Fun in the Outdoors

Last week, we met Nancy and Margo at Tower Grove Park to play in the wading pool and fountains. It was so fun. Jack loved chasing the fountains as they came up. There is a video at the end.
"Where did the water go?"

"Ah...Here it is!" Margo enjoyed the fountains, too! Jack spent a lot of time climbing this flower display.
Nancy and Margo splashed in the wading pool.
Jack was looking into one of the jets when it was off and then it turned on and got him right in his face.
We took a little break in the shade and had some grapes. Jack loves to "talk on the phone." He will pick up the phone, our cell phones, any remote control, etc. and put it to his ear. He doesn't like to actually say anything and he never is too interested in listening when someone is actually on the other line. We went to the zoo on Tuesday and got really close to this giraffe!

Jack rode the carousel with his friend Blake.
Today, we met Elizabeth, Andrew, Nancy, and Margo at the wading pool.

After playing in the water, we played on the playground. Here Jack, Margo, and Andrew are all enjoying the swings.
The swings are definitely Jack's favorite thing to do on a playground!

"Thank you, good-bye"
Jack and Andrew crawled through the tunnel.


Here is a video from our first trip to the fountains.

This short video is of Jack playing soccer.

It's Good to be Home

After a long vacation, it is nice to be home again. We have kept busy and spent a lot of time outdoors since the weather has been fantastic.

Jack colored a card for Daddy.

Last Tuesday, Jack and I went to the zoo in the afternoon. We told Daddy to call us when he got off work so he could meet us in Forest Park for a picnic dinner. Jack and I got to see the penguins...

Jack also got very close to the chimps (although separated by glass). Then we met Daddy for our picnic. We just ate on a blanket on the ground, but since Jack probably wouldn't sit still and eat, we kept him in his stroller. Here he is with avocado all over his face.
Daddy watching Jack play on a monument. It was a beautiful evening.On Wednesday, I met up with some of my cousins and their kids at the Botanical Gardens. Here are the kids climbing on the cat.
Aunt Anna with all the little ones The fountain was a big hit!


Jack liked to explore on his own. Everyone was playing in the fountain and Jack decided he was done there and wandered off. I followed him as he ran around the gardens.
Caeleigh was nice enough to share her wagon, but Jack wasn't thrilled to ride in it. He would rather walk. The problem is that he doesn't always want to walk where we want him to walk.

Hilton Head

I will apologize now for the lengthy blog, but we have been out of town for a week and a half, and have lots of pictures to share.

We left our house on Wednesday morning (July 30) and headed to Nashville. The first stop on our journey was at a rest stop in Metropolis, IL, where Jack and Jim got to pose as Superman.
Our first night was spent in Nashville. We walked around downtown in the evening, visited the Charlie Daniels museum, and found a place for dinner. The next morning, we went to the Grand Ole Opry to look around.
The Opryland Hotel was quite impressive. It had lots of trees and waterfalls inside, as well as its own river and riverboat!

Thursday, we headed to Atlanta where we met up with Jim's college friends Joe and Christian for the Braves-Cardinals game. Unfortunately the Cards did not win, but Jack got Kyle McClellan to sign his hat.

Friday, we drove to Jacksonville to meet up with Dave, another one of Jim's college friends. We got a suite at the hotel so Jim and Dave were able to play their guitars while Jack slept in the other room. Jack loved playing on the big bed and talking on the cell phone.

Saturday, we made it to Hilton Head and the BEACH!!!!! My parents rented a condo near the beach for us, them, my brother David and his wife Melanie, and my brother Michael. Unfortunately, my brother Patrick and his family couldn't make it. We had a blast! We saw alligators, dophins, lizards, and lots of cool birds. We went swimming, played in the sand, played tennis, played golf (Jim), shopped (Molly), rented waverunners, enjoyed a dolphin cruise during a thunderstorm, ate and drank well, played games, and had lots of fun.

Jack with his new beach toys.

Daddy helping Jack build a sandcastle.

Nana and Papa took Jack into the ocean. He LOVED it! The waves were so strong they would knock Jack over if someone wasn't holding onto him.

Here's the good-looking man I married!
Playing in the waves with Daddy:
Jack loved to cross the lagoon on this bridge by our condo. Here is one of the many birds we saw.
Jack and Daddy are walking over to the tennis courts to watch Nana and Papa play.
Where are the alligators?
Maybe they're over here!
The pool was fun, too!

Relaxing and catching some rays (not really - we were in the shade).



It was gorgeous!

Jack had his sweatbands on, ready for tennis.

Sometimes Jack would play in the tide pools - no waves and not too deep.

We ate outside at a restaurant one night.

Somehow we convinced my Dad to shave his beard. He hadn't shaved in nearly 30 years! He said he is going to grow it right back.
Come catch me, Daddy!

We went on a dolphin cruise. After we were out in the water, a terrible storm blew through. We did get to see lots of dolphins, but had to cut the trip way short. The wind was blowing really hard, the waves were 4 times their normal size, life jackets came unsecured and were blowing off the boat, everyone was soaked. It was an incredible experience and I am glad we went, but it was pretty scary at the time.