WellsFest

Jackson Zoo w/Helen & Harrison

Belhaven Street Fair

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.

Itsy Bitsy Spider Song

She has recently taken up quite a number of songs, this is one of the songs she likes best.

That's Enough

We happened to capture on video the first time Courtney said "that's enough," and we laughed so now she says it a lot more often. Here it is.

Pensacola Beach Trip

This week we've been lucky enough to get away for a couple of days of R&R in Pensacola Beach. Here's shots of our room at the Hilton and our view.

First Owie

Today Courtney fell on the concrete and got her first skinned knee. She took it well and did not even cry; she just got up and kept going!

Milestone in the House

Todd reached...ahem...a certain age today. This was about as low key as I could get on such an occasion! The neighbors were impressed. Much thanks to stealthy Russell for helping me pull it off!

Destin

In Destin for work. Sweet friend Rebekah has joined me on the trip since Todd was unable to attend. Here with coworkers Eden and Wendy and on the right is Bekah.

Its Hand Foot Mouth Y'all

Todd has stayed home all week from work with our Kitten because she's got Hand Foot Mouth disease, which causes little discomfort but is very contagious. She's got pimply blisters on her feet, buttocks, legs and arms. Here's a couple of shots. She has enjoyed having her dad to herself all week. Apparently adults don't contract HFM because everyone has this disease as a kid and develops immunity. Therefore no adults who have come in contact with her have been affected.

Who Does She Look like? 18-month edition

Top left and bottom right are both Courtney, age 18 months.

Being 18 Months Old Part 2

Here's a cute photo of Todd around 18 months old, too.

Being 18 Months Old

The occasion of Courtney turning 18 months old gives me a good excuse to post one of my favorite photos of me and my mother with our cat, Fluffy. I am 18 months old and my mother would be about 25. I am sure my mother is telling me to be 'soft and sweet' with the kitty because Fluffy obviously is about to bolt because I'm around! Mom, please let everyone know in the comments section if I am right :-)

La-La-La-La, That's Elmo's Song

Courtney likes to sing lots of songs. She sings the Elmo song, the ABC song, Twinkle, Twinkle, and the Wheels on the Bus song. Here's a clip of the Elmo song for you.

Play Date

Today Courtney had a play date with Hadley and Wyn, who live in Jacksonville. Their mommies got to visit, too, and it was great to catch up with Jill! After an hour at the park the girls were completely worn out! The upper photo is Courtney in the playground tunnel with Wyn in the background. Below is Hadley, age 21 mos, with Courtney.

Easter Sunday

Today Courtney learned to do lots of new things. Pop taught her how to dye eggs different colors.
Then Pop hid the eggs and taught Courtney how to find them.
Then she watched Pop and Daddy fly a butterfly kite, which she found delightful!

Easter Dress

Mama Lyn and I took photos today of Courtney in her green Easter dress, since we knew we would not have a lot of time on Easter Sunday for a photo session. She even consented to wear bunny ears.

How to Remove a Childs Toy From a Toilet

Determine that toilet no longer works due to toy being flushed. Try plunging. After determining plunging is not working, continue to plunge in order to drain water from the toilet. Turn off water at the wall.
Unscrew bolts and pop toilet off the floor. Unscrew and remove toilet tank. Attempt to discern where the toy is in the toilet with a plumber's snake. Determine that this plumber's snake is meant for outdoor pipes, not a toilet. Toy still stuck.
Brainstorm other things to use to stick into the toilet to try to shove the toy out. Give up and take toilet into the back yard.
Run garden hose into one end of toilet to see if water will flush toy out. (This is very entertaining for toddlers.)
As a last ditch effort before dragging toilet to the street and buying a new one, get a much smaller pipe snake and thread it through the toilet.
Toy pops out! Give a fist bump. Toddler joins in with a 'yay.'
Start over again!