Checking It Off the List

    Look where we ended up over Christmas break! As break was winding down, we found ourselves downtown meeting friends and on the way back thought it would be fun to "check" out a VERY cool place that calls St. Louis home.  The International Chess Hall of Fame & Museum!  Yes, we are posing next to the World's Largest Chess Piece! Up and down the street, chess tables are sitting out on the sidewalks - all available on the frigid day we visited! 
   The museum has more photography exhibits than anything but something that may be the wave of the future for museums - big touch screens that are at least four to five feet tall that scroll endless chess facts and photos for visitors.

We hope to return when the weather warms up so we can sit outside at one of the tables and play a game! Evan and Brooke both know how to play and Abby still needs to learn, so we will work on teaching her in the meantime.

Celebrating at Gram's House

Christmas this year has been a whirlwind with a lot of traveling, but we are having a lot of fun seeing everyone.
Lots of fun things are planned in Kansas City and the kids love every second they get to spend with their cousins!

It is always amazing when we walk in the door and see how much everyone has grown since the last time we have seen them and we know when we give that last hug that it will be too long until we see them again.  But for now, it is one of the biggest Christmas gifts to get to spend time with these precious cousins!

Chef Tim Saves the Day

Ahh, the second grade turkey project!  The idea is for the kids to think up how their turkey would avoid becoming turkey dinner and write their story, decorate the turkey and then these hang in the hall at school before Thanksgiving.

Chef Tim is what Brooke came up with for her story - her turkey dressed up as a chef and ends up ordering pizza for everyone. Ordering pizza would definitely be a whole lot easier for Thanksgiving, but this year we are going to do something out of the ordinary for our meal and make a homemade Chinese dinner - can't wait!!!

Halloween 2018

Pictured: Brush with Death, Scuba Girl, Cereal Killer

These three got about as many compliments on their costumes as they did candy this year - and they got a LOT of candy! That was pretty cool since these were actually cheap and easy costumes to throw together.  The cereal killer enjoyed getting to eat the cereal to prep for Halloween, the scuba diver was excited about the purchase of new workout pants and the scuba gear to use in the future, and the Brush with Death loved the inflatable and can't wait to bring it to the pool!

As they have done in a few years past, they went up to Trunk or Treat at school and saw a lot of friends one night and trick or treated in the neighborhood on Halloween - the weather was great for both nights!

Birthday Girl

Can it be? Our little girl is 11 already? It does not seem possible.  We love this smart and beautiful daughter of ours more than words can say.

School is in Session!

 We are NEVER ready for summer to end! This year meant heading up to school early for Abby and walking the halls to see where all of her classes would be, find her new locker and learn how to use the lock. Middle school brings a lot of changes...she will dress for p.e., have block scheduling, have orchestra every day, and have encore classes that switch every quarter.  She is really looking forward to not having assigned tables in the lunchroom and being able to walk and talk with friends in the hallways between class periods.

Evan will be the big man on campus at grade school. Fifth grade is always a fun year and it seems to go by quickly with all of the different activities they plan for fifth grade.

Brooke has a teacher that is new to the school this year so it will be fun getting to know her.  She loves school and can't wait for math class!

Mother's Day with the Lincolns

This year on Mother's Day, we decided to take a day trip up to Springfield to see the Abraham Lincoln Presidential library and museum.  We recommend the visit to any history buff or fan of Honest Abe and had a fun time seeing the sites.

"I lost my toof!"

Another sign that she just keeps growing! Brooke lost her first tooth.  Yes, many kids have lost half a dozen by the time they are her age, but these kids seem to keep their teeth longer than average children.

This tooth was wiggling around for quite a while and Mom was pretty worried she would end up swallowing it.

And the other thing this photo points out is that she definitely needs to go in for a trim!

Circus Flora Tickets - Yes Please!

 Don't you love winning things? Thanks to the local radio station, we were able to go to Circus Flora for free!  Everyone loved "The Case of the Missing Bellhop," and I was surprised there were not more people there - it was family friendly and very affordable.  I definitely recommend it to anyone!  You can see that Abby was a little frightened that the tightrope walkers were going to fall - she could barely stand it.
 Next summer we plan to go again and are hoping to get some family or friends to go along with us - it is such a great show we want others to experience this show!