Babies on Board

Clearly, Beckett is my first child.  I say "clearly" for many obvious reasons, including the over-posting on Facebook, the certain retina disorder from camera-flash exposure, and the fact that I wanted three of my girlfriends to bring their similarily-aged children to St. Louis in one car for an overnight mini-vacay in one hotel room.
Good news: We DID go to St. Louis!  Better news: We did NOT stay in a hotel room with four babies, and we did NOT take one car. Best news: We made it to the zoo, the mall, out to dinner, and home happily and relatively tantrum-free.  All of these pieces of news led to an amazing day out for mommies and babies.

Braylon with Jayme, Emmett and Kim, Beckett with me, and Kristin with Ava!

Wednesday night, the adventure started when Beckett and I went to Kristin's for a slumber party.  Kristin made yummy dinner and we played outside with the kiddos until about 8:00, when we all headed to bed. 

Beckett and Ava played on Ava's climbing wall and slide.

Slumber party! (We were not watching scary movies, regardless of Beckett's expression.)

The next morning, Cory (Kristin's husband and also the voice of reason in this story) helped us all get ready, and came to the conclusion that one vehicle (even a large suburban) was not probably going to be the best idea for 4 women, 4 car seats, and 4 strollers.  (And any packages we might get while shopping after the zoo...Good call!)  So, when Kim arrived with Emmett, and Jayme pulled in with Braylon, we  loaded up two SUVs and headed south.  (All of you mothers out there know that I just greatly oversimplified the packing and loading process. Additional kudos to Cory here for making sure we left before noon.)

Here we go!

 When we arrived at the zoo, Krista and Colin met us!  It was so great to see her, even for a little while.  She had a busy day planned with her two older boys' preschool graduation and party.

None of us really knew where we were going, even though we had a map and there were about 20 signs with arrows all around us.  Still, we accidentally made our way to the carousel and took a ride. The kids really liked it!

Loading up!

I think Braylon got a Rhino, and he pretty much dominated it.

Colin rode a bear

Emmett's like, "Yeah, I'm riding a tiger.  No big."

Ava got a cute bear.  I love Emmett in the background here, too.  Not every day you see an 8-month old hanging on to a pole while riding a tiger that goes up and down.

Beckett LOVED it - he giggled and smiled the whole time. (When he wasn't growling like a tiger, of course.)

GRRRR.  This shirt is actually a PJ shirt from Maria, but it has a tiger on it, so I decided to have him wear it anyway. He loves tigers!

After the carousel ride, we walked around a little more and found the monkeys lounging by the viewing window.

Our little monkeys were pretty cute, too!  But not overly impressed.

Penguins!  The penguin house was really nice and cool. Plus the penguins were super-close.  Beckett quacked at them.

Cutie!

Coming out of the penguin house, we took a photo op.  This is the best of about 50 attempts.  Seriously.

Beckett: Mom, are we here to see animals or take pictures? 
Me: You sound just like your father!

I love Emmett's face here.  Priceless!

Lunch was an adventure.  There were attacking birds everywhere,which the kids thought was hilarious.  There aren't any lids or straws, and we had to carry our trays, our kids, and our strollers through a maze of people and tables to find enough space for our herd.  The best part was when a young girl asked us, "Don't you just wish you stayed home?" HAHA!

 Lunch was not the only time that day we commented that it was probably good our husbands did not join us. (Other times included not knowing where we were going, taking pictures outside penguin houses and in front of the zoo sign one-by-one, and stopping for batteries that clearly should have been packed. Oh, and shopping.)
Here, Beckett is quacking at the ducks below.

Kristin got Ava and Beckett popsicles, which they loved.

In the Children's Zoo, there were hamsters or gerbils or something - maybe guinea pigs? - that the kids could pet.  Beckett wanted to squeeze it, so we quickly moved on.

"Squeeze?"

Braylon petted the animals nicely.

 After the Children's Zoo, we were trying to find the lions and tigers when we stumbled upon this water feature play area.  I didn't think the kids would like it, but I was wrong!  They had a blast - every time the water shot up, they laughed and tried to grab it.

