First Week of Summer

Monday our mission was to "break" in to my mom and dad's house and confiscate as many pictures as we could for a slideshow for my mom's 60th. On the way we stopped by Longview park to play a little bit and check on the horses. When we got to my mom's house, getting pictures and leaving no evidence wasn't exactly an easy task but we succeeded. Andrew kept asking me if the police were going to come because I told him we were breaking in. Maybe that wasn't the best choice of words. 

Tuesday we had Molly's 18 month check up and I went ahead and scheduled Andrew's 6 year (a few months early) to make my life easier. Andrew was so brave. He had to get 4 shots and a few screenings since he will be going into Kindergarten in the fall. I was so proud of him. Molly only had to get 1 shot and she did not think that was cool but she recovered quickly. Here are their stats:

Andrew:
         Height: 46 in (75%)
         Weight: 46 lbs (60%)

Molly:
         Height: 33 in (80%)
         Weight: 22.8 lbs (25%)
         Head: 45.6 cm (25%)

Wednesday (aka "The Horrible Terrible No Good Very Bad Day") Matthew had his first of two dentist appointments to fill cavities (bad genes thanks to me). We gave him the choice and he chose for Drew to take him. I entertained Andrew and Molly for an hour while they were at the dentist. As I was about to pull in after the appointment I got a call from Drew saying, "where are you, it's not good". I asked what was going on and all he said was GET HERE NOW! I had no idea what was going on but pulled in and saw Matthew in Drew's car screaming and Drew looking like he had been hit by a truck. I jumped out and grabbed Matthew and just held him, trying to calm him down. Poor guy had such a numb mouth and was just drooling everywhere. We decided to try and get him to eat some ice cream to see if that would help. Drew was still very frazzled so once he saw I had things under control he went back to work. I later found out that it was Drew's worst experience as a parent. He had to physically hold Matthew down for an entire hour while the dentist drilled and Matthew screamed the entire time. Drew said the dentist made it seem like this was not unusual and not torture. We were both so upset by the trauma Matthew had been through. We knew this was not the time to discuss other options or the situation in detail because it was still very upsetting to Drew but we knew we would make different arrangements for his next visit.

Molly comforting her brother. She's such a momma.

After the trauma of the morning the tornado sirens went off right at nap time. We spent the next 2 hours in our basement. Matthew was still in pain but he was content playing with his new play doh toy for his "bravery" reward. I may or may not have grabbed an adult beverage as the sirens sounded.

Thursday I was looking forward to a day to chill and do nothing. Matthew woke up that morning still in pain and refused to even open his mouth much less eat or drink. After chasing him around the house with Tylenol I decided it would be best to call the dentist and see if this was normal. Of course the answer was no but our dentist conveniently left town for the holiday weekend. They recommended a different pediatric dentist. By the time we got all of this figured out the only time this dentist could see us was in 30 minutes. Well that would have been ok if we were all dressed and ready to go but like I said I thought it was our chill day, we were still in our pjs. I told them we would be there in 30, threw clothes on the kids and jumped in the car. We weren't too late. Once the dentist convinced Matthew to open his mouth she was horrified. His mouth was full of canker sores from all of the equipment that had been in his mouth and the area that was around the crown on his molar was infected. She called in a prescription and was very nice about the whole situation. We stopped by Oberweis for his ice cream lunch and I was able to force the medicine down him. Poor guy!

He literally run to the top of the play set so I wouldn't give him his medicine

Friday we met a group of friends to go Strawberry picking. The weather was perfect and it was the perfect outing after our crazy week. It was very low key and fun. Of course my kids don't like strawberries so they weren't exactly eating them off of the vines but they did think it was a fun activity. Andrew got to reunite with his buddy Timmy (our old neighbor) and Matthew got to see his buddy Bobby and Molly saw her friend Mia. Thanks for lifting our spirits friends!

Josie Turns 2!!!

Friday, May 20 was Josie's second birthday. They invited us to celebrate with them at the zoo for her big day. That morning we decided to make her a special birthday crown to wear around so everyone knew it was her big day. Andrew of course had a say in our first activity so the first thing we did was ride the train. Then we came back to the Rivers Edge stop and headed in to the see the rhinos, elephants and other animals. Then we grabbed some lunch and refueled before riding on the carousel and checking out the birds, giraffes, zebras and big cats. John joined us on his lunch break and Josie was so excited to see her dad. Of course everyone started to melt down at the furthest point from the car but we made it back all in one piece.

I knew everyone would fall asleep on the way home since we don't live very close so I wasn't worried about leaving in time to make it home for naps. Everyone did fall asleep and the younger 2 transferred which worked out perfectly. Our plan was to set up for our neighborhood garage sale that evening but after a busy day at work for Drew and the zoo for me we decided to bag that idea and give everything to charity.

We did enjoy checking out some of the garage sales around us before Andrew's baseball game on Saturday. We got Molly a barely used Barbie Jeep that we are saving for her 2nd birthday and we got the boys a four wheeler for free but had to buy a battery. Since Molly's birthday isn't until November we decided to try her battery in the four wheeler and it worked perfectly. Oh and we found a pink toddler four wheeler for Molly. Quite a successful day.

Sunday was Josie's animal themed birthday party. We really got into the theme and got her leopard print rain boots and umbrella, wrapped in leopard print paper with animal themed rubber duckies(her favorite) on top. I have to say Christina is quite brave: her house is on the market and has a 2 month old yet she hosted a great party at her house. The cousins had a great time especially with the animal dress up. It was a great weekend.

Last Week of School

The Monday after our trip, Andrew came in our room at a 6 and said, "Look mom, I pulled out my tooth!" His tooth had been loose for a while but I was shocked that he pulled it out. He's growing up!

