Adventures of Summer!

I can't believe it's already July! The best part is we haven't needed the air conditioner on for almost the last week. Say what!? Last year we were going through that stinking drought and it was over 100 with the heat index for weeks. THIS is my kind of summer!

It's been nice to be able to do some more fun things with Daniel this summer.

I took him swimming at the Y for the first time a couple of weeks ago for Charleigh's birthday party. He was hesitant at first, but after an hour and a half in the pool he was a little fish. His feet looked like prunes when we got out. It was adorable.



Since he loved it so much, I added him onto my YMCA membership! I barely have to pay anything, so taking him sometimes isn't going to break the bank! We already went again last Saturday. He was a little apprehensive at first, but eventually was smiling and wanting to venture away from me a little. I taught him to kick his feet while I pulled him and he even let me dunk him under the water.

We went to a park in Springfield to play! I get very bored without planning out some fun activities. I was whiny and needed out of the house so Jacob agreed to this outing! We also had $50 gift card to Applebees so we went there afterward. Splurged on steaks and a triple chocolate meltdown. SO worth it!



Old school Merry-go-Round!



We've had more opportunities to play outside. Because let's face it...this momma doesn't play outside when it's humid. Ever. This weather is the best!








On a side note, I just have to say how much I LOVE that Daniel carries a walking stick (or adventure stick as we call it) with him all the time. It makes me think of my Grandpa S. He always used a walking stick to go on a hike and always found one for me too. Makes me smile that even though Daniel only met his Great Grandpa twice as a tiny baby, he picked up this little trait.

Daniel and I went on an "adventure" last week. I had a doctor's appointment and Jacob was out of town. It was just a regular exam with my OB/GYN...but it's fun to take Daniel so she can see how much he's grown. She loved seeing him and he was so well behaved. Made me happy!

Then we went on a Mommy/Bubby date to Panera. It was delicious as usual, and Daniel was only slightly ornery.



I had a $5 gift card to Barnes and Noble, and since Daniel was such a good boy at my appointment I thought it would be fun to let him pick out a new book...since he's OBSESSED with books. Yay!
He took many books off the shelves to look at them. We finally got another book in the "Little Pookie" collection. They are adorable books and when Daniel sees one now he'll even say, "Pookie!" Anyway, the kids section is in the very back of the store. That booger took off at full speed to the front of the store...laughing the whole way! Brother!
After a quick trip to Target for diapers we ended our adventure and headed for home!

Yesterday, we planned to go to the St. Louis Zoo. I found someone to work for me and we decided to leave really early because it was supposed to rain in the afternoon. We did NOT beat the rain. We left at 7 and it started pouring about 40 minutes from home. It proceeded to pour the whole time we were in St. Louis.

It was supposed to be in the mid 70's so we were in shorts. Poor Daniel. We decided to go to the Science Center since it's free. We parked and started walking in the rain. I had a jacket for Daniel but we figured it wouldn't take long. Well...we walked in the wrong direction for 5 minutes...and then had to walk back to the car. We were pretty wet! I got Daniel's jacket on and we drove closer to where we were supposed to be. My phone said it at 59 degrees! Thankfully, it was easy to dry off and not cold inside.

Daniel had so much fun!

You can watch cars go by through the floor!







Then we went to St. Louis Mills Mall



And then to Steak and Shake before heading back home, once we decided the rain was for sure not ending!


We made a fun day out of it! I was still full from our later lunch...so Daniel and I had puff corn for supper while we watched TV. Haha!



More fun adventures to come this summer! Parade tomorrow! Plus a trip to Iowa and Minnesota in a couple of weeks! And hopefully a trip to the St. Louis Zoo. :)

Starting to Chase a Dream

Over the past year or so I've had several people tell me that I should be a photographer. Secretly, I've wanted to for a long time, but, where does one start? Most people think it's as simple as owning a DSLR camera. Heck, once I was brave enough to finally pick up Jacob's Canon Rebel and use it for the first time last summer, I kind of thought that too. It's simple right? Set to Auto and snap away.

Then eventually I started researching and found an online photography group on one of my mommy boards that I frequent. Yeah. Photographers don't shoot in Auto. Most don't even shoot in any of the other "intimidating" modes that the camera can use. They shoot in Manual. This was quite intimidating to me. The first picture I tried to take turned out insanely overexposed. It was just white. Then I ended up with severely underexposed black pictures. I actually took Daniel's fall pictures in Manual, but after that I kind of gave up. They are cute and I personally LOVE them, but I knew they weren't perfect. Not to mention, it got cold outside it's harder to practice inside without using flash.

