Couples Retreat

Emmy and Henry

Claire and Pop

Ryan and Henry (being silly before soccer)

Claire and Henry

Claire and Mommy

Football Is Back

College football has made its glorious return. Which means that our weekend trips to Oxford have also returned. Here, Henry and tailgate buddies Stephen and Lizzie attempt to fire up the troops.

Claire made her Grove (actually, Circle) debut and was a big hit. She also got to meet Aunt Kitty for the first time! Like many other tailgaters, much of Claire's nourishment came from a bottle. But unfortunately for her, she could not supplement it with pork tenderloin, pasta salad, piminto cheese and Uncle Kevin's caramel cake.

At the game. For good or bad, Henry has learned how to yell for the Rebels. He now knows the "De-Fense" chant and also made up a cheer of his own: "Go Rebels! Put 'em in jail!" I think this comes from his belief that superheroes put the bad guys in jail. He also refers to the other team as "the bad guys."

For the record, Claire was 66 days old when she attended her first Ole Miss game (although she left in the second quarter). Don't worry, she was only in the sun long enough to take this picture.

At Gran Gran and Pop's house the next morning...with cousins Emmy, Lexie and Natalie who also made the trip.

Claire is lucky to have so many cousins ready to sing to her at a moment's notice!

We all had this look after the game was over...but it's much cuter on her.

Two Months!

Claire turned two months old yesterday...

...and she's so excited, she's running in place while lying on her back!



Face-off!

The Lou (Part II -- Magic House Edition)

We spent several hours last Saturday at the Magic House, St. Louis' ginormous children's museum. We could have spent two full days there, but we did our best to hit the highlights. Here, Henry climbs the beanstalk which takes kids from one floor to the next. (Adults have to take the stairs...booooo.)

In the "bustruction" area, Henry works a backhoe

Ladies and gentlemen, the 52nd President of the United States. Mr. President's first initiative is to require all cars to be dark green convertibles.

Standing inside a giant bubble

This is a picture of where Henry would still be if we'd let him stay

Using the skills his Grandpa Bob taught him!

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"..."Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall"...and now this classic.

Bonus video: at Citygarden downtown, life imitates art.

The Lou (Part I)

Last weekend, Henry and I met Gran Gran and Pop in St. Louis for two baseball games, a trip to the zoo and a visit to what has to be the best children's museum in the country, the Magic House. It was Henry's second trip to St. Louis, but the first one since he was six weeks old, so I do think he got a little more out of it this time around. Here, they pose in front of a statue of Pop's childhood hero, Stan Musial.

"Go Crazy, Folks!" Henry crouches in front of the Wizard.

One of the highlights of the trip was making this Fredbird puppet at the Build-A-Bear Workshop inside Busch Stadium. It cost us an inning and a half, but these two were inseparable the rest of the weekend.

BTW, I'm not going to pretend that Henry understands the intricacies of baseball yet, but in a call to his mommy, he correctly summed up our first night as follows: "Albert Pujols made fireworks."

Nothing like a healthy snack of cotton candy at the ol' ballpark.

Ever driven through Metropolis, Illinois? Suffice it to say, this town has capitalized on its awesome name. Unfortunately, this picture shows why you can never trust a stranger to take a good picture. I'm guessing she has a financial interest in the wrought iron fence industry, because that is clearly the focus.

Stepping into some pretty big shoes here.

Henry calls out the starting lineup. I somehow doubt Randy Winn has ever elicited such an enthusiastic reaction. P.S. -- I promise we had better seats for the Friday night game.

False Advertising

If this picture were on a consumer product, the FTC would levy sanctions for false advertising. The warning label should read, "objects in photo are less calm than they appear."

All swaddled up and enjoying her Gran Gran blanket.

An early-morning smile...definitely her best time of day. Proud she's not afraid to wear horizontal stripes.

Cousin Aliza visited last weekend so she could meet Claire. In this picture, she takes a break from Henry showing her each and every one of his Hot Wheels race cars.

Blue Ridge Mountain High (Part II)

More fun in the mountains!

Trying to keep his feet dry while walking through a creek in flip-flops...not an easy task

Posing with Grandpa, Grandma and magnifying glass

A couple of chiefs

Attica!

The only thing missing here are the mint juleps