Warm Weather

Okay, I'm not trying to be like some people who find a reason to complain about EVERYTHING, especially when it comes to the weather. I was in the store the other day and heard some old man say, "Well, now all this snow is going to melt and make it muddy out there." My guess is, he was complaining when it was snowing, and nothing is going to make him happy. I'm not trying to be one of those people. I LOVE that we get to experience ALL the seasons here in Missouri. I'm not a fan of winter time, but know that snow, sleet, freezing temps and bitter cold is just part of it. Its a season, it will pass. This winter we have gotten a lot of cold, snowy day. Even a blizzard a couple of weeks ago. Actually, last week we received another 4-5 inches on top of the snow that was on the ground from the week before. My complaint is this. This week, its been GORGEOUS! I know, what am I doing complaining about that. Well, it tricks my mind. I think that spring is here, and I'm SO ready for spring. I'm ready to have my windows open, cool temps at night and start planting flowers. The problem was its only FEBRUARY! I LOVE these 60 and 70 degree days, so I will take them, endure the rest of winter, and anticipate the Spring, when its time.
The other day, while Adriana was in school, me and Paxton has a rare opportunity to go to the park with just the 2 of us. We took Milo along, grabbed a Frosty from Wendy's and headed to the park. It was a PERFECT day. I don't think poor Milo has ever been to the park before, so he really enjoyed the fresh air and watching the geese. I had a special day with my boys, here are pictures of our day.


the old Mill and bridge in Ozark, on the Finley River.

Milo and Paxton enjoying the fresh air.

My sweet boy, with his chocolate smile.

Birthday Trip to St. Louis

Well, we just spent this last weekend in STL for a quick, one night stay to celebrate my birthday. It was AWESOME! Totally had the time of my life! We asked some friends of ours, from church, to go to with us. I don't know if they came along out of guilt or pity, but I'm sure glad they were able to make it. I knew it might be a little of a challenge since both of us have kiddos at home, but we (and them) are blessed with great parents who sacrifice their weekend so we could get away for a little bit of a break. We left Saturday morning, and were on our way. Its so nice to go away with a couple you have a lot in common with. The drive didn't seem that long and we had a great time. We got in town just in time for lunch. We tried a new restaurant that none of us had ever been to before, but Ryan heard its was a great burger place called, Five Guys. IT. WAS. AWESOME. I would highly recommend them, if you ever come across one of them. Next, we were off to do a little bit of shopping. This weekend was filled with a lot of "firsts" for me and Ryan. We went to new stores, ate a new restaurant we had never been to for EVERY meal and we got to see parts of STL that I had never seen in my 3 years of going to school up there. We went to a store called Whole Foods. It was a really cool grocery store that had lots of fresh meats, fish and produce. We really enjoyed looking around in there. We came across their bakery and found these...

They were so good. The little shells were filled with custard, topped with fresh fruit and a glaze. It was a nice little treat.

We were very excited about these, if you can't tell. Next we were off to our hotel. We had gotten a good deal through Priceline and were able to stay within a mile of the Chesterfield Mall. That evening we had decided to do some shopping, go to a movie and eat a nice restaurant. Everything worked out perfectly! There was a 2 hour wait for the Cheesecake Factory, which was SO worth it! So while we waited, we shopped! It was nice to go in and out of stores without have kids screaming (well our kids anyway) and not have to worry about nap times, snacks, diaper bags and strollers. By the time we had done our shopping we were ready to eat. It was SO good! Can't wait to go there again!

All of us at dinner.

After dinner we made it upstairs to catch a movie. We had such a fun day. We were so tired by midnight, when we got to our hotel rooms, but we knew we could sleep in in the morning.

On Sunday we checked out of the hotel and headed to the Science Center. It was a lot of fun to look around at what they had, I hadn't been there since I was a kid.

Here's a picture of Ryan building the Arch.

I had to give him a hand on the other side.

Here's the finished product. We were so proud

of ourselves. Forget the fact that school aged

children were doing the same thing.

