Finally, Some Pictures from Vacation!

Man...you don't really comprehend what an undertaking putting together a few choice shots from a vacation is until you sit down to tackle it! I thought I'd never get things re-sized, cropped, and loaded to the blog - I don't see how photographers have the patience to do this regularly. And, with stressful deadlines looming over their heads!

Anyway, here are some pictures I selected from our vacation. There were a bunch more, but these were among my favorites. We start in St. Louis, and end at Holiday World. We also visited Cahokia Mounds together, and Laura and I spent a night in French Lick at the French Lick Casino and Resort. It was a great vacation, and I think everyone had a wonderful time! The boys did quite well, but we're still feeling the effects of the schedule variations between this trip, and this past weekend when they spent the night with Nana and Papaw Hop while mom and dad went to a wedding reception in Evansville.

Well, on with the show!

Early-morning view out of our hotel window in STL (this is actually the beginning of day 2 in STL, but it's a great way to start the pictures, I think!)

These next two are the sea lions that performed a little show for us at the STL Zoo. The first one is one of the 2 females that performed, and the second is the only male in the show.

What a GREAT zoo!!! Very big, lots of neat, in-depth exhibits, plenty of shaded areas, and VERY clean. We really enjoyed our day there...this is where we drove directly upon arriving to STL.

Laura and the boys in the stands for the sea lion show.

Here's Daddy being a little ornery with Jackson. He'd stopped to get a drink from a very differently-designed water fountain, and I decided to have a little fun at his expense. What you're not seeing, however, is the retribution he levelled at me afterward, soaking the entire bottom-half of my shirt!

These are pictures from the zoo's penguin and puffin exhibit. This was an amazing exhibit, in that the birds' water tanks were at eye-level with an adult, and they'd literally swim up to your face! There were even a couple of rock outcroppings above the glass separating the viewing area from the water, and a couple of birds were just chillin' on top of the rocks so that they were situated directly above your head if you were standing in the right spot. I was thoroughly impressed with this exhibit's design.

Kian expressing concern over polar bear escapism. I calmed him down by reminding him that the duck-and-cover technique thwarts 95% of all polar bear attacks in zoos.

Requisite zoo carousel shot. They're always SO jazzed to ride the carousel, it's great!

OK, beginning of day 2 (again) here. This is a shot of our hotel from across I-70, at the entrance to the Arch Park. We had a pretty harrowing crossing to make to get over to the park from the hotel!

Jackson and I at the base of the Arch. That's the awesome power of my aura reflecting off the metal, there, you know...

These next couple of shots were taken toward the end of the day, at Union Station. Our riverboat cruise, lunch at the Arch Landing Cafe, and bike rental for riding along the Riverfront Parkway were all kaiboshed by the uncooperative Mississippi River levels. The river had risen to the point that the entire Parkway was completely submerged, as was the entire infrastructure that leads out to the riverboat docs and the Cafe. Oh well, we're supposed to get refunded for that...in any event, we took the Metro up to Union Station and hung out there, then had dinner before riding the Metro back over to the Arch park area and walking back over to the hotel. Jackson saw this bungee/trampoline thing and just HAD to try it. I'll give it to the little guy, he showed no fear as he was jumping a good 30 - 40 feet in the air! He just wouldn't do any flips for us, which, was probably due more to not understanding what he needed to make his body do than being due to fright.

The rest of the pictures are selections from out day at Holiday World and Splashin' Safari. This was our second trip to the park as a family (the first since Kian's birth) and they've really put some effort into keeping it one of the best amusement parks I've ever visited. They've disallowed smoking in all but a few select places, which is a big bonus to families with little guys, and continue to have free drinks available throughout the park. Plus, free sunscreen in the water park, and just a very family-focused, kid-friendly series of rides and attractions make Holiday World a HIGHLY recommended stop for anyone with a family. Plus, there are more than enough adult- and older-child-themed attractions to make it enjoyable for a very wide range of attendees. If you've not been, and find yourself in need of a day or two (honestly, two days would be the ideal amount of time to spend here) of entertainment, check it out!

