St. Louis - Winery Fun

I'll be the first to admit, I had low expectations for the winery trip. I didn't think it was going to be a kid-friendly activity.  But, it surpassed my wildest dreams....we had a blast at the winery.

 And, so did the kids.  We pretty much had the place to ourselves. I guess everyone else was at work that Friday afternoon.

 We kept ourselves busy with gazebo dance parties and blanket playtime.

 Aunt Terra helped Penny make decorations for Pa's party.

 And Chris brushed up on his toddler-entertainment skills.

 Porter got loved on from every which direction. He couldn't knock the towers down fast enough- someone new was always right there to build him a new one :)

 He &  Henry shared another chat about protecting the girls...I think Porter knows his role! 

 And, Aunt Meggie got to bond with miss Reagan.

 Porter and Grammy danced

Terra and Bill danced

 

Mommy and the girls danced (Call Me Maybe came on the sound system...best moment ever for Penny)...it was a gazebo dance fest!

It was just a great place to catch up with the super cool Thompson family!

  The winery housed two of the old Cardinals stadium chairs...which proved to be hours of fun...

Fun?

 Yes, still fun...

 Somehow, my Penny was the only one to come home with red red wine spilled all over her...sorry Grammy!

 We are so happy everyone was able to make the trip.

 Because it's not often that you can snap shots like these.

 And kisses like this are too rare.

 And moments like this don't happen as often as they should.

 We had fun at the winery...with kids!

Color Me Rad!!!! Pre Race Fun!

A few months ago, Monica, Porter's daycare administrator, came to me at pickup and said "I want to ask you something and I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds, but we found this run called Color Me Rad that benefits the Special Olympics and we want to start a team for Porter." I was thrilled...and so excited to join the team! So, Porter's Peeps officially signed up for Color Me Rad. 

Monica and the crew from school were amazing!

Here we are pre-race. Friends and family united to do something healthy in honor of our little man.

 But, it wasn't just our daycare family...it was the YellowBook family...

 And the family of room mates past who have come to feel like family themselves (Sarah joined our team the night before when I posted that we had an open spot on Facebook- mad props to Sarah for running the entire race!!!)... 

 And our crazy Kadingo family...

 Even Nana & Papa got in on the action (although they walked around the outside of the color stations so they wouldn't get messy...good thing...both kids were terrified of their colorful mom).

Once again, our family and friends have amazed us with their support for our little man. Color Me Rad was FUN. It was energizing. It was refreshing. An untimed race...what a better way to encourage all people to participate. Because it's not about how fast you get there. It's about being there...being present in the moment. Working hard, playing hard, and loving hard.

And this little man loves hard. Thank you to everyone who came out to support Porter's Peeps! We are the lucky ones...thank you for loving our son!

p.s. Thanks to Liz and the team at Stitch Graphics in North Wales. Once again, the team shirts were awesome!

St. Louis- hanging with the cousins

RC's cousin Andria and her husband Adam live near Grammy & Pa. Their two girls are each a bit younger than our two and they all get along so well. Mr. P and Ms. Reagan had a blast talking to one another. They yelled back and forth and had each other cracking up.

I'd love to know what was so funny, but they wouldn't let me in on the secret.

 Miss P and Kylie had a blast playing kitchen, sharing quesadillas and watching a few minutes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Penny had never seen it before, so she was mesmerized.   

 Kylie also taught Penny how to use her rollercoaster. Coolest toy ever!

To say that Penny loved spending time with their family is an understatement. Kylie and her family were added to the bedtime song in the car on the way back to Grammy & Pa's that night and have secured their place there every night since :) I love seeing our kids play together and can't wait for our next trip to see it happen again!

St. Louis- Grant's Farm

Earlier this month, we spent a long weekend in St. Louis, visiting with Grammy & Pa. We enjoyed a Friday morning visit to Grant's Farm. Porter loved the tram ride. While we were waiting in line for the tram, I peeked in the stroller behind us in line to find a most beautiful little lady who shared Porter's extra chromosome. I stared for a few seconds as I tried to figure out if it could really be...two kids with designer genes randomly stuck in line together...and her parents caught me staring and gave me "the look". They couldn't see Porter, who was hidden by the stroller.  I quickly pulled him out and "the look" turned into huge smiles and shared understanding :) Another amazing travel event indeed! We enjoyed chatting with Miss Riley and her family. She was two, walking, talking and smiling. Her mom proudly told me that she had just perfected the pincer grasp and Porter and I cheered, knowing just how much work they put in to get there. It was a really awesome line experience.

Sorry for the tangent...back to fun at Grant's Farm. I think Porter, Grammy & Pa had fun on the tram.

 Penny did too!

She really enjoyed looking for the big animals in the fields. She got most excited for the geese and deer, which we see in our own backyard all the time. Big horned cattle...no big deal!

When we got off the tram, Penny immediately found the Carousel line :) 

 And mommy quickly got in trouble for riding with Porter...only one rider per horse please...oops!

 We got to feed a baby goat. Those goats were feisty! This kid's brother kept trying to butt in.

 And Pa got to feed an alpaca. Penny keeps telling everyone that her favorite animal is the alpaca :)

 My favorite was this guy...I've never been so close to a camel. He wanted to kiss me!

 We took the tram back to the bottom of the farm and stopped for a shot on the cool covered bridge.

 We headed over to the Clydesdale barn to get a glimpse of some of the beautiful horses.

 We met this little guy. He didn't want to pose for a picture, but he run around for us and put on a show. He kept coming back to check Penny out.

We had an awesome time at Grant's Farm! Thanks Grammy & Pa!

Oh Penny

My parents were helping us with some house projects. Porter, Penny, RC & I were in the family room and my parents were in another room. Penny says "our family is in here and Nana and Papa's family is in there...are they getting a kid soon?"  When I told her I was their kid, she said "Nooooooo!" Too funny!