Daddy's girls

Father's Day is just too far away for me to wait to show off this picture! Josh- a man's man, big and tough athlete, outdoor roughin' it kind of guy- is the sweetest daddy to his two little girls! (This was a totally candid shot, by the way.) 

Aubrey Meets Smoothie

The other day I made smoothies for Josh, Taylor and myself. I decided to let Aubrey have a try. SHE LOVED IT! Notice the progression from the smoothie being mine (with Aubrey eagerly waiting for every bite!) to being Aubrey's. She is a funny kid.

 

 

St. Louis Power Outage

Many of you have expressed your concern for us because of the huge St. Louis power outage. We appreciate your concerns, and wanted to just let everyone know that though we did lose power for about 24 hours we were well taken care of by our neighbors and were SO glad when it came back on after just one day. (The power outage this summer left most of our street without power for a week, so when we lost it this time there was no telling how long it would be out!) I'm sorry I did not get the messege out sooner, but now you know.
The positive side of this experience was that the ice on all the trees was beautiful! I don't think I've ever seen the after-effects of an ice storm! Also, the girls got to play in the snow for the first time of the season. Taylor was excited about it but Aubrey...well, not so much.

 

Taylor's Quotables

"Mommy, how do we get to Trader Joe's? Do you have the infections?"

Mommy: "At Thanksgiving we have turkey, and pie and stuffing, and..."
Taylor: "But sometimes we have stuffing in our noses!" (stuffing= stuffy)

Can you tell it must be sick season? 

Good Ol' Tommy

Taylor, Aubrey and I got to go to Texas for a short trip. We had a great time with those we got to see. Taylor was very excited about getting to ride Tommy. Here she is learning all about how to get a horse ready to ride. She brushed his body and combed his tail. (She is not quite ready to put the saddle on yet, but she would probably try!) So Tommy got a little bit of much needed excercise and Taylor had a great time on him with her cousins Caitlyn and Micah. Taylor is a girl after my own heart when it comes to horses, and it is neat to see her love for them develop. Thanks, Darin and Jody, for all your help!














Taylor and Caitlyn on Tommy.














Taylor leading Tommy like a read pro.















Taylor takes Aubrey for a ride! Aubrey likes the saddle horn. 

Texas size fun!

 

Way to go, Josh!

Many of you know that last weekend our family went to Chicago to watch Josh run in the Chicago marathon. This was his second marathon in two years. He ran it with our neighbor David and my cousin Scott. We had a great time with Josh's old friends who now live in Chicago, and Taylor and their son were running non-stop all day Saturday. That is why Taylor fell asleep while we were waiting to see Josh in the marathon! We connected at miles 13 and 26, and we were glad to see him smiling at both! Taylor was looking very carefully for her daddy at mile 13, and she was very excited to see him. But, after a hot chocolate and cookie break, she fell asleep on the way to the mile 26 spot. Aubrey did not have to battle the cold and the wind because Josh's wonderful friends offered to keep her for the day. There was rain in the forecast but we are so thankful it never came!
Josh had problems with his knees and ankles all duringhis training and at mile 13 of the marathon he informed me that he felt like "his leg was about to fall off" it hurt so bad. But he never stopped until he crossed the finish! He says now he is ready to move on from marathons to triathlons so his body won't get such a beating. And for now he is resting his body while his brain is on overload with seminary classes and life decisions (very long story).





When we got back home Josh fell asleep on the couch, and Taylor decided he needed a blanket in order to have a truly good nap. So she took care of her daddy and gave him her kitty blanket. 

A Day in The Country

This was one of those days you hope you never forget. I almost decided not to go, because staying home would have been easier. But it was a nice day and I didn't know when we would have another chance to go. So we packed a lunch and took a trip to the apple orchard. The drive there was wonderful, the girls and I had a wonderful time together, it was wonderful to be in the counrty again, and the apples were wonderful! Thank you, Lord for convincing me to go!

 

 

 

Playing at the Botanical Gardens

This is a little video clip. I don't know if this works.