We never found the lions (haha) but we did see the tiger from a distance. It growled at a man and jumped on the fence.  Cory gave us strict instructions that Ava was NOT to be eaten by a tiger, so we decided not to get any closer.  Instead, we found a petting zoo, which the kids loved.  As soon as we got inside, Beckett started "maa"-ing and "baa"-ing at the animals. He would go right up to their faces and point at them, then "BAAAAA!" as if they needed to know what to say.  It was so cute!

He got a little confused with these two goats. (Clearly unimpressed with his LOUD MAAAAAAAing.)  Then he started snorting.  Classic case of animal confusion, ladies and gentlemen.

Back to BAAAing.

Braylon loved the goats, too!  I couldn't believe how patient the animals were.  It wasn't like Scovil where they tried to trample you to get some food, either, because they didn't have feed.  They had brushes you could use on them, though.

Love this shot. The goat is like, "Rescue me, lady."

Lots of fun at the ZOO!

After the zoo, we drove to the St. Louis Mills Mall.  The kids took a little nap on the way, and then we shopped at some outlets.  At about 5:30, we went to Chevy's and asked the cute hostess for a table for 4 adults and 4 babies.  I think she was about 16, and she set the table up with four adult chairs on one side and four high chairs on the other. HA!

The food was great, including kids' meals with yummy corn stuff and milk. As you can see, Beckett enjoyed it, too!

We got home around 8:30 and headed our separate ways. 

It was a really fun day with the kids and great to spend some quality time with other girls who enjoy random photo opps and bargain shopping.  I'm sure we'll have more adventures this summer!

XO

Mother's Day

Mother's Day this year was a special celebration with lots of wonderful women! We started the day with breakfast Shonn ordered and picked up.  Then we went to Grandma Cox's house for her traditional Mother's Day luncheon, where the men prepare the food and serve the women. It was delicious - teriyaki, salads, sides, and about 30 different desserts.  Grandma looked beautiful and gave a touching speech about how important we all were in her life.  I was so thankful to sit with her and my mom at the same time during lunch. 

Three generations of Williams-Cox-Kracht-Hild women. :)

After lunch, Tam and I went outside with the kids and enjoyed the swingset.  I also got to talk with my aunts and cousin Natalie, which was nice.  We are all so busy, but I remember fondly how we grew up together, with monthly parties and celebrations.  It's nice to have these traditions so we can stay in touch and spend time together.

Tam and I were talking about how for the 33 Mothers' Days we've been in the family, we've probably sat by each other at approximately 25 of them.  This year was the first year we celebrated together as moms, though!  (Last year, Beckett was so little we stayed home and had brunch at our house.)  Our closeness as cousins makes me really wish Mandy, Matthew, and I will eventually live close to each other, because even though Tam and I don't see each other as frequently now, we are still very close and I fondly remember our monthly parties at Grandma's house and the crazy summer sleepovers where we laughed, cried, and talked.  I love her!

Uncle Mike shared with me that when they were younger, Grandpa used to admire this house in Oreana.  Three years ago, when the house at Lake Sara went on the market, Uncle Mike bought "the brick house on 48" and Grandpa moved in with his wife of 62 years, Grandma. I like to think that this field was there when Grandma and Grandpa admired the home, and that the big old tree where Tam and I had our picture taken might have seen them as young sweethearts.  It's comforting to think that we might have loved the same landscape and shared the same shade, just years apart.

After that celebration, we headed to the Hild Farm to honor Janis and Leora.  Jim grilled burgers and hot dogs and we had a lovely time chatting with everyone!  We got some great pictures there, too. 

Lots of love in Daddy's and Grandma's arms.

Beckett is laughing in this picture, and holding his favorite toy at the farm: The Blue Conductor.  You'll see him in pictures from his first birthday party, too!  I think this is a great picture of Janis.

Note THE Conductor.

WHEEE! (Again!)

A very serious moment. :)

Four generations of Hild Men: J Lee (Great-Grandpa); Shonn (Dad); Becket (Star); and Grandpa (Jim).

Beckett had fun with Grandpa, and he really liked his tractors!  He loved Rocky a lot more than Rocky loved him, too.

Another mother to love!  Great-Grandma Hild gives Beckett a squeeze!

With his Great-Grandparents!

We are very fortunate to have so many wonderful mothers in our lives.  I'm thankful for their guidance and love!  What  nice day!