Balloon Glow

Tonight we brought the kids to the Forest Park balloon glow.
Ryan was in total awe. Julia wasn't too sure what to think!

Jeff took the opportunity to work on his nighttime photography skills.

The crew of the Energizer Bunny balloon pumps up the flame
and we can all feel the massive heat, and the brightness becomes quite intense.

Ry covers his eyes from the bright light, and Julia looks away. I look at the ladies of the crew standing directly beneath this drying heat, and think they are going to need extra Oil of Olay in their nighttime routine tonight!!!We run into old friends, Joel and Melissa. Ryan has a BLAST
running around with their little guy, Eli, who is also 3 years old.

My little frog

Ryan's Halloween costume came yesterday. This afternoon I showed it to him and he (unlike Julia!) wanted to immediately try it on. Now he doesn't want to take it off. He has been jumping around (not new behavior, really. HA) the kitchen saying "Ribbit, ribbit!". Then he and I played a game where he had to pretend to be a pig, and he was saying "Mommy, I am silly, I am a frog saying Oink!" Gotta love the sense of humor this under 4 crowd has! =)

Currently, our little Kermit is watching Clifford, and I better use this time to get the laundry put away before baby sister wakes from her nap! Hoping our morning park visit wore her out to take a good, long one!

(BUMMED the camera battery is dead right now, thus, no pic of our little man!).

Cutie little people

I just want to HUG them both here! I snapped this shot before school today. I put Ry's shirt on and I think this is the first time he's had a long-sleeved button down on this season...as I was buttoning him up, he holds his hands out, looks at his arms and gasps, "oh, no, Mommy! My arms are gone! I can't see them!" He wasn't too happy with this, so we settled on rolling the sleeves so he could take a quick peek up his sleeve to make sure they are still there whenever he was feeling worried about it.

UhhhOoooo!

See this concerned face on loving husband?

See this son with a tool trying to help daddy "fix" what mommy broke?

See this DENT mommy put in the lawnmower when she ran into the fence? The back tire, which was knocked off the thingie that holds it on, is now in the shop at our local Farm Service. I LOVE YOU, JEFF!!!

Playdate Wednesday

Today we planned to have one of those "stay home in jammies and play" days. Then our friends Trina and Jamie called this morning and we ended up with a fun impromptu playdate! Unfortunately, I forgot to pull out the camera while Lexi was here, so I didn't get any pics with her.

Izzy (aka Bubba, aka Isabella) and Ryan snuggle up next to each other. (They are also in the same class at school and church, so they get to see LOTS of each other lately!

Here our little munchkins show off their blankies!

Look at those adoring eyes!!

Tuesday

I took this pic of Ryan before school this morning. I had the paints out for a project I am working on for Julia's room and so then he wanted to paint too. We settled for coloring instead. So he colored while I packed lunches for the kids to take for school. While he was coloring, he told me "I am coloring York City for Aunt Stacy. We will mail it to her, mommy!" So, Aunt Stacy...be on the lookout for some new artwork for your fridge. He must have thought it was super special, because he even put some of his favorite Thomas and Cars stickers on there as well!

Our artist...

Julia had school pictures today (Ry's are Thursday). I was pleasantly surprised at how well her head looked from yesterday's bump to this morning. Here she is giving me some attitude when I told her it was time to come inside for naptime.

She is thinking about coming inside as I am asking her to...but also thinking about how fast she can turn and run the other direction. Fortunately, I win this one, although she gives me that face like I am SO UNCOOL!

Ryan sarcastically posing for me as I complain that he is so tough to photograph lately! Where did our children get these 'tudes!? =) We are outside because he brought some dried out corn on the cob home "to feed the squirrels". Now, call me a city-girl, but how does THAT work?!?

Julia's Bump

What a crazy morning! I played tennis at the Y this morning, and Ryan had gymnastics. Afterwards, we(mom and I) got the kiddos some lunch and brought them to the park for one of the last "nice" days to play. We weren't there but 5 minutes when Julia dove headfirst off the picinic bench onto the concrete below. It was AWFUL. It sounded terrible, and she just lay on the ground for a few seconds not moving. Her hairbow even flew off! Scared me enough to call the Dr's office, and I brought her in this afternoon. Fortunately, she fared better than most kids who take this type of tumble. The doc thought she was in fantastic shape compared to most kids she sees with that type of trauma to the head. So, I guess we are "thankful" as we can be about that! We're monitoring her until bedtime, at which point we should be in the "clear". Phew! These head injuries FREAK me out!!!

Ry is having a fun afternoon. After Julia's tumble, mom took him to visit Grandma Harrison, to Bobby's, to visit Amy at work (as they were driving by he apparently requested "Glammie, let's visit Aunt Amy at her work!") and now back to her house to play trains. She called and gave me the update that he is LOVING this one-on-one attention time without baby sister! =)

I have used this free time to do some online shopping...Thomas the Train is coming to St. Louis Oct 24 - Nov 2 and they are selling tickets to meet Sir Topam Hatt and a 25 minute ride on Thomas. Our little guy is going to LOVE it!!! Now to check on the circus tickets...

