Outdoors having fun!

When you need to kill an hour or it is rainy and you just want to get out of the house, Lone Elk Park is a place we often go. They have bison, elk, deer, and wild turkeys. You never know what you will see. Off the same road is the World Bird Sanctuary. Jon has taken the kids but I had never been. As we were heading in, a woman was carrying an eagle on her shoulder to take it inside to be fed. Pretty amazing to see one so close! A few pictures from when we visited.

Checking out the eagle up close


She LOVES to run!


Skylar made a mistake and tried to touch the rope. Tough girl Elaina put him in his place!


Huge cage you can climb into...Skylar loved it and didn't want to come out.


So Elaina and I joined him:)


Lone Elk Park. Baby bison that could barely walk. Must have been just born (it is pretty neat that Elaina can look at this picture and tell us it is a bison).


Just an elk walking in front of our car



This weekend was HOT! Like in the 90s with humidity hot. So we decided to do summer like things....Strawberry picking at Lake View Farm in St. Charles! Elaina loves strawberries and was running around the house yelling "I pick strawberries" before we left. She definitely ate more than she picked. She just kept eating and saying "Mmm, it is SOO good!". Skylar enjoyed picking for a little bit but then gave up.



So independent, she wanted to hold it all by herself!


Found a big one


Hanging out in the strawberry field


Messy and loving it

Limping to the finish line....

So I have 9 1/2 days of school left. I feel like the countdown has been stuck at about 10 for a few weeks now but no it is getting less each day. Limping to the finish line is what we are saying around here. Sickness hit our family hard a few weeks ago. We should count ourselves lucky that really our kids have only had colds for the most part. The stomach bug was awful and really knocked us out of commission. Jon was the only one spared of the violent vomiting. Yep, lovely. Nothing like throwing up in the shower and then holding your daughter who is doing the same only moments later. We did lots of loads of laundry that week.

This picture of Skylar was taken about 3 hours before he woke up covered in vomit. And of course it was the first time in forever he ate a ton at dinner. So much that Jon and I high-fived across the table. Luckily he was quick to recover after spending a day in our arms and sharing his germs with his mama.



It hasn't been all sickness around here. We did celebrate Mother's Day Eve by taking the kids to Ted Drew's for the first time. It is so fun to do things with your children that were a part of your childhood and I have lots of memories of our parents and our neighbors packing us into the car to go to Ted Drews. I still get the same thing I got when I was a kid.

So I believe in Nature and Nurture playing an equal role in a child's development. Must be the nurture part that has Elaina such an ice cream lover. She will scream ICE CREAM if she sees it in the store and goes nuts for it.


Ready for the first bite...


"It is SOOO good!" as she went on to eat hers, and bites from everyone else's.



The case for Nature playing a bigger role...seriously?!? Who doesn't like ice cream!?! Oh, yeah, that would be my kid!


Mother's Day treat for me was that my mom and I went out to a movie and dinner alone. So Jon took the kids to our neighbors for a BBQ.

Playing with their dog


Group shot, for me perhaps?


So helpful he was even watering empty pots.






Playing catch with the dog

Wheels, Buttons, and More!

Our early childhood center has lots of events throughout the year. Honestly, we didn't go to them as much as we could have this year. But we picked a great one for Skylar! It was called "On the Go" and had all kinds of cars. Yes, Elaina was there too but come on....this event was SOOO Skylar!

Been there, done that! The police helicopter had just landed behind them but Skylar has already seen one before at an Easter egg hunt Jon took him too (while Elaina and I got haircuts). He seems to be saying....NOT impressed!!


"Now this is more like it!!" Playing inside a tow truck.


"And there are buttons up top too?!?"


Helping the mailman


Taking over driving for a bit:)


Trying out the stretcher in the ambulance


Firefighter Elaina


Capri Sun is the best!


Racing the cars down the ramp


Getting fitted for a helmet (we had to get Skylar's "to go" since he refused to sit there and get it adjusted.


She just came from getting her diaper changed...helmet still on! It stayed on the whole car ride home too!

Spring fun!

I had to take a personal day because Grandma P who usually watches the kids on Mondays was out of town. It couldn't have been a better day to be off! The weather was beautiful, the kids were in a great mood, and I had spring fever! We spent the day playing at parks (one in the am, one in the pm), searching for houses for Maggie (my best friend from college who is is moving here very soon!!), shopping at Walmart, playing in the water table and on the swingset, and making cupcakes. What a great day! I am so glad I will be home full time soon...the pictures below remind me of how fast they grow!!


