Devil Rays vs. Cardinals

Ready to go to the game!

Stan Musial Plaza

Stan "the Man"

We took our first family trip to Busch Stadium today to see inter-league action between the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Cards. The kids enjoyed the train ride to the game, and seemed to have a good time. We were somewhat nervous sitting in the bleachers because it seemed like everyone was eating peanuts. Amy had her bag full of benadryl and epi pens, so we were ready for anything. The Cardinals came from behind to tie the game in the 8th, and got a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 9th to win the game and take 2 of 3 in the series. Before the game, the Cardinals dedicated a plaza just outside of the gate by 3rd base for Stan Musial. Although I'm new to the Cardinals culture (as a die-hard White Sox fan), it was cool to see Musial in person - one of the true living ledgends of baseball. We're also enjoying the fact that we now root for 2 sworn enemy of the Cubs (the curse lives on!)

We lined up so that the kids could run the bases after the game, but 5 minutes before we hit the field, Adam fell asleep. I carried him on the field while Emily ran the bases, carried him to the train, held him on the train, and he woke up when we got back to our car. Man that kid is a load - my back is sore!!

The kids got to use some of the money they've gotten from birthdays, etc. and spend it at the Build-A-Bear inside the stadium. Adam got a Fred Bird (Cards mascot) and Emily got a Clydesdale. Adam was really excited to show his doll to the real Fred Bird, who gave him a hug and a high five, then proceeded to eat his head - pretty funny.

It was a fun day, but we're all beat!

A Summer-like Saturday

FINALLY. Nice weather in St. Louis on a weekend. The temp today was around 80 with bright sunshine. We started the day off by going to a food allergy fair where we learned more about Adam's condition and how to deal with it. Adam enjoyed seeing the mascot for the River City Rascals (unaffiliated minor league team) and there was a children's musician there entertaining the crowd (he also suffers from severe food allergies).

After lunch, Emily's friend Sydney came over for a while so the girls played while Adam napped and we got some work done around the house. The kids ran through a neighbor's sprinkler for a while, and then we hosted a neighborhood happy hour. What a great day.

Tomorrow we head to the Cardinals game - hopefully Adam handles the lack of nap well...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY!

Happy Birthday to the best wife and Mom in the world!

(large font used for those over 35 years old)

Surprise!

Aunt Shawn had some free time tonight (she was in town on business) so she surprised us and came for a visit. The kids were so excited. Amy buckled them in the car for me and when I got in they were chanting her name. Needless to say they were a bit wound up when she left. This is one of the perks of living in St. Louis - the random visits from Aunt Shawn. Hopefully her St. Louis branch will continue to demand her close attention.

Mother's Day

We had a quiet, but nice Mother's Day this year. The weather was bad, but after dinner it cleared up and we managed to get ouside for a while. Emily made some cupcakes for our neighbors and helped me paint a bench for our front porch. Adam played and took his nap. Amy managed to ride her new bike for a little while before she came in to avoid the cold weather. As usual, we stopped to see Emmy the dog for a few minutes of quality time before it was time to get cleaned up.

Here are some pictures of previous Mother's Days (at least pictures I could find on the actual days...)

Spring Pictures

Emily gave her goofy, half-scared, half-smile during spring pictures, but we decided to keep them to document just how long her hair is. She has already reached the threshhold to donate her hair to Locks of Love, but she needs to wait until her dance recital is over early next month. She certainly is excited to get it cut before we head to Florida next month. I volunteered to cut her hair the next time I shave my head, but she didn't take me up on the offer.

A Proud Day for Adam

Amy got a new bike for Mother's Day, and based on how Adam has ridden other bikes in the neighborhood, we thought it was time for him to get his own. We found a great used bike in Springfield yesterday and got it for Adam. He is SO proud of that bike. When we were loading it in the car, Amy and I were standing in the back and I heard him talking to his toys, saying "I got a new green bike. It's awesome!"

It was a nice day in Springfield, but it was pouring when we got back to St. Louis. He woke up from his nap when we pulled in the driveway, realized it was raining, and just started bawling. I took him out in the garage and cleared a space for him, and he was just happy to ride in circles with his sister (see video).

Today is about 50 degrees and raining. I had to run to the hardware store to get a kit to stabilize our little tree - I'm actually surprised the entire root ball hasn't come out of the ground already. It's going to be another inside day.