Random

Winnie has a thing for Andy's drawer that he keeps all of his socks and undershirts in. When he gets home from work, she'll go get him a pair of socks to change into from his dress black ones. I always catch her in their, digging around. Such a random place to like, I know. She's never even shown an interest in my drawer with colorful scarves and socks.

I am trying to get better at not always knowing what she's doing...you know, leaving her up to her own devices more. She doesn't need me following her around, cramping her creativity. Enter this outfit. She stripped herself of her clothes and replaced them with Andy's socks and shirt. Hilarious!

Early Easter Celebrations

We took the kiddos to the Missouri Botanical Gardens yesterday for their Easter "Eggstravaganza." We had the best time! I was worried that the idea of hunting for Easter eggs was too mysterious and random for Winnie to appreciate, so Friday night, we practiced at our house. It would be putting it VERY lightly to say that Winnie enjoys egg hunting. She will hide them in the living room and then find them and put them in her basket. Over and over and over. Anyways, we were a little overwhelmed by the large number of people at the Botanical Gardens, but it was really a special time. Winnie was so excited to meet the Easter Bunny, but freaked out when I tried to get her to take a picture with him. Reminded me of THIS. Another holiday with a photo just Rush with that holiday's mascot:) Winnie found her allotted 10 eggs and then we tried to meet the Easter Bunny. Her favorite part of the morning was the cookies and juice box they gave her afterwards. Thanks, Googie and Pawpaw, for the beautiful baskets...we love them! I think Easter might be one of my favorite holidays as a Mommy!

The Magic House

Here are some shots from our morning at the Magic House with the Reinbergs. Winnie and Albert had a great time. Any time W couldn't find Al, she would wander around yelling his name. Aaron and I were just chasing those two around the whole time, so I think it may have been a good workout. And I forgot my camera, so they aren't the best photos...taken on my iPhone.

Rush and Winnie in the mirrors. She had a great time counting her reflections. "So many Winnies!" she would exclaim.

Fun with the sprayers. (This is a great shot of W's "cheese!" face. How about a smile?!

Even Rush got in on the water fun!

These two could not be any cuter.

They also have their moments. But, hey, sometimes I wish I could kick Andy. Love is a mixed-bag of emotions.

Rush all cool with the big kids at a light table.

And here, the only way to get Winnie to leave. Finding the piano that makes bubbles. It's right next to an exit.

When she woke up from her nap today, she asked, "Go make bubbles with Albert?"

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So Proud

Grace Anne, my lovely and TALENTED niece was featured in an art show in Branson. Her piece was one of 25 chosen out of the 4200+ students in the K-12 school district. I love it, Grace! I am always proud of all my nieces and nephews, just because they are all so amazing.

FIngerpainting

Strides

Rush has been eating better lately! It's amazing how excited you get about things that aren't a big deal just because they are such a big deal. (That sentence makes perfect sense in my head) He ate a full serving of carrots last night and some peach rice pudding today for lunch. I'm also trying to stop nursing and switch to formula bottles--this is a process that takes a while. Him eating solids would help tremendously. I think this eating surge is thanks, in part, to Sprout Organic Baby Food. It's amazing...so close to the homemade food that I just don't have the time/energy to do for a second child (sorry, Rush). But it's delicious and the company's co-founder and executive chef is Tyler Florence. I love his show! Anyways, just another company I'm super excited about and had to share. Here's a photo of what a lot of meal times look like now....Winifred on my lap, cheering Rush on (really, repeatedly asking me for bites of his baby food). She is very fun--when he takes a bite, she'll raise her arms and shout, "Hooray! He did it! Rush open his mouth!" I hope she is learning great lessons in how to always cheer on her brother.

