Worlds of Fun

Ernest's company has their company picnic every year at Worlds of Fun. We went the first couple of years (before kids) and then hadn't been back. Until this year. Ally is almost 2 ½ and Jacob is 7 ½ months, so things with them are beginning to get more manageable. And free tickets. A good recipe for a Saturday Family Outing. So we packed the kids in the car, along with sun screen, hats, change of clothes, snacks, food for JJ, sippy cups, diapers, front carrier, toys (for Jacob), and of course, the stroller. It's amazing the things you need for a couple of hours out when you have a toddler and an infant.

I was so pleased with how well both Jacob and Allyson did while we were there. We spent the majority of the time back in Planet Snoopy where Ally got to ride a bunch of rides with Daddy. I hung out with Jacob and people watched. And took lots of pictures of Jacob and Ernest (in most the rides, Ally was so short that it mostly looked like Ernest was riding it alone). She did have a great time though. You'd hear shouts of "Higher!" and "Faster!" mixed in with "I flying, Mama!" So much fun. I rode a giant swing with her, and that was plenty for me. Apparently my stomach has decided it's old and doesn't like rides much anymore. Ally didn't want to get in her car seat and leave at the end of the day, I think mostly because it was a bit past her nap time so she was kinda grumpy. Poor kid, gets that from her Mama. Jacob took a nap in his stroller and also fell asleep again in the car on the way home.

So, a successful Saturday outing. The first one we've really done with all four of us. Next up I think is the zoo. I am looking forward to it!

The Eye Doctor, One Foot, and a few others

I've started several blog drafts but didn't publish any of them because I am woefully behind in my photo downloading and editing.  Trying to catch up a little bit, so here goes!

August 8

Yesterday Ally went to the eye doctor. She went a year ago too, and they just did some basic tests with lights and stuff. This time she did well enough that they had her look through all of the machines. She did great! Good news is that she sees 20/20 and everything looks good. Bad news is that she sees 20/20. Dr. Spruyt said that most kids her age are still slightly farsighted, and that it equals out over the next year or two. Sometimes they peak early and then stay there, but she said that since my myopia (nearsightedness) is so severe, she expects Ally to start to slide the other way and to need glasses in the next year or two. Poor girl! I hope not. She also did a quick check on Jacob, and he is perfect right now. She said he's slightly ahead of his age in tracking things with his eyes and head, but that isn't bad at all.

All the way to the eye doctor Ally kept looking out the windows and pointing to the clouds (it had rained earlier in the morning) and singing, "Rain cloud, go away!" with the "away" a higher note and all drawn out. So cute. And she was pointing out animal shapes in the clouds. This included alligators, bunnies, puppies, and surprisingly enough, Daddy.

She's starting to say Daddy and Mommy now instead of just Dada and Mama. I really like Mama though.
She tried to put me to bed last night because Ernest told her she needed to help me go to bed. He meant that she needed to cooperate and go to bed herself that then I could sleep. She took it to mean get herself ready for bed, then to make my bed and fluff my pillow, and told me to lay down. So cute. She got upset that I was laying on Daddy's side (I was reading while waiting for her to go to sleep in her room - but she popped in to see me) and then went to climb on to my side saying "I sleep here."

She's says "Not yet!" a lot, especially when it's something she doesn't want to do, like get out of bed in the morning or help me clean up her toys.

She told me that she needed real water for her dishes because her pretend water was gone. I asked her why her pretend water was gone, and she told me it was because she drank it all.

She grabs her boots and coat out of the "too small" box in her closet and puts them on. Correction - she puts one boot on, because her other foot "is not cold, Mama."

She loves suckers. For the past few weeks she keeps telling me she needs a blue sucker. I finally picked up some dumdums at the store last week. On Sunday I told her she could have a sucker if she went poo in the potty "a blue sucker, Mama? At Walmart!" She knows her store. So, after she got her blue sucker, she's been asking for a yellow one. After the doctor visit yesterday I gave her a sucker while they were looking at Jacob, since she had done such a good job. However, I don't have any yellow suckers so I gave her an orange one. "Orange sucker, Mama!" I told her we didn't have any yellow, so now she has been asking for a red sucker. Hmm..what color next?

JJ pulled up for the first time on his own on Friday (8/5). He also started clapping his hands. He is so fun, and really starting to move around. He adores Ally, sitting and laughing at her and smiling at her. He loves to watch whatever it is she is doing and loves for her to come give him attention.

Going Private

So, my blog (such as it is) will be going private in the next couple of weeks.  Please let me know if you'd like to be added to my list of "allowable" folks.  And, I again, will increase my effort to blog more often. :) 

Smile

Memorial Day 2011

Memorial Day we went to visit my parents in southern Missouri. We hadn't been to see them since last October, Ally had grown quite a bit and they hadn't met Jacob yet. My brother, David, originally set up the weekend since he wanted us to go and help my Dad with some projects he has going on around their property. Dad will be 69 this year. Isn't that crazy how your parents grow older? Anyway, Dad is too old to be climbing around on barn roofs or clawing through underbrush to install a fence.

The weather didn't cooperate quite as well as we'd hoped. We arrived late Friday night so tried to get started on the work Saturday morning. However we were greeted with rain all morning. This meant that younger and sprier guys (Ernest and David specifically) also couldn't go climbing around on barn roofs. So we all got to hang out and visit. Mom and I took Nicholann, Aleana, and Morgan into town to go shopping, leaving Ally and Jacob with the guys. Mom bought all three girls (plus Trinity, Allyson, and Jacob) clothes. It was quite interesting going shopping with them. I haven't done anything like that before!

We left the store and got in the drive through at McDonald's. I told the girls we couldn't go in because I had to get back to feed Jacob. So, we get in the l-o-n-g line and are 1 car from the speaker when Aleana pipes up and says she has to pee. Oh, Mom's face was funny. I pulled out of line, parked under the tree and left the car running, and Aleana and I went in to go to the bathroom and pick up the food.

We spent a lot of time visiting and playing. The guys did finally get to go outside and help dad with some projects, though they didn't get as much done as they wanted. We got to go to church with them which is always nice. Jacob had a great time playing with Grandma and Grandpa, and was full of smiles the whole time. The whole week leading up to our trip Ally kept talking about going to see Grandma and Grandpa (gets a little tricky because she says them both almost the same). She had fun with the kittens, puppies, chicks, chickens, horse, and goats. Along with walks along their road and going down the spring, picking flowers and helping pull weeds. And showing off her "shake" when she was wearing a skirt. Even a couple of weeks later she is still talking about all that she did that weekend and when we are going back.