Sunday, July 12, 2009

New Kid Musings

New Kids on the Block headed back to St. Louis on July 1st and we couldn't resist heading to the show again (yes, I know that we just saw them back in the fall). It was so much fun to have a night out with the girls ... revisiting the 90s and having a blast. We also decided to stay the night at Harrah's which is right next to the venue. So, I made my first visit to a casino that night which was fun & different. We had a blast ...

Here's me and Steph -


Jesse McCartney opened the show. I must be old but I had no idea who he was LOL


Nicole and Danielle -


More of me and Steph -



Me, Steph and Nicole -


Michelle came a bit later and joined us - here she is with Steph -

All of us ...

We danced and danced and danced some more. Singing at the top of our lungs. Having a great time!


And then off to the casino - here I am playing my first slots - I didn't win much but it was fun to give it a shot. Steph was able to snap a quick photo before the security guard told us no cameras allowed in the casino - hee hee

Me and Steph in our hotel room the morning after the fun .... on our way to breakfast with Nicole and Danielle. Then, we all had the day off work!


It was a lot of fun! I'm so glad we went again!

July 4th Musings

We had a fairly low key July 4th this year. Just us. We hung out most of the day, enjoying each others company. Later, we got in the car and headed to Chesterfield for fireworks. On the way, we grabbed a bunch of drinks & some KitKats to snack on ... Then, we found a parking spot and watched the fireworks. The kids really enjoyed the show!

Here's our Sami - isn't she beautiful?

Meighan getting tickled ... by her favorite person in the world - SAMI!

Some fireworks shots ... I didn't get as many as I'd hoped but I think they are pretty good given that I didn't have a tripod with me!



Meighan was upset that we wouldn't let her run into the street to play. So, she pouted and had a bit of a "Meighan fit."



Our handsome boy who tends to not be a fan of loud noises, really enjoyed the show despite the sound. The KitKat smoothed the way ...




I hope you and your families had a fantastic July 4th!

Playground Musings

We spent an afternoon at a local park (Faust Park) and the kids had a BLAST. The park is beautiful and the playground is amazing! Alex spent most of the time climbing, climbing and climbing. Meighan ran willy nilly all over the place, trying everything out. And, Sami just tried to keep up with them.

As you can see, Sami is here ... spending the next month with us. We are loving the fact that all of our kiddos are here with us ... The kids are loving having their big sister here to play with ...

Here are some photos from our visit to the playground at Faust Park ...











Popsicle Musings

The kids are LOVING that they can get outside again & have fun! They are having a blast, enjoying the great weather. Popsicles are a favorite treat as they play on their bikes.





Alex insisted on trying to tell Meighan what she could and could not do on her bike. He blocked her in ...

She got away ... and biked off -

And Alex was NOT happy that she thwarted his plan ...

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Layout Musings

Here are a few more layouts ... I'll be back this week for a BIG update with lots of cute photos because LOTS is happening with us! But, I'm tired and heading to bed! So, come back for more in a day or two!












Saturday, June 13, 2009

Layout Musings











Sunday, May 31, 2009

Photo Musings ... Visit to Grant's Farm

Grant's Farm is a281-acre ancestral home of the Busch family. The Farm is home to more than 1,000 animals representing more than 100 different species from six continents. Grant's Farm, which is operated by Anheuser-Busch, Inc., has apparently been a St. Louis tradition for years. After hearing over and over how wonderful it was, we decided to spend the afternoon visiting. After you arrive, you load into a tram for a drive through the preserve and over to the park itself. Here are some of the animals (and other things) that we saw on our tram ride. Unfortunately, I don't have as many as we'd hoped because the animals seemed to be fleeing the heat for elsewhere and just weren't around. Rumor has it that early morning is the best time to visit & see the animals so we'll go early on our next visit!









Once we arrived at the park, we headed off for some Farm fun!



First stop - THE CAROUSEL! Which was a hit!


Saw some more animals. I love love love this shot of the tortouise!




There was a water walkway which the kids had to try out (which is why Meighan is SOAKED in this photo) ...

It was HOT, HOT, HOT!



And kangaroos ...

And the Eagles - they were very beautiful!

