Conversations with Jeb . . .

Wednesday is my day with Jeb.  I can't say that we do anything spectacular on Wednesday but it is so nice just to be able to actually hear what he has to say -- poor guy has a tendency to be overpowered by older talkers!!  So hear are a few of his thoughts today:

Conversation with Gymboree sales lady after purchasing new underwear:

Gymboree lady:  Bye Bye . . . I hope you enjoy your new undies!

Jeb:  Hey Missy  -- don't talk about my undies!!!!

(I do take complete credit for "Hey Missy" -- I think I say it to Virginia a lot!)

On the way to pick Virginia up from school:

Jeb:  Mama, what is inside my head?

Me:  Well, your brain is inside your head Jeb.

Jeb:  Is that why I can't (proceeds to bang his head with his fist) crack my head open?

Me:  Yes, Jeb.  If you crack your head open your brain might fall out!

Jeb:  That is a bad idea -- a very bad idea.

More fun at the ballpark . . .

Today Ford had another baseball game.  He got 3 hits, caught a pop fly (which was so exciting that I wanted to run to the field and kiss him!), and caught a grounder.  And . . . he got to play catcher!  He was a very happy guy!

Ford at catcher . . . 

Concentration!
And our after the game meal at Dickey's Barbeque -- yes, those are giant pickles (and I'm sure this picture will mortify Ford in his later years!).
What a gorgeous day it was in St. Louis!  Even Barney joined us at the ballgame and for patio dining at Dickey's -- a very fun day!

Swing, Batter, Batter, Swing!

Finally, spring has arrived in St. Louis and seems to be planning to stay!  Ford's baseball time actually got to play their first game today -- 2 have been rained out!  This is his first year playing machine pitch (35 mph) and it is so cute to watch.  I love his expression when he bats . . . 

Hit #1 --

Hit #2 --
Ford got a hit each time he batted and he made a great play at 3rd base too!  I love the way his mouth does in these photos -- if you click on them you can see them larger.  Obviously it is his "batting mouth" since it is the same look in both photos!!!  Another game tomorrow . . .

A day at the zoo and a movie too --

Today the 1st graders went on a field trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens.  Virginia and Jeb were really wishing they were 1st graders!  So, to make everyone happy, we decided we would head to the zoo.  Before the zoo though, I had to go to Salem for Virginia's parent teacher conference.  Of course, she had glowing reports but FINALLY a teacher acknowledged her "strong personality"!  I felt so justified!!  I love her and her "strong personality" but she wears me out!!!!!

So off to the zoo for some fun -- thanks Mema and Bud for the membership (Easter present!!).

With the elephant fountain . . . not to be confused with those Alabama elephants that we don't like so much at our house!

My pretty girl found a perch to watch the penguins!
Loving the guinea pigs . . . 
Playing in the Children's Zoo . . .V is an awesome big sister!
And hanging out with a goat -- who was literally resting on the bench!
When Ford got home from school, exhausted from his 5 hours at the MO Botanical Gardens, we all loaded up and headed to the cool and comfy movie theater to see Earth.  WOW!  Amazing, amazing shots of gorgeous animals -- the kids were fascinated.  And the popcorn, fruit chews and Sprite were nice too!  Then we met Brent for dinner at Moe's -- yum!  The only remaining excitement was a stop at the intersection of Lindbergh and Litzinger to let Jeb pee in a parking lot -- what can I say, he could NOT hold it and I refuse to have an accident in the car if I can avoid it.  So time for bed so we can start our baseball weekend . . . 

One more race picture -- just for fun!

This is my amazing relay team . . . . these girls are much faster than me and have been running much longer.  I am so glad they asked me to join them because they really kept me moving!  Thanks Christina, Sharon and Julia!  Now, on to the half-marathon . . . !!!!!!!!

Ready, Set, GO! St. Louis . . .

I think I have seriously lost my mind!  This morning, I woke up at 4:30am to get ready to run the GO! St. Louis marathon relay . . . with more than 15, 000 of my closest friends!  Me -- run -- and in some MAJOR rain!  This morning gave playing in the rain a whole new meaning to me.  But honestly, now that I am home, out of the soggy clothes, fed, showered, etc...  I can say with certainty that it was not only worth it, but also quite fun!  

