this fun! It's great to be surrounded by people you love who love you.

Happy bday, Morgan!!!

Holden's cousin, Morgan, turned 2 this month! It's hard to believe she's such a big girl already. Her parents, AJ and Jennifer, (Jay's uncle and aunt) had her bday bash in their backyard, and everyone had a blast. It was sunny but not too hot, and they had plenty of entertainment: their nice big patio with a pool, a track with go-carts, and enough riding and outdoor toys to make any toddler drool with delight. =o) Helping to celebrate were Morgan's baby sis, sweet Emma, her older sisters, Kelsey and Tiffany, her neighbor friends, and Holden's "Aunt Allie," along with lots of adult relatives. It was great to see everyone! As you can see, I got quite a few photo opportunities with all these stinkin' cute kiddos around.

Morgan was an adorable bday girl in her polka dot swimsuit. I love the shot of Holden pushing Emma around in the grocery cart! And yes, even Shaggy the dog got in on the party action. He wore that hat for seriously 20 minutes before biting it off! Holden, on the other hand, did not appreciate his hat too much. =o)

As you can see from the pics, Flavor Ice popsicles were the big hit with the kids, even baby Emma! Holden didn't quite understand the whole "it's not my birthday and these are not my presents" thing. See bottom two pictures...he was ready to head out of town with that pink mower! And he was delighted with her tee-ball set...I'll have to remember that one for Christmas! =o)

You can't have a kid's bday party without messy cake pictures! Morgan ate hers very daintily this year, much different from her 1 year old bday! Holden, on the other hand...well...you'll see!

"Meet Me in St. Louie" Part 2

On the second day of our trip, we went to the St. Louis Botanical Gardens. They are absolutely breathtaking. I wouldn't have thought of gardens as a place to take Holden, but my parents suggested it and I'm so glad they did! It is so spacious there, with all sorts of open land where he could just run and explore, which of course he loved. There was a solarium with birds, waterfalls, and exotic plant life, as well as a neat indoor exploration area for kids. He loved the giant birds' nest and Jay got in the action with a Cardinal bird hat. =o) New to the gardens is a big outdoor play area for kids. There was a tree house, park with water sprayers, music area, rocks to climb, etc. My little music man loved playing the big xylophone. He didn't want to leave! The Japanese gardens have giant colorful carp fish that you can feed, similar to Union Station. The gardens always have different artwork on display. This time there were lots of neat mosaic pieces. We really enjoyed our time there....except that it ended up being over 100 degrees with the heat index! You would have thought we'd all jumped in a pool, we were so wet and sweaty when we left! Yuck! I'd love to re-visit in the fall when it is cooler and the leaves are changing.

"Meet Me in St. Louie..." Part 1

At the beginning of August we headed back to St. Louis, this time with my parents in tow, for a short little overnight trip. We took Holden to his very first St. Louis Cardinals game, visited the arch museum, and stopped by the Botanical Gardens in the morning before heading home. It was a fun little "end of summer" trip and we enjoyed having Grammy and Papa along for the ride!

Playing cars at Bob Evans, fountain shots, fun at the hotel, and a peek at Abe Lincoln. =o)

Jay wanted to be sure that I included this shot of the lit up board.
He says Cubs fans should take note!

Holden's first game was absolutely perfect. It was a 7:00 game so the sun wasn't on us for long, the weather cooperated and was in the mid 80's, VERY reasonable for St. Louis in the summer, and they were giving away free Build-A-Bear Cardinals Bears at the gate! Holden really enjoyed all of the people and the music. He is a big people watcher and enjoyed watching the players warm up before the game with Daddy. He did not care for sitting so much (see the picture of him, Jay, and my parents!!!) but loved to stand right in front of us and bounce to the music. He was also fascinated with-of all things-the $5.00 water bottles. They are the kind that you squeeze to get the drink out. He thought it was great to squeeze it out all over our feet, his body, the people in front of us, etc. Needless to say we had to go ahead and confiscate the water bottles. Busch Stadium has a really neat playground area perfect for toddlers. It has giant bats, gloves, balls, etc. for them to climb on/in/under. Holden met a little curly-haired girl around his age wearing a Cardinals cheer leading outfit and it was love at first sight for both of them! They held hands, babbled at each other, and followed each other all around. Holden even tried to kiss her! She played hard to get but then kissed his hand, which I did get a picture of below. What can I say, he knows how to pick 'em! (Don't worry, Natalie, you're still his number one girl!) I also took him to make a Build-A-Bear Clydesdale horse for his Cardinals nursery. When you push its leg it plays the charge song, and it has a beating heart that you can feel. The Build-A-Bear store there has all kinds of neat Cardinals animals and is AIR CONDITIONED. Amen! Holden made it to the 7th inning before we headed back to the hotel to put him to bed. The Cardinals were winning when we left, but ended up losing.....I think we should have stayed! Oops!

