My High School Buddies

What fun it is to get together with my high school buddies about once a year. Oh how I wish it were more often! While I was in MO we were able to get together one evening and eat at the Spaghetti Factory in Chesterfield Valley or "the valley" (how trendy did I feel? :)) The table was so cozy and able to fit us all in so we could enjoy great conversation! Thank girls, for always having a listening ear even when we don't talk as often as we would like. The toasted ravioli was fantastic and something I can't find anywhere else! After dinner we headed to a 24 hour Starbucks and I had a yummy carmel apple spice. Now I have a craving, but will make it at home for a fraction of the cost! You all look fantastic for 30 somethings! :) Diane, I missed you! Congratulations on the birth of precious Isaac! I know he is well cared forby Mommy and Daddy and 3 doting sisters! Sharon, I missed you too! When will we ever get together? We only live an hour away! :) Thanks for a fun evening, girls!

"Friends are friends forever, if the Lord's the Lord of them..."

It is innate, I tell you...

For those who know me well, you know how I hate violence of any kind and have tried so hard to keep guns out of our lives... We never even owned a water gun until recently! Well, I have come to the conclusion that it is totally innate for boys to have a fascination with guns. They make them out of sticks, their fingers, legos, etc... There is no stopping them. So, I just have to embrace them for who they are and teach them to protect each other and always think safety first! :) Here we had just finished dressing up for an old fashioned picture in downtown St. Charles, MO! They were so patient getting all dressed up and kept saying, "When are we going to get the guns?" They wanted me to be dressed up like Ma from Little House on the Prairie. Quite fitting I suppose! :)

Thank you God for little boys and the joy they bring to our lives!

A Star is born...

Griffin Rockstar Allen was born on Saturday, July 12, at 6:32 p.m.  at 8.2 lbs. and 21 in. and we are all in love!  He is the 4th (hee hee) cutest baby I have ever seen and is so sweet and happy and content!  God blessed us with 2 extra weeks with him since he was born 2 weeks early.  I was able to be at the hospital when he was born and treasured those 1st moments with him and trying to wrap my brain around that fact that my little sis is now a proud momma of a little boy!  :)  The boys got to visit him in the hospital on Sunday and Monday are are quite smitten, especially Andrew, who wants to hold him bunches.  I have been thoroughly enjoying my role as Auntie Sara with lots of snuggle time with him at the hospital and at their home.  I thank God for allowing us to be here for this special time!  I wish Tom could have been here.  Hope you enjoy the pics, honey!  :)  Cassie and Matt are doing well and Cassie is recovering MUCH faster than me, for that I praise God!

Thanks, Cass, for allowing me to be a part of this amazing experience!  You ROCK!  :)

A good day fishing!

At age 2 Opa takes the boys out to learn how to fish.  Andrew and Braden are already fisherman.  :)  This was a special outing since it was Colton's 1st time!  Andrew got to cast and fish the whole time by himself.  He refused to bait his own hook with worms (I don't blame him!) but he would bait the corn.  Braden had trouble being patient and ended up putting a HUGE knot in his line.  Colton was in awe of the whole experience and jumped right in.  Thankfully Colton caught one!!!  Braden learned how to cast all by himself and caught at least one of his 4 fish all by himself.  We neglected to tell him how to throw a fish back in the water and heaved the poor thing back into the water like a baseball.  After catching his breath and gathering his senses, Opa gave Braden a lesson in how to properly put fish back in the water.  After waiting so patiently, Andrew ended up catching 2 fish all by himself!  Since Opa has a broken ankle, I was trying to be as helpful as possible.  It was truly a challenge to take the boys fishing!  Dad and I had to just stop and crack up at all the craziness that was going on.  At one point we looked over and Colton had sat on the fishing pole that Braden got a knot in.  He had worm guts all over his shorts and was caught in the shorts by the hook.  Another time we looked over and Colon had taken the knotted fishing pole and was "fishing" by slapping into the murky water!  Andrew and Braden each caught a fish all by themselves at the end of the evening!  A great way to end the day.  

So sorry you were in pain with your ankle, Dad, but it sure was great to see you laugh!  The boys loved their good day fishing with you!  Thanks!  :)

Gateway to the West

We had a great visit to the St. Louis Arch!  Gramby, Pa Pa, Aunt Tammy, the boys, and I had a wonderful morning seeing the awesome sights from way high up in the sky!  The ride to the top and back down again is always so fun.  It feels like you are in an egg like Mork from the Mork and Mindy show.  :)  Am I showing my age?  It was a perfect time to go without lines and a beautiful day for a picnic on the lawn!  We liked looking at the New Busch Stadium, being able to see Illinois, seeing a helicopter, and hootin' and hollerin' during the ride up and down!  :)

Fancy meeting you here?

What a wonderful surprise to meet the Jermstads at Ted Drews in St. Louis, MO!  We enjoy our times together in TX and it was so funny to think that the kids probably didn't even realize they were playing together in a different state!  A very yummy frozen custard treat was had by all!  We took over the place with the 7 kiddos and my boys had a lot of spills, but we had a fun time.  It was great to get hugs from our TX friends!  Can't wait to see you guys soon!  :)

Making memories in Missouri!

