A Quick Tour

Saturday morning before the wedding, we decided to tour the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. It had a lot of history, a few Clydesdales, a view of the packaging, and a few samples at the end.

Papaw and Ethan touring the on-site stable.
The meticulous tack room for the Clydesdale horses.

A Clydesdale--it was beautiful.

Practice Makes Perfect

Friday evening, we had to practice and prepare for the wedding. Ethan and cousin Ally needed a little pep talk before walking down the aisle. Once they got going they were fantastic! They practiced and practiced. I was definitely a "proud Momma." Ethan looked so grown up.

Ethan showing off his dollar from Uncle Jeffy for walking down the aisle.

The caterers at the rehearsal dinner made a point to let me know that Erica looked just like me.

Reds vs. Cardinals

Most of our family members root for the Cincinnati Reds. So, it was a "no-brainer" to attend the Reds vs. Cardinals game at Busch Stadium. We had about 15 people in our group watching the game. The bride's family all wore their Cardinals gear as they are from the St. Louis area. Most of the groom's family, including Paul and I, were in our Reds gear.

Paul, Jerome, and I got turned around on our way to our seats, so an usher directed us to an elevator that would take us to the correct level. The elevator stopped in the really nice section of the stadium. We walked very slowly through the club section to take in all the sights.

Albert Pujols hitting a homerun. It was a little difficult to decide what team to cheer for with them both wearing red and sitting very high up, but we still had a great time.

Fireworks after the homerun.
Congrats Sheri and Brad! Their names made the scoreboard.

Paul and I after the Reds were defeated.

Busch Stadium from the parking garage. Thanks Gammaw for allowing Paul and I to enjoy the game. She was the kind, brave soul that stayed with Ethan, Erica, and Gabrielle so that Paul, Jerome and I could enjoy the game.

A Visit to the "New Zoo"

Thursday morning, we woke early to head to St. Louis for a wedding. We decided to make a vacation out of our trip. Our first stop was the St. Louis Zoo, or the "new zoo" according to Ethan and Erica. I love visiting the zoo to see the enjoyment and wonder on my children's faces as they experience wild animals up close. The St. Louis Zoo had plenty of animals up close. We (of course) had to visit Marty (zebras) for Erica, the giraffes for Ethan and me, the grizzly bears for Paul, and the penguins for Ellie. We were also very curious about the gorillas and the hippopotamuses.

When we first came upon the elephant, we were amazed at the tricks he was doing. We later learned the 16-year-old elephant had a trainer on the opposite side giving him commands. We were still very impressed.
It was difficult to gage how massive the hippos are until one of them climbed out of the water.

My little animal got caught catching a ride from her daddy.
Ellie was so happy to be out of her stroller and visiting the penguins. She loves how they swim and splash. We had the biggest smiles out of her while she watched the penguins.

"Hey penguin, come here!"

The giraffes were so close. Someone standing beside me was able to reach out a pet the giraffe. Ellie enjoyed watching a giraffe as it nibbled on some lunch right in front of her. The giraffes are always one of my favorite stops at the Indianapolis Zoo.

Passing the Time

I finally got a new camera. It was a very exciting, yet stressful experience. Paul and I bought it Wednesday evening before we left for St. Louis. I spent most of the ride reading the instruction mannual. The kids also passed the time watching videos, sleeping, reading, playing with their toys or just making eyes at me. I enjoyed photographing my beautiful subjects while learning about the features of my camera.

Tuesday Night Boys' Club

For as long as I can remember, Paul has played basketball on Tuesday nights. It used to be with a league, then the old college players, and now with some "boys" around town wanting to stay in shape. Tonight as I was finishing up with the girls and their bath, Paul was preparing to leave. I needed Ethan for his bath. Paul came to the bathroom with Ethan in tow. Both had the sweet, pleading eyes. "Can Ethan go play basketball with me tonight?" How could I tell either one of them no? They were both very excited. So excited that mommy had to come find his Michael Jordan jersey and wrist bands. Ethan even wanted to wear his basketball shoes from Uncle Todd. Mommy had to draw the line somewhere--the shoes are too big. With water bottle, basketball, and in full gear, my little boy turned into a big boy right before my eyes. And, my big boy, turned into a little boy with excitement over sharing his hobby with his son. I was also excited that they could share this special moment together. It is the first of many Tuesday night boys' trips.

Ellie Belly Laughs

Today was full of belly laughs, particularly from Ellie. Our day started with a trip to the zoo. Despite the heat we had a great time. Ethan and Erica fed the giraffes. We watched an elephant get a bath. Ethan was able the pet the elephant. We saw the new "mo mo" dragon exhibit, and we saw Marty (the zebras). The walrus was very playful today. The zoo volunteer said that he likes to flirt with girls. We saw it first hand. He was making all kinds of faces at Erica, peeking his head above and below the water, and sticking his cheek on the glass. Ellie's first belly laugh came from the penguins darting about. We were able to witness their feeding time, so they were very active.

After our visit to the zoo, we headed to B'maw and Pop'o's house. Ethan and Erica love to build towers with B'maw's blocks. Ellie loved knocking down the towers. Ethan realized that it was difficult to build with Ellie around, so the began building towers for her. She had some many wonderful, belly laughs. I think that is one of my favorite sounds.




Ellie also decided to help Pop-O install a new dishwasher.

You know it has been a long, fun day when one falls asleep with sucker in hand.

When she awoke, that was the first thing she asked for.

You Might as well JUMP

Saturday evening our dear friends, Jim and Amy, came to visit with their son, Logan. We enjoyed a nice evening together. Logan and Erica enjoyed each other's company. The played and played together. I think I heard wedding bells in the background.

Logan and Erica both love to dance. Logan especially likes Van Halen. They were jumping and dancing the night away.

Won't this be perfect in their wedding video? He was a great Daddy to Erica's baby dolls. The next time we see Logan, he will probably be taking care of his baby brother or sister.

Daddy's Little Helper

Ellie decided that she needed to help clean up after dinner this evening. She was unloading the dishwasher almost as quickly as Paul was loading it. Paul would move her away, and she would make a bee-line back to the dishwasher. Needless to say, I was not much help. I was trying to capture this moment on film. I will need it when she is a teenager to show her how happy she was to do chores.

Pretty Toes

I finally took advantage of my Christmas present this weekend--a pedicure. It was a wonderful treat. All the pampering almost put me to sleep. Ethan and Erica loved my pretty toes. They decided that they also needed pretty toes. They couldn't decide which color to choose, so why not all of them! It was so fun painting their toenails and fingernails. My wiggly kiddos were loving the pampering almost as much as I did. Very soon Ellie will want in on the fun. I did promise Paul that I would remove every last trace of Ethan's polish before the wedding. For some reason, I don't think Brad and Sheri would want their ring bearer to have pink and blue fingernails.