A Sun-filled Weekend Part 2

After we got back from the doubleheader, Brian's mom Brenda called to ask if we wanted to go out on the Mississippi River on their pontoon boat on Sunday. Of course we accepted and spent the day playing/relaxing at the beach and tubing up and down the River. The weather was beautiful, we had a great lunch Ron grilled on the beach, and the kids had a great time playing in the sand and surf. We even got Brenda and Ron to do a little tubing-- check out the pics of Brenda before and after we started moving!

The next day (Monday 7-23), Brian and I took the boys to Six Flags for the first time. Alex & Brady received free tickets to Six Flags at a Cardinals game we went to earlier in the month, so it gave us a great excuse for Brian to take off and go on one of the weekly field trips with us. The boys are tall enough to ride almost every ride there and we rode everything we could. We rode the Screaming Eagle, The Boss, Ninja, Tony Hawk's Big Spin and of course Thunder River and Tidal Wave (the boys stood on the bridge twice and got completely soaked). Since we went on a Monday the lines weren't long at all (except the Moon Cars for some reason). Some rides we just walked right up and got on, so that was really nice! Most of the rides there I have ridden dozens of times, but it was neat getting to be with my children as they rode them all for the first time. Its a whole different experience when you don't know what to expect and it was very cool to share that with them. Sorry we don't have any pics from Six Flags, but who wants to carry a camera around all day?

It was a long three days, but we all had a lot of fun! Now its time to get ready for vacation-- Pittsburgh and Washington DC, here we come! Hopefully the Cards will keep up the winning streak for the roadtrip, so we can see some winners. I will post some vacation pics when we get back.

A Sun-filled Weekend

The weekend of July 21-23 was a fun, sun-filled weekend. The boys had their baseball pictures (see team pic) and a doubleheader on Saturday July 21st. Unfortunately the team suffered its first two losses of the season, but the boys played well. Alex was the catcher for a few innings both last weekend and this weekend, he likes that position and shortstop best. Brady has played about every position and even pitched for the first time this weekend and did pretty well. The pictures show Alex (red shorts) and Brady (blue shorts) having a great and helping out the team!

Alivia and Jack are 2

Last Sunday (7/15) we attended Alivia (Amy's daughter) and Jack (Jenny's son) second birthday party. Since they share a birthday Amy & Jenny decided to have a big circus themed party for both of them. It was so much fun! It was at Dame's Park in O'fallon, the weather was great and there was plenty of room for all the kids to run around. Rob and Joe did an excellent job BBQing and Alivia and Jack seemed to like the little tricycles we got them. There was even a guy drawing caricatures (see pic) and a pimped out snow cone mobile. The snow cone mobile probably had 50 different flavors to chose from and of course they all sounded good. I ended up eating 4 snow cones during the two hours it was there (pina colada, cream soda, strawberry cheesecake, and honey dew, in that order). As I told Amy, it was the bestest second birthday party I've ever been to, I can't wait to see what they do next year. Happy Birthday, Jack and Livy!

Trying to Stay Busy

The boys' summer vacation is now officially half way over. We have been trying to stay busy so they don't drive me too crazy. We go to the library every Monday to check out books and movies for the week and we try to go somewhere else either on Wednesday or Friday. Some weeks it's just a trip to the park and some weeks are a little more fun. A few weeks ago we went bowling. The boys are becoming better bowlers as they get older. We still used a bumper lane, but they really didn't need it half the time. Alena helped me bowl, although she kept stepping on or rolling the ball over the foul line so she really wasn't much help, but she had fun anyway. If anyone has any ideas for cheap, fun places we all can enjoy, please pass them along. Hope everyone is having a great summer!

The Neverending Fourth of July

So I finally downloaded pictures that had been accumulating on my memory card since June. Here are some pics from the 4th of July. It seemed like this year since the Fourth of July fell on a Wednesday, the holiday actually consisted of the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th of July. Mike came over one night to shoot off fireworks; Joe, Joanne, and JD came over another night and shot off hundreds of dollars of explosives; on the 4th I took the kids to the fair in O'fallon and we watched the fireworks there with Brenda & Ron; then that Saturday we went over to our friend Abbe's house for a BBQ and another huge display. Needless to say, everyone had a great time and saw plenty of fireworks -- at least until New Years!

A Great Weekend for Baseball

Alex and Brady had their first baseball game last Saturday (7/7) and won 11-9! Alex played third base and Brady played shortstop, although they are all suppose to rotate so they may have to play a different position next week. Alex hit two singles and came around to score both times. Brady went 3 for 3 with a single, a double, and a triple in that order. His triple with the bases loaded scored the three runs the team needed to tie the game and then he scored from third to be the winning run! They both did really well and most importantly had a lot of fun. Way to go, boys!

On Sunday afternoon, Brian, the boys, and I went to the Cardinals vs. Giants game. It was a hot 95 degrees, but thankfully our regular seats are in the shade so it wasn't too unbearable. The Cardinals won 7-0 and Barry Bonds played, but didn't get a hit all game. It was a great weekend for baseball!!!

Happy 231st Birthday, America!

