where I talk with my inside voice
Sometimes you just have to go out and play in the rain. I am very grateful that the kids have had so many opportunities to do this. To learn that going out in the rain and getting wet is okay, and it’s not something to be avoided at all costs. It is if you’re a teacher, and for good reason...
We just got back today from a weekend camping and the first float trip for the kids. We stayed at Ozark Outdoors Resort in Leasburg, MO. We should have trusted the weather report for Friday night and waited until Saturday to show up to our campsite. But instead we spent a miserable night in the tent, listening to the thunder...
We were lucky to get some great seats to watch the Cardinals beat up on the Mets on Wednesday night. They won 8-1 and Randal Grichuk helped with this home run in the 4th inning. You can hear Josie squealing with delight during the subsequent fireworks. That was the best part for her (and me).
It is hard to believe it’s been four years since our little man was a Tiger Cub. He has grown so much, in every way that one can measure. He had outgrown his original Cub Scout uniform, so we went yesterday to get him a new one that will hopefully last him a couple of years as he transitions to...
The weather was nice today. Not your typical August day in St. Louis. Dixie and I played Bird Bingo with the kids; I had lunch with a college buddy whom I’ve not seen in 20 years; and I took this picture of our little man reading his book in the shade of the ash tree. It was a good day.
As I mentioned back in January, we have been planning a trip to California to drive the PCH and see some of the other sights. We just got back, and what a trip it was. We drove 1300 miles, took over 2000 photos, and shot over 4 hours of video. A small sample of the photos is now available in...
Well, okay, it might not be our last one. But our piano teacher is getting married next month and moving away, so it will be the last one with her. The kids both did very well, considering the difficulty of the pieces and the fact that they both memorized them and didn’t use their music while playing. We are going...
We did a overnight campout at Roaring Spring Ranch. The place is beautiful — it’s about 2600 acres that is owned by one of the families in Noah’s Cub Scout Pack. The kids got to ride horses, go on a hayride at night, and hike through the woods. The ticks were unbelievable, but it was still a good trip.
Yeah, I had never heard of it either until last fall when Noah and I went camping with the Boy Scouts. Then Noah told Dixie about it and they bought the game for Noah’s friend Graham for his birthday. At that point, Dixie became obsessed with it, even though she had never played it. Then it turned into a trip...
Noah had his annual Pinewood Derby race in Cub Scouts today. He didn’t win, but I was proud of all of the work he put into building his car this year. I can’t believe he only has one more year before he moves onto Boy Scouts. It doesn’t seem that long ago that he was a Tiger.
We enjoyed our first snowfall of the year today. It was probably less than an inch, but it was enough for the kids to get outside and build some mini-snowmen, and have a ball, and for Dixie to get a few great shots of the birds. Photos are up in my album.
It was time for our annual Minecraft marathon, where we spend the better part of a day immersed in our “world” building things. They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I built a Mayan pyramid! It is on an island far to the west of my kingdom, unspoiled by the whimsical constructions of my children. I think that...
Hey, what do you know? The kids got Legos for Christmas this year. Even though this is the first year they no longer believe in Santa, it certainly doesn’t diminish their enthusiasm for the little plastic bricks. This was a big set too – almost 2500 pieces – but they did a good job working together. Noah was also happy...
I tested out my new quad-copter’s camera while the kids enjoyed a late summer day paddling around the lake.
We spent a long weekend in Chicago doing all the touristy things. Photos are available in my album, but here’s a quick video of the highlights. The kids had a blast, and keep asking when we’re going to go back.
