September Wrap-Up

September has been a bad month for me and computers, consequently it has also been a bad month for blog posts. My office moved over Labor Day weekend and our DSL was down for the first two weeks of the month, since I often write blog entries at work, posts were scarce. My computer at home has its good days and its bad days and since I never know what I'm going to get, I often save myself the frustration by not even turning it on. I think I was kinda in computer burn out anyway, so it was a much needed break. There are many things I must use a computer for, but there are also A LOT of things I could do without. I haven't been on myspace for over a week and I don't even feel all that lost, but to my 111 myspace friends, I do apologize for missing birthdays or not responding to messages, etc. I just needed a break!

I digress, September started out with a trip to the Mark Twain Lake over Labor Day weekend. All the children and a couple of friends went with us, and the back of the truck was loaded with food, clothes, and leisure activities- way more than we would ever need of course. As we finish unloading, I realized we forgot the worst possible thing we could have forgotten (except a child)-- Alena's big pink bag! That bag had EVERYTHING of hers in it, diapers, clothes, toys, swimsuit, EVERYTHING! I debated whether I should just go to the nearest Wal-Mart and make an exception to my "Just Say NO to Wal-Mart rule" (see post) or if I should just go back home and get it. In the end, I decided that the gas would probably still be cheaper than a trip to Wal-Mart, so I dropped everyone else off at the lake and Alena and I drove the 3 hour roundtrip drive home to retrieve the now infamous pink bag, all the time hoping that this would be the first and only disaster of the weekend! For the most part it was, we all had a good time going to the beach and doing some tubing on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday morning , all the boys decided to get up early and do some fishing. Alex and Brady still lose interest pretty quickly if the fish aren't biting, which they weren't. The only one to catch anything was Brady, and all he caught was Brian through the lip! I still have not forgiven Mike for not taking a picture, but from all accounts the hook went in through the top of Brian's upper lip and out the bottom, but the best part was the minnow was still hanging from it! Brian wasn't hurt, but the picture would have been priceless addition to this post--thanks a lot Mike, lotta good that camera phone did!

I have been looking for a new job since I graduated in June, but still have not found one, which is rather disappointing. I have been the runner-up twice for a job as a victim advocate in the Prosecutor's office, but unfortunately they gave the positions to two former employees who wanted to return. I am also still trying to get a job at State probation and parole, but it is a very slow process, so for now I'm still just working two days a week at MMCS.

All of our recreational activities have now started again, Brian plays on a pool league on Tuesday nights, I bowl on Thursday nights, and then we both bowl every other Sunday on a league. Not to mention Alena is back at gymnastics on Monday mornings, at least the boys really don't have anything going on right now, except school, which is nice, although they miss playing baseball and can't wait to play again next year.

Speaking of baseball, we are all very disappointed with the Cardinals lackluster season, but it was still fun to watch (most of the time). We attended our last game on Sept. 16 against the Cubs, but lost 4-2. Oh well, there is always next year- spring training is only 4 1/2 months away and we will have football through most of that time, although the Rams season isn't off to a very good start either (0-3). That's about all I got for now, if I think of anything else I'll write an update. C-ya!

