hunts in all her (dramatic) glory

The tale of a kite that never fully achieved lift-off, as told by the face of Huntleigh.









"Poppa could do it."

these are my babes

gardens

We haven't been to the gardens as much this year as we did last spring, but we went last week for a nice stroll through the English Woodlands Garden and the Japanese Garden. I love so many gardens within the Botanical Gardens, but I am pretty sure those are my favorites. And I don't know what happened to me since I've had children, but I am more allergic to all the pollens in StL than I have ever been. I was semi-covered in small welts and my skin was super itchy after our walk-through last week. But it was worth it.

Lucy, contemplating the lily pad ponds

Hunts, embracing the art

Easter (I'm way behind)

I have been meaning to get these on the blog for over a week, now. I don't know what happened to my blogging skills. Easter was a celebratory, whirlwind, family-filled day this year and I was thankful that it wasn't snowing because I really felt like looking springy on Easter. I have become a sucker for getting my children matching clothing-which always surprises Josh because it is so traditional. And I guess I would consider myself traditional with an edge, for whatever that is worth. All this said, I love it when H & L match. So, here are my girls sporting their beautiful cherry dresses.

tears for poppa


my tomboy in a white dress


We had a good handful of friends and family over for dinner after having brunch with Josh's larger family, and the kiddos enjoyed an Easter egg hunt after the meal. Mya and Huntleigh really got into it. Lucy was content with her one egg. Huntleigh spent the rest of the evening organizing and sorting her candy. That's my child.

a season of firsts

Last Saturday we took Huntleigh to her first baseball game and it literally could not have been a more perfect game for her first one. (Here is Lucy's first game!) Her anticipation of it was very sweet and innocent and then once we were in the park, she was quietly overwhelmed as she took in all the sights and sounds. If you know Huntleigh at all, she is my sensory girl: acutely loud noises irritate her as well as being in bright light, etc. But she was amazing at the game. The weather was incredible (just the slightest bit cold when the sun went down), the hot dogs were delectable (is that an oxymoron?), the treats were flowing endlessly from Yia Yia's bag, Pujols hit two home runs (one of which was a grand slam), and Hunts caught her first ball (with daddy's help). Just awesome.

bath time

yia yia!

We had Mya over for a little while last week and I love this picture because when the girls went to hug my mom, Mya just jumped right in and gleefully cried "Yia Yia!" like she had been saying it for years! My mom is a super stellar yia yia. We certainly love her around here.

41 months

15 months

Just look at this one. Those red cheeks are a sign of a skipped nap. I'm glad she's still my baby for awhile. She's going to be a little girl before I know it.

normalcy

So, you know, we've been up to lots of normal things, like laundry, dishes, driving to and from Ikea in a day, going to the hospital because your dad was having chest pains....we've been busy.

I did take a day trip to Ikea just south of Chicago with two great friends and it was an awesome trip. So. worth. it. We made it there in 3 1/2 hours, spent almost 5 hours at Ikea, spent 1 1/2 hours at dinner and got home in 3 1/2 hours. I got 30 red bins, 2 chairs, 16 yards of fabric, 10 picture frames, 5 rolls of drawing paper, 1 polar bear stuffed animal and some other odd and end items for a great price. I was so exhausted by the end of walking through Ikea that I could hardly say words correctly. My brain was fried from decorating the playroom in my head. Why is there not an Ikea in Saint Louis? Will someone please explain that to me?! These chairs are with my upholsterer now. Super exciting.


And yes. My dad did have chest pains last Friday. (Not on Good Friday, but the previous Friday.) And yes. He was driving to Home Depot and instead decided to drive himself to the hospital. And yes. He did have a mild heart attack. It was a very scary and surreal afternoon while we waited to hear the diagnosis of his situation, and there was immense relief when it wasn't as serious as we were perhaps anticipating. I'm sorry that this may shock some people who know my father well and love him and are hearing this for the first time. And for all those who knew this already, thank you for how you love my family. I felt truly blessed by the body of Christ and saw how so many people love my parents and care for them in very real ways. Thank you to everyone who was praying for us through that weekend. Those were tangible prayers. My dad went to the hospital at about 1 pm Friday (April 3) and was released at 11 am on Sunday (April 5). We had a Jimmy John's sandwich with him and my mom that afternoon on their deck. Technology is amazing. My dad now has a stent in his heart and a very good relationship with his cardiologist. Praise the Lord that we have more time with him on this earth.

scraped up eye

How in the world can you fall down and scrape your knee and at the exact same time scape your eye up like this? I don't know, but with Huntleigh, these kind of things are possible.