And off to the attraction that the kids were most excited about ... feeding the goats. You pay $1 to get a tiny little baby bottle of milk and go into a pen full of goats so you can feed them. Well, it was quite an experience. Paul and Meighan headed into the pen ...


And were immediately swarmed with goats. Tons of goats. All over the place. Jumping, biting, nibbling, licking, grabbing whatever they could ...


Paul finally gave up and picked Meighan up since the goats were all over her since she was so small!

I think they all had a bit of a crush on Paul in particular. The goats swarmed him over and over.

Alex didn't immediately want to go in ... he let Megs test the waters while he hung out at the fence with this particularly friendly goat!


Paul began to get irritated LOL - they just wouldn't leave him alone. It was crazy!

Right after this, Alex and I grabbed up a bottle and headed in to try it ourselves. The goats were ferocious for attention. Jumping on us, grabbing our clothes, eating our shoes (and my camera bag). Alex was LOVING it. He said he liked when they nibbled on him???? Anyway, Mom and Dad eventually had enough & forced Meighan and Alex to say good-bye to the goats. Paul looked over and said 'I don't think I have it in me to be a farmer' - and I cracked up!

On our way out, we saw a beautiful peacock running by ...

And I tried to get some photos of the kids. The sun was really harsh so they aren't very good. They were ready to leave and completely uninterested in helping me get a good photo!



As we walked to the tram, we saw some Flamingos ...

And, then we headed out for an early dinner at Red Robin which was tasty! We ended up missing out on visiting the Clydesdales so we'll definitely have to go back to see them! They are one of the main attractions!!! Overall, we had a great time and I'm sure we'll go back to visit again soon!

Photo Musings ... Gardening

Before I get to the gardening, I must show you this photo of Meighan's brand new hair do! We cut off a considerable amount of her hair so she now has an adorable little bob! Isn't she the most adorable thing EVER?

Okay, so, our flower beds out front needed some work. So, Paul got to work on getting them all pretty. I pulled weeds and trimmed the beautiful hydreanea bushes in the beds. And, the kids wanted to get in on the action ...




And fought a little over the tools ... Meighan won by the way!

Off she went to the curb with her tools, to get some work done (no, the curb didn't need any work but that never stops Meighan!)


Photo Musings ... Beautiful Day Outside

We were just enjoying the evening outside since the weather was looking up so here are a few of the photos that I got that night ... I love this one of Alex. It's just the essence of him!


He loves his Big Wheel ... his expression here just cracks me up!



Meighan would be happy to blow bubbles for hours. It's one of her all time favorite ways to spend time!


Apparently, Paul enjoys it as well ...

Alex's new obsession ... Wolverine!

Meighan is always a mess. If there is dirt in a 10 mile radius, she will find a way to get it all over her!




See what I mean about the dirt. I think she might end up being a gardener ... she could dig in the dirt all day. Finding worms is her favorite. She always wants to keep them but then I make her put them back because they might miss their mommy ... she reluctantly puts them back.

Yes, he is still a superhero almost 40% of the time. Running around, saving the world ...


Photo Musings

Here are a few work related photos. On the day that Wachovia Securities became Wells Fargo Advisors the Stagecoach arrived so that we could all have our photos taken with it (cheesy, I know). So here is a photo of my team with the stage coach. Darron is on the far left. He's a great project manager who sits next to me and helps me out a lot! He's a great cube mate! Next to him is my boss, Lisa. Then, Omar and Chris who are the other project managers on our team. Then, there is me!


And this is me and Stephanie in front of the Stagecoach. Stephanie is my best work buddy and I am not entirely sure what I'd do without her every day. She's made the transition to St. Louis so much easier. And, she just 'gets' me which is wonderful! And she loves my kids and gets Paul's sense of humor ... so, she's the perfect friend!



Stephanie and I volunteered to do some planting on the Jefferson Bridge in St. Louis as part of a Cinco de Mayo event at work ... Yes, I'm not much of a gardener but it was for a good cause! And, I ended up having a great time!



YES, that is me, PLANTING things! It's a miracle! LOL And if you look at my shirt, that is our new Wells Fargo Advisors logo. In the end, we planted many pretty things that I get to look at each day as I come and go from work.