I don't have a lot of funny side-stories about the following pictures, except the one of Laura and Jackson making the pukey faces. That was their anticipatory expression while waiting on line for the Octopus ride, but it was probably more poking fun at Daddy, who CANNOT handle any ride that involves repetitious horizontal circles. Put me on the loopidy-loopiest crazy roller coaster in the world, and I'm fine - but you start spinning me in circles on the horizontal plane, and you'd better be ready to wear the latest meal in my stomach, cuz it's a-comin' up on ya.

You Know...Griswold and Campbell Are Both Names That Have 8 Letters In Them.

While the above statement is true, I'll never EVER hold a candle to the family patriarch that is Clark W. Griswold. The man could plan a vacation, and follow through on his promises to lead the family on a quest for fun wherein everyone had so much fun they needed plastic surgery to remove their godd**n smiles - I don't know if I could make such claims on our vacations. But, we've had a great time thus far, and have one more excursion to make today, to Holiday World.

I was trying to get a synopsis out of Jackson, but he's currently more interested in playing with the boat-car he found in Nana's stash of toys. So, just a quick check-in from Jasper from us to say we're having fun and doing well. Lots of pictures and stories are on their way once we're home and recovered!

(K)

It's So Awesome That Summer's Finally Here!

I don't know about any of the rest of you, but we're absolutely ecstatic that the weather's warmer, the days are longer, and we're all 1000 times more active together, as a family. It's always so amazing how much more energy we all have with the transition from winter, to spring and finally, to summer.

Nearly every night during the week, we're out walking the neighborhood, playing at the park, and exploring our surrounding communities on our bikes, on our rollerblades (well, that's Laura on the blades, actually) and in our strollers. The weekends are even more stacked with outdoor activities, and we're really looking forward to cousin Dylan's birthday party this weekend out at Splash Island in Plainfield.

Until we actually get into a pool, we've let the boys beat the heat the old school way: by running through our sprinkler. Actually, they also had an afternoon playing in our next-door neighbor's little Wacky Worm spraying toy that you hook up to a hose, as well, but we got the pictures and video in this post the day they were running around in our yard...

We (more specifically, Jackson and I) got a little ornery after the boys had played for a little while, and decided to trick the most innocent, naive one in the family: Poor Kian...

Now, this video I'm uploading here will probably mark the beginning of the end of any kind of long-term love and affection Jackson's going to hold for dear old dad, but I'm willing to risk that to display to everyone the personification of hilarity that is our son. WATCH THIS DANCE!!!

As Laura mentioned below, we're off to vacation next week. We're trying to stay relatively off-the-grid, so we'll try to post a big blow-out update with pics and vids from our week away from Indy.

(K)

George Romero Stopped By, Made Us Smoothies, and Zombified Kian!

Laura's found this REEEEAAAALLLY kick ass smoothie recipe, and she whipped some up for all of us a couple of weeks ago. As you'll see below, Kian was, what you might call "a fan" of the smoothie - as were we all. This progression of photos, though, just made me see him like some little flesh-and-brain smoothie-drinking little zombie, ala Day Of The Dead or some such thing.

"Hmm, wow Mommy, this drink is sooo good! What's in it?"

"Ummmm...what's that you say? The flesh of the dead?!?!? In my drink?

"OH MAAAN! Oh, Mom, Dad, I don't feel so good. I'm getting...cold...sooooo cooollllllld....WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!?!?!?"

"I...I feel...I feel it all...it's all just, just...slipping awaaaaayyyy. Bubby...Bubby! Jackson...you, you take my toys....take them, I know you'll put them to good use."

"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH....AAAAAAMMMMMM...I ACCEPT WHAT I'VE BECOME. DADDY, COME HERE...COME HERE, I CAN SMELL YOUR BRAINS!"