Baseball Trip '07- Washington DC

We arrived in Washington DC around 5, got settled in and decided to walk around and check out our nation's capital. Our hotel was downtown toward the Capital side of the Mall, so we walked down to the Capital and the Supreme Court to take some pics, then we headed back and took a tour of the National Archives. We saw the Magna Carta, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution, among other national treasures. Unfortunately, they didn't allow flash photography, so all the pics we took just look like tanned pieces of paper and you can't tell which one is which. The next day we had planned on going to the Smithsonian, which is somewhere I have wanted to visit since I was a child. But of course, when I actually get the chance to go to DC- it was CLOSED! It closed last summer and will remain closed until next summer for renovations. So we decided to go to the National Air & Space Museum, which is also ran by the Smithsonian Institute and it had about 100 pieces from the closed museum on display. The boys learned a lot and enjoyed all the airplanes and rockets hanging from the ceiling. There was also models of the Lunar Lander and the Space Station which were quite cool. I got to see Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, Kermit the Frog, George Washington's Military Uniform, Jackie Kennedy's Inaugural dress, a baseball signed by Babe Ruth, and other pieces of Americana that are on loan while their home is being remodeled, so at least it wasn't a total loss. After the museum, we went up in the Washington Monument and got to take in the whole city from 555 feet in the air. Our view from the top allowed us to plan our hike to the White House to take some pics and then we took the subway back to the hotel to get ready for the game. We used the subway quite a bit while we were in DC, including to and from the game, and the boys quickly became obsessed with this method of travel. The Nationals are getting a new stadium next season, which is a very good thing because RFK Stadium was not impressive at all. The only things that were cool were the mascots, the main mascot is an Eagle named Screech, but then they have four big headed presidents that also dance around and have a race in the middle of the game (see pic of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt). Unfortunately the Cardinals lost in the bottom of the 9th inning, 3-2, but at least this game was a nail biter and not a blowout. The following day we visited the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Wall, and the WWII Memorial, which has a beautiful fountain- I love fountains! It was about 100 degrees and we had to do a lot of walking, but we all made it through. We left DC later that afternoon and drove to Columbus, Ohio where we crashed for the night. The next morning was our final leg home and Alena and Dixie were very happy to see us when we got there. In all we crossed seven states and traveled over 1700 miles. We get to mark two more stadiums off our list, bringing our total to 13 (if you count both Busch Stadiums). All in all it was a good trip, not the most relaxing vacation we've ever taken, but it was an experience everyone will remember for a long time. I can't wait to see where we get to go next year!

Baseball Trip '07- Pittsburgh

This year we took the boys on our annual out of town trip to watch the Cardinals play. Neither of us was crazy about driving 1700 miles with two nine year olds, but we knew it would be a good learning experience for them. The first day we just spent driving from St. Louis to Pittsburgh, PA. Although we did stop for lunch at Wendy's, which was a welcomed treat since all the Wendy's in the St. Louis area have been closed for over a year! We stayed about 5 miles outside of Pittsburgh to save some money and it was definitely the right decision. We had a suite with a full kitchen, the hotel had free breakfast (not just continental either) and a free two-hour happy hour everynight- it was great and everyone was really nice! The hotel even took us to and from the baseball game, so we didn't have to pay for parking. At less than $100 per night it was definitely the bargain of the trip and with the exception of the fire alarm going off in the middle of that first night it was a pleasant experience. There was no fire, but of course the alarm was right outside our door, luckily the boys slept through it all, Brian wasn't so lucky. The next morning we toured PNC Park and got to go in the dugout and the pressbox and see the inner working of the Pittsburgh Pirates home. The ballpark is right on the Allegheny River and is a very pretty park. After we left we decided to go up one of Pittsburgh's historic inclines (130 years old historic) to get a better view of the city (see pic of the incline going up the hill and the overview shot of downtown Pittsburgh). After going back to the hotel for a quick swim and the free happy hour, we left for the game and watched the Cardinals lose 15-1 :(

The next morning we ate our free breakfast and hit the road on our way to Washington DC!

TO BE CONTINUED....................

Kiva Update

As I blogged about in a previous post, over the winter I donated money through Kiva to women starting or expanding businesses in developing countries. It was my little way of feeling as if I was making a difference to not only the entrepreneur, but her to family and in some cases the entire community. I loaned four women a total of $150 and I'm happy to report one of the women, Lidys Fajardo, has repaid her loan in full ahead of schedule. I took the $50 she repaid me and have since donated $25 each to two more women to help their businesses. I have added a Lenk's Link with my lender page so anyone who wants to can follow the progress of any or all of these women.

Another 1st Day of School--YIPPEE!

The boys' started fourth grade today (8/20) and other than the bus being over 30 minutes late (which is typical for the 1st day) everything else went smoothly and the boys enjoyed being back in class with all their friends. I'm also very excited to have my normal life back, it was so nice shopping today with only ONE child! Alena starts her first day of "school" tomorrow. Her babysitter is about to have another baby, so we decided it was a good time to put her in daycare. She still will only go two days a week (at least until I find a full-time job) and it will be good for her to get around kids her own age.

I finally downloaded the pics from our vacation today, but still need to go through them and organize. I promise I will post about our trip later this week. One reason I didn't get the vacation pics done today was that I started organizing my picture files, for example, I now only have one file entitled "First Day of School" and inside it are all the subfolders for each grade. It has made my "My Picture" File a lot less cluttered. Anyway, as I was condensing I pulled out similar pics from all the first days of school the boys have had and thought I would share them with everyone. So here are pictures from all their first days of school from Kindergarten through 4th grade. I can't believe how much they have grown up over the past few years!

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!