Flying High!

I had an amazingly fun adventure this week! I went to our corporate office in St. Louis for a meeting. (That isn't the fun part!) Instead of driving back with the people I rode over with, I hitched a ride on our company's helicopter. I got to co-pilot (well, I got to sit in the front with the pilot) and learned about all of the buttons and gadgets. We flew at 1500 feet, so I was able to see everything. It was amazing to see farmland that was still flooded from rains over 3 weeks ago. I live close to the airport, so the pilot flew us over my house! He hovered over the backyard for what seemed like a few minutes so I could call the family to come outside. Sadly, they were at dance class, so they didn't get to see their rockstar mom! (We wore headphones with microphones to talk, so I was totally getting into the rockstar groove!) I can't wait for my next ride in the 'copter!

What has Buddy been up to?

Since our chubby littly Buddy is only 19 months old, his schedule isn't nearly as hectic as his adored older sister. Here are a few of his favorite activities:

• Little Buddy is just like Grandma's old dog who would hear the word "walk" and go ballastic. Buddy's key words are "outside" and "buggy ride". That boy LOVES to play outside!! He and I took a marathon walk around the neighborhood the other night and he truly seemed to enjoy every minute of it. He also goes nuts for the big slide and any type of ball.


• Buddy is addicted to the Wiggles. If I start a Wiggles DVD, I'm guaranteed 30 minutes of him sitting still. Well, he dances (which is precious to see), but he'll at least stay in front of the TV. Anyone who has babysat Buddy knows that this is a big deal. Buddy usually gets into everything!!! Mom has dubbed him "Fastest Hands in the Midwest", which totally describes our active toddler.


• Buddy is getting a large vocabulary. It's so sweet hearing him try to say new words. My favorite word is cream, which he pronounces "keem". With every diaper change comes a request for "keem" from our fat baby. He also refers to horses as "neighs".


• Buddy can be a pill. He's notorious for eating crayons. He will also put small things in his mouth, come show us, like he's taunting us, and then run away. All in all, he's the most precious boy I know and gives the best big bear hugs.

What has Sugie been up to?

Well, our darling Sugie has had quite the busy schedule lately! Here are a few highlights:

• She's been invited to 4 birthday parties in the last month, but was only able to attend 2 of them do to her busy schedule. I have a feeling more invites are on the way since most of her preschool class is just now turning the big "5"!


• She attended a wedding shower with me for my godparent's daughter. She was pretty quite and ate a lot of fruit and cookies.


• She had her first T-ball game a few weeks ago. It was so cold!! She kept pink gloves in her back pocket to wear while she was on base. Her first hit was awesome!!! What a debut!


• We are also juggling dance practice and baseball practice - both of them on the same night! The weather has been rather icky, so we let her go to dance class most of the time. She and her beloved daddy practice baseball after dinner some nights.


• Sugie went with me to register her for Kindergarten this fall. My kindergarten teacher checked us in!!! It's funny that she could be her teacher, too!


• She and I had a big girls night out a few weeks ago! I took her to High School Musical: The Ice Tour. She was so attentive and good. We had the best time together! Poor little Sugie cried when we left b/c she didn't get to meet "Gabriella", the star of the show, who she "loves so much!"


• She and I hosted a scrapbooking night last weekend. My lovely teenage niece has a scrapbooking project due in a few weeks, so mom and I are trying to help her along! Sugie was mostly there for moral support and decorating the leftover paper!

Shake, Rattle, & Roll!!

Mother Nature decided to shake us out of bed this morning!! At 4:36 am, I awoke to the whole house rattling and shaking. I lightly tapped the hubby, who is usually the world's soundest sleeper, and he bolted out of our room to scoop up Buddy from his crib. Little Sugie is battling a double ear infection, so she had snuck into our bed sometime earlier for some comfort and snuggles. So, she woke up with me laying on top on her and covering her head. The 5.2 earthquake lasted 30-40 seconds - which seemed like 15 minutes! Sugie and I eventually ended up in a doorway. Buddy and Matt ran outside and stood in the yard. When it was over, Sugie asked if we could go back to bed. We were surprised that our little drama queen didn't freak out. Buddy quivered for several minutes afterwards and seemed scared to close his eyes to go back to sleep. We had a few items and pictures out of place, but no other damage that we noticed. Too bad this didn't happen on a Monday, when I need a little extra help getting out of bed. Definitely not a problem this morning!!

Isn't life "dandy"?

While eating dinner last night, our precious Sugie hopped out of her chair and said, "Mom, I forgot to give you your surprise!" My first thought was about how sweet it was of her to have a present for her mom! This was a fleeting thought and was followed by shock. It is well known that she is a daddy's girl and adores everything about him. So, why would I, the lowly mother, get a special surprise? As she was reaching into her pocket to pull out my surprise, my thoughts turned to fear. All moms know that some of the scariest, grossest, dirtiest surprises fit quite nicely into pockets. My brother once brought my mom a dead snake he found on the road. Eww! But, my sweet little Sugie pulled three yellow flowers out of her pocket. She was disappointed that they were crushed and wilted. I get teary eyed just thinking about her sweet gesture!! I love the dandelions my precious angel picked just for me. It made my day!

There's no place like home....

Buddy adores his big sister and loves playing with her in her room. One morning while the hubby and I were enjoying a relaxing breakfast together, we realized that the kids had been too quiet. There is usually a squabble over some "treasure" every few minutes, but we hadn't heard anything from them for awhile. Although peaceful, the quiet concerned us. Then, out walked Buddy in Sugie's duck socks and ruby slippers. That boy was so proud!!!! Apparently, Sugie decided to strip down Buddy to his diaper and dress him up for the day. I had a good laugh over it! The hubby just lowered his head and couldn't bear to watch!!

Batter Up!

Sugie had her first T-ball practice over the weekend. Due to the endless rainfall we've been having, her team practiced on asphalt. She had a fantastic time at practice and can't wait to play again! It was so cute watching her chase after every ball that was hit. Not to brag, but she definitely did inherit some natural talent from her daddy. The only drawback to the T-ball is the practice time. As luck would have it, all practices are scheduled the same time as her dance class. It normally wouldn't be a big deal, but she's learning her dance for her recital next month. Oh, well! We are anxiously awaiting her season opener this Saturday. GO RIVERCATS!!!