Tuesday we met John and Christina and some other friends at SLU's last baseball game. There was an umpire issue so the game didn't get started until late AND it was FREEZING for mid May. BUT the kids did not seem to mind. They enjoyed being little monkeys and Andrew enjoyed watching big guys play baseball with his buddy Nick. 

Wednesday was Matthew's last day of school. Molly and I joined him at the end of his school day for some ice cream and songs. He had an amazing first year of school. I was really concerned about him not wanting to go because he's a "momma's boy". But he did great and I think it was because he had great teachers and friends. He is already asking if he is going to have the same teachers next year. Hopefully I'll come up with the perfect answer to get him excited for the 3 year old room before school starts.

Matthew and Samantha

 Wednesday evening Andrew had a make up baseball game. John and Christina had a showing at their house so they decided to come watch while the house was being shown. Andrew was so excited to have new fans AND he was crushing the ball. It was a fun night.

Thursday was Andrew's last day of school. Unfortunately it was a very rainy day and the festivities had to be moved indoors. Even though it was a bit cramped the kids didn't mind because they got ice cream. We were supposed to have a class picnic at the park afterwards but it was cancelled so we grabbed Chick Fil A and had our own indoor picnic. 

First Train Ride and Trip to the Windy City

My cousin John got married a few weeks ago in Chicago. We decided to be adventurous and take the train to Chicago. All the festivities were within walking distance of our hotel so it was the perfect opportunity. We got to the train station in plenty of time and the train was delayed but the kids were so excited they didn't seem to mind too much. And we met a very interesting character to keep the adults entertained.

Once the train arrived the excitement grew because the train was a double decker! The seats were very spacious and everyone seemed to be comfortable in our 4 seats. We took a little walk to the viewing car and snack car to pass time but quickly realized we got very lucky with our placement in the train. There were some more interesting characters. Of course Molly fell asleep with about 5 minutes left of the trip. So it was a little tricky get our massive amount of luggage, a sleeping baby, and the two boys through Union Station to cab but we manage. We're SO city:).

VERY nice cab driver

First cab ride

Fell asleep 5 minutes before we arrived at the hotel, heavy load

Once we got settled, we got all dolled up and headed to the rehearsal dinner at a delicious restaurant. One of my favorite parts was our walk there. Andrew, Kiersten, and Matthew held hands and took in all of the sights and sounds of the city. When we arrived there was a huge window that they loved looking out while the adults enjoyed cocktails and appetizers. The wait staff was extremely kind and made the kids their very own pizza. Once we sat down for dinner the kids were full and tired THEN Matthew fell out of his chair and hit his head on the concrete floor. That was our cue to bolt. Drew (SUPERMAN) carried Matthew and Molly back to the hotel while Andrew and I waited for the stroller. We got the kids in bed and then I headed back to the restaurant to listen to the speeches then headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.

Walk to Rehearsal Dinner

View from Rehearsal Dinner

Friday morning we had breakfast with grandma at the corner bakery and then were literally going to wait for the LEGO store to open. On our way we noticed that the American Girl store was open so we made the boys go in (unwillingly) but Molly ended up with a Bitty Baby. Then we headed to the Lego store and waited outside the doors along with about 20 other people. Everyone had a great time and ended up with some cool stuff. When we walked into the Lego store we were hot and wondering where the cold front everyone was talking about was. THEN we walked outside and it was cold and windy! What a difference an hour can make. Since everyone had been up since 5 we rushed back to our hotel to warm up and take naps. Then it was time to get ready for the big wedding. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. My children were not on their best behavior but hopefully everyone was more focused on the bride and groom.

After the wedding we got the kids set up with a babysitter in our hotel rooms and then headed down to the reception. Everything was beautiful! Drew graciously missed the first course so he could help the sitter get the kids to sleep. Since they were in an unfamiliar environment we felt that would be best for everyone. We had so much fun at the dinner portion of the reception. We were at a table with my cousins and it was just a blast. THEN the music started and the band was UNBELIEVABLE! We danced the night away. Drew and I did not want to leave but we knew it was the smart thing to do when the band took their first break at 11 since the kids would be up at 5 again. We later found out that the bride and groom chose the date of the wedding based on the availability of the band. It was so worth it! The adults without kids danced the night away and then continued the party at a bar near by with bottles of champagne and vodka that were on fire. It sounds like they had a great time.

The bride and groom

Saturday my dad wanted to take the kids to breakfast. We met him at a cute little restaurant next to our hotel. After breakfast we tried walking around a little bit but it was FREEZING. The bride and groom graciously hosted a brunch at a very cool bar in the city. It was delicious and so fun to hear everyones stories from the night before. Drew headed back to the hotel with the little 2 to nap while I went with Andrew, Pete's family, and my mom to the Shed Aquarium. We weren't the only ones with that idea, it was a rainy cold day in Chicago, go figure. After the aquarium we went to my aunt and uncle's house for an after wedding BBQ. We had a great time. My uncle has an amazing fish tank in his office, his pride and joy, that the kids loved. The food and company were once again great. Oh and we took a taxi to and from their house which the kids were so excited about.

Waiting for a taxi after the Aquarium

Molly and Matthew got to enjoy an aquarium too

Then it was time to load up and head home. We made it to Union Station on time. We didn't have a double decker train for the ride home. It wasn't exactly the luxury we traveled in on the way there but we survived. There was an extremely interesting character sitting behind us on the way home. I'm thinking he walked from the bars to the train station. Luckily after yelling some obscenities and yelling, "I NEED A FOOT" he passed out...not kidding. We were happy to arrive home but sad the fun weekend was over.

Raise your hand if you partied like a Rock Star