Weekend in StL

*Warning* LOTS of pictures ahead ;)!
We had a wonderful (and exhausting) weekend with Abby and Alex.  They have 1/2 season tickets to the Cardinals and knew we were wanting to take Ethan to a game this year.  So, they invited us for an unforgettable experience!  Ethan has been to a couple games before, but he was 3 months old...so needless to say, he doesn't remember them.  We headed to Edwardsville to pick up Abby and Alex on Saturday morning and then spent the rest of the day in Forest Park.  First a picnic and then the zoo!

Picnic by the tulips and The Jewel Box

Now, onto the zoo!

Ethan and the Hippo- he says the hippos and elephants were his favorite

Hanging out in the bear cave.

Nora and I with the elephants

Family photo op :)

The penguin/puffin exhibit is closed right now :(, so this is as close as we got.

Monkey kids swinging on the rails.  We were waiting to see the sea lions under water!

This guy was very playful!  Jared kept touching the glass like he was tickling him and he would swim up the glass and do a back flip out of the water.

Nora loved it!  And I love this picture of them :)

Abby and Ethan under the sea lions

Nora at snack time (with an ice cream mustache).

Abby and Alex- what great hosts!

We have a picture in front of this elephant from our first zoo visit with Ethan, before he was 1.  Check out that trip here!

Our growing family heading out of the zoo!

Sunday we went to church with Abby and Alex and then met my parents in the pouring down rain and storm at Culver's for lunch.  They came over the hang out with Nora for the afternoon while we went to the game.  The weather forecast was not looking good for our game, but we were determined to go anyway.  We took towels and umbrellas and hoped that our preparedness would keep the rain away.  It worked!  The only drops we felt were on our way into lunch in Edwardsville.  The weather turned out really nice.  Not too hot and sunny, but not wet and rainy!  Watching Ethan and his excitement was my favorite part of the whole day.  He brought his glove and made sure daddy brought his...just in case!

These were at Abby's before the game.  We had to get a picture of our little Cardinal's fan family!

Go Cards!

Love these kids!

We were right above the visitor's bullpen.  Great seats!  Ethan could see all the action!

Loved the one on one time with this boy! (Or would it be two on one?!)

Sunday was "Run the Bases" day.  So, since the weather held out, we got in line with 5000 other kids to let Ethan run the bases at Busch Stadium!  How awesome is that?!?  He loved it but I think Jared and I were more excited for him (and to be on the field ourselves).  No touching the grass though!  A guy next to us got yelled at for bending down to literally touch the grass.

First steps onto the dirt!

Quick stop by the first base foul line

Look how happy they are!!

And he's off!  There were so many people, it was hard to get good photos.  But he ran fast the whole time and made it all the way to home plate!

These next 2 are my favorites from the day!

Busch Stadium sign behind home plate

This one totally looks photo-shopped...but it's not!  

What an amazing weekend with Abby and Alex.  Thank you guys so much for the tickets and the great hospitality!  We'll be back ;)!

Great day at the ballpark!  Oh and the Cardinals won!! 7-0!

Trip to the "Farm"

Last Friday Ethan had a class field trip to a farm.  Or, at least it was called a farm.  The kids were excited about seeing tractors and animals and everything that comes with a farm.  It turned out to be a couple with a great garden they sell produce from.  It was a nice day and the kids enjoyed being outside.  These people have 6 or 7 large garden plots and grow everything from lettuce to strawberries to apples and peaches.

Learning about strawberries

Silly boy

4 year old preschool class

Easter Weekend

We headed south for our Easter weekend.  Easter is such a humbling and emotional holiday for me.  It's difficult to wrap my head around what happened 2000 years ago.  But, I'm so grateful that Jesus died for me, and even more so that He was risen from death and is alive!  It is also such a fun time for us and the kids.  And let me tell you, we had a great (and exhausting) weekend!

