Saint Louis - Day 2

We started the day with dinosaurs at the Science Museum.
Ella and Anna were able to explore some of the exhibits at the Science Museum, but it was a little too old for them to thoroughly enjoy.
I, however, enjoyed seeing Chuck's head on a platter.
Our next stop was the Saint Louis Zoo. Which was totally free, as was the Science Museum!

Black Bear. I like to call him Brownie.
Penguins. The penguin exhibit was completely awesome. However, I was a little uncomfortable with how close the penguins actually were. See those shadows in the picture? Yeah, that is us - about a foot away from the little guys. Definitely close enough to get bitten.
The chimps - again, we were very close. This time there was protective glass in between us and the wild animals.
I like to call this guy Mr. Grumpy. He seemed none too happy about us looking at him and even less happy about me taking his picture.
Anna, in her usual fashion, wanted to climb all barriers and get right in the cage with the cute kitties.
Very pretty kitty.
One of the best things about the zoo was Anna pointing at everything to make sure we saw all the cool stuff. Seeing stuff for the first time all over again through her eyes has got to be one of the best parts about being a parent.
Cute baby elephant and mommy elephant.
Anna's favorite - turtles. Well, actually tortoises, but we won't correct her about that yet.
One of my favorite parts of the zoo - the butterfly exhibit. We got up-close-and-personal with some beautiful butterflies. While I am not okay with them touching me or landing on me, I appreciate their beauty and want to take their picture.We ended the day with dinner at India Palace. Aunt Lisa and Art met us there, and the girls finally warmed up to Lisa by the end of dinner (much to her delight).
Day 2 was a success, and we are looking forward to just as much fun tomorrow at the City Museum.

Here is some video of the penguins, hippos, and the cutest baby monkey ever.

Saint Louis - Day 1, March 31

The drive was surprisingly painless and actually enjoyable. Anna chilled in style while Ella slept. Chuck and I belted out our favorite songs or took alternate naps.

Our first stop in Saint Louis - The Gateway Arch
"Wow, it's really tall Daddy!"
A view from inside the tiny little capsule that takes passengers to the top of the 630 foot arch. The arch also happens to be 630 feet at the base.
A view of downtown from the top.

Chuck and the girls looking out at the view. It is a little scary leaning down like that because you literally are looking straight down. Nothing, however, can scare Anna.A view straight down - 630 feet.

Anna cheesing for the camera.
The. Best. Mexican. Restaurant. Ever. Period.Swimming at the end of the day. The girls loved it. Anna was fearless of the water, as always. She walked off the steps into would-be nothingness (if we didn't catch her) several times. Ella tried to get the hang of kicking her legs to make herself move in the water. It didn't work out so much.
As day one ends, we are hanging out in the hotel room, preparing ourselves for the zoo, Aunt Lisa, and more adventures tomorrow!

We went to Sesame Street Live on Saturday! Despite a harrowing experience getting the tickets, the girls had a wonderful time.

Anna was mesmerized by the whole thing. She watched attentively for the entire 90 minutes.

At first Ella was a little grumpy, but after the intermission, she finally decided to have some fun!One of my favorites - Oscar the Grouch.

Anna had to see everything!

The grand finale with all the characters on stage. Don't ask me their names. I know Elmo Bert, Ernie, the Count, and Big Bird for sure, but I'm fuzzy on the rest.

We really did have a good time and the kids loved it. By the way, I won the tickets on the radio by knowing the line after "She's lookin' at me..." in "Mr. Jones" by The Counting Crows. Oh, and the DJ called me Suzanna.

Ella's first haircut.

Anna got a haircut, too.

The one positive thing about having a sick baby is that they like to cuddle.

So the other day Ella woke up in the middle of the night, emptied my purse, and took a few pictures. You know, normal stuff for a 3 year old to do at midnight...

The couch.

Ella's foot.

Spongebob - who else?

Self portrait.

Checkups for Ella and Anna...

Ella had her post-op check-up on Wednesday. She is healing perfectly and the doctor was pleased with her progress. Yeah! We are pleased as well - no more snoring!

Anna had her 18-month check-up. She weighed 22lbs and was 32in tall, which translate to about 40%-50% in both areas - perfectly average. What isn't average is Anna's development. She says about 50 words where kids her age only "need" to be saying about 4-10. She runs, throws balls, climbs, and even catches a big ball. She is just wonderful and we are constantly amazed by her progress. She cried because she was tired and had 2 shots. :( However, a purple sucker fixed that problem quickly!

Puzzles Fun Dome!

We went with Katy, Ron, and Ayden to Puzzles Fun Dome last weekend. The girls had a blast and we were worn out after just a couple of hours sliding and jumping.

Gymnastics!!

Ella loves her gymnastics class at Becca's Flip Town. She has been going since about November 2008 and has recently moved from the Parent/Tot class to the Big Girl Class (3-4 year olds). These pictures are of her and her teacher, Miss Jenn, doing flips and working the balance beam.

Anna has been her usual crazy and happy self since the ice storm and Ella's surgery. Since Ella was pretty much out of commission, Stella and Anna had a great time playing together, hiding, and getting into trouble! It is good to know at least someone was happy these past 7 days!

Ella had a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy on Thursday, January 29. She was upset when they took her away - the silly juice did not work (versed?) at all. When she woke up, the nurse came to get us, and I heard her crying for Mommy as soon as we entered the recovery area. She was disoriented, crying, and bleeding. Chuck warned me not to cry when I saw her, and I struggled, but succeeded in keeping my composure. She drank some juice, ate a popsicle, and we were sent on our way.


On our way home, Ella fell asleep. For the first time in 3 years, she didn't snore...
Ella's recovery has been rough. She felt great the first day and ate, drank, and played her heart out. Days 2-4, weren't so great. She ran a fever from 100ish-102ish for a few days. She was barely concious and would only wake up so I could make her drink and take her medicine. I knew if I just let her sleep, she would get dehydrated quickly, so I woke her up every 15-30 minutes to drink. Meanwhile, our power was out and this whole recovery process was at Minnie's.
She finally perked up a little on Day 5, and we are now on Day 6 after surgery. The delivery of balloons and a teddy bear from Hawaii helped, but she is still just kind of laying around. She felt well enough to play a little yesterday and today thanks to Nana's great idea to have a tea party. We are still on the road to recovery, but she is on the upswing now, I think.

Oh yeah, her breath smells like when a dog eats something dead and then comes to breathe it all over you. And she hasn't pooped since last Wednesday. Don't worry, I've called the doctor no less than 3 times to ask about every little thing and we are doing all the right stuff for her. ;)

The silver lining to all this ice mess (other than becoming closer to Bethany, Zac, Stella, and Minnie) is that it has allowed me to stay home with Ella longer than I originally planned, which is what she (and I) needed.

More updates to come.

Ice Storm 2009!!

About 4:00am on Wednesday, January 28, 2009, we lost power. We stuck it out for most of the day, hoping power would come back on. At about 3:00pm, we decided to go stay with Mamaw Minnie (Chuck's mom) because we were just too cold. Our good friends Bethany, Zac, and Stella also lost power and had nowhere else to go, so they came, too. Every hotel in town was booked, along with every hotel in every surrounding county. Thankfully, Minnie didn't lose power, so we were all able to have a warm place to stay. The Pearsall commune lasted for 7 days (6 nights)...

On the first night, the girls had a great time! It was like a slumber party!

Thanks Minnie for keeping us warm and our bellies full!