231 years ago today our forefathers declared our independence from Britain by proclaiming, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," and with these words the United States of America was born.

John Adams, the first Vice President, the Second President of the United States, and one of the members of the Second Continental Congress who signed the Declaration of Independence, wrote to his wife, "I believe that it (July 4th) will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival... it ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other..."

In honor of this momentous occasion we hope everyone takes John Adams' advice and has a safe and happy Independence Day. Happy Birthday, America!

Boys of Summer

Last week the boys started practice for their summer baseball league through the YMCA. They did really well at their first practice and they are anxiously awaiting their first real game this Sat (7/7) at 1:30. Their team, the Washington Nationals, is part of an instructional league, so they get to rotate positions and master the basics without any emphasis being placed on winning or competitiveness (which is good because they constantly compete with each other in everything). They are very excited about their new cleats and baseball attire, although they were a little disappointed their team was the Nationals and not the Cardinals, but it works out well since we are going to Washington DC at the end of this month to watch a Cards/Nationals game. Anyway, I though I would post their schedule so if anyone wanted to come see a game you could plan accordingly. All of the games are on Saturday and only take about an hour. Click on the location to get a map.

7-7-07 1:30 St. Charles YMCA Field #11

7-14-07 12:30 St. Charles YMCA Field #11

7-21-07 12:15 & 1:30 (Doubleheader) Founders Park, Field #5- Lake STL

7-28-07 1:30 Founders Park, Field #5- Lake STL

8-11-07 11:00 Founders Park, Field #4- Lake STL

8-18-07 12:15 Founders Park, Field #4- Lake STL

Truth, Justice, and the American Way!

On our way home Sunday from Kentucky, I just had to take a detour through the Illinois town of Metropolis to get my picture taken with the giant statue of Superman. I had seen a sign about it on the way down and had talked about stopping by on the way home all weekend. We all had our pictures taken with the statue and I spent $20 at the Superman gift shop. Thanks to Rob and Mike for tagging along on our little adventure through Metropolis, the whole visit only took about 30-45 minutes and it was a great photo-op--check them out!

Congratulations, Jeff and Mickey!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you...Jeff and Melissa Davenport! Jeff and Mickey are officially hitched and I did a great job, if I do say so myself. The wedding was a beautiful sunset ceremony at a Gazebo/Jetty on Kentucky Lake. It didn't rain, I didn't forget my words, and no one passed out from the heat, so all it all I would call it a success. Since the wedding was on Friday evening, we had the whole rest of the weekend to play and celebrate. We ate well and drank well and had a great time hanging out with all Jeff and Mickey's friends and families and I think we all got a lot closer as a result. I will post another entry about our Saturday excursion on Kentucky Lake after I get the pics from my waterproof camera developed, but for now here are some pics from the wedding. Congratulations, Jeff and Mickey- we love you both!

What's a Doodlecake?

Many of you may think that this is a picture of a Hostess chocolate cupcake (or its generic equivalent), but in the Lenk house it is known as a Doodlecake. Brady started calling them that since "they have a little doodle on top," and now all of us call them doodlecakes. I thought it was so cute I just had to share.

I hope I don't screw up!

We leave for Kentucky Lake tonight to go to Jeff and Mickey's wedding. Brian is a groomsman and I'm performing the ceremony. I still can't believe I got myself into this and I'm getting more nervous the closer it gets. When I first agreed to do it, I was told it was a small informal ceremony at a Jetty on Kentucky Lake . Three months later, however, there are 7 bridesmaids and they are expecting over 60 people. I'm sure everything will be fine (at least that's what everyone keeps telling me). I have the whole 3-4 hour drive down there to practice, and then the wedding isn't until Friday at 8 pm, so I have most of the day tomorrow as well.
Last weekend was the Bachelor/ Bachelorette parties and the rehearsal/dinner. The bachelor party was at our house and 30-40 drunk well wishers camped out on our property.

The bachelorette party was an 80's themed slumber party, hence the Strawberry Shortcake PJs and the scrunchy (see pic). Everyone had a great time and stayed safe. I will post an update next week about how everything went and some pics from the wedding. Wish me luck!

Bye-Bye Little Gym

Last week was the last day of 3rd grade, this week was Alena's last day of gymnastics class. Alena and I have been taking a mommy and me gymnastics class at The Little Gym since January. The Last day is "show day" where all the kids get to show off their skills to any family or friends that want to come take pictures. Alena learned how to do a somersault, donkey kicks, monkey jumps, and crab walks, just to name a few. At the end of class they all received a metal for all their hard work. We are taking the summer session off, but plan to return for the fall session which begins on August 20, the same day the boys start 4th grade!

The Last Day of Third Grade

Wednesday (5/30) was the boys' last day of the third grade. They worked very hard all year and were very successful! They both had perfect attendance, made the honor roll all 4 quarters, were in the spelling bee, and didn't get in trouble even once. In honor of all these achievements, I took the day off work on Thursday and planned a day of fun to celebrate and kick off summer vacation. Alena went to the babysitter and Alex, Brady and I headed to the Magic House. I didn't tell them much about it other than it was a "fun museum," so they didn't quite know what to expect, but when we got there they were both very pleasantly surprised. We all had a blast and learned a lot too! After the magic house we picked up Brian and Alena and went out to Chuck E. Cheese's for dinner and more fun. It was a long, but very fun day. Hopefully, they will do just as well in the 4th grade and we can do it all again next year. Only 80 more days until school starts!

