What I'm Reading

John Rosemond's 'Making the Terrible Twos Teriffic." Practical advice for novice parents!
Dr. Karp's unorthodox philosophy about speaking Toddler-ese to toddlers. Interesting.
Classic late 90s Greg Isles which I have been meaning to read!
Leil Lowndes's little book is a quick read and very practical.

Kirkwood Fire House

We've spent two nights strolling downtown Kirkwood Missouri and the fire house has a great little tool - a remote controlled vehicle with a microphone - for relating to kids. It's Sparky the Fire Dog. Courtney was enthralled. My hat is off to Kirkwood for promoting such a family atmosphere. You can walk from snow cone stand to tamale house to sit-down restaurant to ice cream stand while watching the Amtrak train go by.

Trip to St. Louis

Courtney really loved spending time with Aunt and Jen and Uncle Breck, but she adored their dogs Elvis and Kramer. She woke up in the morning asking for those crazy dogs!

St. Louis Zoo

Today was zoo morning as we got up early and took Courtney to the zoo. Aunt Jen's mother Mrs. N. joined us. Above is Breck, Mama Lyn, Mrs. N. and Jen with Courtney. The zoo is FREE there. You do have to pay $11 per car to park but admission is free. That explained the huge crowd there which was arriving just as we were leaving during the lunch hour. We were so glad we went early. It's a remarkable zoo and my favorite thing was the penguin exhibit.
Close encounter with a giraffe.

It was actually about 82 degrees if you can believe that. That is why we all wore shorts but I dressed Courtney in pants and a long sleeved t-shirt. I know, when Mom's cold you have to wear a jacket, but she was comfortable!

Going OUt for Ice Cream

Poor sheltered child has never in her life been taken out for ice cream. She has had it at her birthday, and maybe at other children's birthdays, but we took her out and got her some vanilla with sprinkles on top! And yes, the sugar did keep her awake a bit longer than was necessary!

The Magic House

Today Mama Lyn, Courtney and I visited The Magic House, St. Louis's museum for children. There were a lot of activities even for kids as young as Kitten. Above is the duck pond with moving water.
Above is the sandbox with moon sand.The aquarium. She asked where Nemo was.
And here she is clearly delighted to be driving a car. Give me about 14 more years to adjust to this image.

Driving to St. Louis

Driving to St. Louis today with Courtney and Mama Lyn, to visit Uncle Breck and Aunt Jen. Guess who behaved like an angel on the trip? She kept herself occupied with books and toys, and we only had to use the DVD player on the last 45 minutes of the 8 hour trip.

At Uncle 'Duck" Dan's House

Independence Day

We went to a great picnic today in connection with my 20th high school reunion, and one of my classmates is married to a great photographer who snapped these photos of Courtney. Link to Oana Hogrefe Photography.