Park, Playground, and Water Fountains

Since we were so close to Creve Coeur Park yesterday, we went to one of the four playground areas. We located one that had a fun play structure and also a water fountain area. Of course, Kyle LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the fountains and could have stayed there all afternoon. I couldn't resist, but I had to share a few pictures to capture his happy moments playing in the water. I'm sure we will be going back to this playground area again soon.

Kyle experienced his first picnic at this park in February '06. We may need to plan another family picnic soon, since this area is really close to Daddy's office.

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

Like Father, Like Son

This is a sweet little post John and I have wanted to share for a long time. It required us to take a little adventure to take a few pictures at a particular location, so this morning was the day!

We went to Greensfelder Memorial Shelter located on the outskirts of Creve Coeur Lake Park. 42 years ago, when John was 14 months old (July '66), his parents and grandmother were at this location and these pictures are displayed in his baby book. We have wanted to go back there to get pictures of our family at Greensfelder as well.

Isn't John a cutie? John is currently about the same age as his Dad in this picture.

John's Mom certainly adores her son...can't you tell? John, his Mother, and Grandmother overlooking the lake.

Animal Encounters

This morning, we took Kyle for a morning of fun at Grant's Farm. Upon entering, you are taken on a tram ride through the property where you receive a history of the area and get a view of deer, horses, goldfish, mountain goats, ostrichs, turkeys, and longhorn cattle...just to name a few.

We went several times last year and Kyle had a ball, especially feeding the goats. Assuming, Kyle would love the goats even more this year since he is older, that was our first stop on our tour. Well, needless to say Kyle was less than impressed about being with the goats, much less feeding them.

Since, the goats weren't a huge hit, we ventured to see the other animals. We were able to see elephants, kangaroos, parrots, llamas, a giant tortoise, and a camel. The camel snapped at Kyle and John...I was so afraid they were going to get bitten, but they moved just in time.

We also enjoyed lunch in the beer garden and John was happy to have a free sample of a Budweiser beer.

Grant's Farm is always a fun outing...a must see if you are visiting St. Louis.

Attempting to get Kyle interested in the goats.

Kyle had the best seat in the house.

Various pictures of the animals and scenery.

New Family Addition

This black and white cat has been roaming our neighborhood for the past couple of years. He sure is a pretty cat and must belong to someone close by because the cat is really well cared for.

Even if we wanted to add another pet to the family, Chloe would not allow it. She loves people, but she isn't very friendly with other dogs or animals so having a cat wouldn't go over very well. Chloe wants all the attention for herself...she's greedy in that aspect!

We named the cat Oreo...for obvious reasons.

A Little Break

I apologize for the lack of posting this week. The Little Munchkin has been on break. Kyle hasn't seen the camera in 3 days! That must be a record!! I know he must be thrilled, but it will most probably sneak out again over the weekend.

It's just been a typical week around here (preschool, therapy, errands, house appointments, yard work, laundry, etc.) so not too much exciting to blog about. If our "excitement" hasn't been deemed photo worthy, it must be boring. Please don't give up on us...we will be back very soon. I'm sure everyone is having photo withdrawls, but we will be back with a vengenance...LOL!

Splashing Good Time

Last night we decided at the last minute to pack up and head to the pool before bath and bedtime. It was the perfect time because it wasn't very crowded. We mainly just let Kyle splash around in the baby/toddler pool. He just enjoys playing with his boat and balls in the water. I was so excited to take Kyle in the family pool to try his new water vest. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as I had hoped. I think it's a little too big and he isn't supported properly while in the water. I need to go on the hunt for another flotation device that will work for him. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

It's a good thing Kyle isn't afraid of the water since he has been spending a ton of time in the water recently. Are you getting tired of seeing pictures of Kyle in his swim trunks in the water? I can't guarantee it will be the last time either...sorry!

Kyle modeling his swim vest...probably for the last time. Say...CHEESE!

Taking a time out for a family photo.

Just Had To Share

It's really interesting to see how people find my blog... especially through Google searches. The majority of the searches are related to toddlers, but some are just off the wall and are hilarious. I hope you find them just as humerous as I did.

A few of the funnier ones I've seen are:

*David Archuleta is my Little Munchkin.

*Little Munchkin Dogs.

*How to Dress a Munchkin Dog.

I'm certainly happy they found my blog, but I'm pretty sure they didn't exactly find what they were looking for.

G Is For...

GATLINBURG, TN.

AND

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS

This past September we took our 1st official family vacation. I say official because earlier in the year we went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but we don't really consider a trip to New Orleans a true vacation. Many people may not consider Gatlinburg, TN. for a vacation with a toddler, but there are so many activities which are extremely child friendly.