For whatever reason, I started regaining interest a few months ago. I even found a local photographer, whose pictures I love, who agreed to do a bit of mentoring with me at some point. She was the one who took our family pictures and pictures of Daniel. Check out her website (hover your mouse over the word website) if you'd like to see some of her work!

I'm working to completely shoot in Manual now...in better light settings anyway. I'm still not happy with everything, but I can see improvements to what I'm doing.

I met with April (the photographer) last week and we spend a few hours going over things, and I walked away with even more knowledge! She showed me how to do a few things that I had been struggling with. Although...even with that, I still struggle to get it to ALL to work together. I'll keep plugging away! She's setting a mini photo shoot for me next week sometime so I can practice on someone who will hopefully cooperate better than a busy little 18 month old! I'm nervous and excited about that!

I LOVE having Daniel to practice my skills on, but he is so fast that I can't practice how I want to! I even tried to bribe him with cookies and that punk still ran away! Ha ha!

Also, I'm REEEALLLY wanting a new camera. The Rebel we have now is nice, obviously, but it's also 7 years old. It was top of the line then, but of course technology changes constantly. I also have my eye on a lens I want to get. It's a good starter lens as it's pretty much the least expensive you can find. Most lenses run around $300 or more! The camera that I want is very expensive too! (Well, I have 2 I'm looking at, but still!)

Anyway, for now I'm oohing and ahhing at them online. I need to do what Jacob suggested and make a pros and cons list. Making big purchases always scare me and I'm always hesitant. IF I can get to the point where I start taking pictures for other people I will be so excited though! So much to learn, so many unknowns about even starting up a business for myself, but I do know it's possible. I need to gain some confidence and learn to believe in myself a bit more!

Maybe one day soon, my dream will become a reality!?

A few pictures in my Manual adventures from these past couple of weeks:

My Ever Growing Little Man

I'm a big slacker when it comes to writing here anymore.

I of course feel the need to catch up on my little boy. I enjoy documenting things because we all know what I horrible memory I have otherwise!

Little Mister is 18.5 months old now. I'm in awe of how quickly that time has passed by. Looking back at pictures like this makes me a little nostalgic.



Now he's grown into this handsome little man:



He had his 18 month checkup not too long ago. He weighed in at 28 pounds and is 34 inches! In the 90th percentile for both.

Obsessions right now include:

*Trucks and motorcycles...or cycles as he calls them. I see a transportation themed birthday coming up in November!
*Chasing birds (and squirrels too!)



*Reading! This kid LOVES to be read to. We read books all day every day. I think it's safe to say that Jacob and I have most of them memorized now.
*Playing outside. We've got an outdoors boy on our hands. Who did he get that from!? Haha! I'm thankful the weather has been beautiful so far. It's the only time I like to be outside too!



*Ice. Yes. Ice. He totally gets this from me. He demands ice in his sippy cups...and it's so cute the way he says it!
*The potty. He won't sit on the potty himself. It seems to scare him...but he's fascinated by watching and "helping" us. Haha! He is in charge of toilet paper dispensing and flushing. Cracks me up. He'll yell, "Potty!? Potty!?" and then "Flush!"
*Putting on lotion.
*Blowing bubbles.
*Singing/Dancing/Any kind of music.

Some dislikes include:

*Loud noises that startle him such as Grandpa's power tools and carnival rides. He's started a new thing when scared. He cries, but he also puts his hands over his eyes!
*A bunch of food still, but he is becoming a bit less picky, so yay for that!
*Being told no. He's become very aggressive towards us when told no now. Makes me sad, but I know it's normal and we're constantly working on it.
*Mommy helping him brush his teeth. This used to be SOOOO easy. Now HE must brush his own teeth and gets angry when I try to help. Jacob has to help me hold him down now! He does a good job, but I want to make sure he brushes well!


*Getting stuck under his laundry basket. Haha!



He's starting to put a couple of words together more often now. "Did it!" is still his big one.
He also has to "Push" everything. If we're leaving the room for a second he thinks he has to "push" the TV button aka turn it off! Stuck is his other favorite word. He uses it in context most of the time, but  not always. He also uses it for anything that he can't get to work. It's pretty darn cute.