(K)

Blog Hiatus

We've been too preoccupied for a while and have neglected our blog. Believe me, it's not an intention of mine. I suppose since it's getting so nice out, we find ourselves spending more time outdoors and neglecting things indoors including this blog. Last weekend we decided to dust off the tent we received for our wedding shower that has never been used and pitched it in the back yard. Oh, what fun we had with that. Sadly it was dismantled Sunday evening awaiting the next opportunity to be used. Maybe we'll get around to it again this summer. I'm sure it won't be another 7 years. We're also getting ready to go on vacation in a couple of weeks. The day care is out for the week of June 15th, so we're packing up and hitting the open road. I'll post a vacation summary when I get time....hopefully before we actually go on vacation.


until next time...lc

Rainy Day Fun

What do you do when it's rainy and you are dealing with loads of energy? You had over some umbrellas and send them on their ways. Last night there was a nagging sprinkle outside and Jackson has asked for quite some time if they could play in the rain. Since it wasn't all that cold we obliged and had a good laugh all the while. OK, so originally I sent them out without umbrellas but went out with one myself. Once they saw mine, it was a mad scramble to find a couple of others. Turn out they had much more fun with the umbrellas than without.

Wet ducks!

They finally understand what those pesky little gray things are for...aka downspout drain. They had fun playing in the pool of water.

His turning radius craps out at times. Check out that wet bottom! It all started when he sat in the downspout drain prior to the fall. I suppose we got our monies worth for that diaper, huh?

How stinkin' cute!

A video of the action.

until next time...lc

Jackson to the World: "I Call 'Em Like I See 'Em, Folks."

This morning, on the ride into daycare, I decided to swing through Starbucks to use my little free Wednesday coffee card Laura gave me a couple of weeks ago (THANKS, HONEY!!!). It's a promotion for their new house roast coffee, Pike Place Roast, which is actually pretty good. But, I digress...

Anyway, as we're pulling out of the parking lot in front of Meijer and Menards on U.S. 36 (or, Rockville Road, as it's also known) Jackson notices that the car turning left at the light is a Chevy Blazer, and that it "looks just like your car, Dad!" I commend him for noticing the similarities, and also for pointing out that the wheels are a bit different on the other car. The kid doesn't miss a beat, as I'll further explain, now.

I inch a little further up at the light, trying to make sure traffic's clear so that I can make a right turn on the red light. As I do this, Jackson notices the driver of the Blazer, and shouts, "Ha ha, Dad, LOOK! There's a dog driving that car!"

I look at the driver of the car, and it's a woman with a total throwback Jersey mall chick spiral perm and a huge bouffont bang job on top of her dome. I roar with laughter, and ask, "What makes you think that's a dog, Jack?" To which he responds, "Look at her hair! It's SO BIG! It looks like a dog's hair!"

These are the times where I wish I had a P.A. system wired to the car, like the Blues Brothers' car. I'd just pass him the microphone and let him publicly humiliate people.

(K)

Strawberry Status

Jackson looks forward to checking in on his strawberries every chance he gets. He was finally able to pick a few last weekend.

Enjoying the "fruits" of his labor.

Checking in on them....again. (This happens about 3 times daily.) Oh, and we noticed last night that the tomato plant has a tiny little bud under the flower. He's excited about that one too!

He's ready to pick this one, but I suggested waiting until it grew a little more. We picked 2 more this past Monday and they were extremely tart. He didn't mind since he loves to make his "tart" face. I'll have to get that one on film next opportunity.

until next time...lc

Wii have Funn

As Kyle posted earlier, we jumped on the bandwagon and splurged on a Wii. Here are some photos from the first go-round.

Kyle and Jackson playing the first game. They matched up in a good 'ole game of bowling. We thought that would be the easiest to introduce the little guy to. Jackson in action. Notice Kian in the background holding an unplugged Nunchuck. He was quite content playing with this all while it didn't faze him one bit that it wasn't plugged in.
Not to be left out with his ever-so-cute "cheese" pose.
Drum roll please.... Here's the final score from the first game. I'd like to take this opportunity to let everyone know Jackson was the first player and Kyle the second. Way to go Jackson! More than double your daddy's score. You make your mommy so proud!


until next time...lc

I've Attained First-Class Accommodations on the Express Train to Hell, if Such a Mode of Transportation Exists

So, Friday night, after a brief deliberation (i.e. Laura asked me if I wanted one, and I replied with a resounding, "HELL YES!") we decided to purchase a Nintendo Wii. I, personally, have been absolutely intrigued by the different approach to video-gaming the Wii offers since I initially read about it; but, had been hesitant to buy one because of our extensive PlayStation game collection. The PS3 is backwards-compatible with PS2 games, and I hated the idea of losing that capability by buying an altogether-different system. But, at the end of the day, I still have my PS2, and everything I've read about the PS3 tells me the system sucks; so, I'm thinking we'll get much more enjoyment, as a family, out of our Wii.

