Henry Uses the Force

On Tuesday, while Henry and a little friend had all of the toys out, Henry decided to use the force to walk across the room.  He is carrying his Darth Vader toy.

City Garden

Henry had a great time at City Garden. It's been a month since we were there, and he was much more interested in playing in the water this time. He made new friends there very quickly. You can see where he was crawling because he leaves a little water trail. He actually did walk around just a tiny bit while we were there.

Liz's Visit: A Whirlwind Trip in a Nutshell

Liz was here for less than 72 hours. She went to a Cardinal's game, the zoo, the art museum, ate lunch at the blue owl, went to Costco, and met the giant dog at Tower Grove Park. She stopped by the Lindell ward's Relief Society meeting, and went to multiple QT's. We squeezed in some Saint Louis "culture" by visiting the QT on Gravois and an Aldi grocery store.

Thursday, we started by going to the Botanical Gardens, then eyebrow threading and H&M at the mall, and went to the St. Louis Basilica to look at the incredible mosaics. We drove by the arch from virtually every angle, including Illinois, but didn't exactly visit it. We played with the water and sculptures at City Garden, and ate dinner and dessert at the famous Crown Candy Kitchen.

Then, I woke up at 4:30 this morning to drive her to the airport. It was sad both because she was leaving and because it was 4:30 in the morning.

Saint Louis Basilica

We visited the St Louis Basilica This is a must-see when you visit St
Louis. The mosaics are incredible.

The chair used by John Paul II during his 1999 visit.

Liz with the Pieta in bronze.

Shopping with Liz

We're at the Galleria. I think people assume I'm her mother.

Our Day with Liz

We started out at the zoo. The penguin habitat was STILL closed, but they had a couple of penguins outside. We loved the large animals, such as the very impressive rhino. We also payed to pet the manta rays. Loved it. I had to talk Liz into going to Manta Ray Bay (as they call it), but in the end I had to drag her away from it. It was too much fun to leave.

After the zoo, we went through the near by Saint Louis Museum of Art. We had to see Sadak Searching for the Waters of Oblivion, Degas' Young Dancer, and their Lichtenstein piece, "The Curtain." I have heard from more than one person that the museum is not kind to those who bring small children. Fortunately Henry fell asleep in his stroller walking to the museum from the zoo, so he slept through the whole thing and we didn't get any dirty looks for wheeling him around the museum.

We then picked up Nick and headed to Kimmswick, Missouri- the tiny town now filled completely with antique and red hat stores. It seems to be a grandmother's paradise. We went to eat at the Blue Owl. It was great, and we have pastries from the Blue Owl waiting for us in the kitchen. We just have to wait until we have room in our stomachs. We're still too full from lunch.

Liz is in the House

Liz is visiting us here in St. Louis. We're super excited and will try
to fit in as much fun as possible.

We're at the Cardinals game tonight. What should we do tomorrow?

We're Hanging in There

We're in the midst of securing a place to live in Chicago. It is very, very stressful. I find myself worrying about it all day, and then having nightmares about it once I fall asleep. I have faith that it will all work out all right in the end, but getting there is tough. Using the volume of my hair as a barometer of the stress, it's been a very, very stressful couple of weeks.

Saint Louis Zoo

We took Henry to the Zoo today with Janette's family. It wasn't his first time there, but it was the first time he actually cared he was there. He like to look at animals, especially if they were on the move. This lioness was perched in a tree, twenty feet off the ground. The penguins, which is a highlight of the zoo, were closed. That was very disappointing.

Henry seemed disappointed that he couldn't get into the ape enclosure.

St. Louis Storm

Here's the link to a short clip of the powerful storm we had in St
Louis today. The tornado sirens went off and everything. Henry slept
through it all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju5vl2x6Qw0&feature=youtube_gdata

Mornings Can Be a Little Rough

Henry now has enough hair to make bed-head a possibility.