Sassy mama caught in the tunnel

He looks too comfortable behind the wheel

Daughters

Elaina is the daughter I always dreamed of having. She is sweet, loving, funny, smart, and, of course, beautiful. She loves chocolate, snuggling on the couch, her bunny, and animals. She is as comfortable playing outside and getting dirty as she is playing with her dolls, coloring, or reading a book. She loves to sing (and can sing clearly the entire ABCS and many other songs). She asks for hugs and kisses all day and says I love you. Today we are off to get haircuts together. Soon it will be getting her first manicure. Faster than I want it to be here we will be shopping for her first bra, formal dress, and looking at colleges. I know we will not always see eye to eye but I am lucky to have such an amazing little girl to call my daughter. I love you Sissy!!

Spring Break

How does 10 days off fly by by a five day work week seem to crawl by?!? It seems like we just started spring break and I have to go back to work in just two days:( We didn't go anywhere as a family since Jon had started a new job and, well, after our Thanksgiving travels to Gibson Island, I swore I would not travel with the kids again until I took them to college. But we still had lots of fun and were so lucky to have amazing weather so we were outside a lot!

Spring Break started with Aunt Barb coming in town for a visit. Elaina warmed up very quickly and was calling her BoBo almost as soon as she was here. Mom, Aunt Barb, and I went to the Ozarks to go outlet shopping for the weekend. The weekend started with us driving and talking nonstop and then about an hour into the trip I decided to take a nap. I told them the exit to look for and fell asleep only to wake up in Columbia...which is about 3o minutes PAST our exit! You see there are really only three roads to get on but the O'Leary girls were too busy talking that they missed it!! We pulled over, I got directions and took over driving. When we finally got to the outlets, we hit the ground running. Lots of shopping for the kids! We checked into our hotel and then headed out for Mexican food and of course margaritas (which were the weakest ones I think I have ever had, but that is probably a good thing since they give me hangovers!). We all crashed early. The next day we finished up shopping and then headed home. When we got home, Elaina was happy to see me and of course MoMo and BoBo. But Skylar...well, all he cared about was his MoMo. It was like I wasn't even there!

On Monday we took Skylar, Elaina, and Olivia to the zoo. The highlight was definitely the children's zoo where you can pet the goats.

The rest of the week was just a lot of time spent outside. We went to Suson Park for the first time with friends and it was GREAT! Spent time at our favorite park, Longview. Played in the yard and got the outdoor toys out. Went to the early childhood center playground and burnt off lots of energy.

We also had several appointments for Skylar over break. He received his first visit from the Developmental Therapist who I really liked. She is working with us on some of the behaviors like eating, tantrums, but also incorporates sign language and some of the sensory tactics. He also had his first visit from the speech therapist and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But after talking to a few people their experiences are similar. It is play based for now and she is also working on boundary setting so he learns who is in charge and can follow directions. It was at times a struggle for him to not be able to do what he wants. Whereas we would probably just let him have his tantrum and not give in, the therapist does that PLUS makes him do what she has asked. Often it is hand over hand so he learns what to do but with time he should be able to do it more independently. Our last appointment was for a sensory evaluation. Sensory Processing Disorder is something we are just learning about and my experience has always been with autistic children. In my reading, frequently children who are diagnosed with autism have sensory issues but the reverse is not always true. Everyone we have talked to does not think Skylar has autism which is such a relief. We will get the report from the evaluation soon and find out what we need to do next. In the meantime, our little guy is signing "more" like crazy (usually when he wants more milk, chips, or pushes on the swing). He is babbling new sounds and "talking" to himself when he goes to bed at night. He is so expressive with his face and his sounds, we are just anxious for the words.

It is funny that all our pictures from break are inside since we spent so much time outside but oh well. Enjoy!

Elaina decided to sticker herself and her bunny. She was so proud of her work!

Watching tv together


Skylar realized Elaina didn't have her sippy cup so he was trying to give it to her. They might fight but they do take care of each other like this all the time!


Enjoying a snack in the kitchen while wearing Elaina's boots (which he brought to me to put on!)


A better view of the look


Blackmail pic in 20 years!

Resting on the couch before lunch since she had been up since 4am. Mommy didn't have the luxury of resting at this time!!


Elaina and BoBo


Elaina asked for a kiss and got one:)


Skylar not wanting to sit still.


With MoMo


Coloring in the basement


Bubbles!


He is getting the hang of it...


And now he wants Daddy to do it too!


Elaina walking around with a tunnel on her head.

Is it spring yet?!?

This dreary weather needs to come to an end! Woke up to a rainy morning after a beautiful weekend. When it is nice, we are outside all the time. The kids sleep better and we are all in better moods. Plus right now we can't shake being sick. I am home with Elaina who was running a fever. I start my spring break on Friday and have all next week off. Let's hope it is nice and we can enjoy some sunshine and warm air! Here are a few pictures from the past few weeks.

Being silly wearing mommy's hat


A more reserved picture


Guess who got a new haircut!


The aftermath of finding the one permanent marker at our sitter's house. It was on her face too!!