I'm so glad it's over!

I'm very happy American Idol and all the other reality shows I watch are finally over! Idol was a little disappointing this year, although I'm glad Jordin won. I have no doubt that by this time next year I will be singing along to one of her songs on the radio, unlike last year's Idol Taylor Hicks (Chris is the true Idol from last season). The worst part of last night was the end and I'm not talking about the fact that Jordin won. I have school on Wednesday nights and have to TiVo Idol. I got home about 10 and fast forwarded through most of the finale, only stopping at a few performances that peaked my interest. Anyway, after waiting through the two hours of filler, it finally get to the end when they are about to announce the winner and--- the recording stops! Even though they stretched a 10 second show into two hours, they still went five minutes over-- absolutely ridiculous! After all that, I still had to look up who won on the Internet!

We Actually Won!

The Ethical Society's First Annual Trivia Night, I posted about previously, was a complete success! Although we could always use more teams and sponsors for next year--I will let everyone in plenty of time the next time it comes around! Best of all, our team came in first! Thanks to Amy, Brenda, Ron, and our new friends Liz, Chuck, Cindy, and Jim for all their hard work. Out of the 100 questions (10 rounds of 10) we got 77 correct, in categories such as History, Mexico (it honor of it being cinco de mayo), Geography, Sports and Games, and Music. Everyone ate a lot of chips and salsa and had a great time!

The reason it took my so long to post this great news is because Alena had a fever and was kinda pitiful last weekend and when I took her the the doctor on Monday, they diagnosed her with a double ear infection (OUCH!) None of my kids have ever had an ear infection before (thankfully!), so this was a first for me. A few days on antibiotics and she's as good as new. Unfortunately, I also got sick on Monday and when I went to the doctor on Wednesday, they said I had bronchitis. Needless to say, it has been a rough week! Alex and Brian also have the sniffles and have been lazier than usual, but Brady gets First Prize for the best immune system in the house- he has yet to be sick (knock on wood).

I missed work and school all this week since I was sick, so I will be working my butt off this weekend and next week to try to catch up. I am so happy summer is just around the corner!

That's So Gross!

Last week the children and I were eating spaghetti for dinner, when Alena started rubbing her marinara covered hands all over her nose and face and acting strangely. She tends to freak out when she gets messy, so I promptly wiped her off. She was still rubbing her face, she said she was done and I got her out of her chair. I never thought anything about it again until about 4 hours later about 11pm when she was sitting on my lap watching TV. I thought I saw a booger in her nose, but when I went in to retrieve it-- a two inch long piece of spaghetti came out! GROSS, now I was the one freaking out! I guess when she was slurping her spaghetti into her mouth she accidentally also sucked some up her nose. After I pulled it out, she did one of those full body shivers and said "Mama, my nose is better." I guess so!

P.S. I almost took a picture of the piece I pulled out for the blog, but decided that was a bit much, so this picture was taken back in January.

Happy 8th Anniversary!

Eight years ago today (May 1st), Brian & I tied the knot! Its been a long 8 years, but we made it through the 7 year itch-- so that's a good thing! Brian brought me 8 red roses to my work today, they smell wonderful! Thanks, honey! Happy Anniversary to Us! I Love You!

Cinco de Mayo Trivia Night

The Mid Rivers Ethical Society is hosting its first annual trivia night on Cinco de Mayo- Saturday May 5 @ 7 (doors open @ 6:30). I have reserved a table and need about 5 more people to fill it. It's $20 per person and there are door prizes, silent auctions and snacks provided. It is a Mexican theme and has a prize for the best decorated table, so if anyone has any cute ideas please pass them on to me. Also, if anyone/business would like to donate items for the door prizes or silent auctions please let me know ASAP. Also if anyone/business would like to sponsor a round of trivia, it's a $25 tax-deductible donation and you get your business name on the promotional materials and get to put cards/flyers on the tables. Thanks already to Amy at AAA for sponsoring a round! Let me know if anyone wants to go, I'm sure it will be a great time!

Alena's Rough Weekend

On Saturday Alena was suppose to be napping when all of a sudden I heard a thud. I ran back to the boys' room and retrieved my now screaming daughter who had a big red mark, right in the middle of her forehead. I think she probably fell trying to climb up to the top bunk, but no one really knows. Anyway, as the evening went on I noticed her right eye wasn't as open as the left one. It wasn't red and she was acting fine, but I called mom just to be on the safe side.
The next morning Alena's eye still wasn't open as much as the other eye, it looked a little swollen, but still wasn't red or bruised. She played outside all day long while Brian cut the grass. And as if she wasn't suffering enough, she ended up with a little sunburn on her arms.
The next morning (Monday) Alena woke up with a big black eye! I don't know why it took two days to appear, but she looks pretty rough with her black eye, red mark on her forehead, and sunburned arms. I have a feeling it is going to be a very rough summer!