The Butterfly House

Our first stop on Saturday in St. Louis was the Butterfly House. We had been before, but it was fun to see all of Gracie's cousins see it for the first time. Gracie was 2 years old last time we went, so I'm sure she will remember this experience a little more than the last one. This green butterfly was Gracie's favorite.

This is Lucas, Gracie and Ella's cousin, and he was lucky enough to have a butterfly land on his finger.

I got Gracie and Kalyn to stop looking at butterflies long enough to snap a picture in front of the pretty waterfall. Then they were right back to stalking the butterflies. The picture below shows them getting up close and personal with one that landed on the pathway.

It's not very often that I can get Gracie to smile a "real smile." Most of them are pretty fake these days, but she enjoyed the Butterfly House enough for me to get a "real smile."

The City Museum

Gracie took the train ride inside the City Museum. She will outgrow it soon as it's only meant for smaller children.
I think every kid there loved the huge slides made out of rollers. They were noisy, but fun!
Check out this big elephant, Grandpa. Gracie just had to pose by it for you!
I think Kalyn noticed Gracie's tendency to tilt her head in photos, so she decided to do it too!
Gracie loved the big wooden ramps that you could slide down. Last time we went she was too little to enjoy them, but this time she was a pro!

Katherine's Wedding

Katherine and Geoff had a beautiful wedding. It was short and sweet, just how they wanted it. Geoff accidentally vowed to be a lovely husband instead of a loving husband, but those are the kind of things that you laugh about for years to come. They seemed very happy. The reception afterward was really nice...and yummy! You've gotta love a dessert bar!

Thank Goodness It's Friday

Ella loves to stick her tongue out!
Corbin is strong enough for the exersaucer. He really liked it.

Gracie couldn't wait to get to the hotel so she could swim. Daddy was kind enough to oblige.

Mama was pretty glad when we got there too. She has seen the girls 3 weekends straight. Next weekend she may have withdrawals!

Today was a busy day. We babysat Corbin again today and we also had to get everything ready for our trip to St. Louis. This weekend is Brent's cousin's wedding. Katherine met her fiancee Geoff at the Christian Campus House in Columbia. The funny thing is that we have know Geoff longer than Katherine. He is from Highland, MO and his family used to drive to Keokuk for church, and we went to New Testament together. When we heard they were dating it just reinforced what a small world it really is. Anyway, we are leaving tonight and are hoping Ella will sleep in the van.

Every Creature Big and Small

I heard Gracie playing in her room and she was very animated so I stopped to see what was going on. She had turned several of her toys into princesses. They each had a wand, tiara, clip-on earrings, a bracelet and a microphone. She said every creature could be a princess. It's a good thing we have multiples of each accessory!

Tummy Time

Ella is not a real big fan of tummy time. I know it's important so I try to work on it with her. Today I laid her down and left the room for a moment, expecting to hear her crying at any time. However, when I returned she was just laying there sucking on her hands, drooling as usual. She never even attempted to push up. I guess she exerted her power over the situation and decided she didn't have to work-out during tummy time... and she didn't.

Fun Until the New Wears Off

Monday after we had our barbecue lunch and went to all the cemeteries, the guys went and picked up Janice's new piano that she bought. Immediately after we got the piano in place Gracie and Kalyn had to jump up and start playing and singing. The funny thing is that we have a piano in our home that Gracie looks at 25 times a day, but she very rarely wants to play it. As my brother-in-law said, "It won't be as much fun once the new wears off."