summer '09 in review (part 1)

Here we are at the Children's Museum at the Gateway. Henry asks to go every time we stop at the mall. We finally made it back in July for Hillary's birthday. She brought her friend Morgan and they disappeared quickly to explore the big kid stuff without me. Henry still digs hanging out with me, so I sat and watched him strengthen the right side of his brain. It was glorious. Phrases in the voice of my college child development professor played over in my head.

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Boys will make friends whenever pulley-thingies and large blocks are handy.The "contraption-thingy"
"I am learning cause and effect through play."

"I can make choices for myself, whereby developing autonomy."

cuteness to the fourth power

"I can take risks."

"Large, immovable, plastic horses are not as fun as the 25 cent horse at Wal-Mart."

Five year-olds never wake up wondering if they'll get to sit in a real, live helicopter. It just suddenly happens to them. The look of joy on their face is the real deal.


We ended the day at Iggys, Hillary's favorite place for eats.
Hillary is the only kid I know who goes "strictly vanilla."
Aw, summer. You come and go so quickly. Thanks for the good times!

summer in review (part 2)

Here is my cute family. We like to do wild and crazy things like going to rodeos and such.

We are rodeo wannabes. We do not own giant belt-buckles and wrangler jeans. We are from the burbs. (Ok, my sister, from another mother in the corner is rockin the cowgirl hat, because she can, but that is as good as it gets.) We think bull-riding is highly dangerous, and riding bucking broncos, well that is insane behavior, but we likey to watch it.

Little Henry has never seen men fall from the sky. I must say that the pregame show to a rodeo is full of excitement. Mother will find access to under the bleachers when said mother accidentally drops small, white, plush puppy into the the deep, dark unknown below.

Cousins make cousins do the silliest stuff.

The post-game show proved even more surprises. Could you imagine, motorcycle jumping? See the ramp-thingy, and the Dodge truck. Another ramp-thingy is out of view. The little blur above the tailgate is a dude on a bike! There were three kids doing crazy stunts their mothers wouldn't approve of like flying over the truck - even doing back flips and handstands in midair!

I am pretty sure that we all screamed like little girls, and the cowboy community might have wanted to bounce us out of there, but what a good time it was!

Thank you Tony and Connie for inviting us to the rodeo. Thank you Gram and Gramps for treating us. We loved it!