If nothing else, I think I made my seven year old very proud!  He and Brent braved the weather to come cheer me on . . . . see!

This was what St. Louis was like this morning -- WET!
But run we did!  4 girls -- dividing up the 26.2 mile marathon (and all running the last mile to the finish together) -- and running it in 4 hours and 15 minutes.  We came in 23rd out of 75 all female relay teams.  WOW!  Pretty good for a group of mama's!! Sorry for the distant photo -- with all the rain we used Brent's phone instead of a real camera!
Ford was so proud of my medal -- and even more so when I told him it is certainly my first medal in any athletic event!  
So what is next?  On to a 1/2 marathon -- and trying to convince Brent that he could run it with me this fall!!!!

Read, Right and RUN!!!!

I guess it has been a solid year since I started this blog -- WOW!  I recall one of my first posts being the 2008 Read, Right and Run and here we are again -- Ford ran 25 miles, did 26 good deeds and read 26 books and this morning, he did his final 1.2 miles to make a full marathon.  Way to go Ford!  Here are a few pics from the day . . .

Can you believe that I just looked up in this is what I saw as we were walking to the meeting area?  Love it when they are sweet!

Ben, Ford, Luke and Edward -- way to go Reed boys!
Ben, Will, Ford, Luke, Edward and Henry ---
Run, Ford, Run!!!!! (This year he wore an orange Auburn hat to be sure we could spot him -- sadly we missed him last year!)
Virginia and Jeb cheered Ford on . . . 
And tomorrow is my big day.  The GO! St. Louis marathon relay at 7am in the morning.  80% chance of rain but I'll just be "singing in the rain" I guess!  

An Awesome Easter Celebration!

Happy Easter everyone!!!  What a great day we had today!  Yes, I prefer it a little warmer for Easter Sunday but at least it didn't snow (yes, last year it snowed on Easter).  Here is our day in pictures . . . we started with a visit from the Easter Bunny.

Jeb LOVED his "chicken dance" chick and we all just wish the little chick had a volume control!  He was also pretty happy about his play doh and singing toothbrush -- he really likes to brush his teeth!   

Virginia now has a cute raincoat for rainy days at the bus stop this fall . . . she is also looking forward to trying shrinky dinks and making pot holders.
And Ford was so happy with the bat and batting gloves that I'm not sure he noticed anything else!
After church, we headed downtown for brunch at the MAC.  In all my years in the South, I never once at in the same building where I pet animals, but there is a first for everything!  The kids loved seeing all the animals at the petting zoo in the lobby . . . 

A rare family photo -- we can never get everyone looking in the same direction and all with eyes opened but this is a decent attempt!

And, of course, we had to chat with the Easter Bunny and thank him for the loot!

The Lagers (our fellow Birmingham transplants and neighbors) joined us for lunch and we actually got a great shot of 6 kids . . . well, Jeb was ready to be done with Mr. Bunny, but still, not bad for 6 kids -- Katherine, Jake, Virginia, Jeb, Ford and Emma!
We hope your day was filled with blessings!  Happy Easter!!!

Hippity Hoppity Easter is on it's Way . . .

Today our neighbors hosted and Easter egg hunt for the neighborhood.  Virginia and Jeb had a wonderful time hunting eggs and playing outside with their friends.  It was a cool but beautiful day in St. Louis!  Here are a few pictures from the hunt -- Ford had a swimming birthday party for another neighbor so he missed the hunt (and sadly, no one saved him any candy!).

Happy Easter!!

Crafty Chaos . . .