We decided to drive, but stopped in Nashville on our way down and also on the way home. We actually planned to stay in Nashville for two nights on our way home, but we were having such a good time in Gatlinburg we decided to stay there an extra day.

We rented a two bedroom condo in Gatlinburg, which was in walking distance to the majority of our entertainment. The condo itself was beautiful and the view from our balcony was so peaceful, calm, and tranquil. We will definitely stay there again on our next visit.

One of our favorite activities was riding the Sky Lift. We rode the lift one time per day and a couple of times we rode it at night...the view was absolutely amazing.

Ober Gatlinburg was another fun family outing. Pictured below is the tram which you ride to the top of the mountain. The alpine slide was one of our favorites at Ober Gatlinburg. I was hesitant to attempt this, but sure was glad John talked me into it. Kyle was even able to take a ride. John rode with Kyle, since I was wasn't sure what to expect. Unfortunately, since we were riding the slide at the same time we weren't able to get any pictures, but pictured below is Kyle taking a little test drive. We did spend a couple of days, driving through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The park is really beautiful and such a sight to see. I would love to take a trip during the fall while the leaves are changing. Now that, I can imagine is a sight to see. The aquarium was another fun attraction Kyle really enjoyed. Dollywood is also close to Gatlinburg and that was on our list of things to see, however, we changed our mind and didn't go. I'm a little disappointed we didn't see what it was all about, but there is always next time. We chose to spend some time at the outlet mall instead. Outlet malls are always fun, no matter where you are! Well, at least for me...I'm not too sure about John and Kyle.

We really enjoyed our vacation and plan to go back one day in the future. Each year, my parents would take my sister and me on a vacation and one year we went to Gatlinburg. One of my favorite memories was actually seeing a bear while we were having a picnic in the park. Unfortunately, we didn't see any bears on our trip, except for the bears which were on display.

Of course, now that Kyle is getting older there are many other destinations we want to show Kyle. Hopefully, we will be taking another family vacation in the next few months, but haven't made any definite plans.

Do you have any vacation plans this summer? If so, where are you headed?

ABC's of Blogging

Six Hours At Six Flags

Today Kyle experienced yet another First in his little life. We headed to Six Flags - St. Louis. As we were driving there it began to rain so we were worried our fun day would be a wash out. Luckily, the rain didn't last very long and it turned out to be a really nice day. We think the rainy start to the day may have scared some people away because the park wasn't all that crowded. Quite a few of the rides had a height restriction of 36 inches and since Kyle is now a yard stick he was able to ride on some of the really fun rides.

Kyle was able to meet some really cute, fun characters, including The Flash, Wonder Woman, Scooby Doo, Shaggy, Tweety, and Bugs Bunny.

Below is a picture journey from our day at Six Flags.

Five years ago was the last time John and I visited Six Flags and two of our favorite rides back then were Thunder River and The Log Flume. We were super excited that Kyle was tall enough to enjoy these rides with us. We rode Thunder River first, which wasn't the best decision of the day. Thunder River is similar to white water rafting and a sign warns you that riders may get soaked while on the ride. This was an understatement. All three of us were completely drenched from head to toe, but it was so fun and totally worth it. Kyle did really well on the ride so we rode it one more time right before we were leaving for the day. We did have a disposable camera with us, but we haven't developed the pictures to see if they are any good. Once we develop the pictures from the ride I may post a couple.

The Log Flume is another fun water ride. We actually rode this ride three times and had a blast each time. As you will see in the picture below, Kyle looks a little frightened, but he really seemed to like the ride.

We also got the chance to ride the Ferris Wheel. This is always a nice ride since you get a really great view of the park. Kyle enjoyed this ride as well. Below is a picture of Kyle and Mommy on the Ferris Wheel. The Bugs Bunny National Park is such a great place for the little ones. They have so many rides just for the smaller childern, a playground, and a sprinkler area.

You know your child is getting big when you actually let them go on a ride alone. Kyle rode the airplane swing by himself. It is a really slow moving ride and doesn't go very high, so we felt comfortable letting him on by himself.

Kyle also rode the toddler train alone. John and I were hesitant at first, but once he was buckled in the seat we knew he would be fine. A couple of little girls joined him in the car so he was fine. He seems to be growing up in front of our very eyes...where does the time go?? The next thing I know I will be dropping him off at the park with his friends so he can spend the day riding every roller coaster there is...fifty times!