Despite his growing stubbornness...which can wear this momma down easily, he's a very sweet and loving little boy who gives and biggest slobbery kisses and snuggles with me at the end of the day.

22 Memories With "The Sister" Kendra

I've done memory posts for a lot of people, but never Kendra, so here we go!

1. The reason Erica and I refer to her as, "the sister" is because that's how she signed my birthday card one year. Not, "Love, Kendra". or "Love, Your Sister". Nope. She signed it, "The Sister, Kendra"!

2. She is infamous in our family for mixing things up. Some of her Kendra-isms:
*She loved the munkchips (chipmunks)
*She had an apartment in her locker (compartment)
*She was excited to be sleeping on a crouton in Florida (futon)
*She buys things on Clarance (clearance)
*Just two years ago she was gonna have a hayfield while visiting Erica for her wedding (a hay day!)

3. Then there was the time we went to McDonald's with mom when we were younger. Mom was ordering our food. We had already grabbed straws, napkins and ketchup. Kendra got mad at me for something (which I more than likely provoked) and hurled her cup of ketchup at me. I ducked as to not have my awesome glittery smiley face t-shirt (haha!) ruined. Instead it hit a lady behind us and mom ended up giving her all the cash she had left because she was so angry. We were so unruly.

4. Kendra was the one who could do no wrong as the baby of the family. Sometimes she'd tell on us for doing stuff we really didn't do. She'd just make it up so we'd get in trouble. Turd.

5. She also had an really evil side! Mom would leave me in charge of Erica and Kendra while her and dad would go out on walks or run to the store. Again...Erica and I probably provoked her, but one time she got a knife out of a drawer and chased us with it. Then we locked her in her room because we thought she was gonna kill us, so she proceeded to throw her doll buggy against the door over and over again until it broke!

6. I got my revenge once. I can't remember was she was doing but I was SO mad at her because she was acting like a brat. She had the freezer door open getting ice, so I just slammed her head in it. Honestly, I thought it would be funny to watch it bounce off her head.(I'm laughing as I type this!). It didn't bounce though. The metal bar on one of the shelves in the door hit her right in the eye. Yeah. I gave her a black eye...and then somehow didn't get in trouble for it. Amazing.

7. When Kendra was really little, she used to love running around naked after bath time. She once ran down the hall, then out the front door and made it halfway up the street!

8. She let Erica convince her to take a "chariot ride."  What is a chariot ride you ask? Erica tied her bike to the wagon with a jump rope and rode to the top of the hill on our street. Then Kendra sat in the wagon for the ride. Sounds fun, right? I'm sure it was until the wagon flipped and Kendra tore up her face on the cement!

9. Prank calling college guys from Moody at the Pitts' house. This was the night we discovered Kendra was the ultimate prank phone caller. We were calling random rooms and asking what they would do for a Klondike bar. I was excited I got some guy to sing me Twinkle Twinkle, and then Kendra calls and gets this guy to stay on the phone with her for over an hour. We were DYING! She kept saying at these hilarious things to keep him talking too!

10. Another prank call night: Erica, Kendra and I were out driving around and we decided Kendra needed to make more prank calls. First she called one of Erica's friend's moms and just made up this random survey. We had her on speaker phone and were dying! We knew they didn't have Caller ID so it made it even better! But then she calls one of Erica's friends. He kept asking, "Who is this?" Finally she says, "God. I'm chillin' with Jesus and the Holy Spirit" He goes, then why are you making a local call?" Kendra goes, "We're just hovering above the 319 area code" I think we about peed our pants. We still make comments about hovering over the 319 area code!

11. Um. Running in a giant hamster wheel. 'Nuf said.



12. Laughing hysterically when her car started having a seizure while we were riding in it.

13. Last year's "Fatterday". Mom was making supper but told Kendra and I we could go shopping (my first time without Daniel!) and for us to pick up some junk food for later. Literally a half an hour before supper we walk by Sabarro at the mall and start salivating. Yeah. We ate pizza and then went home and ate supper. And then ate cookie dough, brownies and cake. Fatterdays rule. No shame. Well, a little shame. Nah. It was delicious.



14. Meeting that hilarious worker at that popcorn store in the mall and then eating a billion samples. Then feeling guilty and buying popcorn even though we didn't really want to.