Virginia and Jeb were out of school today for Good Friday and Ford had an early release day.  Of course, I didn't realize any of this until yesterday morning -- ugh, not much time to prepare!  So my original plan was to head to the MAC with Virginia and Jeb so they could play in the playroom and I could run my 6 miles I need to run today.  But poor Jeb -- he is coughing his little head off!  So . . . plan B, CRAFTS!  So, we glued the ribbon and hung our blown eggs.  Then, we moved on to mod podge tissue paper eggs (messy, but fun!) and then I thought, why can't we do personalized mod podge eggs -- so, we printed some pictures on computer paper and made personalized eggs!  Next, Ford got home and we started our rice krispie treat eggs with sprinkles.  Then on to stained glass with wax paper and broken up crayons and finally, I made lemon poppy seed bunny and Easter basket muffins for our breakfast tomorrow.  WOW!  What a day!  In the midst of all this, I managed to get 3 loads of laundry washed and 2 folded and even make taco salad for dinner (and a trip to the grocery store and bank).  Sadly, I still haven't gotten in that run but it is either tonight or first thing in the morning -- hmmmmm, which will it be?

Our blown eggs . . . 

Picture mod podge and tissue paper eggs . . . 
Embroidery floss and mod podge blown eggs (yes, I have a think for mod podge these days!) . . .
And how cute are the breakfast muffins????
And my pretty girl with her crayon art!
And now I am amazingly thankful that bedtime is seriously almost here!!!!!

Ripstik -- NOT for everyone!

Ripstiks -- apparently, they are all the rage.  But be warned!  They are not for the old and decrepit, aka, Brent and Charla!  We both crashed and burned mightily while attempting to "teach" Ford this new activity.  For those of you not in the know, a Ripstik is similar to a skateboard but with only two wheels instead of four.  In other words, it requires lots of balance which obviously Brent and I do not have!!!  Ford, on the other hand, is getting the hang of it.  I'm so proud of his perseverance.  It is really hard and he hasn't even thought about giving up.  So here are a few shots of his progress!

I'm on it . . . 

See!!!!! . . . .
Whooooooaaaaaaa . . . . . 
If you want to give it a try . . . be sure to wear a helmet and pads.  And maybe a pillow in your pants to cushion your bottom -- mine is still hurting!!!!

Blowing Eggs . . .

I remember as a child going to visit my gramma's neighbor, affectionately known as "Nell Lutz" -- I called her by both her first and last name for some strange reason -- and she always baked and made the coolest stuff!  I recall her blowing eggs at Easter and I've always wanted to give it a try.  Any of you that know me know that I am not so very crafty -- but lately I have felt inspired to try!  So, here are the Balogh kids blowing eggs!

Virginia loved this and was actually quite good at it!  She had a little bit of a tough time getting the tack in the egg so she decided we should "work as a team" and I would poke the holes and she would shake and blow the eggs . . . 

Ford got in on the action too and thought it was a bit disgusting . . . 
It was definitely a team effort!
Then the kids used some cool Paas q-tip paint things that I bought for $1 to decorate the eggs -- these were neat but a little drippy.  I think next year we will just use empty Q-tips and our own paint so we can control the drips a bit better.  Jeb was very serious about his eggs . . . 
And so was Virginia . . . 
Today we bought ribbon and hope to complete our decorations tomorrow so watch for the finished look!  We also bought our first jar of Mod Podge and some other crafty stuff for a few more Easter crafts -- Hobby Lobby makes me a little crazy! :)

Batting cages . . .

Baseball season is upon us!  Ford had a session at the batting cages on Sunday -- his first chance to hit off the machine.  This year his team is playing machine pitch (35 mph) and he is so excited!  Here are a couple of shots of the fun . . .

Ford and Gus . . . 

Fun with the Family . . .

As I said before, my mom had a camera mishap so our family fun pictures are all thanks to Mimsie (other than the final shot which is mine).  The kids had a blast with their cousins and here is the proof . . .

Martha and Virginia on the slide . . . 

Lil, Ford, Martha, Virginia, Ansley and Jeb after the Easter egg hunt at Bryan and Mary Laslie's house . . . 
A ride to the lake on the golf cart . . . 
Uncle Brook with Bobby and Jeb . . . 
And the one you have all been waiting for . . . the much anticipated shot of the famous arm wrestling . . . and the winner is --------- Brent! :)  Maybe we can schedule a rematch for this summer boys!