Grumpy's 90th Birthday Party!

Today we celebrated Great Papa's (Grumpy) Birthday. His girls - Linda, Kathy, Anna and Mary planned quite a party to remember #90. All his kids, grandkids and greatgrandkids (Ry and Julia) were scheduled to attend the event. Unfortunately, due to a crazy flood in Edwardsville, Jeff's parents and Stacy got stuck here at the house with another water "incident". (I am not even kidding, BAD things seem to happen to the Harriss family with water. This is the SECOND time they have had a house flood, and even while on a trip a few years ago their brand new camper was destroyed by a flash flood...it just all seems to much to happen to one family!! On a side note, Jeff and I have had our leaking window issue, and even Patrick and Crystal have had one of their own. Watch out Stacy!!!)

Above, Ry is having fun playing with one of Grumpy's neighbors. Anna and Bob had the Thomas carnival adventure train set, and Ry played with this for hours!

Grumpy, Aunt Mary, and Melissa enjoy the eats.

Jessica, Shelly and Rick (right side of the table).

Jessica, Shelly, Rick and Nick munching on the great lunch.

Aunt Kathy and the neighbors.

It all looks (and tasted!) SO YUM!! Great job, Anna!!

The cooks, Anna and Bob. Every time I have been to an event at their house they are so super organized, so hospitable, and it is like Thanksgiving as far as the food/treats go. We never leave hungry, that's for sure!!

Julia tackles her plate. She is fortunately getting a tiny bit better using the utensils, which makes the messes she creates more manageable!

If I knew Ry would be this excited about the can of Planters nuts Grampy got, we might have given him some for Christmas last year! Look at that face!!?!

The birthday guy poses next to the newspaper clipping of his birthday announcement.

Uncle Patrick and Aunt Crystal

Yummmm...Aunt Mary brought the cake. (I think!)

On a side note, the kids weren't fantastic on the drive to Chicago and home, but it wasn't the nightmare I was afraid of. Ryan was great, and Julia only screamed for, um, a little bit. =)

Papa's Birthday Celebration

We celebrate Papa's birthday (late since they were gone on his actual bday) with pizza and ice cream cake out on the deck.

Julia and Aunt Stacy share some love...

The birthday boy is excited to get his present - a new digital camera! A new gadget to play with!

The kids and Grandma enjoy getting to see each other again, finally!

The party totally wore the kids out. Ryan even fell asleep before I finished reading his bedtime story -- something that hasn't happened in a LONG time!!

This little piggy...

is NOT happy to be trying on her Halloween costume!

Then Grandma and Papa stopped by and I asked her if she wanted to try it on and she says, "Yea" as if 15 minutes earlier the above photo never took place. She was so content to put it on, and then even went in the back yard and played on the swingset still in costume. Go figure!!!

Grandma and Papa came by to pick up Ryan and bring him to the airport. Aunt Stacy is flying in from NY today and he is SUPER DUPER excited. I used to opportunity without Ry to run and get Julia a haircut before naptime. She refuses to sit in the chair on her own still, but as long as I sit and hold her and she is allowed to a sucker, she sits really quite well!

Thursday Artwork

While Julia naps, Ry and I usually try and do QUIET things like reading books and art projects. (Thank goodness there is a library right down the street!!). Here is a pic from this afternoon of the little man contemplating what he wants to color with his markers/stamps...BIG DECISION! =)

I bought Ry a little school bus (which he reminds me frequently he will get to ride when he turns 5) for him to decorate with his art supplies. After he was finished decorating it, he drove it around the family room playing "make believe". I heard him say to the bus, "You want to go drive and get some chocolate ice cream? Yea!"

Wednesday's Adventures

Jeff often calls home during the day to ask me how my "vacation" is going. His little joke, which I am actually very excited that he will soon be working one day a week from home so maybe he will get a little better glimpse into just how much of a "vacation" being a stay-at-home mom is! =) Anyways...today was so beautiful out, Julia's ear infection seems to be getting under control and I have to say, it was one of those great days (so far!).
We spent most of the morning in our jammies playing downstairs and then out in the backyard. Then we decided to head to the library to return our old books and get some new, and of course, head to the park right by the library.

Miss Julia walks on a mission to the playground area!

Ry is mostly bored at this little play area, but humors us so that Julia can climb around on equipment made for her size!

Our friends Kellie and Emma met us at the park area.

Julia enjoyed looking over the edge of the bridge on the creek below! Ryan liked throwing sticks through the slats in the bridge and watching them splash...SO BOY!!!