respite in the garden

We got daddy to come and meet us for an hour the other day at the Botanical Gardens. I feel as though I cannot get enough of that place right now. With everything blooming against a perfect blue spring sky, it gives me a longing for heaven when I'm there. It is a carefully cultivated organic chaos and it is so refreshing to walk through. And I love the idea of Huntleigh running and playing in a garden.

Sharon

Overall, our week was well spent with our sweet friend Sharon. I thought I might be able to show her that I was some perfect mom with a house that is always perfectly kept and we're always put together and orderly, but who am I kidding? I couldn't even pretend like that was true for 24 hours before my house was a disaster, my kids were out of sorts and there was spit-up all over my shirts. This is just my phase of life. Pretending is no good anyway. So the mail piled up, the trash overflowed and only some of the dishes got done about half of the time, but we were able to talk and connect in very real ways and love one another in and around the external messiness. And it was good. The timing was just right for both of us in very different but very important ways. Sharon was able to see our city that Josh and I love so dearly, and she was able to meet our children in person and love them with kisses and hugs that weren't sent electronically over 8,000 miles. (I must say that she might win the award for being my most faithful blog reader ever. She made so many references to my blog, it made me feel like a famous author.) Sharon, thank you for your visit. You are well loved in this household and we were so grateful to share life with you. Please grace our home with your presence again soon.

at the gardens

Oh go to the gardens! They are just incredible right now!

SqWires for lunch

Josh and I really wanted to give Sharon the GRAND tour of our beloved big-little city, but with two kiddos, nap and feeding schedules and the mere necessity for a bit of regular sleep, this proved a bit difficult for us. Our list of what we wanted to do while she was here was quickly cut in half and then in half again. We at least made it to SqWires, which is one of our favorite restaurants in LaFayette Square. Yum.

Sunday at Raccoon Ranch

Of course, we had to take Sharon to see Raccoon Ranch while she was here. It was the perfect afternoon to go up there and to relax on the deck in the sun. And our new friend, Clarke, just had to try on some camo. He's stylin', don't you think?!

this is my favorite

She really could be a Bond girl!

the clayton crawlers

Oh those Woitas and their crazy Nebraskan friends...."Tchin tchin!" to jdh for the contraband.

2-for-1

What would a trip to Saint Louis be without two Cardinals baseball games? We lost this game, but hanging in until the end of the ninth inning was worth it when Sharon caught a ball!

fun with cousins

This is my cute cousin, Kevin. He and his sweet girlfriend, Cassie, came into town for the weekend while my friend Sharon was here, too. There was a lot of fun chaos in our house, to say the least. It was super sweet to watch my 20 year old cousin run around the house playing hide and seek with my 2 year old daughter. (And notice the toy necklace around his neck. I just love it!!) He and Cassie kept Huntleigh quite entertained on the rainy Friday afternoon that they drove into the Lou. Kevin, it was so great that you came to see us! We hope that you guys come and hang out with us more!

firsts

Our good friend Sharon came all the way from Hong Kong (via Vancouver and Los Angeles) to see us in our little "fly-over" city that we live in. She is an awesome friend! Just a few hours before she arrived, we were able to score some tickets to see the Cards play...well, the weather was perfect and Sharon was game for a game, so we took her to Busch stadium to watch our favorite team play an amazing nine innings as we gorged ourselves on kosher dogs, bratwurst, supreme nachos and Bud Select. And we took Lucy with us. She did so great and was quite cozy inside Josh's jacket. Lots of fun firsts.

come sit

on my big girl couch! it turned out even better than I could have imagined. and it's the best for napping. so come on over.

gotta jibboo

we love this song. it's super fun.

silly family

foreshadowing

Congratulations, beautiful Beka! Can't wait for July 12. We love you!

projects

Huntleigh is all about "projects." Every time I put her down to bed, whether it be for a nap or for the night, she says to me, "When we wake up....[long pause, because she's just stalling, but it always sounds like she's going to say something super fascinating and so I like to give her the benefit of the doubt]....then we can do project!" I'm not really sure why she likes to say this, but perhaps it gives her something to look forward to upon waking up. And we don't do a project every time....but since today began as another rainy spring day, I thought it would be good of me to get out the finger paints that she got for her birthday. It got progressively messier, but it was a lot of fun for Hunts.

can't get enough of this

You're 3 months old today, baby. We love you, kiddo.

"shu-shi!"

I got Huntleigh these E-Z chopsticks for all of our Asian food outings. Apparently, they're great for pinching Uncle Zach's nose, too.

springtime shyness

hiding from the wind

such a big girl

hands

out of the mouths of babes

Ever had one of those marital communication moments where you are most certain that you have expressed yourself perfectly, and yet, your spouse has not managed to hear you?! It goes something like this:

S: On the left. On the left! (Regarding the whereabouts of Huntleigh's shoes.)
J: Where?!
S: On the left, hon. [with slight exasperation]
J: I'm looking on the left, but there's nothing there.
S: On the left of the bench, babe. [increased exasperation]
J: Oh....Well, if you had just told me where in the first place, but you just kept repeating the same words, "On the left...on the left." [with matching exasperation]
S: That's because you didn't listen to me when I first said they were on the bench.
J: Well, repeating the same words wasn't helping anything.
S: That's because you didn't listen to me in the first place!
H: Mommy, Daddy! Mommy, Daddy! Do not be fus-ter-ated. Calm down!

J and S share a look and just laugh. Daddy kisses Huntleigh on the forehead and we all head out the door to our favorite cheeseburger house, The Fatted Calf.

Leave it to our two-year old, who was very clearly acting more mature than her 30-some year-old parents. We love you.