Along with the Wii, you also get Wii Sports when you purchase the system. It was decided that we should expand on our initial game collection, so we bought Wii Play (primarily, though, for the additional remote you get when purchasing the game) and wanted to get Mario Kart, as well. I LOVED playing Mario Kart on my friends' N64's back in the day, and knew the boys would like this latest iteration of the classic. We bought the Wii at Sam's Club, but they didn't have any copies of Mario Kart, so we tabled that purchase for a later date.

Saturday morning, we went to Edinburgh's Outlet Mall to return some items Laura had bought there a while back, and decided that, on the way home, and depending on the boys' moods, we'd stop in Greenwood to look for Mario Kart. We went to the Greenwood Toys-R-Us to look for it, but they were completely sold out, so we decided to head over to the SuperTarget in Greenwood to try our luck there.

As we're leaving the Toys-R-Us parking lot, I happen to notice - out of the corner of my eye - something laying on the ground in one of the lot's aisles. I ask Laura to turn around at the end of that aisle, and drive back toward the spot where I noticed the item. She asks what I saw as we're driving toward it, and I reply, "Hold on, let me see," just as she's braking, and I'm hopping out of the car.

Sure enough, there on the ground was a crisp, folded, twenty-dollar bill.

SCORE.

I yoinked that bad boy up quicker than a crackhead who's dropped a sliver of his last rock on the ground, jump back into the car, and immediately burst into a diabolical laugh. I show Laura the fruits of my exit from the vehicle, then place the cash back into my pocket.

As we drive out of the parking lot, and on toward Target, I make the comment to Laura, "Man, I just thought about this....that twenty was probably some kid's allowance money that he dropped on his way in to Toys-R-Us to get a new Transformer or something."

As we discuss this possibility, I get a recurring scenario stuck in my head: Little Jimmy super-stoked to be getting the new Optimus Prime, beaming with pride and joy as he proceeds to the check-out lane to purchase his awesome new toy with the money he's worked so hard to save. Then, as he places the package up onto the register's counter, he reaches into his pocket and feels the angst and horror quickly overcome him as he grasps nothing more than pocket lint, a rock intended to be thrown at a sibling's head, and a wad of ABC gum (ABC = Already Been Chewed, of course). Then, the ensuing verbal beratement by his mom or dad, scolding him for "not letting ME hold onto the money, because I KNEW you'd lose it," as he has to slink away from the register with nothing more in his hands than guilt and sadness over his lost allowance.

And, I laughed. I laughed heartily at this vision, because I WAS that kid, once in my life. Sheesh, probably more than once in my life, I'm sure. I can't remember any specific incidents, but I'm pretty darn sure I lived out this very scene, which helps explain why it was so vivid in my mind.

So, perhaps my consolation is that I'm teaching this kid a valuable life lesson - always keep your money stashed and secured until the very moment you're going to use it; and, reinforcing a life lesson of my own, which is to ALWAYS keep your eyes on the ground for a potential windfall from the faulty pockets of others.

Or, perhaps I should just invest in some hot-weather outfits for the afterlife, eh? Hahahahahahahahaaaaaa...


(K)

Grass Monster

Ryan, Melissa and boys were over for a cookout on Sunday. Many times we are stuck in the house playing with what's available, but since it's nice outside we were able to play outside. A couple of weekends ago Kyle started playing "Grass Monster" with the boys at the park. This consists of Kyle sitting on the ground and letting the boys climb on him, knock him over and tickling each other senseless until someone gives up (or gets hurt).

This is shortly after the introduction of the game to Ryan, Ethan and Dylan. Glad to say they picked up on it quickly!

