Quality time with the cousins

The girls got to spend sometime with their cousins Nick, Courtney, and Abby on the night before Thanksgiving. Courtney has become a wonderful babysitter and all the kids were a big help in getting our little ones to bed.

On the road again . . .

We thought that we would try something a little different for our trip home from St. Louis this Christmas - we took the train! What a treat it turned out to be. Coach fare is fifty dollars for the three of us (one way). We upgraded for another forty-five and as you can see it was well worth it. The girls were comfy and cozy for the five and a half hour trip home. I wish I would have tried this when they were infants - so much better than traveling by air if time isn't a factor.

Feel the Joy

Notice the excitement and anticipation on Kate's face as she awaits her portion of the turkey dinner. Mary and Lily, as first-born, have been properly trained in the "you must smile when the camera comes out" protocol. I guess we missed that lesson with Kate.

Happy ThanksLIVING!

We went to St. Louis to celebrate Turkey Day with Grandma & Grandpa Meyer. As things turned out, we were lucky enough to be joined by my sister Kathleen, her husband Carl, their little angel Lily, and Great Grandpa Salvatore (Sam). Great Grandpa was born March 22, 1922, exercises every day, and still enjoys all night poker games. We are so happy that our girls know and love their Great Grandpa Sam. We even got to visit for a short time with Aunt Kathy (my mom's sister & one of the funniest people I have ever known) and Uncle Ron (an equally wonderful and kind relative). We had a wonderful time and decided that traveling is getting much easier as the girls get older.

The Joys of Potty Training

Winter Kisses

These moments are very, very important to capture since there are some days when the hugs and kisses are vastly outnumbered by the hits and kicks. This is when being a parent melts your heart and all of the sleepless night seem well worth it.

Bedtime

One of my favorite pictures from my childhood is of my brother, Jeff, and me jumping on the bed while my dad is tickling us. This moment with the girls reminded me of that picture. As you can see they are in no mood to settle down and "hit the hay".

Happy Birthday cousin Lillian!

Lily celebrated her third birthday with a party for family and friends at her home. Lily's mommy outdid herself by creating this masterful carousel cake from scratch. My sister, Kathleen, is well-known for her creativity and talent but I have to say she outdid herself with this cake and her carnival themed extravaganza.

Noah's Ark Invades New Town

The kids love visiting the animals on display near Grandma & Grandpa Meyer's home in New Town. The amazing coincidence regarding these animals is that they are from the old Noah's Ark hotel (in St. Charles, MO) where our family spent many summer vacations when we were children. I have many fond memories of exploring the Ark, swimming in the pool, and eating their clam chowder. On a side note - this is especially wonderful for Kate who has always had a deep affection for elephants. She insists that any and all elephants be called "Katiebugs elephants". Perhaps she was an elephant trainer in one of her past lives?!

Hanging out in New Town

We spent this beautiful Fall weekend (Nov. 1st & 2nd) in St. Charles visiting family and celebrating cousin Lily's 3rd birthday. This park is just one of the many attractions that my parents community has to offer.

The Three Musketeers

Our hippy girl

Mary's new hiding place - - hhhmmm?

Mary is in a constant state of turmoil about sharing her toys with her little sister Katiebug. She knows that she is supposed to share but she constantly justifies to herself (and us) why each particular toy is an exception to the rule. In her effort to keep Kate from the toys Mary finds new and exciting places to "hide" her precious items from her sister. Recently, I noticed a "bulge" in the back of Mary's underpants. Wondering what it could possibly be since she has been potty trained for two years - Mary showed me her latest place to "hide" the goods from Kate. Should I be worried? Hhhmmm . . . I wonder?

Camping Fun

We spent this beautiful fall Saturday putting up a tent in the backyard. As Dad says - it doesn't get any better than this. It will be interesting to see how long they last sleeping in it tonight - and it is calling for rain!

Gotta dance!

Dance class started for Mary today - it took her a while to warm up but eventually had a great time. Our biggest problem is keeping Kate out of the dance circle because once she hears music she can't help but join in. We are counting the days until she can join unfortunately that is not until she turns three.

Enjoying a beautiful sunny day

A Day at the Dairy Farm

Cousin Abby

Sweet Moments

Words cannot express how grateful our family is to June, Jerry, and Luckyboy. They have all been staying with us in St. Joe since Tim's surgery and just left last Friday to go home to Colorado. It is no small act of kindness to ask someone (even your parents) to move in and help you recover from surgery but then to also get help cooking, cleaning, and chauffeuring everyone around is more than we could have hoped for. There are so things they did that we are thankful for but the one that Mommy appreciates the most (other than helping Tim of course) - is that June potty trained Katiebug while she was here. I never anticipated taking on that monumental task while Tim was recuperating but June was undaunted. There were moments that I wanted to throw in the towel but she would not give up. She knew that getting beyond diapers is what would help us the most and she was right. Life is so nice! Not that we don't have our occasional accidents but we aren't looking back. The most unexpected event of their visit was how close Mary and Kate got to Grambug and Jerrbear. The trips to the museum, the picnics, the moments "singing in the rain", the rides in the van to get ice cream in the evening, the trip to the dairy farm, the list goes on and on. These are moments that they still talk about incessantly and will impact them always. Just more amazing reminders of how truly blessed we are.

Sweet Dreams

Lily and Katie drift off to sleep after a long night playing at Grandma's house.

Erinn and Mary

Mary's best friend is Erinn. She lives three doors down and is one month younger than Mary. They are great pals and have matching big girl bikes.

All grown up

Our little Mary is looking so much older - it is hard to believe four years has gone so quickly. She gets more beautiful every day especially when her hair is pulled back.

SURPRISE!

One of the girls favorite things to do is hide in this oriental cabinet from Great Grandma Alice. You never know when one of them will jump out when you least expect it.

Our loyal friend

Lucky Dog keeps a watchful eye on the girls from the front porch.

Papa Jerr with Mary Mackenzie

Mary shows Papa Jerr her new baby Belle from Julia and the boys.

Mad about Miguel