Boo at the Zoo

Gabriel and Bennett's school has a class outing to the Zoo for Halloween.  This was our first year to go and we had so much fun.  The boys were able to play, out of school, with their friends and Scott and I were able to see the parents for more than just a quick pick up and drop offs.  The weather was perfect and the Zoo did not disappoint.

Trying to get a class picture with the Zoo lights.

Bennett was listening to story time about spiders.  It was great how the Zoo talked about animals for the kids to learn and incorporate Halloween.

Thomas did great checking everything out.

Casting a spell into the witch's cauldron.

Harry and Bennett always together.  These two have so much fun!

Bates impromtu visit

The Bates came down last weekend and the boys could not have been happier to see their cousins.  They got some quality time and showed the Bates some of our favorite places.

On Friday, Nana and Grandpa Rob came over to make cookies and have pizza and movie night.  

On Saturday it was off to the zoo to explore.  They even had their first cousin sleep over.

On Sunday it was brunch at Aunt Michelle's restaurant and then some good byes.  The boys had a great weekend and are slowly catching up on sleep.  

Billy Joel

What an amazing concert!  Scott and I had bought tickets to see Billy Joel wayyy back in February.  I'm so happy we did and the concert was great!  We had nose bleed seats and that was fine (until the end when they were rocking).

We got downtown a little early.  The wonderful protesters seemed to let up a bit so we could enjoy the concert with issue.  We arrived at Paddy O's and met up with Zipf and Shane for a drink.  I even ran into an old co-worker from MAC.  After a quick drink were off to the top of Busch Stadium to grab dinner and our seats.

Billy, because we are on a first name basis, is a great preformer.  He gave the audience choices of 2 songs for him to play.  He commented on past preformances in STL and even the heat and crazy amounts of bugs all around.

He had the entire stadium rocking.  He ended with "Piano Man" before his 4 song encore.  The entire stadium was on their feet dancing for the last 30 minutes of the show.  Scott and I had a great night out.

Apple Picking 2017

We picked the best day for apple picking.  The weather looked like it was about to rain (and it did while we were loading the car) and that kept people away.  The boys loved the tractor ride to and from the orchards.  They were so into picking as much as they could and keeping their own bags.  

Bennett would find an apple, pick it, take a bite and then put it in his bag.  Scott spent some time sorting out the quality control apples.  Gabriel was great at picking the perfect apple.  He had to have his own bag and made this year.  He picked a ton of apples, but didn't taste as many.  This was Thomas' first year apple picking.  He did great just hanging out and sucking on any apple we gave him.  Towards the end it was hard for me to get an apple away from him.

This annual tradition is truly one of my favorites from my childhood and I love that Scott and I continue it with the boys.

Birthaversary 2017

This year's birthaversary was a little different.  We were in San Antonio for half of it.  Our anniversary was spent playing with the boys and relaxing with a bottle of wine after they went to bed.  Then a few hours later Scott took me to urgent care for a major hives breakout.  We are still unsure as to what caused them, but it was a very early morning getting medicine and recovering.

My birthday was spent at the San Antonio Aquarium.  This was our first trip there and it will not be our last.  From dinosaurs to sting rays to lizards, this place had it all.  All of us had a ton of fun there.

Then my mom met us for lunch and Scott and Gabriel played their first game of pool together.  I taught Bennett the art of "playing" a video game when you have no money.

After lunch the boys took naps and I got a much needed mani/pedi.  I was even treated to Alamo Cafe for a childless dinner and a rainbow to boot.  It was a great birthday.

For Scott's birthday we celebrated at home with presents and relaxation.