Father's Day

Since I had to leave around noon for a one week work trip, we decided to skip church on Father's Day and take Brad out to breakfast.  Before that, however, he had to open his presents.  Josh colored him a mug at school and filled it with candy.  Emma's class made tie dyed aprons and she got to write a special message on it.  Our main gift to Brad was a ticket to go see the Cardinals on July 20th.  Of course, the gift was a little selfish since Jeff also got one, which means we get to go up and spend some time with the Welch family that weekend.  After breakfast at Mimi's, we came back home and took some photos before they took me to the airport.  I guess that was the final, ultimate gift, his children for one whole week.  Fortunately VBS kicked off Father's Day night and ran through Thursday so Brad only really had to worry about feeding them one night.

Photo Bomb!

Brad's Birthday

Brad may have received one or two items for his birthday that were not a surprise this year but there were a couple that were definitely a surprise since the kids went shopping with me online.  Emma selected a Cardinals front license plate.  Unfortunately I didn't realize until after the fact that neither vehicle has mounts for a front plate.  I'm not sure what Josh thought he was choosing, maybe a flashlight, but his selection was a lens cleaner for the camera so something useful at least.  Emma decided that Brad would like a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (she definitely knows her Daddy).  I mixed things up a little and did a chocolate chip cake with some help from the kids.  With a little help from Bo and Gram who were in town, the house was decorated complete with streamers and balloons for when Brad got home and the party was on.  The one goal this year was to get some photos of the kids with Brad on his birthday.  We hope he had a great one even though he did have to work and grill his own burgers. 

River Trail

We finally got the chance to take the kids down to the river trail to ride their bikes.  Poor Josh went down for the first time right out of the parking lot.  It was a nasty little spill but he shook it off and got back on his bike.  I lost track but he probably went down about three more times at least but for the first time really riding his bike, he did great.  Emma was a little machine speeding down the trail.  We had to run after her several times.  We definitely need to get them out for some more practice.

 

 

 

 

 

Pinnacle Mountain

Memorial Day morning, we met Meredith and Juliana at Pinnacle Mountain for a little hiking.  While we did have to take quite a few breaks, the kids did great and it got to the point that the summit was within reach so we had them push forward.  We did also have to stop for every dog since Emma and Josh (Emma especially) are now obsessed with dogs.  They all did amazing and all three kids made it to the top for the first time.  The bad part in my mind was that we now had to get them back down the mountain, which is a little tricky for a while with all the large rocks to be navigated.  I had helped Josh on the way up so Brad suggested switching up on the way down.  I jumped at that and was glad I did because that boy even made Brad nervous coming down and there were a few points where it was just easier for Brad to carry him.  We all made it down with no injuries and then had some fun on the playground before saying goodbye.

 

 

 

 

Funland

Our first trip to Funland this year was a little frustrating for the adults but the kids enjoyed themselves.  For whatever reason, they were a bit understaffed so one guy was like the Pied Piper.  The kids would do one ride and then he would lead them all to the next.  Emma and Josh had fun with the Kolb girls and buddy Ross.  After they had their fill of rides, we rounded out the morning with some pizza!  Good way to start the weekend!

Riverfest 2013

Emma's dance class was selected to perform last Sunday at Riverfest this year.  Since Brad was going to be out of town for her actual recital, it worked out nicely that he would get to see her dance at Riverfest.  We had to have her out there at 1:00 pm for a 1:30 pm performance.  The stage that Emma performed on was near Heiffer International and was free entry.  With the timing of the performance, there was no attempt at a nap for Josh but he did great especially given the heat.  Her dance this year was to the song, "Beautiful Beulah," which is from a Disney movie.  Emma was so excited about the fact that they got to have tambourines.  The dance went really well and as always, Emma came to life in front of the audience.

 

After the dance, the Emma and Josh got to "travel" the world by making crafts related to six different countries.  They got a stamp on their passport at each station and once they completed their card, they got to pick a prize.  One funny part was when Josh was making a bead necklace and kept telling the guy working the station, "I'm a boy, I like purple" as if he felt the need to justify it.  After we made it around the world, we headed home with a detour by Sonic to quench our thirsts after being out in the heat.   

Travs Baseball with Daddy

A couple of weekends ago, Emma had a birthday party to attend so Brad decided to take Josh to see the Travs who just happened to be playing the Springfield Cardinals.  Much to Brad's surprise, Josh lasted eight innings and not just because of the slush and cotton candy.  He clearly paid attention since he came home and demonstrated his baseball acumen.  On the way out, they did make a pit stop by the gift shop where Josh selected a little Travs bat.  He is anxious to go to another game!