The Mountains Are Calling

We went to St. Louis on Friday to watch Amity walk across the stage to become Dr. Sparks.  After seven years of school, she is finally finished.  Yeah!  Now she gets to look forward to life out in Montana with the bears and mountain lions. Whats not to love about that? After graduation we went back to her place for dinner which was delicious (Charlie Gitto's)  and just to hang out for awhile.  On the way back to Lissy's, we stopped by Ted Drewe's to add a few more calories to the day.  You can't go to St. Louis without eating a little custard and italian.
On Saturday, we got up early and went to the zoo with Amity and Lissy.  We got there early enough to see the sharks and stingray for free and we had the opportunity to touch them.  Of course, Briley and Baylor would not stick their hand anywhere near the water.  We then had to make a stop to see the penguins.  After we walked around for awhile, we went to The Loop to eat at Fitz's and made our way back home just in time for Briley's softball game.

See something wrong with the sign?

Not a fan of the penguins.

He really liked this sweet orangoutang.

This was Briley's first Pinkalicious softball game and she was pretty cute.  She skipped out waving to bat her first time with the biggest smile on her face.  She really did a great job once she figured out which way to run:)  She also pretty good at getting the ball and throwing to first when it came to her.  The most exciting part for her was the snacks and drinks at the end.  Side note:  She picked out her helmet all by herself.

May Flowers

It has been awhile since I last posted so let me catch you up on the Early's.  May Day was a few weeks ago and it was pretty funny this year with Briley.  She really wanted to be sneaky but I had a meeting so we were a little limited on our time.  She went to one house and they pulled into the driveway.  Briley just turns around and leaves their porch without leaving the flowers because they saw her.  I finally talked her into taking them back and just handing them to them.  She then proceeded to go to another house and stand behind and oak tree for 5 minutes waiting for their daughter to turn around from playing outside so she could run it to the door.  Sooo funny to watch.
Last weekend was Mother's Day and I got a very exciting present.  Trees!!! I have been wanting trees in our back yard since the day we moved in and it seemed that it never happened.  There was  always something else we needed to buy.  We went out to the nursery and picked out two trees to start with; a Linden and a River Birch.  Thanks to Jared and Caroline we had a truck and the boy's brought the trees home.  The next problem was that they were a little bigger and heavier than they expected.  After tearing up our wheelbarrow and bending the wagon, they slid the trees on a plastic table to the back yard.  Andy spent the rest of the weekend digging holes, planting, and watering the trees and they look great.  He also made me breakfast in bed with the kids Sunday morning.  He even went all out and loaded the kids up to get me Starbucks because he didn't know how to run the coffee machine.  I wish I would have gotten a picture of it because he really did go all out on the presentation.  He brought out the china and had a little vase of flowers.
Last night we were complaining about the kids and their tantrums with Lissy, Caroline, and Jared.  I think we have scared Jared into not ever wanting kids:)  They may drive us crazy somedays but the negatives do not compare to the positives.  Being a Mom is probably the most rewarding job I will ever have for so many reasons, but here are a few:
*Looking into their eyes for the first time.
*Baylor's ornery smile.
*The sound of their laughter as they play together.
*The funny quotes and awkward positions Miss Briley can put you in.
*Snuggle time at 5:30 in the morning...yes I will miss it someday.
*Camp outs in the summer time and slumber parties by the Christmas tree in the winter.
*Taking their first steps and all the other firsts.
*The magic of Disney, Santa, and all that is in between.
*Bear hunts.
*Days at the pool.
*Watching them succeed.
*Having a little girl who is so independent and unique.  She is proud to be who she is and I am so happy that I get to help build that self-confidence.
*Making cookies.
*May day baskets.
*Playing games.
*Guiding them from right and wrong.
*Teaching them life lessons.
*Bedtime stories.
* Now I am being beckoned to have a picnic on my living room floor:)

Happy 5th Birthday Penguin!