More proof....

Tonight he ate two pieces of pizza at Monical's!!!! I think (cross fingers, knock on wood, and say a prayer!) that we are finally getting out of the picky eater phase. Just in time for the school year for the sake of his health and my sitter's sanity! =o) And yes, you know me, of COURSE I got a picture of him eating the pizza, but my camera is charging and I just logged 3 hours at school this evening and my brain is toast. Time to go watch Big Brother and not do anymore thinking for the evening! =o)

Proof that there is a God!

While there are many reasons that I believe the title is true, here is a simple one from this evening: Holden ATE FOOD!!!!! Real food, and lots of it! In case you live in a hole and don't get the importance of this statement, the kid is the pickiest eater this side of Mars. He can't stand to eat anything messy or squishy, does not appreciate the phrase "trying new things," and some days lives solely on Cheerios and fruit snacks. On Saturday he ate a big piece of his cousin's bday cake, complete with frosting, and got it everywhere. To see Jay and my reactions, you would have thought he won an Olympic medal. Today he ate 4 fish sticks for lunch. Tonight he ate 7 chicken nuggets AND over half of my macaroni and cheese! Which was messy! I am probably the only mom of a toddler who was actually making comments tonight like, "Way to get that cheese all over you face and hands, buddy!" "I am so proud of you for getting messy!" "Wow, you must really like that, you even got cheese on your booster seat and in your hair." "I'll wipe your hands in a minute, let me get a few more pictures of this mess." Milestone for Holden this week. I am sure his scrawny little body approves of the protein!

Trip to the fair: day 2!

I am sure all these fair posts show how truly big and exciting the town of Bloomington/Normal is. There were so many things to do that we made the trip in the 100 degree heat index not once, not twice, but 3 times during the week it was here. I learned that I do not get tired of corn dogs, funnel cakes, or lemon shakeups. Even on the 12th time around. It's a good thing for my thighs that it's only once a year! I also learned that if you sit at the fair long enough with Jay, you will learn that at least 3/4 of the attendees have been arrested before. More than once. Another valuable lesson at the fair is that if you wear cute pink flip flops while walking through the animal tents, you will step in poo. It will not come off your shoe even if you hose it down. You will throw the cute flip flops away. Lastly, if you are a male and wearing something other than a wife-beater shirt, actually have a bra on under your top if you are a female, and do not have pop in your baby's bottle or a leash tied to their waist, you are the minority. Great times, great times! ;o)


Holden and Daddy at the deputies' booth that Jay helped out at. They auctioned off this 4-wheeler for Easter Seals.
Holden thought he was hot stuff modeling it for the crowds!

While Daddy worked at the booth, Holden and I did some sight-seeing. We watched an alligator wrestler, fed a very large yak with an even larger tongue (see close-up in second row: a face only a mother could love!), and watched the horses. I loved how cute Holden looked leaning on the fence. He could have stood there for hours quietly saying, "Hi kitty!" under his breathe to the horses. (We're still working on the animal names, obviously!)

(Didn't realize I couldn't just do 6 pictures...yes you are seeing double.)

Trip to the fair: day 3!