Winning Image #2

I got my second competition point Wednesday night. It's a black and white competition, with the theme "Emotions." Many of the prints were literal interpretations of the theme, but others were not. As a landscape print featuring a storm rolling in was presented for judging, I heard another club member whisper, "That's a stretch." The clouds took second place.

This picture was taken when Henry was 18-days-old. He had horrible baby acne and looked pretty pathetic. For the competition you have to name the print, so it is now titled "Pathos." The presentation at camera club was given by a club member who happens to be a neurosurgeon/anatomist specializing in the eye (but I don't know why he's not an opthamologist then, but anyway). The lecture was all about how the eye works and our perceptions of things. Did you know we all see colors a little bit differently?

100% Boy

I set Henry on the grass in the park. A moment later, I saw him pulling stretching stick out of the dirt. It was a worm. He loved it, but was disappointed when I wouldn't let him put the worm in his mouth.

Photo by Nick

All Clean and Dry

I hate when I forget to check the pockets before I stick things in the
wash.

Who Dresses a Baby Like That?

My lack of taste is affecting his style.

Kite Flying

Henry went kite flying with his dad and uncle S.

Likes and Dislikes

H likes the Cardinals, dogs, and Katie.

Dislikes tractors and the Easter Bunny.

He's Small, Not Stupid

He's very cunning, indeed.

Almost His First Steps

We didn't get his first steps on camera, but these are like the fourth, fifth, and sixth.

Grandma Joyce's Funeral

My paternal grandmother passed away Saturday night due to complications of breast cancer, 13 years after her diagnosis.  Even though her death was anticipated, it is still sad to say goodbye.  Nick, Henry and I  really cherished the time we spent with Grandma Joyce over the last year.

One thing that made her funeral really special was that all but two of her grandchildren were in attendance.  We've never had so many of us together in a picture before.  I sang "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" accompanied by my extremely talented cousin, Taylor.  He basically created a beautiful arrangement of the piece on the spot, and could play it in any key.  Wow.

My Aunt Karen was responsible for creating a beautiful flower arrangement that was sewing-themed.  I wish I had a picture.  It had my grandma's sewing scissors, thread, and measuring tape in it.  She was a renowned seamstress.  I think Grandma Joyce would really have liked the gathering and the service yesterday.


Her Obituary

Picture by Tim Smith (Joyce's nephew)

Hoenig's (honey's) Car

We saw this car on the freeway, It looks like one sweet ride. Nick pointed it out initially because the vanity plate means "honey" in German. The real surprise came when we passed the car and saw who was driving.

Not exactly who you would expect. This isn't a mid-life-crisis car, it's an octogenarian-crisis car. Click on the image to get a better view.

He's Got Skills

Yesterday he made a run (crawling-wise) for the porch steps. After I initially picked him up near the edge, panicked that he might fall down the steps, I let him try. With very close supervision, he went down the steps carefully, in a backwards-but-sometimes-sideways fashion. He made it down safely without any intervention on my part, but I don't think that means he would make it down safely every time.

Happy Easter

Easter 2010

Not Circuit Training, Circus Training

Dear Jenn M,

Now that you're a legit runner with your first half-marathon behind you and your second three weeks away, I thought you might be looking for ways to up your game. I think I've found it. You should think about combining the ancient art of juggling and your running zen. I'm sure you'd drop the clubs a few hundred times when you were starting out, but I'm sure it can't be that hard. I saw a guy running while juggling at Tower Grove Park, and it looked really easy. I'm certain you'd have it down pat by the end of the week.

Best wishes on your continued running success (and juggling),
Kara

Microsurgery

Nick is completing a microsurgery rotation right now. He spends hours suturing under a microscope with very, very thin materials. You should all be really impressed, just so you know.

Great Day at the Garden

And for Katie, Henry is wearing a brand new outfit. Katie commented that she was bored with his wardrobe, since he's been wearing the same clothes for the last seven months. He even has double of a couple of his outfits, so it looks like he wears them twice as often as he does.

Headline: Crazed Bunny Snatches Baby

On Monday we went to an Easter event, culminating in a visit with the Easter Bunny. Things didn't go so well.