Last weekend we went back home to celebrate Briley's birthday.  At her request, it was a penguin themed party which was a challenge to do for a spring birthday.  She also wanted to wear a penguin costume which we gladly bought for her.  I can't wait to use these pictures someday when she is older.  The party turned out great and I think Briley was pleased.  She stayed at my Mom's until the party because she wanted all of the decorations to be a big surprise.  She also wanted it to be a surprise for Carson so he was lucky enough to sit at my Mom's while Briley fell asleep on the couch.  A little awkward for him but he was a good sport about it.  She was a little disappointed that I had not decorated with balloons but I made sure to fill her bedroom with them today so I hope I made up for it.
Today was Miss Briley's much anticipated day.  This was the first year that I did not take off work for it which made me a little sad.  We usually spend the day doing something special like going to the zoo or movies, but she really wanted to go to school for her special day.  Her teacher has a tradition where the birthday child gets to make a cake for their class all by themselves and they love having this special moment.  They then get to have a party when they wake up from their naps. After school, she and I headed to Smallcakes and she got to pick out cupcakes.  She chose a chocolate decadent cake, Baylor got a sprinkle cake, and Andy and I got a banana split and peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes.  They were all so delicious.  Briley had dance and then it was home for pancakes (Briley's request) and then presents.  I also asked her some birthday questions and here are her answers.
Favorite color? Blue
Favorite movie? Lion King
Favorite song? Dynamite and Feelin' Groovy
What do you want to be when you grow up? A doctor

Favorite book? Pinkalicious (I wonder when this will change?)

Best friend? Cooper

Favorite toy? Nerf gun

If I could give every child in the world a toy, it would be...bouncy balls

Favorite place to visit? Colorado

Favorite thing to do at school? Take a nap

Favorite sport? Soccer

I like to go to Disney World and Chuck E, Cheese

Favorite dinner?  Fish sticks and apples

My favorite thing to do with my family is play soccer and t-ball

My favorite stuffed animal? Skip it, Ducky, Bunny, and my new penguin

What makes me happy? Disney World

What make me sad? Leaving my Grandma's and Papa's

 Making her cake at school today

Miss Briley you make us smile everyday with your quirkiness.  You are very independent and a born leader.  If you say penguin costumes are cool, everyone will believe you:)  Don't ever lose that confidence in yourself.  You have so many fun and exciting things happening this year and I have a feeling you are going to love every moment of Kindergarten.  Keep doing what your doing.  You are perfect just the way you are.  We love you!

Happy Easter

For Easter we went back home to Kirksville as always. Before we left, the kid's decorated Easter eggs. Baylor has not got the whole concept of being gentle with eggs. He would just throw them in the cups and of course the eggs would break, but he had so much fun doing it. In fact, he was quite upset when I said we were done.

While in Kirksville, we went to lunch with some good friends, had an Easter dinner, celebrated Jackson's birthday, had a visit from the Easter bunny, went to Church, and had a competitive Easter egg hunt. Overall it was a great weekend.

This weekend we went out to Livestrong Stadium to watch Sporting KC play. This was our first time to a professional soccer game and it was so much fun. Sporting KC is actually in first place in the MLS Eastern conference and they played number one Real Salt Lake from the Western conference. KC won 1-0. You would probably think that a soccer game would be so boring because they rarely ever score, but it is the opposite. The kids both did so much better watching this game than what they ever did at a baseball or football game. The crowd is constantly chanting and singing which the kids loved dancing to. We hope that we will be able to go back to another game this year.

Spring Break Round 2

Last Wednesday we packed up and headed west to Copper Mountain for a little skiing. Andy and I hadn't been skiing for about nine years so we were a little nervous (or I) was about skiing again. We went with the Sedlak's and my sister and stayed at a condo right by the mountain.

Briley had ski school Thursday morning and we barely got a goodbye before she was whisked away for a day of fun. I skied by several times and I never caught a glimpse of her skiing which I really hate since it was her first time. I wish we could have had a little more time. She did have a lot of fun though and the ski instructor told me that she caught on fast and was second in her class. I guess skiing will come naturally for her like it does for her Daddy.

I am nowhere near being a great skier but I did come away with a more positive attitude instead of crying with frustration like I have in the past. I think if I would have skied a few more days I would have really gotten better. I think it helped that I had my sister with me and we were on about the same level. I was nice to not be left in the dust for once.