Matt and Mandy worked on their own

tower. We were so proud of them!

Their finished product. They seemed

angry at the results but me and Ryan

were proud! :)

After the Science Center, it was on to lunch. We were going to this little area in STL known for their Italian food, known as the Hill. We were right around the corner from there, so we thought we would give it a try. Well, wouldn't you know it, they were closed! I did, however, get to take a picture of this restaurant on the Hill. We didn't eat there, but liked the name.

We ended up going to P.F. Changs for lunch, and they were so good. We had never been there either. After a little more shopping at Crate and Barrel, we headed home. Even though it was a short trip, we had a blast. Mandy kept asking us what our favorite part of the day or the trip was and I would say, that they opened our eyes to new places to shop and eat. I loved the fact that we tried all new things this weekend. I'm very much a creature of habit and not big on branching out and trying new things, but maybe I'll start trying that in my next 30 years.

Thank you Ryan, Matt and Mandy for an awesome 30th birthday trip. Its something I will remember always!

Paxton's First Pickle

Here is a little video of Paxton's first taste of a pickle. He's such a sweet baby and LOVES food, so we were anxious to see if he would eat it. I kept telling him to eat it, and despite the fact that he didn't really like it, he wanted to please me and so he took a bite. You will see that in the video. Poor little guy thinking he HAS to eat something so sour.

BTW: Don't judge me because I haven't posted much since I said I was going to, but our internet has not been working and so uploading pictures and videos have not been pleasant! Hope everyone is doing well and getting out and enjoying this weather! Spring is right around the corner! YAY!

Playing Catch Up

I feel like I am such a slacker. Its funny, I use to think of things to write about all the time, but these days I'm either too busy to think of things to write about or there's really nothing that interesting to write about. I'm really disappointed in myself and for the lack of writing in my blog. I will try to do better.
Lately, we have been fighting illness that seems to keep circulating in the air. Mainly, between me and Paxton. Poor Paxton has had pink eye and congestion for quite sometime (the congestion, not pink eye). I have also had pink eye and have been fighting a head cold. I'm afraid I might have strep throat, but can't get to the doctor for a few days. Adriana has had a little congestion, but is pulling through that really well. We really don't get sick, which I'm really thankful for. It seems like some people we know, their kids get sick all the time, but I really feel fortunate that illness doesn't seem to strike our household that much.
Well today, February 1, we actually had a BLIZZARD! My whole life I have lived in Missouri and NEVER remember having a blizzard. It started first thing this morning and tapered off around 5pm or so. Its getting really cold and very windy out there, blowing snow like crazy! I would say we got at least 9 inches of snow but the drifts make it a lot higher in areas. Needless to say, Ryan didn't go to work today and probably won't be going tomorrow.
The kids are doing great. Adriana will be 4 in just a few weeks. Its so hard to believe. She still LOVES to dress up like a princess, color and watch movies. I'm hoping her turning 4 will help her mature with her attitude. I'm not going to lie, 3 years old had been VERY challenging. I always hear that 4 is the magic number, I'm really hoping so. Paxton is 14 months old now. He's still all boy. He still has only 4 teeth but that doesn't stop him from wanting to eat ALL the time. He's all of a sudden is totally into books, he loves to be read to. Balls are probably his favorite toys. He is growing and learning more every day.
As for me and Ryan, we are doing good. Ryan's work is doing pretty good this winter, for this we are VERY thankful. Winter time is the hardest time of the year for us, but God is faithful in providing for us always. As for me, well, I'm in my last days of being in my twenties. I turn the big 3-0 in 20 days. I'm actually not freaking out about it, but looking forward to this new chapter in my life. Me and Adriana are having a combined birthday party this year, since our birthdays are 2 days apart. I normally don't do anything for my birthday, but since its a special birthday, we thought we would have a combined party.
I PROMISE I will try to do better on keeping my blog updated. Its hard with 2 kids, 2 pets, a husband and a house to keep track of, but I will do my best.