My Blonde Squirrel

Yesterday, some friends from Brazil were at my mom and dad's house. As they came inside, Mr. FH mentioned me having a little blonde squirrel for a son but I did not think anything about it. Laura Beth came inside telling her daddy he just had to come and look at what Carter did. He went. Then Damon came in and told me I had to come and look at what Carter did. So I went and this is what I saw. I found Laura Beth, but could not find Carter anywhere . . . .

you have to look a little higher . . . . 30+ feet higher to be correct . . .
and there he was! Close to 10 feet from the TOP of the big magnolia tree in my parents' yard.

He was so proud of himself and I was proud of myself for not passing out! I asked him how he was going to get down (without breaking any bones in his body or requiring any of us to come there and get him!). He said with such confidence only a 6 year old can have -

"Easy, Mom, just watch!"

Then he proceeded to shimmy down the tree without one problem!

Oh my . . .

Thankfully, when LB climbed the tree she only went about 10 feet in the air - of which I was much more comfortable with and BOTH were praised for their efforts!

BTW - of course I did not have my camera to capture this event. Thankfully, one of the visitors from Brazil had his camera and captured this moment for me!

Giving for All It's Worth

Finally, after two years of "talking" over the blogging world and facebook, I was able to meet Melissa Lester today! She came to our annual Ladies' Day to speak on the subject of "Giving for All It's Worth." I was so glad to finally meet this sweet lady. Everything I had ever imagined about her was so true! She has such a sweet spirit and was so gracious! I hate we did not have more time and can't wait until our paths cross again. I hope to have some of her thoughts up for you later this week. Thank you, Melissa, for your wonderful example to all of us and for sharing God's word. You are who I would love to be when I "grow up in the Lord!"

City Girl Gone Country

Laura Beth loves being outside but has never been camping - rough camping. However, she had her first experience with the Maples family last weekend. I was worried about my girl but she had a blast! I am so glad she had a good time and has good friends to teach her new things that her momma probably won't!

The Magic of the Magic House!

With a bit of magic we ended a wonderful trip with a stop at the Magic House. This is a must do anytime you go to St. Louis!!! It does cost but there are plenty of BOGO tickets out there! We could have spent all day there. There was so much to see and lots and lots to do! Words do not even begin to express how great this place was! We ate lunch at the cutest little café – The Picnic Basket Café and then we were able to experience one of our favorite children’s book characters while we were there. The Curious George traveling exhibit was there at the time and we ran into the curious little monkey more than once while we were there. This is the best way to END any trip to St. Louis. We can’t wait to go back!

Doormen Lilly and Laura Beth welcome you to the Curious George exhibit

Tucker and Carter dig into the sand
Evan and Laura Beth with our friend, Curious George

Carter and Tucker with Curious George

These two climbed this 4 story beanstalk about 20 times!

President Laura Beth answers phone calls from the Oval Office

Tyler Hughes would be so proud of Carter living at the fishing hole

Judge Carter is ready to hear your case!

Laura Beth and the "static ball"

I would recommend this place to ANYONE! It was worth the trip!

Day Two: The Zoo

Day Two began with a cold trip to the zoo. The weather was not what had been projected on Sunday night but we stuck it out for a little while and then a little while longer once we found the primate house and the reptile house. This is a wonderful zoo with so much to offer! We spent the morning but could have spent all day. Maybe next time the weather will cooperate a little bit more!

Lilly gets a kiss through the glass from an iguana while we kept warm in the reptile house! Don't worry - it's not real! A group picture - these kids were the best! Hello! from one side of the iguana cage to the other! "Hip Hip Hip Hippopotamus!" - yes we sang the song as we were up close to the hippo!

A Walk to the Arch - During Rush Hour!

Once we got settled into our room (or dumped everything in it), we loaded up the stroller and headed to the Arch. Lily (Melissa’s 2 year-old) was so sweet. Once we got close to it, she got out of the stroller and ran to her “rainbow.” The kids were amazed and loved looking around outside.

