Ready for 3rd Grade

Monday marked the first day of 3rd grade.  We've enjoyed our summer together, but both Bailey and I agreed that we were ready for school to start and the learning and daily routine to begin.  She's already been talking to some of the kids at the daycare who are older than her and have told her about all the homework she is going to get.  Last Thursday we were able to meet Bailey's teacher, Mrs. Olson, at Van Allen's Open House.  My first impression was that it is going to be another great year.  Mrs. Olson has already sent a couple notes home explaning how she is really going to be working with the kids this year on personal responsibility.  That is music to this mother's ears.  Bailey continues to love reading chapter books.  Her favorite series is Katie Kazoo.  She has the same love/hate relationship with math that her mother did. Although the other day when I asked her what the best part of the day was, she said 'you're going to think I'm crazy Mom, but it was math'.  Yet another sign of a great start to the school year. 

Saint Louie Louie

In high school band, I loved playing the song 'Louie Louie'.  My love for visiting Saint Louis has grown just as fond.  With the city only 3 hours from Mount Pleasant, Bailey and I took another weekend trip this summer to enjoy some of the sights.  One of these years we might get up to The Arch, but with Bailey claiming she is petrified of heights, I thought it safer to stay on ground again this year.  Other than the occassional ride at Six Flags that took us high in the sky (the picture to the right is just before taking off on the ferris wheel), we enjoyed riding the lazy river at Hurricane Harbor, seeing almost all the animals at the zoo and spending a couple hours at The Science Center.  It was a fun little getaway just before the start of the school year.

These little red pandas look like stuffed animals.  We watched this little guy and his buddy play for 30 minutes.

If you ever get to the Saint Louis Zoo, you have to see the sea lion show.  It is great entertainment.  Robby and RJ were actually born at the zoo and are very funny and talented.

We did make a stop at the Build a Bear store at the zoo and Bailey chose a puffin just like those at the penguin and puffin exhibit.  This exhibit was a nice break from the heat since it was 40 degrees inside.

Our first stop at the zoo was to pet the stingless stingrays.  The first hour in this area was free so yet another lesson that getting to places early can pay off.  Stingrays are very smooth and little slimey.

Our final stop of the day, and what has been one of our favorite exhibits the last 2 times we've gone to the zoo, are the hippos.  This huge hippo tank has about 4 hippos that swim by you and they will also peek their eyes above the water which is fun to watch.

This is Bailey's impersonation of the mechanical dinosaur in the background at The Science Center.

This picture says it all in how much fun we had once again at Saint Louis.

Nephew's Birthdays

Summer 2010 has been filled with lots of family get-togethers.  A couple of those were to celebrate the birthdays of the special little guys in our lives, Austin and Graham.  We celebrated Graham's 1st birthday in Des Moines on June 19th.  As first birthdays go, he took in all the people and new toys to play with.  And also enjoyed his own piece of birthday cake.  A couple weeks later, we gathered again in Cedar Rapids on July 4th to celebrate Austin's 3rd birthday.  When we pulled up, he was giving sister Alli a ride on his new woo-woo (4-wheeler).  This kid is all boy with his love of things that go and spending lots of time outdoors.

Graham's Birthday Cake (Dirt Cake)

Animal cupcakes for the kids

Austin's Cake

Fun kid photos