I started Saturday with a baby shower with my mom for one of my best friends, Sara.  She had twin girls 3 months ago and I was so happy to get to meet them!  They are soooo sweet!

Sara and I with Mary Charlotte and Elizabeth

While I was at the shower, Jared took the kids out to his parents house where they had a great time (I met them out there later).  They had a little Easter egg hunt, played outside a ton, helped Grandpa plant some roses, played in the dirt, dug up worms and a lot more.

Finding some Easter eggs

Playing in the dirt

Found a worm...

He's all boy!

This was the result of the fun filled day at Grandma Karen and Grandpa's house.

Later on Saturday, we took the kids for a ride in my dad's convertible.  This was Nora's first ride!  She was confused as the top went down, but she loved it!

Happy kids!

Wind blown :)

Sunday, we got up and got all dressed and ready for church.  We also had a yummy lunch, where we all ate too much and more outside play.  We couldn't have asked for better weekend weather!  Also, you can't get past Easter Sunday without lots of pictures :).  

5 of 8 cousins. Tyler, Nora, Ethan, Josiah & Paige

The 4 littles (Tyler had moved on by now)

Ethan and Nora

Love them so much!

Mom and Dad with Jim, Abby and myself (we missed Sarah)

Our annual Easter sister pic.  Love this girl :).

Nora, having some fun with Uncle Jim

Nora loves her Pop!

Happy Easter from our family to yours!  

Egg Dying Fun!

We got some egg dye at the store today and the kids were chomping at the bit to color some eggs!  I tried to have them wait until Jared got home from work, but they wouldn't hear of it!  So, we had some old fashioned egg dying fun this afternoon.  They loved it and I loved that we didn't make a gigantic mess all over the kitchen :).

First egg in!

She made me nervous every time she moved ;).  I envisioned pink grout on the tile floors.

Cute kids!

Getting creative with a 2-toned one.

And the finished products!  They kit came with stickers, so there are random stickers on some.

So proud of their handiwork :)!

Bike-A-Thon

Saturday was a bike-a-thon fundraiser for Ethan's school.  He was really excited about participating.  The weather was really nice this year (it got rained out last year)!  Basically, the kids rode in circles for about 20 minutes and then we all went inside for lunch and a couple games for the kids.  Most of the kids ended up back outside riding more, sidewalk chalking or blowing bubbles.  It was a good time and a fun way to raise money for the preschool.

Riding for some cash ;)

Excited spectators! (And smudgy glasses)

He's getting into it now!

Waiting in line for lunch.  They have been into trying to pick each other up.  Ethan actually can pick Nora up.

She got in on the fun too.  Blowing some bubbles.

Monkey at the Park

A couple days ago, we met some friends at the park.  The weather is getting nicer and nicer, and we are so happy!!  Ethan discovered the monkey bars and surprised himself and me with how well he did.  He made it all the way across once and really close several times.  Here are a few pictures of our morning at the park!

Nora can do most things at the park and loves her freedom ;)

Ethan with his friend Soren

Monkey Boy!

There may have been some rubber in his mouth after the 2nd fall...but no blood or loose teeth, so we're good :)!

Easter Egg Hunt

Last Saturday we ventured out to a local Easter egg hunt.  We met some friends there and had a great morning.  We had both kids in the same area, so that was nice.  I think we were told to stick to a 10 egg limit per child, but both Jared and I missed that memo...oops.  The kids didn't have excessive amounts of eggs, but I think they were both over the limit by a few.  At one point, Ethan gave is bag to Jared so he could get 2 at a time.  Yes...I forgot the cute baskets or buckets, so we had Target bags.  The kids didn't notice though.

Patiently waiting for the countdown

Ethan is off to the races

Now he's serious about it...2 hands :)

Nora did great and she knew what to do!!

Fun morning with Kelton and Soren!

Nora is checking out her loot!

She even got to meet the Easter Bunny.   Ethan wasn't interested ;).

Such a fun morning.  When did these kids get so big?!?