15. Going to Florida in 2000. Kendra was 9. The destination was supposed to be a surprise, but Erica and I found out. We didn't tell Kendra though. As we pass through each state, Kendra was still no where close to guessing where we were going. We cross the border into Florida and Kendra asks, "Which state is next??"

16. Riding the Octopus at Jubilee Park in North Carolina. Most horrible experience ever!

17. Jackass!!! I almost forgot. A game we made up in which Kendra would bend over and we'd chuck tennis balls at her butt. 1 point for hitting the cheeks but 2 points for hitting the crack area (she had pants on!) For some reason even mom and dad played this and approved. LOL!

18. The Christmas when Kendra opened a present from mom and dad and then says, "No offence, but can I return this?" She was probably only 5 or 6.

19. The time at Valley View that mom asked Kendra to carrying a gallon jug of fruit juice down to the kitchen. She dropped it from the first step and it apparently busted open straying all over the carpet and the rest hitting Ben Geho at the bottom of the stairs.

20. There is nothing better than getting texts from her because I swear the funniest crap happens to her. Such as mattresses falling off of cars and bouncing off of hers!

21. "AUTUMN GREETINGS!!!!"

22. Just hanging out. I took Kendra for granted a lot when we were younger because 7 years is a pretty big age gap. But, over the past few years we've grown a lot closer. We have a lot of stuff in common and I miss her like crazy. I love going to Iowa and getting to hang out with her...even when we're in bad moods because the weather is bad, and we're gassy and sassy. Bahaha! She's a pretty awesome aunt too!

Love you, Sis!





What's New?

I've fallen too far behind on blogging to even know how to catch up, but I'll try!

I celebrated my 29th birthday a few weeks ago.



Jacob's parents came over. We went to Krieger's for supper and then came back and ate the cake that Brenda made for me!

The next weekend, I got a ME day! That's what I wanted for my birthday/Mother's Day. I had birthday money and Christmas gift cards to spend! I went to Springfield and got to go to Target, Old Navy, Kohl's, Gordmans, WalMart, Panera and even got a pedicure!

I got some new clothes (and then I ruined one of my new shirts yesterday. Sadness.). Got a couple of other things, including a dust buster. Ha ha! Yes. I bought a dust buster. I love it though! Plus I price matched it to Amazon and saved an extra $5 on it! My lunch was SO good, and I smiled as I watched another mom chase her little kid around because I didn't have that responsibility that day! The pedicure was my splurge. I get one each year with birthday money. Other than that, I don't spend money on that! Plus, Daddy and Daniel had lots of fun together that day too and I was happy to see them when I got home!

Last weekend was Mother's Day. Jacob's parents came over again and we enjoyed time with them! Just a nice low key day.





Oh, and last Saturday we got family pictures done! I LOVE how they all turned out, but I'm waiting until I get the CD of them before posting! Although, our photographer posted some teaser pics that I shared on Facebook. She did a great job!

After that Jacob ran an errand and then we went to Barnes and Noble to kill time before Olive Garden opened for lunch! I read Daniel some books and then Jacob found a fun activity for them to do!



Then we had lunch, and it was delicious as usual. Jacob rode with Daniel in the backseat on the way home to keep him awake. I knew he'd fall asleep and once that happens in means he won't nap when we get home. We almost lost him 5 miles from home, but Jacob kept him up! It was such a fun family day!

Let's see...

Daniel LOVES to play outside!





I put together his picnic table we got him for Christmas! My super awesome deal from last year! We've already had 2 picnics out there!



Today Daniel and I went to Ashley's graduation party! Had a fun time talking with some former co-workers and Daniel was a little flirt. Silly boy! Tomorrow we're going to one of Jacob's student's open houses. Should be a good time!

Daniel has learned so many new things, I can't even keep up with it anymore!

He is obsessed with babies and tends to call all kids, "Baby!" Words he says are:

Dada, Mommy, What's this?, Baby, Hi, shoes, cookie, cheese, bar (granola bar), eat, eye, ears, yucky, mine, Grandma, circle, keys, potty, doggy, beep beep!...and so many more that I can't even think of right now!

He knows what a doggy says, "ooffff",  and what a monkey says, "Ahh, ahh!" Then other day he said, "Meow" for a kitty over and over but he won't do it anymore!

He is the best picker upper toddler ever. He knows where all of his toys go and puts them exactly where they go!

He signs, "Please", "Thank You", "More" and "All Done".

He makes me smile.