St Louis Magic House

So, when you have a high school friend in from out of state, you have to show off your city!  If you have never been to the Magic House in St. Louis, boy, are you missing out!  It is one of the biggest, coolest, learningest (yes, I just made that up) places for kids to have a blast and explore things like crazy.  There are things like sand tables, plastic mulch pits, giant chalk boards, water tables, ball mazes, bubble rooms, and on and on and on!

And even big kids have a good time with it.  In fact, I would say that this is one of Aaron's favorite places to go.

There's also an outdoor garden, the famous letter windows, and the fishing creek!  Little Miss was so excited when she caught her fish.

As if all of that isn't enough, the Magic House's most famous attraction is the giant metal ball that makes your hair stand on end.  Then there's wind pipes that fly balls and scarves, and there was even the special beach exhibit and sand castle outdoors.  Boy, what an exhausting and amazing day.  I think we hit it all and could not have had more fun!  Can't wait to go back!!!

Backyard Antics

Before our girl came along, my boys did their fair share of wrestling.  My son thought, well still thinks, that he can some how over power my husband.  We both let him figure out how wrong he is time after time.  Emma has now started trying to protect and help her big brother by pulling him out of trouble.  It never works, but she gives it everything she's got - and it's mighty adorable.

Everybody had so much fun playing and rolling around in the grass.  And when our girl laid down to take a break, her natural personality just shined through.

It's such a delight to be able to walk around in my back yard with camera in hand and be able to both experience and document these beautiful and fun moments in our lives.  Because, as we all know, we will blink our eyes, and this time will be gone.

Playing House

For some two year old little girls, playing house is one of the best things you can do.  And when you are my two year old little girl, playing house outside is the best thing you can do.  So, as you can imagine, if it is even remotely nice outside, we get calls to "play house" for hours.  What a blessing it has been that one of our neighbors was awesome enough to give us this treat!

Of course, while playing outside means opening and shutting the windows, and offering sticks to buggies, it also brings things like being annoyed by your big brother.  Can you hearing her yelling, "STOP!"?

 And no house is complete without a grape vine or telephone!  And new things, like making silly faces, are always fun to document.

But whether my daughter is making serious faces or silly ones, her love is still contagious - and I am thankful for that.  OH - and side note: yes, that is a HUGE bruise you see on her forehead, which came from falling and slipping in the tub.  Why didn't I Photoshop it out?  Because this is a stage I want to remember - bumps, bruises, and all.  Life with a toddler is far from perfect, but when I look at these pictures, I see the joy of a little girl and hear the calls of, "Play house, Mommy!  Play house!"  <3