weekend with the Leath's (part 2: a zoo)

Along with Spinoccoli pizza from Uno's, the STL zoo was a "must." I don't think I've ever seen the entire zoo in one trip...until this time. Gunner and Ty loved seeing the animals--we made a special trip into the reptile house for our boys (isn't that such a boy thing?), which they enjoyed. We saw lots of snakes, alligators, and turtles! One of Ty's favorite things of the day may have been pushing his own stroller. His least favorite thing...the special exhibit of life-like dinosaurs that roared and moved. He wasn't a big fan. Anyway, here are some pictures from "a zoo"--that's what Ty calls it.

the grizzly bear
I think the elephants are my favorite, especially the baby!
Okay, I know this is kind of an ugly picture of a hippo, but I've never seen a hippo swimming before, and I thought it was pretty amazing that we were standing right outside the glass. Ty, pushing the stroller (a great way to get energy out!)
the boys, at the end of the day

weekend with the Leath's

Whew...it's been a busy few weeks! Two weekends ago, we had such a great time with our sweet friends, Brad and Codie, who drove from Memphis to St. Louis to spend their vacation days with us! Our boys became instant friends! (They've met once before but were too young to remember.) Corey and I made a list of fun things to do with them in STL. Our first stop was the Anheuser-Busch Brewery for a fun tour. Here are some pictures:

saying goodbye

I just wanted to post this picture of Ty and Laine. I think it's so sweet! They had to say goodbye to each other for the summer since Laine's daddy is doing an internship in South Carolina. This was our last walk to the park together (at least for a few months!) We'll miss you guys!

"the thing that we do not speak of"

I guess this post should be called, "Big Events in the Smith Home," but the title I chose instead has a great story. So, two weekends ago we decided it was time to take away Ty's passy. He really only used it at night and during naps and he's not even two yet, but we still felt like it was time. It actually happened kind of naturally because while I was at a church women's retreat, Corey forgot to give Ty his passy one night, and he did fine without it. However, Ty started asking for it again the next day ("pashy!"--he says it really sweetly), so we decided to hide all the ones we have and start referring to it as, "the thing we do not speak of" when we talked about it in front of Ty (that way, he wouldn't hear the word and be reminded, and it was kind of fun to say). Anyway, it's been two weeks since he last used his passy (Yay Ty!) I can't remember how long it takes to create a habit...three days, three weeks...I can't remember, but I think it's, "Goodbye forever, pashy!"

The other BIG event is that Drew rolled over last weekend while we were in Indiana! I put him down on his tummy and found him later on his back--stuck like a little turtle! We were so proud! And, he's done it several times since! It's very fun!

4 months

You can't tell from these pictures (especially the second one), but Drew is a really content, smiley (I promise!) baby. He lights up when we talk to him, he has the sweetest smile (although I can't seem to capture it in a picture), and laughs often. Here are my best attempts at a "4 month" picture of him. I'll try to get some more soon...maybe with a smile!

one of his favorite pastimes

playing with the lock on the sliding glass door, which was interrupted today when he heard a dog bark (very exciting for a 22 month old!!!)

Congratulations, Brittanny!!!

This past weekend, Corey and I (and our kiddos) went back to Terre Haute, Indiana to go to our sweet friend Brittanny and Matt's wedding. I met Brittanny when she was a Sophomore at Indiana State and had the privilege of leading her to Christ so it was very special to be a part of her wedding. Corey performed most of the ceremony (their pastor did the vows) and he did an awesome job! I was so proud of him!

We had a great time catching up with friends! Oh, and I have sworn off cheesecake for the rest of my life...seriously. I had my last piece on Friday night at the rehearsal dinner. The cheesecake was fabulous, but my stomach just can't handle it. It's so dense...it's like eating a block of cream cheese, essentially! I was so sick (for hours) that night! It was awful. I did, however, feel way better around 11:00 and was able to join everyone in the living room.

Backing up a bit...we stopped to feed Drew along the way so Corey and Ty had to do something to pass the time. They played in the parking lot (while it rained on and off), jumped off the curb many times, and ran in the rain. Here are a few pictures from my perspective: