A Visit from the Marmons

Last weekend my friend Heather and her family came to St. Louis for a family vacation before her little sweetie, Ellie, starts kindergarten in a few short weeks.  They live in Kansas City and have two kiddos:  Ellie (5) and Esten (nearly 2 AND potty trained--yeah!).  Heather and I met right away when I transferred to UNI -- needless to say we quickly became lifelong friends.  We were able to squeeze in a lot of activities into an extended weekend (splash pad, zoo, parks, swimming pool, and the guys went to a movie).  I only brought my camera to the zoo though...  Thanks again for spending time with us, Marmon family!  We really enjoyed it!

Four little monkeys watching prairie dogs.

Heather, Esten, Ellie, and flamingos.

Train ride.

The splash pad at the zoo is so much fun!

Video taken July 20, 2012

Julia has really started to take a real interest in reading to herself lately:

Another hot day, another pool party:

Eight Months Old

 

"LOOK OUT WORLD!  I'LL BE ON THE MOVE SOON!"

 

 

These are the Days of Our Lives

Nothing too out-of-the-ordinary this week, just having fun as a family of four.  Enjoy!

All of my Honeys

We've had several dance parties in our bedroom:

Video taken July 17, 2012

Video taken July 18, 2012

Big news: Julia's now in a toddler bed!  She helped Daddy change it up and was SO EXCITED
to be able to sleep in it!  She has to show the guests that come over to our house. :)

Day #2:  So far so good!

Video taken July 17, 2012

Video taken July 18, 2012

These girls share a common interest in everything princess!

Playing on Mom and Dad's bed is a daily activity.  They get quite silly and have a lot of fun.

Tea party with her stuffed animal friends.

Lovin' life.

Horsing Around

We've been busy having fun!  Hope you enjoy the pictures and videos!

HE'S SO HAPPY:

Video taken July 9, 2012

 

 

We have a little bit of Christmas in July going on in our apartment.  Julia's been roaming around singing "Silent Night" and "Frosty the Snowman."

 

 

Cal just HAD to get in on playing Barbies with his big sister and our sweet neighbor, Sasha.

These two girls play together nearly every day.  We're so lucky to have such wonderful neighbors!

The first of (likely) many tea parties for these two.  He really enjoys it right now... we'll see what he thinks of it in a few years.

For those of you who know Haune well, you're likely not surprised that he created a homemade Slip-and-Slide in our backyard.  What a fun Daddy he is!  It was pretty fantastic and will sure to be replicated in the near future.

Video taken July 9, 2012

Video taken July 9, 2012

Calboy will be in the thick of this kind of stuff next summer.

Our neighbor found a toad and brought it over for the girls to see.  Julia loved it, Sasha kept her distance.

"Look, Aunt Erin!  The dress from Africa still fits!  I get so many
compliments when I wear it!"

Picture and Video Update

Another week has come and gone in HOT St. Louis.  We've taken the kids to the zoo twice lately.  Since it's so close we can get there when the doors first open and stay there for a few hours before we start to melt.  They LOVE it there and we're so thankful that it's free! 

For those of you wondering about Haune, he's been doing well with his classes... just adjusting to a rigerous study schedule.  He sure puts in long and hard hours as he is breathing, eating, and sleeping Greek.  He is 1/3 of the way done with class, but who's counting?  He'll have a mid-term coming up next week, so many more hours of studying are ahead for him!

Early last Saturday morning, we thought the kids needed to get out of the apartment for a little bit so we took them to another neighborhood park which was absolutely beautiful and fun for little and big kids alike (see below).  Although we're unimpressed with St. Louis' severe heat/humidity, we are quite impressed with its' impressive and established park system.

I neglected to upload this video in my last post of my happy little guy:

Video taken June 12, 2012

Shaw's Treetop Park, complete with a Splash Pad

Someone sure had fun...

... just a kid at heart!

Video taken July 2, 2012

Happy as can be!

Julia's been spending a lot of time playing princess dress up.

Our sweet neighbor girl, Sasha, likes princesses too.

She dressed herself this time.  (She's wearing 4 different skirts!)

The sting rays at the Zoo were a huge hit --they come up to you and glide right under your hand.

For my bird girl.

Video taken July 4, 2012

Video taken July 4, 2012

Pretty fantastic.

A little tuckered out.

My favorite!

Cute little puffin.

Video taken June 30, 2012

My New Job

Yes, I am unofficially officialy an Early Childhood teacher at the beautiful Ladue Early Childhood Center.  (I say "unofficially official" because it's all set and ready to go, my contract is just awaiting approval at the upcoming July School Board Meeting.)  I must say that although it's going to be so difficult leaving my children while I'm at work, I'm so very glad that it's at this building!  It's a brand-new facility which was lovenly co-designed by Ladue Early Childhood staff members and the local St. Louis Children's museum (The Magic House).  Needless to say -- it's ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!  It's a dream facility with an incredible staff.  I'll be working 1/2 days on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday--I keep telling myself that it's not too much time away from the kids. :)  I'll be co-teaching a toddler classroom with a very sweet gal named Kristin.  For your Internet surfing pleasure, I've included a couple links below that share a bit more information about the district/school.

Ladue SchoolTube link (basic information about the district):

http://www.schooltube.com/channel/ladueschooldistrict/

An article about the Ladue Early Childhood Center (written last August when it first opened):

http://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/metro/education/article_d61116fb-a142-5bb2-8e25-8f1f34eabf7b.html