On Friday my sister, Briley, Baylor, Brady, and I drove to Colorado Springs while everyone else stayed to ski one more day. My sister had interviews for a couple PT positions. We got checked in and Andy's parents, Lissy, Molly arrived a little later on. We did a little swimming while Amity went off for her interviews. That night Andy, Sara, Ryan, and Bella came into town and we all went to eat at a Mexican restaurant down the street. We ran into Andy's Grandpa Mike, his aunts, uncles, and cousins after we ate. We were all in town for a surprise 70th birthday party for Karen.

Saturday was spent shopping in Old Colorado, we took Am to see the Broadmoor Hotel, and swimming by the pool. It was crazy to go from skiing to laying out by the pool in a few short days. Saturday night was the big party and so much fun. It was held at the resort in one of the ballrooms overlooking the mountains which was gorgeous. Karen was completely surprised which is always fun. The night was filled with good food, drinks, dancing, and catching up with everyone. Happy Birthday Karen! We really enjoyed coming out to see everybody.

We woke up early Sunday and drove back home. We got in about 3:30 and spent the rest of the day trying to get organized before work tomorrow. It was a whirlwind of a trip but so much fun. I think it gave us all the itch to go back and ski next year. We will see what happens.

Cheers to you Karen:)

Dancing with Daddy

Surprise!

Hanging out in Old Colorado

Happy Birthday Monkey Boy!

Andy's old tractor that Papa Mike repainted.

Happy Birthday to You!

Yesterday our little man turned two years old. He had such a fun day and was so happy to be the center of attention. Andy and I started the morning by going to the grocery store before the kids got up to get food for the party and I decided to get Baylor some balloons. We walked in and I said "Happy Birthday!" with a bundle of balloons in my hands and he got the cutest smile on his face. He was so excited to get balloons and he beamed with happiness throughout the day. It is like he completely knew the day was about him and he loved it.

We started off the morning with a birthday doughnut and then we spent the majority of the day outside enjoying the beautiful weather. His birthday was a sock monkey themed party and i really had a lot of fun planning it. We always call him monkey boy so I thought it was fitting to have it be the theme this year. The party was low key which was kind of relaxing after the big party that he had last year for his first. Everyone was sitting outside enjoying the evening so we decided to just move his presents out to the yard and let Briley and Baylor go to town on unwrapping the gifts. He got a little John Deere tractor from one of our neighbors and from there on out he was done opening his gifts. His favorite part of course was his cupcake which were pretty good. That boy likes to eat cake:) They were made by a friend of mine from school that had a cupcake business on the side. They were chocolate cake with banana frosting...so good! Thank you to everyone who came to spend the day with our little Monkey Boy on his birthday. It was a great way to kick off year number two. I can't wait to watch his little personality grow this year. He is so darn funny and maybe filled with a little bit of orneriness, but he melts my heart with that precious little smile.

Kicking off the end to winter.

Friday was my birthday although it really feels like my birthday was last week in Mexico. My boss gave me a gift card to Garozzo's so of course that is where we went Friday night. The food was delicious as always, but I was rather upset that they took my favorite item off the menu. Afterwards, Andy had gotten me a DQ Blizzard cake and some flowers. Briley was really upset that I didn't have a birthday party or presents. She just didn't get that my trip was my present. I would take that present every year if I could. I have been so blessed these past thirty years with an amazing childhood full of wonderful memories, marrying the love of my life, and beginning our family. What more could a girl ask for? I only hope the next thirty years are as good.

On Saturday, we were sitting down eating breakfast and Briley said, "I think it would be a good day to go ice skating with Clifford." Andy looked it up and it was real so we decided to go since we didn't really have too many plans for the day. It was a bit of a nightmare as far as getting skates and on the ice, but Briley really enjoyed herself for the two times she went around the rink. Afterwards, we went over to Crown Center to eat and check out the animal exhibit for kids. They had a lot of signs and Lego statues advertising two new additions to Crown Center. I am so excited for April when the Sea Life Aquariam and Legoland open! I have a feeling Briley is going to love it. I would love for it to open in time for her birthday, but we'll see.