Mizzou Homecoming

We had a great weekend - traveling first to Linn, MO to stay with our good friends Robyn and Kurt - and their little ones Myra and Reid. On Saturday morning, we got up bright and early and went to the Homecoming parade in Columbia. Nate finally realized that you can actually EAT the candy they throw at parades. We struggled through being good parents and letting him gorge himself on candy!


Nate was dressed more for a Georgia Bulldog game than a Missouri one...but I promise he had on a Missouri shirt underneath the red fleece!

Sweet little boy but really just smiling so I would give him more candy.

Robyn & Reid - he is such a content baby and takes everything in stride.

Myra, Nate, me, and Reid...at the Heidelberg! It was a fabulous sunny day on the deck and I am so happy that I've gotten to be there twice this football season!

A Wish...

Sometimes I wish I was the cat...then I could curl up in blankets and stay in bed all day...

Pimento Cheese

My mom makes spectacular pimento cheese. My Nana made spectacular pimento cheese. Maybe someday I can hope to just make pimento cheese. But until then, my wonderful mother can come to my house and make pimento cheese with Nate as her helper. Thank you Mom!

Rocket Park

We went to Rocket Park last Sunday afternoon and Nate had a blast. It was a great way to end the weekend. He especially loved the "diggers."

Happy Birthday Scott!

In honor of Scott's birthday 32nd birthday today, I wanted to post several reasons why I love him so much...

1. He loves college football as much as I do (okay, probably more if you get right down to it) and values my opinion in our neverending Georgia and Missouri football discussions (as well as how much we don't like Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Kansas, Texas, etc...or whoever might have beaten our beloved teams the previous week).

2. He is extremely HANDY around the house and is the envy of many of my girl friends. Handy doesn't really do him justice - I mean he is completing a bathroom in our basement right now but had never done any plumbing previously. He always has a solution for anything Nate or I might break or damage in our house.

3. He cleans out the kitty litter box and takes out the trash - and never complains about it.

4. He brags about my cooking to anyone that will listen. Cooking is a new found activity for me since we moved to St. Louis and Scott raves about every new dish (and I'm sure some of them haven't been that great.)

5. He listens to me. And let's face it, I do sound like a broken record quite often. With all the worrying I do, I know it is hard for him to keep up with my paranoia sometimes. I know he tries not to laugh when I say stuff like "My stomach hurts because I'm worried, but I don't know what I'm worried about." Classic.

6. He is a spectacular Dad and is always thinking up new and imaginative activities for Nate. Best of all, he lets Nate be in the basement while he is working - and they both come out alive. I don't know how he does it - he has patience of steel.

7. He understands my need to pick out Nate's clothes and doesn't get offended when I change them after they got dressed when I wasn't looking.

8. He gives Nate a bath every night and reads his books 99% of the time. Really, it is 100% of the time unless Nate specifically requests me - and then Scott even tries to get me out of it by saying "Nate, let's let Mom rest for a minute." What else could I ask for????

9. He has a strong commitment to us, to himself, and to his work...I mean running marathons and impregnating mice isn't for everyone!

10. His happiness is contagious and his positive attitude keeps our household running.

Happy Birthday!

We love you - Ab & Nate

Priceless

This morning I was getting ready to walk out the door to go for a run and I hollered a goodbye to Nate...he responded with "Try not to fall today okay Mom?"

Priceless...

Chicago Marathon - Update

Scott ran a 3:29:36 marathon today in Chicago. This is his personal best marathon time despite the hot weather that we are experiencing right now. He is doing fine and I know he is VERY glad to resume his beer consumption. Congratulations!

Game Day Fun

Scott left for Chicago on Saturday (he ran the marathon today), so Nate and I made a last minute decision to head to Columbia for some game day fun. We didn't actually go to the game, but just enjoyed a beautiful day on campus. Sadly, the Tigers lost to Oklahoma State, but we will hope for better things next week against Texas!


Maybe Nate will walk through the lions as a student one day!

Sitting on a sculpture which I'm sure we weren't supposed to be playing on...but it looked like playground equipment to him and I was careful not to let him destroy anything.

Talking to Thomas Jefferson...he asked why Tom wasn't wearning any clothes.

Staring up at the columns with Jesse Hall in the background...he is just a speck.

And finally sitting on the roof deck at the Heidelberg...one of my most favorite places in the world...really, when I was in labor with Nate, sitting on the deck at Heidelberg on a sunny day was one of my "places" to go in my head to ease the pain! We met the Peach family there before they headed off to tailgate.

I Love Fall

Good Behavior

Being the parent of a 2-almost 3-year old- is wonderful and rewarding, yet so so very challenging at times! Scott and I try to be good parents - giving Nate choices, letting him be a kid, correcting when necessary (which seems like ALL the time with a 2 year old), and most of all trying not to laugh as he tests the world (aka me and Scott).

One night this week, it was time for Nate to pick up his toys and head to the bath. Lately, this has been a big struggle for all of us, but Scott and I have remained firm and hoped that we were making progress. As Scott was struggling to get the process started, he told Nate he would help him pick up the toys. Instead of Nate rising to the occasion to do what Scott asked, he went and got his computer keyboard out of his toy box and starting playing a song like it was a piano. It went something like this...

To the tune of Farmer in the Dell...

Dad's cleaning up!
Dad's cleaning up!
Hi Ho the Dairy O
Dad's cleaning up!

And I ask you, what the heck is a parent supposed to do? Well, we failed the test because Scott busted out laughing and I ran to get my camera. Oh well, there will always be other nights for good behavior.

I caught a snippet of the song - enjoy!

New Baby!

Meet Elena Marie Haas...She arrived on October 8th and is precious! My cousin Evan and his wife Olga are doing great...and Olga is definitely a trooper! We love you all and are so excited about the new addition to our family!

Reflecting Pool

Gorgeous day in St. Louis...The three of us headed to the Forest Park reflecting pool for a picnic. Nate wanted to bring his own picnic blanket (dish towels) so that he didn't have to sit with us. I thought that whole "don't think your parents are cool" thing started later????


Nate reflecting by the pool. It is one of my favorite places in St. Louis...not only beautiful but so historic.

I wish this picture was closer - but it was the only one that Nate wasn't using his binoculars to look back at Scott. Thanks for the binoculars Mom, I'm sure they will be in many pictures to come.