4th of july

The 4th of July was so nice this year, thanks to fun friends and mild weather. We headed over in the morning to set up our blankets at the park and discovered a car show at the church next door. I found my dream car, a 1950's Corvette in turquoise. I am in love with that car. Anyway, in the evening we headed to the park with David's co-worker and his wife. We sat around, chatted and ate delicious food. The firework show was the best we have seen yet and had some really cool new ones that we hadn't seen before. I didn't take too many photos; I guess we were having too much fun and my hands might have been full of peanut butter M&M's.

 

6 Flags

We were all able to go to 6 flags, thanks to the gorgeous weather and the 2, free reading passes that the boys got from school. David and Caleb went 2 years ago, but the rest of us hadn't been so it was exciting to be there together. Jacob rode the Superman and his first roller coaster and Caleb tried a few more that he was too small for last time. Emmy spent a lot of time of the train with grandma and I loved riding the Batman roller coaster. David and his dad rode on anything that moved and we all were ready to drop by the end of the day! I forgot how much I loved theme parks and can't wait to go back more often as the kids get older.

July

We have had a good month and I wanted to post a few random pictures that I have taken.

Emmy is so funny! We were at Fritz's Frozen Custard for family night and she was pretending that the wind was blowing her. I have no idea where she comes up with things!

Jacob received his Camouflage belt in Karate and was recommended for their Leadership Club!

David had his 33rd Birthday and we celebrated with a giant pan of peanut butter bars and letterboxing. I love him.

Blue skies with white puffy clouds over the Meramec River. It's a common scene that I never want to forget.  



Emmy wanted to be a ballerina the other day. She doesn't like any wet on her clothes so if she gets a drop of water on them, she strips naked. She ended up looking like this, dancing around the living room. She is Bea-u-ti-ful!

Pappy's and Whatnot

Oh Pappy's! Every time we go, it's an adventure. While we waited in line, Pappy came in and chatted with the customers. He plopped a hat on Caleb's head (the second time he's done that!) and gave Jake and Emmy little foam pigs. We sat right behind Cardinal's pitcher, Jason Mott, and feasted on leftovers for days. What can be better than that? Until we meet again...



We also wanted to try out one of St. Louis' famous restaurants called Crown Candy Kitchen. It was featured on the Travel Channel and we had an interesting time squeezing into their tiny booths. The food more than made up for it though. David and I adopted a pure gluttonous attitude and shared a Heart Stopping BLT. Oh my! It was tasty!
http://www.travelchannel.com/video/we-leave-no-bacon-behind




We had the chance to see the Cards play the Dodgers from the nosebleed seats! I love the view of the field from up there! It was a beautiful night and so pleasant to be surrounded by my favorite baseball fans. There is nothing like a good baseball game on a warm summer night!



I took the kids to the library for one of their programs, called Whiskers and Tales. It's a fantastic way for kids to embrace reading while having fun with some 4-legged friends. All the dogs are therapy dogs and it was so fun to see my kids' personalities come through as they chose which dog they wanted to read to. Emmy chose the biggest, fluffiest dog, while Jake chose a quiet, little one. Caleb chose a cute medium sized mutt that I wanted to take home right then and there. They sat and read books and chatted with the dogs' sweet owners. After that, they got to take home a free book.

Botanical Gardens

We took David's parents to the Botanical Gardens while they were here. We had GORGEOUS weather all week! It is such a beautiful place and we always love going there. Lot's of flowers were in bloom and we had such a nice time just hanging out together.






Seriously?! Are they not adorable? Love these two in-laws of mine!

Fishing and Mark Twain

We decided to head up to our friends' house for the weekend. They live up by Mark Twain Lakes, which is about 2 hours north of us. They were so kind to let us hang out for a few days and feel like part of the family. Mama Preston fed us some delicious food and we had lots of "showers". The rain kind, that is. I have never gotten so soaked, so fast in my life. It was great! We went boating on the lake (one of the showers) and fishing on the pond. I think I could have stayed there and fished all day but David and the kids get bored a little quicker than I do.

The drive up was beautiful. I honestly think that they live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The clouds in the sky were amazing and the wild flowers that were blooming along the side of the road were so frequent and vibrant! I love all the corn and soybean fields and rolling hills. I will definitely miss that if we ever move away from Missouri.

Primary Temple Day 2014

We had a neat primary activity at the temple in June. All the primary kids were invited to come with their families and we all walked around and took pictures. It was so nice to feel the wonderful spirit there as a primary and the kids were very well behaved and reverent. We are so blessed to have a temple so close by and to participate in all of the wonderful and sacred ordinances there.

Emmy turns 3

Emmy turned 3 and had a very fun day. She has grown so much in the past year. She has a very silly sense of humor and likes to tease. She is a bit devious too. We are always a little nervous when she is quiet because we know she is planning something. She gives the best cuddles when she wakes up from her nap but after that, it's hard to catch her and keep her still long enough to hug her. She likes to kiss her brothers on the nose before bed. She has absolutely no interest in potty training. She loves to dance and giggle. She loves nursery and playing with friends. She can sleep through the night now, although she doesn't do it all the time. She keeps us on our toes. She is independent and smart and sensitive. We love her!

Favorites:

Color-Pink

Food- ice cream cones and cupcakes

Song-I Am A Child Of God, Ballet Song

Game-Star Wars

Favorite Place to Go- Ballet Class (must be in her mind, cause she has never been to one)

Favorite Show- Wild Kratts

Favorite movie- Despicable Me 2

Favorite Animal- Dog

Favorite Book- Dog Story