Simultaneous knock-downs of both fathers. Great job boys!
I thought it would be a great opportunity to get a picture of all the boys together. Guess again. I couldn't get them all to look at the same time. As you can tell, Jackson just wasn't interested. He was head-butted right as the picture request was announced and wasn't happy that we didn't drop everything. It didn't help that he failed to nap that afternoon.

until next time...lc

The ice cream truck and yet another picnic

As soon as the boys arrived home from daycare on Friday, Jackson came rushing into the house as if he were on fire. Come to find out, the ice cream truck was on its way down the street. He was so excited to see such a thing. I guess they see it at daycare on occasion, but I don't think he remembers that it has been around our neighborhood before. Since it was Friday and they were relatively good for the week, we allowed them to get something from the beloved ice cream truck. They chose none other than the $2.25 Sponge Bob treat. Are you kidding me? Why were we splurging again? Are they going to expect another indulgence when they hear that annoying song that blare through the neighborhood again? What was I thinking getting this treat at the beginning of summer? For crying out loud, it's not even summer yet! Ugh, what have I started?

Regardless, it made for some cute photos:

Kyle went to a bachelor party this past Saturday for a wedding that he is standing up in this coming weekend. The original plan was to take a bike ride and have a picnic at a neighboring subdivision around lunch on Saturday. Since it was raining, the picnic was postponed for what I thought was another weekend. Not wanting to make the situation more stressful for myself, I caved to the tenth request/whine to go for our picnic. So, the boys and I loaded up all the necessary goods and took 0ff around 500pm, just before Kyle headed out for the party. We rode for what seemed like an eternity (in all about a 3 mile journey) and ended up at the shelter house. This entire experience was one that I never expected to turn out so frustrating. The shelter house was the unfortunate victim in a recent paintball fight. So, out in the grass we went to munch on our food. Too bad we didn't have a blanket. Once we finished eating we headed back to the playground in our neighborhood, since the one we planned to visit was too overcrowded for my liking. Just as we started on the path back, I noticed the honeysuckle bushes that lined the path. I instantly had flashbacks of my childhood when we used to taste the nectar from them. We stopped so I could share this memory with Jackson. They weren't quite bloomed enough to get the full effect, but it was nice to share this with him. We continued our ride back to the park and stopped to play for some time. Back on course, we went around to see if the fountain was on (it wasn't). As we neared our house, I looked up to see my car in the driveway. Instantly I remembered that I didn't have a key or a garage door opener with us. It was 700pm. What the hell was I thinking? Bedtime was approaching quickly. I was left there with two over-tired boys and no way into the house. We checked...the car was locked, the doors were locked. I called Kyle to inform him of our unfortunate luck and tried to think of how I was going to keep them pacified for the next 45 minutes knowing they were getting more tired by the minute. I don't know why, but I decided to check the windows. I knew that if by chance one were unlocked, I could get the screen off, shimmy up the window and toss a kid inside to remedy the situation, right? I kept trying to remember how the locks went on the window in order to open them...to the left or to the right? Lo and behold, one of the windows was unlocked. I can't recall the last time we opened this particular window, but at that point I couldn't have cared less. I tried to get the screen out, but failed. I was pissed that I had my nails done that morning and had them trimmed down. After the four-hundredth time of "How are we going to get in Mommy" I hear Jackson say, "I can bust out the window Mom." Yeah, sure Buddy. As if busting out the window hadn't crossed my mind. After convincing him that breaking the window would most likely hurt us to the point we'd have to go the hospital, he agreed that wasn't the best method. We went over to a neighbors house and asked to borrow a flat screwdriver to break into our own house. Thanks to Joe and Toby, we were able to get Jackson in the window. Mind you, he was instructed to go straight to the garage door and open it. On his way, he found a pack of sidewalk chalk and decided to play with it for about 5 seconds before I lost it. What a little shit! I put the window back together and we continued on our evening. Oh, and a quick call to Kyle to abort mission...we were in. To all out there: we have checked all of our windows and they are locked. I don't think I'll ever leave again without a way in. At least I hope not! Here are a couple of shots from the picnic.

until next time...lc