At the lake

Alex and Reed spent a few days at the lake with Grandma and Pops this week, and we joined them for the weekend. We've been so busy this summer that this is the first time we've gotten out on the boat all summer long. The boys both took their first rides on on the "tube" too...and LOVED it!

Alex and I riding the waves - he didn't hesitate at all and just jumped right in!

Reed was unsure at first, but after Alex did it, he was ready to go.

When did this kid get so big??

 I also secretly grabbed a few photos of them "hunting" rabbits in the yard. Boys sure do love toy guns!

Zoo camp

The boys have had an amazing time at zoo camp this week! They have petted snakes, fed goats and learned a lot.

Yesterday, we decided to spend some time after camp enjoying the zoo. They cooled off in the fountains, fed the birds and the giraffe, and ate ice cream. It was hot, hot, hot, but fun!

 

Helping out

Today we did a fun family service project. We helped clean out a flowerbed and mulch at another church. The boys did great, and we treated ourselves to sno-cones afterward!

Our summer week

Since the beginning of this crazy busy summer, I've been dying to spend some time at home doing nothing with the boys. We finally got our chance last week, and it was great!

It was kind of rainy, but cool, so we did lots of indoor activities - donuts, a couple craft projects homemade ice cream and board games. We managed a few outdoor activities like the playground, baseball at St. Louis and swimming.

We had a awesome time (at least I did) and I loved every minute of it! These boys are a blast.

Diving board

I remember jumping off this diving board when I was a kid! Alex and Reed spent a few days this week with Moz and Gramps and did a little swimming. Alex jumped off the diving board like a champ!

St. Louis part 2

After a restful day on Sunday, we were up bright and early for the City Museum on Monday. I can not even begin to describe this place. It was like crawling through the imagination of a little boy. Literally. There was a bus hanging off a building, suspended airplanes, giant ball pits, dark caves, magic treehouses, a 10-story slide and so much more. We spent all morning there and the boys LOVED it. Seriously, probably one of their favorite things ever. Brian and I have almost recovered from the heart attack they gave us doing all of this crazy stuff.

Monday night we headed to the boys first major league baseball game - the St. Louis Cardinals! They are already huge fans and they loved seeing all the players and the huge stadium. We had a blast and will definitely be back for more games.

After such a fun trip, it was hard to head home. But we took our time on the drive and even stopped to see the New Madrid fault line. Pretty exciting : )

St. Louis vacation

You can pretty much bet it's going to be an awesome trip when it starts off with a doughnut bigger than Reed's head. And our trip to St. Louis just kept getting better and better! After a stop in Perryville for the giant doughnut, we finished the trip to St. Louis and stopped for the brewery tour. The boys loved the Clydesdales, and after a seven block walk in 105 degree weather, Brian and I loved the free beer.

 



















On Sunday morning, we got up bright and early to go see the arch. After a lot of waiting and crowds, we finally got to the top. The boys loved the tram ride up and a view from the top.

We were worn out from the arch experience, so we had a laid back afternoon and dessert before dinner at Ted Drewes. Yum... After dessert, we pulled into the hotel parking lot to find the Weinermobile!! The boys thought it was funny (mostly because of the word weiner), and Brian and I were super excited. The next night there were two in the lot - crazy!