Brooke's Pumpkin Song

Pumpkin Patch

The girls and I took a trip to the pumpkin patch yesterday!

They had fun playing in the hay, sliding, and picking out the best pumpkin! Then last night we had a beautiful fall night to carve it. The Clines had a pumpkin for carving too, so we went outside in the cool air, turned on some music, and carved away. Then we had hot chili for dinner. It definitely got me in the fall spirit of things.

Ted Drewes.. Here we come!

One of our favorite things to do in St Louis is go to Ted Drewes Frozen Custard! It is a St Louis landmark and something Steve has done as long as he can remember. It draws the most amazing crowds, even in winter. So when we were up in St Louis, we had to stop by, even though it was in the 50's!!! And Ted Drewes is only outdoor counter service! So Steve and I jumped out of the truck, ordered for the four of us, and then we jumped back in the truck, with the heat on and ate our frozen custard with our winter coats on! I have a picture of Brooke as a newborn, asleep in her carseat with a cup of Ted Drewes propped up in her lap.

Daddy's Girl

I just had to share this sweet picture of Alixandra and her daddy. It is so adorable. She just cuddled right up to him when I told her I wanted to take a picture of her and daddy. She loves her daddy so much. She's always trying to find more ways to be around him. This morning, for example, Steve was headed out the door to go get hay and was saying good bye to her and she said she wanted to go with him. When Steve told her she could go since she was still in her pajamas, she didn't miss a beat and said "I'll go put my clothes on!". She's a smart girl and getting smarter by the day.

In Memory of Grandma Schmitz

Steve's Grandma Schmitz died on Tuesday, October 21. She was 92 years old. We remember her as a spunky lady who was a great story teller. She was a lot of fun to be around and an amazing cook! I'll never forget her fried chicken. It cannot be duplicated! We traveled to St Louis for her Funeral this past weekend. We love you and Miss you Grandma!

Brooke's Half Birthday

We have a silly tradition in our house of celebrating the kids' half birthdays. The idea was born about 20 years ago when I became friends with Jenni Hagey whose birthday was exactly 6 months after mine. We dubbed ourselves half birthday twins since whenever one of us was having a birthday, the other was having a half birthday. We'd give each other half a card, half a cake, etc. So, I decided to carry this on with my kids. When you're a kiddo, getting to say you're four and a HALF is a very big deal!! So we celebrated Brooke's 4 and a HALF birthday with half a cupcake, half a card, and half of the birthday song. She loved it and proudly tells everyone her new age when they ask.

Steve and Sarah's Birthday Party

We love having parties at our new house. So when it came time to celebrate Steve and Sarah's birthday's we were excited! Sarah turned 8 and Steve turned 34 this October. We were surprised with cooler weather that day, but that didn't stop the kids from playing on the water slide, or in the kiddie pools. A few brave souls even got in the river for a quick swim. We had the water trampoline out, but it stayed on dry land since the water was toooooo frigid!! We had a nice crowd, good food and lots of fun!

Fall Festival with the Moloneys

The girls and I hit the fall festival and St Mary Magdalene with the Moloney Family. Poor Brooke was a wreck. She was just starting to come down with a really bad cold and looked so pitiful. She was a trooper though and hung in there until she finally passed out the stroller. Ali had a blast going on rides with Michael and playing games.

A Birthday Horseback ride

I'm so far behind in my blogging! Bear with me while I try to catch up! For Steve's birthday we went on a really fun horseback ride. he let work a little early to make it home in time for some family time. We saddled up the horses and packed a picnic dinner. Then we crossed the street and headed into the park. It was so beautiful. The air was cool and the bugs weren't too bad. We found a nice spot to picnic and sing happy birthday with squished cup cakes. The girls LOVE to go horseback riding. I'm always amazed at how they NEVER complain a bit.

JJ is Three!

We celebrated JJ's birthday at Chuck E Cheese last Friday. The little boy is THREE years old now! He had a very cute car cake decorated by his mommy. We played games, ate pizza, and had an all around good time. I even caught Steve stealing tokens from his kids so he could shoot some hoops. At one point, Brooke asked Steve for some tokens and he said "How many do you you want?" When she said "5" he said he had to give him 5 kisses. A nearby dad overheard and said, "That's a great idea! I'm gonna have to try that!" He's such a good daddy!

Company Cruise

Steve and I just got back from a company cruise to Key West and Cozumel, Mexico. There were about 34 Wildlife Solutions staff members and spouses along for the trip. We sailed on Carnival out of Miami. Our first stop was Key West. Unfortunately Jeff wasn't able to drive down to see us because he had to work that day. Steve and I got off the boat and did some shopping and got some conch fritters, YUM! Then the next day we went to Cozumel. Steve went on a horseback trip with some of his guys, I did a little shopping, and then we met up for some crazy Mexican nightlife (sorry, I won't be sharing any of those pictures). The last day was a day at sea so we slept, relaxed by the pool, played putt putt on the boat, and hung out with everyone. We had a great time but it's always nice to come home to see out girls. They were so excited to have us back, and they always look so much more grown up when we've been apart for so long.

Meet the Clines

For about the last couple of weeks we have been a household of nine! Our good friends, the Clines, have been living with us while they look for a house to buy. The kids are having a blast and love having someone to play with at all hours of the day. Heather and Jeremiah have three kids: Courtney, Danielle, and Garrett. This is a picture of all five of the kids wearing their matching Wildlife Solutions t-shirts. On the front it says "Hey mom, can we stripe the minivan?" and on the back it says "Trapper in Training".