While Tom was still with us we had lots of fun!  After waiting 6 months, we finally made it to see Walle!  We have been enjoying the MO weather, especially in the evening when there is a cool breeze and the boys can play baseball, washers, and basketball in the backyard.  Running in the sprinkler has been a hit too!  It is always so special when we get to spend time with Tom's grandparents, Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Ermeling!  Who knew that mint wrappers and empty cups after enjoying yummy lemonade could be used as a game?  :)  Andrew has really enjoyed doing Meals on Wheels with Pa Pa.  He says that helping others is his favorite part!  It has been tough to be away from home for so long, but the memories we are creating with family will be treasured forever!

Thanks, God, for allowing us to spend time with our family this summer and that Tom could be here for some of the time!

LIvin' in the fast lane!

The NASCAR Speedway is a must for every trip to MO!  We all have a great time riding the go carts, the fun kid rides inside, rock climbing, Laser Tag, etc...  This year the boys had a great time with Aunt Tammy!  A trip to the Mills Mall wouldn't be complete without a stop at Johnny Rockets for lunch where we love picking out lots of oldie tunes to listen and sing along to!  

Happy 4th of July!

The day Tom and I returned from San Francisco we watched fireworks with Gramby, Pa Pa, and Nana!  We all love fireworks!  Andrew and Braden were coming up with names for each of the fireworks and Colton kept saying, "boom".  When it was all over Colton kept telling us there was more.  Sure enough, there was more and a few here and there in the distance and in the parking lot and he was SO excited each time!  It is awesome to experience such joy coming from a child!

How blessed we are to live in America!  We thank God for our freedoms and for those who work each day to keep us free!

Head Shots in San Francisco!

When I could pull Tom away from the conference a couple evenings and for two full days we had so much fun and made wonderful memories! We made it to the Hard Rock Cafe, In N Out Burger 2 times, Ghirardelli Square, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, an awesomely cold and windy catamaran ride around the bay and under The Golden Gate Bridge, rented a car to see the Muir Woods and Sausalito, rode the Cable Cars, walked on the Golden Gate Bridge when it was so foggy we couldn't even see it, ate lots of yummy food, saw lots of eccentric people, etc... It was great to be able to walk hand-in-hand and not have little ones in between us! :) Don't get me wrong... it was terribly hard to be away from the boys, especially on the one "bad" night when Braden and especially Colton wanted me and were so sad. A definite highlight was when we saw the boys at the airport! Those hugs and smiles were awesome! God bless Gramby and Pa Pa for taking such great care of the boys and saying already that they would do it again! Thanks, Tom, for letting me go to the conference with you. We need to do that again and again and again! :)

Surprises in San Francisco!

While Tom was working so hard and attending his conferences I decided to take a tour of San Francisco that his conference was sponsoring. Right away I was blown away by God's blessing of two fantastic ladies to tour with. We had a ball on the tour and saw just about all of the highlights of this amazing city. We hit it off so well that we decided to eat lunch together at a great Mexican restaurant in the Ferry Building. That was so much fun that we decided to spend the next day together as well. What fun to explore Pier 39, Ghiradelli Square (the new chocolate and peanut butter is to dye for), riding cable cars, roaming and eating an awesome lunch in China town, etc... Sadly Laurie had to leave the next day, but Marissa and I hopped a bus to get a great view of the Painted Ladies and had fun wandering the Embarcadaro Plaza. Thanks, Marissa and Laurie, for some great memories in San Francisco!

Praise God for his unexpected blessing of friendship in this wondrous city! :)

Reception rowdiness

Even though Tom and the boys missed Matt and Laura's wedding because Tom caught the infamous stomach bug (Gramby had it too and Pa Pa missed the reception because he got it) I enjoyed the wedding! Everyone looked beautiful and it brought back wonderful memories of Tom and my wedding in the same church 14 year ago. At the reception we all enjoyed a yummy buffet with a St. Louis favorite, mustacolli (sp?). My boys loved collecting tons of the red glass beads that decorated the tables. Those along with the koozies that were the guest's gifts provided oodles of entertainment for the evening. Only the A, B, C brothers would think to use koozies as boxing gloves. :) It was very special to see family that we hadn't seen in a while and play with our cousins. Andrew danced a group dance, Tom and I had a quick slow dance along with Colton, and Colton had a ball on the dance floor with cousin, Jenni! Jenni, save Colton a dance at your wedding next summer. We are going to try really hard to be there! :) What a fun evening! Thanks, Matt and Laura, for letting us celebrate your special day with you. God's blessings on your marriage!

It's all about the cake

The first thing we saw when we got to Gramby and Pa Pa's house was Matt and Laura's wedding cake. Mmmm... We were given strict directions to leave the cake alone, but help yourselves to as many cake scraps as you would like. Yum! Finally, on Saturday morning Gramby and I got to take the cake to the reception to set it up. The boys couldn't wait to get to the reception to eat it! This surprised me so much because Andrew has not eaten cake in years, Braden eats the icing only, and the there is Colton who won't finish a whole piece. To make a long story short... we all got to enjoy yet another "Barb Cake"! Way to go Gramby! We all had (dare I admit) 2 pieces and Andrew said it was the best cake he had ever eaten. One of the best compliments Gramby has ever gotten. We truly had our cake and ate it too! :)