World Series 2013 Game 3

Kevin's parents have season tickets to the Cardinals, and since K1 was in Thailand and Kevin had a marathon the next day, I got to go to Saturday's game 3 with Louise.

I don't go to many games. It is something that Kevin does with his friends, or Louise and Kevin (1) do with the boys, but I normally do not go. I was just telling Kevin that I would like to go to a meaningful game, since I usually end up with tickets that others pass on. And then a few days later I was asked!

The game was.... crazy. If you have not heard (Where the heck have you been????) the game ended in the strangest, most bizarre way a WS game has ended ever. One word - obstruction. I won't go into it, since there is more than enough on the internet to explain it, but it was a game where I will be able to say "I was there!"

Before the game, but since I tried to spend my time watching the game instead of taking pictures, this is the best picture I have of the field.

Ozzie Smith threw out the first pitch!

This was the 7th inning when the Cards scored 2 runs. I didn't even think about the camera during the 9th inning.

Gwyn's Hair

Gwyn's hair is awesome. Sometimes she let's me braid it, twist it, and I have been able to put it in awesome pigtails since she was a few months old. But whenever I pull it up, the short hair on the sides falls out. She is (FINALLY! okay with headbands. But for now, she still reminds me of Judy, the girlfriend from Revenge of the Nerds. (Side note - excellent movie.)

Does anyone else see it?

UCDC Pumpkinland Visit 2013

Each year our preschool takes a visit to the farm down the road for Halloween/Fall. This year it was all about Gwyn and Joel. Joel is a boy in Gwyn's class, and his older brother Noah happens to be Colin's best friend from preschool. (They do not attend Kindergarten together.) You may remember Noah when Colin was learning to say his name when he was called No-no and the No-Ya. (They met when they were two.)

I love this trip since the pumpkin patch is kept open just for us. It normally closes at 5:30, but it stay open to at least 7:30. (That is when we leave, but we are never last.) It is so dark, you need a flashlight to walk around. I have wanted to walk through the maze that late, but I am not sure that would be a good idea. We lost 2 flashlights this year (Well, Colin did.) but at least we did not lose a wedding ring like last year. And Gwyn was so brave that she just went into the dark Tower of Terror on her own. I had to get in behind another family to just try to follow her. Nothing like the boys.

Here are some pictures!

A replay of American Ninja Warrior training.

Gwyn just had to do anything her brother did... until Joel showed up.

Chillin with the boyfriend.

Swinging with Noah.

Between all the activities, they held hands.

Last week, UCDC had a field trip to the Litzinger Road Ecology Center. (Sounds like a place Megan would like.) Aunt Cathy took Gwyn, and here a a few pictures from the trip. Joel is in most of them. I tried to get a picture of the holding hands at the pumpkin patch, but it was too dark. I am glad Cathy got one!

Pumpkin Patch 2013

This weekend we headed to Thies Farm's Pumpkinland. It is one of my favorite pumkin patches in St. Louis. (They have two locations, and we are going to the other one this Friday with Gwyn's school. They stay open late for us, and we are there when it is dark. I love it. You need a flashlight just to walk around.)

For a trip down memory lane, here are Halloween posts from yesteryear: 2010 Boo at the Zoo, Pumpkinland 2011, UCDC 2011, Halloween 2012, and an October 2012 McWeekend with the Kerr's. (To the best pumpkin patch ever!)

All 5 of us went up this year! Even Gwyn.

At the top. The boys were too interested in the "American Ninja Warrior" course to hang out for pictures.

She is actually smiling with her eyes open!

While the boys practiced being ninja warriors, Gwyn spent a lot of time on the horse. (She is going to be a horse for Halloween.)

The start of the "American Ninja Warrior" course. For everyone else at the pumpkin patch, it is just an obstacle course. Most of it is in the background of this picture.

Part of the ANW course.

A bit more. As the day got more crowded, they were not able to run through it, but they still had fun.

Gwyn enjoyed the slide of the ANW course.

A rare moment. I am not the one taking the picture!

Possibly, my favorite picture of the year. We are all looking at the camera, our eyes are open, we are smiling, and hair is not in our faces!

Gwyn chasing her brothers in the maze.

Kevin stopping for a snack.

The weather was beautiful! Coats came off after an hour.

 

Waiting to go down the slide.

She loves to be carried. I blame her father.

Overall, another successful trip!

Cooking Dinner

I usually cook dinner with an apron on. Gwyneth got one for Christmas, and she runs to get hers when I cook. Sometimes she even wears her chef's hat.

Tornado!

This past Friday (May 31) an F3 tornado went through our neighborhood. We did not get hit by the tornado, but it was close enough to cause some damage.

We heard the sirens and headed downstairs. The last time this happened was 2 years ago, and a huge tornado bounced over our house (Literally. The news reports said if you live in our neighborhood to take immediate cover. It landed not too far on the other side of the river.) and tore through Maryland Heights, so we take this kind of stuff seriously. Just like last time, you can see the line of damage. Things could have been worse.