Inside we took a look at the history surrounding this area. Had to have a picture with the longhorn for Daddy - Hook 'Em Horns!!!!
We were also privileged to see a special exhibit showcasing baseball in the area. We all loved seeing the special Cardinal history, practicing our curve ball, sitting in seats from the first ball park and seeing the best of the Cardinal past and present come together.

Second Stop - Our Hotel!

We finally decided to stay at the Hilton at the Ballpark because it was close to things we wanted to do downtown and we felt very safe since we were there by ourselves with 5 kids. The hotel was amazing and the people were great help to all of us. We all loved the views from our room

and our hotel lobby . . . . .

We hope to be able to stay there again sometime! Thanks for the hospitality, Hilton! Thanks for the deal, Hot Wire!

A Stop at the Stadium

We pulled into St. Louis Monday afternoon and as we were trying to find our hotel’s parking, we saw that a tour of the Cardinals stadium was about to begin. You did not have to tell us twice, we drove around the block again (once or twice) to park and into the stadium we went. All the kids were so excited and so thrilled to be there.

Carter and Tucker enjoyed comparing this stadium to where they play fall ball. It is a bit different!

We really enjoyed our tour of the beautiful stadium! Wonder if we will see someone we know play there one day?

A Great Idea - BLOWN UP!!!!

Two weeks ago today, my friend, Melissa, and I were sitting at playgroup and began talking about fall break coming up. Some of our friends were going to the beach or on a cruise or to visit family. Neither one of us were doing anything. We wanted our kids (ages 8, 7, 6, 5, and 2) to really have a fun time during this week off of school. We began planning day trips for places around Henderson and had a good list ready to go. Then we started talking money (we are both pretty frugal gals!) and plans changed a little more. Jokingly, Melissa looked at me and said, “Let’s just get up one morning and go to St. Louis for the day!” I looked at her and said, “I am up for it if you are!” We had planned on taking our amazing husbands with us but, as the trip grew closer, the guys had to back out because of work. So we continued on with plans for our trip. We did not tell the kids we were going anywhere until Sunday before we left. We left clues throughout the day:

We are going to spend part of fall break with 3 of your friends and their mom.
We are going to spend the night with them and you will need to pack your swimming suits.
We are headed to the Show Me State.
We are headed to the city where ice cream and Kindergarten were born.
You will get to pretend to be the president and may see the Man with the Yellow Hat.
One of our national landmarks will be seen high in the sky.
Carter will want to wear his Cardinals shirt and hat.
Pack your bags; we are going to St. Louis tomorrow morning!

They were so excited and off we went for 2 days full of friends, family, fun and memories to last us a lifetime!

Only in Chester County . . . .

One of my favorite weekends of the year has come and gone in Chester County – the BBQ Festival! I love smelling the amazing food come Thursday afternoon. I love seeing all the tents go up and this year part of main street being closed to house more vendors and people. I love going downtown with the family to eat the amazing BBQ sandwiches, ribs, chickens, deep fried Oreos, deep fried Twinkies, etc. I love seeing the kids interact with friends. I love being part of a small town. This year we were not able to do as much between soccer and baseball but we did go down to participate in all the things we love about our small town. If you are in town next year around the first of October, come on down and enjoy yourself with some of our favorite things!

One Year Later and We Still Can't Make It

Well, it is Carter’s favorite time of year again – baseball playoffs. If you remember last year, he tried so hard to make it through the World Series. This year, he has had such a hard time (granted, he is in school all day, every day – unlike last year) already. He was caught asleep during the last Braves’ game as well as one of the Cardinals’ game. He has really enjoyed the playoff season this year despite the fact some of his teams are out of the playoffs. He is quick to tell you that now he is rooting for the Yankees (despite our wishes) and the Phillies. We shall see what the outcome will be and if the boy can stay awake for a whole game!

Aren't they so sweet when they are asleep?