Together

Bye-Bye Binkie

We made the tough decision last night to get rid of Winifred's binkie. Her binkie has been her sleeping companion since she burst forth from my womb, so they've had a long and faithful relationship. I snipped the end of the nipple off with scissors, then gave it to her. She looked at it for a while, and said "Binkie's broken." I asked her if she wanted to throw it away, and she said that she did. We went to the kitchen, she threw it away and said, "Bye Bye Binkie." We went back to her bedroom, and I was thinking, "Wow, this is easy!" Not so much. She cried and cried and cried...it was so sweet, we could hear her saying, "Binkie's broken. I threw it in the trash can. Binkie's all gone" for about and hour and a half. Then she fell asleep. You might be thinking that I sound like a monster, so in my defense:

1. She is almost 2. It's time.

2. She bites down on it so hard that she punctures it, and saliva seeps into it. Breeding ground for disgusting-ness and germs and bacteria.

3. She throws it out of her crib, or drops it down between the wall and her crib. Andy and I have to constantly go in there and get it for her. She knows that it's her one thing that will force us back there if she's not wanting to go to sleep. "Mommy! Binkie go? Down there!" is something I'd rather not hear anymore.

4. She has a blankie, so that's her comfort now.

5. These aren't your standard "grab one at Target" binkies. Any time it had to be replaced, we had to drive to Cotton Babies or order one online...and they aren't cheap.

So, Winnie's learning to pull herself up by her bootstraps a bit this week. I'll be honest--I'll kinda miss the binkie. It's great timing, because I'm also trying to get Rush to put himself to sleep better on his own and sleep through the night. Wish us luck!

Love This!

"In 1910, the Greater St. Louis Magazine published this imaginative sketch of St. Louis, a dreamlike vision of the city in the year 2010. Immaculate skyscraper-lined streets, efficient public transportation (water, ground, and air), and larger-than-life public monuments all secured St. Louis’s position as the projected “future great city of the world.” Such optimism was typical of Progressive-era civic leaders."

I love St. Louis history and finding this on the Missouri History Museum's online magazine was such a treat for me. The sketch is what an artist imagined St. Louis looking like now. This would have been a view west up Olive Street. If you aren't a current resident of the city, it does not look like this!

The Big 200

Well, we crammed a TON of life into one Saturday and I will try to jam it into this, our 200th post on this blog!

First things, first: tonight is Duke vs. UNC at Cameron Indoor, and I wanted the kids to help send our boys some good vibes so they can finally win at home on senior night. I tried (and failed) to get the kids to sit with me for a photo, so here they each are wearing their Duke tees.


At lunch today, Rush decided that he was ready to finally eat some baby food! Not sure if it was the flavor or the day, but the light went on and he dug into his food, leaning in to grab mouthfuls of banana.

Then a package arrived, and Googie had sent Winnie a Dora backpack, which she has been wanting since falling in love with the show. I tore a page out of our Atlas so she would also have a Map, which is key for the whole look. I hope we never have to go to Virginia in a hurry without Winnie and her gear.

Bed Sliding

We have this great bed with these drawers underneath. If I leave one open just a tiny bit, Winifred can use it as a step to get onto the bed. Then she slides down--minutes of entertainment. Once, Rush was near her landing spot, and I told her to watch out for the baby. SO, now every time she is ready to slide down, she yells, "Watch out for babies!" about 5 times. Every time. It is one of those things that just scrapes at my brain. It reminds me of my Kanakuk days at the pool. Any time someone was getting ready to cross the pool on the rings, people had to move out from under the rings, so the lifeguard would yell, "Clear the rings! Clear the rings! Clear the rings!" Drove me nuts. Moving on...here, she clearly exhibits that she does not understand what it means to indeed, watch out for babies!
Also, Rush has RSV. So, we are having to give him breathing treatments with a nebulizer every four hours. He is so good and just sits there with that mask over his face, usually smiling. And, he has a double ear infection. Besides just having what we thought was a cold, this guy hasn't been that crabby. He even got three new teeth without any fussing. What a trooper! That being said, he is highly contagious, so we are under a modified "house arrest" for the next 4-6 weeks. Looks like we have some more bed sliding in our future!