Weekend at the Lake

We were able to leave around 1:30 for the lake. That was really nice because we were able to get out of St. Louis before the rush of traffic.
  It was a perfect day weather wise and we even had time for a short boat ride on Friday night.
  Saturday morning it started to rain at 7:10 am and didn't stop raining until almost 4 pm. So after waiting about two hours at the cabin for the rain to stop we decided to go into Osage. We went to Miner Mikes and enjoyed play in their mazes and on the rides.

   We then did a little shopping at the outlet mall and headed back to the cabin about 3:45.  Soon after we got back to the cabin it stopped raining so we were able to get the boat out and go to Jolly Roger for dinner.  The kids love that place and because of the rain it really wasn't too crowded so we were able to sit at the table and watch the kids play for a long time. The pirate came around with the bird and both Chris and Alyssa got to hold the bird.

   Sunday the weather was perfect and we spent the whole day on the water, either in the boat, playing in the water (though it was really cold!), on the water mat or other water toys, or just hanging on the dock.

  Chris cooked chicken and steak on the BBQ that night and we then had s'mores for dessert. After dinner we went for a boat ride and while on the boat Alyssa fell asleep.
   Monday the weather was nice in the morning and we went for a nice long boat ride. Both kids took a turn driving the boat by themselves. We were in our cove with no other boats and they enjoyed steering the wheel.
 This time it was Colin's turn to fall asleep.  However soon after we got back the clouds started to roll in and the wind started to pick up so by noon we were packed up and ready to head home.
   It was a really good weekend and can't wait to return in a few weeks when the water is just a little bit warmer!

Dance Recital

Alyssa had another dance recital tonight. This was her third recital. I think she did the best she has ever done. I think her age plus past knowledge helped a lot with that.
  She has enjoyed dance this semester. She did it with two little girls from the daycare. It was on Monday afternoons during nap time. She loved it because it got her out of nap and she got to go with friends.
   Her dancing was adorable. I am so proud of her.
  We will have to see if she wants to do dance in the fall.

10 years!

10 years ago today I married my best friend. In the past ten years our lives have changed more than I could have ever imagined.
When we got married I figured by 10 years we would own a house in AZ or MO, have a few kids, I would be teaching and Chris would be set in a career.
  Well we do have a house but it is in IL, we do have a few kids, and Chris does have a career, but it is still so different from what I imagined.
   I have my own business that will be celebrating 4 years of being my own boss in August. Our two kids are my whole world and would do anything for them. Chris is working at a great company, but in doing so has had to be out of town at times.
   The other thing I never thought was how my love would grow for Chris. When get got married I knew I loved him and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, however that love as corny as it sounds has only grown.
  The first time he held Alyssa my love for him tripled. Then less than two years later he held Colin and my love grew even deeper. Watching him play with the children is one of my favorite things to do.
   Those are just two of the big examples of how my love has grown there are so many little things that I can pin point and even more that I can't.
   I am a very lucky girl to have such a wonderful partner to spend my life with and raise our family together.

It is been a fun, crazy ride these past 10 years and I can't wait to see what the next 10 hold for us.

Swim

The kids have been in swim for years now (and no I'm not exaggerating). Alyssa started swim when she was 8 months old. Colin started when he was 6 months old.
   Right before Colin turned 3 he started to swim with the teachers instead of us. For about 5 months at every lesson Chris and I would sit on the benches watching the kids swim. Colin would always make us so nervous. We called what he did controlled drowning. It was nerve wrecking to watch.
   Starting middle of March I decided we would do two sessions of two nights a week to see if that could help Colin.  The first session went okay, he did improve but nothing drastic. Then the second session hit.
  It was like a light bulb went off for him! He started diving off the edge and diving board on his own (on his knees). He started to swim the length of the pool instead of the width. And by the last week of class he was actually swimming all the way across the pool on his own on his back.  At that point I realized I couldn't stop swim classes for the summer like I had planned.
   So they are back in two days a week for another 4 weeks. I'm so proud of Colin and how he has just taken off with his new found determination and drive.
     
    Alyssa is also doing fantastic. Her back stroke is amazing. She flies across the pool. Also her dives are so pretty and she has started to dive deep.  She enjoys going to the bottom for rings.  Her front crawl could still use some work, but even her swimming and her endurance has grown tremendously the last 8 weeks.

The Weekend

Saturday was Chris' birthday.
We got up and I fixed a stuffed french toast and we put candles in it and sang happy birthday.
We then decided we wanted to do something fun and the weather looked nice so we packed a picnic lunch and headed out.
   We started with a trip to Forest Park where we rented a paddle boat for an hour. We had done this once before and Alyssa remembered so she was super excited. Both kids took a turn paddling. Colin loved it and was mad when we made him stop.
   After that we got our lunch out and sat by a creek to eat. The kids then spent some time playing on the rocks. At one point Colin got scared and Alyssa went back got Colin's hand and helped him get across.
   We then went to the zoo. We only had about two hours before we had to leave so each person got to pick one animal to see. Colin picked the elephants, Alyssa picked the butterflies, I picked the monkeys, and Chris picked the seals. After a long train ride wait and a very short train trip we piled back in the car to head to Chris' families house for a Mother day/ birthday celebration.
    We enjoyed lots of good food and talking. Then there was a fair going on at a school very close to where we were at and was open to the public so the all the kids and Chris and I walked to it. The kids enjoyed rides for about an hour and a half and then we walked back to the family house and enjoyed another hour of talking. Chris wanted a carrot cake. So I fixed one for him. I was very nervous about how it would turn out but it ended up being a really good cake.
   We didn't leave until 9:00 that night.  Surprisingly the kids stayed awake the whole trip home so once home we did a quick shower and off to bed.
   The storms hit about 11. The wind was blowing the front of the house and so Alyssa joined us in bed. She was very nervous about the storm and kept asking me if we could go to the basement and curled into my back with her head buried.
   Luckily the storms didn't last long and by 1 everyone was sleeping nicely again.
   At 3 Colin came into the room gasping for air. So downstairs we came for 3 breathing treatments back to back. I was able to get his O2 back up to 98% and so we went back to bed for awhile.
    On Sunday (Mother's Day) everyone slept until 7:40. Then the kids got up with Chris and let me sleep in.  Chris and Colin went and got me flowers.
   We got up and Colin was super grouchy. So we spent the day just lounging around the house. In fact I left long enough to pick up lunch, but other than that we watched movies and played. It was a good day.

It was a fun weekend, and now ready for our busy week.

Birthday Weekend x2

A few weeks before my 30th birthday I decided I wanted to get a tattoo. I wasn't sure of what or when but I wanted one. I guess I could call it a small mid life crisis.

On Friday night Chris arranged for a few good friends to meet at melting Pot for dinner. We had dinner reservations for 8 but were able to drop the kids off with Grandma and Grandpa at 6:30 so we drove to the restaurant and  grabbed two drinks before we met up with everyone.
We then had a great dinner with good food, great conversation and lots of laughter. We were there until almost midnight. Chris and I had planned to go out after the dinner but since the dinner went so long we came home and went to bed.

On Saturday morning Chris and I slept in late and then went out to breakfast just the two of us. We then came home and hung out until the kids got home at noon. We then ran some errands.

I then went out with a friend for a few hours and then decided it was time to go get the tattoo. I went to a place here in Alton. The lady did a great job.

The tattoo is a heart with heartbeats coming out either side of it. I had it designed as my heart with the kids heartbeats coming out of it. I went back and forth between my foot and shoulder but decided on shoulder since then it will never be seen at work.

I am very happy with how it turned out.