BEARS!

I took this video when we were at the zoo on Friday. It is currently Emma's first request when she sees the computer. You can hear her say in the video that they are dinosaurs, but now she shouts, "BEARS!" I thought you all should enjoy the video, too.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Last weekend, Matt planned a get away for us to St. Louis to celebrate our anniversary. This was a true gift to me because I am a HUGE Cardinals fan and he is a Cubs fan. What a sacrifice! We had a great time visiting the new park. I somehow found our family brick on the sidewalk. That was pretty cool. I did get sort of close to my friend, Albert. What a guy. Only bad part of the weekend is that the Cardinals lost. Oh, well. As long as they are still playing and winning in October, that is all that matters!

Children's Museum

Last week, we ventured out and visited the Indianapolis Children's Museum for the first time (well, for Emma that is). I have many fond memories of this museum. My grandparents would take me here every summer when I would visit. At that time, the museum used to be free! Many things have changed at the museum, but there are several things I remember. I got a little choked up when I took Emma on the carousel. As soon as I heard the music playing, a flood of memories from my visits there came rushing back. Emma loved every part of the museum. She is obsessed with dinosaurs and was in heaven when she had the chance to "dig" for dinosaur bones and dress up like one. She knew exactly what to do when we saw the trains. She started pumping her fist up and down and saying, "Choo! Choo!". My Grandpa Harold would have been so proud! (My grandpa and great-grandpa were train engineers and my great-great-grandpa was a conductor. Is it safe to say it is in her blood?). Emma might be the next Danica Patrick after seeing her handle the wheel in the Indy car. She was a natural. I tried my best to encourage the teeth brushing in the healthy exhibit. I am not sure that worked. Auntie B. was along with us during our visit. I am so glad she came and know Emma was happy, too. She shouted, "B!" all day long. Auntie B. and I enjoyed the Children Who Made a Difference exhibit. It told the stories of Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges and Ryan White. We bought a membership to the museum, so we need to take Daddy soon. I know Emma would gladly go tomorrow!

Kane County Cougar Celebration

We made a quick trip up north this past Saturday to help a good friend of ours celebrate her retirement. Our friend, Jeanne Tyms, retired from teaching after 33 years. I worked with Jeanne in Forest Park. She was our always energetic, forever creative P.E. teacher. Jeanne had been planning this party for some time, so we knew we couldn't miss it. The celebration was on the beautiful party deck at the stadium for the Kane County Cougars (Minor League Baseball team located in near Geneva, Illinois, outside of Chicago). What is better than a party at the ballpark? Jeanne got to throw out the first pitch. What an arm! Ozzie the Cougar came to the party. Emma fell in love. She had to visit Ozzie several times. She ended up with a stuffed Ozzie by the end of the night (Can we say that Daddy is a sucker?). "My Ozzie" now goes wherever she goes. We had a great time visiting all of our old friends. The weather was beautiful and the game was great. Congrats to Jeanne on her retirement. We hope she gets to play alot of golf very soon. We are working on getting those I.U./Illinois basketball tickets so she and her husband George will come and visit. Thanks for including us in your wonderful party!

Summer Fun

In the summer, there is nothing better than hanging out in the front yard and visiting with the neighbors. I put the chair in front of the bubble machine and Emma kicked back and watched the bubbles. Then she got the chance to sit in the kiddie car with her friend, Elizabeth (Emma calls her Sizzy or Yizzy). They never moved an inch, but Emma thought is was the greatest thing. We love the summer evenings!

Zoologist

I think it is safe to say that working with animals might be in the future for Emma. We made a trip to the zoo yesterday and Emma was in heaven. She had no fear of ANY of the animals. She tried to pet the sharks, she fed the giraffes, patted the elephant and chased the goats around their pen. Emma's favorite part was the Ocean exhibit. She squealed and yelled, "Fish!" as we peaked into the large aquarium. She couldn't get enough of the penguins and cried when we had to leave them. Emma did really well during the dolphin show, too. She danced to the music and said, "Woa!" each time they did a trick. Emma even loved the Kamodo Dragons and growled when she saw them. I think she thought they were dinosaurs. They did resemble them! We made a stop in the gift shop before we left and her souvenir was a stuffed monkey. "My Monkey" is now a constant companion and gets lots of kisses. We are looking forward to another trip to the zoo very soon!

High Tech

When we went to see the doctor for Emma's 18 month check-up last week, he said to me, "You know you need to watch her every move." He's a close friend and I thought he was kindly reminding me that we didn't want any more stitches. I assured him I was watching her very closely. Well, one day after lunch, I sat her down and cleaned up the kitchen. In a matter of a few seconds, this is where Emma ended up. Yes, she climbed up in the chair all by herself. She seemed to know exactly what to do and even shut down the computer. We are in big trouble!