Meet me in St. Louie

Greg, my dad, Makenna, Kate and Ty were the brave souls who ventured up into the Gateway Arch. Mom and I explored an old abandoned church and the Union Station while they got in touch with their claustrophobic sides. Mom and I have both experienced MRI tests in the past and knew better than to ride to the top. We were happy to let our favorite people tell us all about it.

The Cathedral Basilica was beyond incredible. Photos don't serve it well at all. The colors were rich, the details endless and the craftsmanship flawless. We were all blown away. I loved seeing all the original architecture throughout the city and wish I could have had the time to appreciate more of it.

 The Science Center was so awesome, we returned there on Tuesday when the weather changed our plans to visit the zoo and botanical gardens. The highlight was the real science experiments for Kate. We used forensic science to examine finger prints to solve a crime. It was fascinating.

We ate great BBQ,enjoyed a meal at The Hard Rock Cafe and grabbed snacks in museums. Through conversations around the dining tables, I learned Ty may have more of my DNA than I originally suspected. Stories about my dad's childhood sound awfully familiar. I think inviting my parents along was an excellent decision. We enjoyed each others company and shared great experiences.

 Greg and Dad took a tour of the Budweiser plant for Greg's birthday today while we spent some more time in the Science Center. They appreciated the Clydesdale horses, the architecture of the building and facts about the role Budweiser played in the prohibition. It was strictly educational. Ahem.

Someone got a new raincoat while his sisters shopped "for girl stuff". He and Makenna passed some time together while Kate worked through another experiment at the Science Center.

The weather did not fully cooperate but it wasn't bad. As result of some unplanned cooler and rainy weather, Makenna's dream of shopping in a Lush store came true. On top of that, we discovered an American Girl Place in St. Louis too. Let's just say Kate's upcoming birthday has already been well celebrated. Two months early. And her daddy has asked to remain blissfully unaware of just HOW celebrated.

Makenna has recently decided she is interested in decorating in retro/vintage style. She requested lunch in an old diner and to see The Loop area. Her diner request was well received. We all enjoyed it.

All in all, it was a great get away. We squeezed as much fun as we could into a mere 48 hours. We have more fun plans for the week ahead and would love to return to St. Louis in the future. The city has so much to offer. And the fact most of it is free, is impressive to say the least.

Happy 20th Birthday, Erin

So my baby turns twenty today. Where on earth has the time gone? She went from a sassy preschooler with her own sense of style to a quick witted adult with a little more sophisticated look in the blink of an eye. She is pretty amazing. She's wrapped up school, started her first grown up full time job and is seeking her own place. When she shops, she checks out shoes first and then domestic items. She's a grown up now.

For her birthday she sweet talked me into joining her for a pedicure. I can't believe I have gone 41 years without one of those! It was glorious. I think we'll both be back.

Happy birthday Erin. I am so proud of you.

Bon-bons

It's been a fairly long week and we are all ready for spring break. I felt sarcastic mommy taking over my brain yesterday and tried really hard to reign her in. I was busy vacuuming the house when I heard my son repeating my name over and over. "MOM! MOM! MOM! I need your help!" He was signaling to his hands where he was wearing one glove and requesting assistance putting on another. Given the gloves were part of a costume and not needed immediately due to outside play, I asked him to wait until I was finished. He asked me what I was doing and I quipped back that I was resting and finishing my bon-bons.  Sarcasm is lost on five year old boys and he immediately needed to know what a bon-bon was and where I was hiding them. I honestly don't know what a bon-bon is. My life is not that glamorous.

Kate and her friend Allison enjoyed a painting class together this morning.

So we kicked off spring break today. The weather is cooperating nicely. The fresh air, a quick trip to St. Louis and family time are exactly what we need right now. We have been coping with some unwanted changes around here. It's time to regroup. I am grateful for the opportunity to do so.

Tea Party

Looking to shake things up a bit with my favorite little people, I proposed a tea party this morning. Ty was immediately on board because our tea parties always include a sweet treat. I then suggested we dress up and make it a fancy tea party, envisioning the little girls in dresses and beads. Ty jumped to a different conclusion. Of course. He decided he was going to be a green ninja and I was going to be a blue one. He chose my outfit. Blue on blue on blue. I had a skirt and a dress that were also contenders as solid blue options until my little fashionista informed me I couldn't be a ninja in those clothes. My ears are naked because ninjas do not wear earrings.

Frankly, I have worn worse. The idea for this little experiment of allowing Ty to choose my outfit originated when my friend Sarah sent me an article about a mom who allowed her three year old son to choose her outfits for a week. I am not that brave. First, once Ty realizes I don't own any capes, I am certain he'll be completely dumbfounded as to just what it is that I do wear. Secondly, he wore red shorts, a long sleeved red thermal shirt and cowboy boots to the school yesterday. It was St. Patrick's Day. On Monday and again today, he is wearing green; all green. His judgement overall is questionable.

But he is awesome.

Oh Boy

My friend Jenn says cats used to be worshiped and they've never forgotten.

I stepped out in faith and signed Ty up for gymnastics this week. I fear he'll attempt some crazy stunt off the top bunk. Frankly, he probably already has and just hasn't gotten hurt doing it yet, so I remain blissfully unaware. Anyway, in typical Ty fashion, as the class time approached, he clammed up. He was afraid to try it and wanted to back out. I pushed him in and Kate encouraged him lovingly. Ty was set up with his teachers and talking their ears off by the time I had the check written. It was awesome to watch him get acclimated and comfortable. He had his hand raised to be the first to try everything. He jumped up, ran across the floor, bounced off the spring board and flipped onto the mat. Parents in the room looked at me and collectively commented about his skill set and questioned where had he been prior to this class. Umm.......my living room?