We took phones, wallets, keys, computers, shoes, snacks (eating lessens the fear), diapers, small radio and headed downstairs. (We had a few minutes to prepare.) Since the boys love to play with flashlights, we struggled to find ones that worked. We angrily reminded them that this is why we tell them to play with their own flashlights and leave our alone. After that set back, and two working flashlights were located. After being down there for about 3 minutes, we took cover in the far corner of the basement, the part furthest underground by the play area. the electricity was out before we were even there. Kevin and Gwyn were the most upset, and Kevin was getting Colin scared. Gwyn just clung to me the entire time and wouldn't let me put her down for anything.

We could hear the wind getting stronger and, much to my frustration, Kevin kept going upstairs to check on things. At one point when we were all down there we heard something very loud fall. But it sounds much worse than it really was. We could hear things, but nothing was very close. The boys were scared, but I kept reminding them that it is easy to be safe if you are smart, and the sounds were not close to us.

We couldn't have been down there longer than 15 minutes when we went up. The tree in our backyard was down, and there was debris everywhere. We thought that was really the worst of it. Then Kevin went up in the attic and found a leak. By then, the clothes in my closet were getting wet. Things were starting to get a bit crazy. Kevin needed tarps since we had shingles blown off, the kids were scared and in the dark, the house was getting stuffy and hot, and water was dripping in. So I put the kids down in the same room. (Gwyn would not let go of me at all until I asked if she wanted to sleep in her brothers' room. At that, she finally let go. I moved her whole bed in so she would feel safer, and a bit more normal than just sleeping on a mattress.) Kevin called his dad for tarps. Then I got my clothes out of the closet, throwing wet ones in the bathtub, and everything else on our bed and floor.

Kevin got up on the roof and started hammering up tarps. A couple neighbors stopped by since he made everyone nervous. That side of our roof is 3 stories up, it was dark, very late, raining, slippery, and more storms were on the way. There was still a tornado watch for those storms as well. But he did not want the ceiling to collapse in. (A friend of ours had hers collapse in, so it was a smart move, but still very dangerous.)

At about this time I decided we were going to stay at his parents house. Kevin had turned down their offer at first, but it was after 11:00 and the kids were hot and scared. I needed them to feel better. So we all headed over where there was electricity, familiar beds, and normality.

The next morning clean-up began, and thankfully K1 had a gas-powered chainsaw. (And a friend kindly offered to help.) Driving around I even saw a trampoline in a tree! Thankfully, the grandparents took the kids (Gwyn was VERY excited about her trip to DTG's, and the boys got a night Cardinals game.) Saturday evening so we went out to dinner and relaxed.

As of now, it is Sunday night. We got electricity back last night, but there are still downed power lines not too far. There are piles of branches and tree-parts lining the streets, waiting for pick-up. The streets and houses are still covered in leaves. There are tarps up on roofs. The fridge and freezer are restocked. The house is a mess with my clothes out of the closet, leaves dragged in the house, ladders out, and beds in the wrong rooms.

At some point you just need to laugh.  We kept instinctively turning on light switches and then cursing. When we drove around we kept saying "Ooh, free siding! Free shingles! Sweet!" It sounds so much more dramatic than it really was. And we could have been worse. The houses up the street that really got hit have ripped-off chimney and garage doors, missing walls, and holes in roofs.

We have been asked about the siding Kevin put up. No damage! (It is designed to withstand winds up to 150 mph.)

After some clean-up.

This Weekend

We had a very eventful weekend. My graduation was Friday night. I graduated from Lindenwood University with my Masters in Art - Reading. I really was not that overly excited, but I wanted to make a big deal out of it for the boys. I had them go to the ceremony. I think it is important to see me walk, and to see Kevin walk next week. Talking it up to them got me more excited, though.

I am wearing black shoes and waving.

Saturday Kevin had his second baseball game. It is machine pitch this season. He was much more focused this game. It might have something to do with the chart he made up for himself. (After 20 checks he gets something. We don't know what it is - he made up the entire thing himself.) We told him if he watched the batter instead of looking at his shadow he could get a check.

Saturday evening we had family over for cake and ice cream for Colin's birthday. (He had his friend party last weekend.) On Sunday morning we had the "Make Tracks For The Zoo" run. Kevin and I ran the 5K and the boys ran the 1 mile race. Kevin placed 8th overall and 3rd in his age group, which means he got a medal at the awards. We were so proud of both boys. Kevin ran with Chase , and ran the entire time. Colin ran with daddy. He was tired but never stopped running. Near the end, daddy told him to "run like a Jedi," and he threw his arms back and did a faster run! Adorable.

Kevin, Chase, Colin, Gwyn, and Parker

After the race, the boys headed to the Cardinals game with Pappy and Grandma, while we took Gwyn home for naps. To end the weekend, the boys got mohawks after dinner.

Of course if the boys take their shirts off...

It was quite a weekend!