2011 World Series: GO CARDS!!!

Molly decked out as the rally squirrel.  The Cardinals came back this season and ended up being the Wild Card and winning the 2011 World Series.  We spent two weeks staying up late and watching the Playoff and World Series games.  It went to game 7- I watched it over at my parent's house with mom, dad and James.  Ben had an overnight camping weekend so he listened to the game around the campfire with friends- cool memory for him.  I have to thank my mom for raising me to make these sorts of family memories.  We will all remember being part of the 2011 World Series!

Waiting for the metro link to head down to the rally.

The metro link was crazy packed.  Charlie and I went in one car with the boys and were smashed like sardines.  MaeMae and Maura went in the car ahead of us.  It was a beautiful day so all of STL decided to go down to the parade and rally.

We were able to get  six seats but they were paired off in different locations in the stadium.  Ben and I were in Homer's Landing which was fun because we had never sat in that spot before.  It was also near where the players drove into the stadium so Ben got to see the players up close as they rode in.  And I'm pretty sure Albert Pujols made eye contact and waved right at him.

Fuzzy but there is the eye contact and wave to Ben :)

We love Yadi!  On Max and my to do list:  get his Yadi ball signed by Yadi!  We were shown where the Cardinals now park- maybe we will go early before a game next year and try to get that signature :)

Charlie ended up taking Max and Maura back to the car before the fireworks started because they were pretty much done with the whole experience.  Apparently, the Metrolink was crazy crowded even then.  They managed to get on and back to our car parked at Wash U.  We planned to ride the Metrolink back but the line was crazy.  It went from down the Metrolink  platform, up the stairs and down the sidewalk.  We decided to walk toward Union Station and they picked us up there without and hassles of traffic.

Trying to get a normal picture of MaeMae and Ben without one of they acting goofy- Ben here with crazy eyes!

It is so fun that Ben is at an age where he can go to things like this and handle the long walks, etc... that go with it.  And his love of baseball is pretty fun too!

GO CARDS!

Monet Exhibit

On Sunday we picked up Pae Pae and went to the St. Louis Art Museum to see the Monet Exhibit.  It was family day so they had activities for the kids.  We first did a little drawing with pastels and then checked out the exhibit.  It was a great exhibit but I always forget what a different experience things like this are when it is a kid event.  I may have to go back when I can appreciate it without interruption.

The Holy Crepes truck was at the Art Museum and they were giving out free crepes for the Monet event.  The line was crazy long but the kids really wanted a crepes.  Pae Pae was able to sway the kids to go for Steak and Shake instead of waiting for the crepes- great idea Pae Pae!  We had shakes, sundaes and cheese fries, yum!  Pae Pae got a full lunch and we were all happy :)  

Easter

We had Easter brunch at our house. I made bistro french toast, potato casserole and my parents brought the ham and fruit salad. That is one of those meals you can just keep eating and eating.
James sat back and enjoyed watching the egg hunt. We decided to do the hunt outside since it had rained for like 40 straight days which meant a muddy mess.


My dad brought all of the change he has collected over the year to give to the kids. I don't think my dad realized how much money was really there. Each one ended up with almost $30 in change! They all put their change in their piggy bank. James and I told the story about how we broke into our piggy bank as kids and ate pizza and other junk for a week until it was gone. We (ok, maybe just I) felt horribly guilty for a long time afterward. I think James thought it was a fabulous way to spend our savings :)



Later that afternoon we went to the Lottes Easter for another hunt. The kids hung out in the basement and watched School of Rock- love that movie! Max is now dying to take keyboard lessons, not piano, but keyboard. We will make that happen this Fall.

We used a new dye this year for our Easter eggs and they turned out bright and beautiful!

School Fine Arts Fair 2011

The Art Fair at CPOP is one of my favorite school events. Their Art teacher is amazing and creates a museum atmosphere in the gym. This year the theme was "Egyptian Art" so each class had a different project. Max created a clay sculpture. Ben's class worked on jewelry. Each student also had a painting framed available for purchase.
Other events that night included music by the students and the middle school play. The play was the highlight for the kids- lots of music and seeing the middle school students perform is so fun for the younger students. Max can hardly wait to be in middle school so he has more of a chance for theater at school.

Irish Cuties

We did our annual St. Patrick's Day lunch at Westport. We went to Pujols again this year and need to remember next year that they have a free breakfast on St. Pats! Lunch was good, the weather was beautiful but windy. MaeMae brought green cupcakes for the kids which we shared at with all the kids in carpool. They thought that was fabulous. More pictures to come once I get the ones MaeMae took.

Can you see it coming? I'm gonna get you...

I gotcha! And then uncontrollable laughter from Maura :)

MaeMae taught Maura how to play tic-tac-toe, well sort of. Maura really liked making the circles and x's but didn't exactly get the whole concept. MaeMae is one fierce tic-tac-toe player!

And a lunch with Uncle James isn't complete without video games!

Test Photos

First loaf of bread using the Master recipe from Artisian Bread in Five Minutes a Day~ love this book! Three people told me about this book- Amy L, Jenny M., and one of my PAT moms. All three told me how fabulous the bread tastes and how easy it is! I was so excited to make my first batch an it really is super easy and delicious. The kids love it and the house smells great when I bake it.







For Christmas my dad bought me the Canon Rebel. I was hoping for money to put towards a new camera that I might buy sometime in the next year. Instead on Christmas I opened a box with a Canon Rebel! I was probably more in shock than anything and maybe didn't act as excited as I should. I knew it was expensive so I felt sort of guilty. I let go of the guilt and decided to enjoy and it has been wonderful. I'm still learning all I can do with the camera but can already tell the quality definitely surpasses a regular point and shoot camera. Maybe I'll save money each year by taking the kid's pictures on my own instead of hiring a photographer. Regardless, I will enjoy having a camera that can take fabulous pictures!



I love that the camera takes pictures so quickly that you can capture moments like this~ nothing like catching MaeMae with the giggles!

MaeMae's Garden

It is the beginning of Fall which means the end of harvesting tomatoes and carrots in Mae Mae's garden. We went out to pick the carrots and found caterpillars all over the carrot leaves. So we left most of them alone. Maura was able to pick a couple of carrots but everyone was more concerned about the life cycle of the caterpillar than eating the carrots. I'm sure we will have a chance to harvest them later this month.