He started sleeping on his floor a few nights ago because he swears his bed is uncomfortable. "When I lay down on my bed, I feel like a rock lands on my head".

Someone planned to throw all his clothes away so he would only be able to wear costumes from now on. He was shocked his plan was foiled and couldn't believe he alone had to clean it all up. It's not easy being five.

He isn't permitted use of electronic toys during the week anymore. He is addicted and fails to be his creative self when his face is in a screen. He fights me until he relaxes and finds something to do. One day last week, he was running away to live in the field as soon as he got the police to help him shoot all the possums because I wouldn't allow him tv time. We've had a possum wander into our yard twice recently so it's a real threat. Mommy is okay with the police shooting the possums but not with the living in the field portion of this plan. Besides, rumor has it, the tv won't work in the field anyway.

Ty can almost always make baby Levi smile. He and Devyn fight like siblings but he misses her on the days she isn't here.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Weekend

Dinner with Ty lead to a conversation where Ty swore his allegiance to help police officers kill bad guys. I had mixed feelings about this comment so I asked how he knows if someone is a bad guy. Thanks to Erin, he responded, "they are thugs making bad decisions". I decided to redirect the discussion and asked him if he'd like to be a policeman when he grows up. After careful consideration, he replied, "Nah, I want a job where I can carry a real light saber".

"There's zillions of snow out there!" Ty's response to what I pray was our last snow of the season.

Oh Mister Sun...it's glorious to see you even if your affect on Kate's sweet face was not appreciated.

Mom is not the only one tired of all the running Makenna's tech schedule demands

Kate and I spent our afternoon supporting our favorite tech. Mary Poppins was beyond fantastic. I was prepared to be entertained but was surprised by the talent, special effects and professionalism. A lot has changed in theater since I was in high school! The chimney sweep tap dance scene was my favorite and honestly better than any dance I have ever seen in a recital throughout the years. Just wow. Makenna has asked me not to tell her best buddy Mitchell how much I loved his performance as Burt. He was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious but according to Makenna, he already knows that. Apparently there is some competition between the tech crew and the actors but they worked together and pulled off a great show. The show will wrap up after four more performances next weekend. It will be nice to have my kid back.

We had friends over for dinner last night and Greg worked all day today covering for his day-side partner. The weekend passed much too quickly, as usual.

Snow Day Sleepover

Due the anticipated winter conditions, Devyn spent the night with us Wednesday night so she wouldn't be on the roads Thursday morning. She loved her sleepover until a stomach bug hit her at five o'clock this morning. She had a rough day but appears to be fully recovered already this evening.

I spy with my little eye......

Kate asked me to text our neighbor lady to invite her twenty three year old daughter to build a fort together. Not only did Caitlin agree, but so did her mom! Those lovely ladies spent several hours outside working with Kate on her fort. She came in this evening, sunburned and beaming. She is clearly very proud of the fort and has plans to finish it tomorrow. Sadly, the sub-zero temperatures tomorrow will likely prevent that from happening even though school has already been cancelled for the day.

Happening Here

Talking with Ty about bad guys and strangers is done in vain. He is a superhero and can take them all. He earned an early bedtime one night last week. I told him he could choose bedtime stories. Ty NEVER wants me to read to him. He prefers to make up his own stories; however, at his early bedtime, he was suddenly interested in six stories and the bible. Ahem. Well played, son. How on earth was I supposed to refuse to read the bible?

I may be running out of indoor entertainment. Spring needs to arrive. Soon.

Kate is wiped out. Practicing for state testing is the sole focus of school these days. I wish Indiana had an opt-out policy. This will all wrap up in time for a much deserved spring break later this month. She's still taking gymnastics and art classes through a local community center. Both are excellent outlets for her.

Kate found this chunk of ice on the trampoline this weekend. Rumor has it she'll have another ice seeking opportunity again tomorrow.

Makenna is in the throws of another theater production. She is attending school from 7am -3pm and then going to tech from 5pm-11pm daily. Her weekends have been consumed by it as well. They will have seven performances of Mary Poppins over the course of the next two weekends. We are looking forward to the end. It's a lot of running, lack of sleep, poor diet and high stress program. Mom is not impressed.

Sometimes we just need a sleep over on Mom's floor

Lauren is finally on her extended campus plan for school which means she only attends classes for a few hours each week. She has entered the management training program with McDonald's and made some decisions about her future career path. We met with a substance abuse counselor last weekend to discuss possible positions serving that community. Lauren's personality will likely be better suited within the criminal justice system rather than social work. She and I are touring a college offering both criminal justice and substance abuse programs later this month. She is pretty excited and looking back, it's easy to see how this could be her calling in life.

Erin wrapped up her internship last week and started as a full time employee with Aspen Dental this week. She loves her job, co-workers and not smelling like Subway at the end of the day. We are thrilled to see a little more of her since she is no longer balancing both jobs and school. Her official graduation is in May but she has finished the program with a 4.0. She is proud of her accomplishments and looking to move out on her own soon.

Brutus had a check up in early February. The vet is pleased with our old boy. I decided to put him on a grain free diet a few months ago and believe it's helping.  He looks great. His energy has increased and he's navigating the stairs again. He has little bursts of puppy like behavior and we love every minute of it.

Oliver is rotten. Completely rotten. I woke up this morning before my alarm and surprised the cat who had climbed into the cabinet, ripped open the Doritos and indulged in a snack. I never used child locks for my kids but may need them for Oliver. In typical Greg humor, he asks what else can be cut off the cat to calm him down because neutering him clearly didn't work.