The Suspects:

Chelsey Marie-
One of Holden's favorite people
Sucker for snow cones
Fashion Diva

Memaw and Great Aunt Teresa:
Holden's grandma and her sister
Sunglasses owners which gives them an A+ in Holden's book
Can't go on rides because they pee their pants!

Allison, Haley, and Abby:
Holden's favorite aunt and her two sidekicks
Expect to hear lots of screaming if you are anywhere near them
Are WAY too cool to hang out with the rest of us during the day!

Missing from all pictures: Cousin Jenny
Chelsey's Mommy
Great Aunt Teresa's daughter
Can be found dodging the camera at all costs, whining about the heat index,
and wondering how early is "too early" to start drinking!


A few snapshots of the day! Jay enjoyed seeing how many big rides he could coax Chelsey on in order to attempt to give Great Aunt Teresa a heart attack. Holden's highlights were playing with people's sunglasses and riding the pony rides! He yelled "Go, go, go!" and giggled, then threw a mega fit when he had to get off. We all enjoyed the "monkey jockeys;" real monkeys that raced on dog's backs! Jenny managed to dodge every single picture I took, so I owe her a special "Jenny collage" coming soon! I'll make sure they're all beautiful shots, Jenny! (Wink wink!) Although it was about 110 degrees in the shade, we all had a good day overall.

(I did it again: doubled one of the pictures. Can you find it?)

August rush.....my life, not the movie! =o)

My helpful boys:

My wonderful hubby putting together first grade writing journals with a smile (make that monkey grin!) on his face.

Holden showing an early interest in poker chips like his father.....

these are my kids' "good behavior tokens" that he is so happily "helping" me with! ;o)

Did you think I got lost? The day the calendar turns to August my mind goes into a tailspin. As a teacher, August signals the upcoming school year, which means a room to unpack and ready for new students, papers to type and print, postcards to send, and lots and lots of planning. It is an exciting time but also a hectic time. And now having Holden, it gives me a lump in my throat. As many times as I commented this summer (and my friends and family can attest that it was more than once!) that there were days I thought my job was easier than being at home, I know I am going to miss spending my days with Holden something fierce. He is a little person now, and it is going to be hard on him when I leave him this time around, not just hard on me! I thank God we have a truly wonderful childcare provider, Lori, who takes care of him like he was her own, and that Jay gets his Daddy days with him on Mondays and Tuesdays. I love my job as a first grade teacher, and it gives me a great sense of fulfillment knowing that I am making a difference in little lives. It doesn't hurt that one of my best friends, Annie, teaches first grade in the same building, and we get to chat every day during the school year. But I love my job as a Mommy the most! Sniff sniff! I have one week left before we start, so I plan to make the most of it. Although my room is still not done, so I am sure that will make for some long evenings since I refuse to go during the day and miss time with my buddy!

I have lots to post and of course my camera battery is dead at the moment so it will have to wait. More visits to the fair, our trip with my parents to St. Louis where Holden took in his first Cardinals game, the Metro Station concert Jay and I took Allie to (We survived! But we realized we are OLD!), and cousin Morgan's 2nd bday are all on the blog agenda. Look for loads of pics coming soon! In the meantime, these pictures show just another reason that I love "my boys!" Willingly helping me out in my classroom.....Jay actually helping and Holden causing collateral damage, of course! ;o)

To all of you teachers out there: I feel your August panic!

A Day At the Fair!

Yesterday Holden and I joined Annie and the boys at the McLean County Fair. I think we picked possibly the hottest afternoon of the entire year, which is evident by the boys' bright pink cheeks in some of these pictures! They got to see lots of animals and even feed some, enjoy the yummy, greasy fair food, and Colin and Holden took in a few rides. We also said hello to Jay who was checking out the deputies' raffle booth. (These cops say they work so hard....somehow Jay always manages to hangout someplace fun!) One of the boys' favorite activities of the day was playing in a sandbox filled with corn kernels. This was of course AFTER we'd been out in the heat for two hours. This was of course in the AIR CONDITIONING. Had we known this was all we had to do with them, we could have saved ourselves a lot of trouble!!! =o) My favorite shot of the day is Colin licking his corn dog. He is such a goof!