The sprinkler area was another huge hit with Kyle. The other day at the aquatic center he wasn't interested in the sprinklers, but today once he was acclimated he didn't want to leave. One of his favorite parts was splashing in the puddles. Maybe next time it rains I will need to take him outside to play in the water puddles.

Also, at the Bugs Bunny National Park, Kyle met Tweety Bird. He really liked meeting all the cartoon characters throughout the day and we were able to get a pretty cute picture of Kyle and Tweety Bird. I'm so looking forward to the day Kyle is old enough so we can take him to Disney World. I want Kyle to be a few years older so he can enjoy the trip as much as possible and be able to remember the vacation.

The last two pictures are of Kyle pretending to drive an anitque car. He saw the car and was completely fascinated, so we knew a photo opportunity was in our near future.

Our outing to Six Flags was certainly an awesome family outing and we will most likely be headed back again at some point this summer.

Today's Guest Author...

Hello out there to everybody in the "Blog World" (as my wife would say). As a matter of introduction my name is John (a.k.a the "Husband" and the "Daddy"). Lindsey has asked me on several occassions to write a guest post for "My Little Munchkin" (actually, I'll say it's our blog since it's about our boy and I'm tasked with most of the "cropping" duties; I have to steal some credit somewhere). Anyway, here goes nothing. I'm very happy Lindsey started the blog and I think she does a remarkable job keeping it up to date with Kyle's progress and activities. I'm not sure how she finds a subject to write about each day; especially, with a two and a half year old to keep up with. I guess now that I think about it, a two and a half year old does provide a lot of "subject matter" and "photo ops", especially since he is such a "little munchkin". I'm a software developer (by day) for a small company here in St. Louis. I develop web applications to display data collected by our weather stations (I know... I know... I can hear you screaming "GEEK!"). Over the last several months and especially the last few weeks, my work schedule has been crazy. No traveling or anything complicated like that, just working long hours. Anywhere from 10 to 12 hour days, six days a week. Needless to say this has put a crimp in our family time. Luckily, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel (hopefully it's not a train) and the first phase of our project will be winding down in the next week. Thank God. It's been a difficult few weeks to say the least because we enjoy doing everything together. Whether it's just Lindsey and I doing yard work, taking Kyle to do something fun, or just running errands as a family, it's very important to us to do as much as possible together. I know we are very lucky to share that time together and there are a lot of familes out there that would kill to have the time we do have together. I guess I can't complain too loud; we're just spoiled. There have been a couple days this past week where I haven't really seen Kyle since I've left before he woke up and he was asleep before I got home. He woke up during the night twice this week and I went up to change him and put him back to sleep and couldn't help but wonder if he has thinking "Mommy, that strange man was here again to change my diaper in the middle of the night, is he the diaper fairy"? It does make it a little easier while I'm at work that I can check out the blog to see what I'm missing during the day (love those pics). I also got a cool digital photo frame for my birthday last month and I enjoy taking a break and watching the pictures of Mommy and Kyle go by on my desktop. Not quite like being there though. I do realize I'm putting in the time at work for my family and this is a short term (hopefully) inconvience, but it is still hard. There are a lot of families out there that do this day in and day out and I take my hat off to each and every one of you. I'd also like to thank my wife for putting up with this craziness and hanging in there. I truly love you for all you do for our litle family. I'll close with a few pictures (it wouldn't be KyleSpence.BlogSpot.com) without art. Hopefully, I'll be asked back to contibute again.

The Little Munchkin Himself Mommy and the Munchkin this past winter

Sudoku

A couple of years ago I became hooked on Sudoku and quickly became an addict. I bought every book out there and even would play games online. I haven't played in a very long time, but as I was browsing in the bookstore today I picked up another Sudoku book and am getting hooked again.

I remember the first time I attempted to complete one of the puzzles. Stupid me didn't read the directions on how to complete the puzzle and I was so confused and had so many numbers written out to the side. It was completely insane. After I came to my senses, I read the rules and I was addicted.

Have you played Sudoku? If not, you should check it out and try an online game. Just make sure you have plenty of time because you won't be able to complete only one puzzle. For instructions on how to play click the link above.

Sudoku is just like the Lay's potato chip slogan..You can't just eat one!

A Little Stroll Down Memory Lane

Just wanted to share a few of my all time favorite pictures of Kyle when he was a baby. I remember taking these pictures just like it was yesterday. I love looking back at pictures from the past to see how much he has changed and how far he has come since his early arrival.

I remember constantly stressing over the fact that I didn't think he ate enough, but when I look back at these pictures all I see is his adorable chubby cheeks!

The first picture says it all..Kyle loved the swing! I remember at times this was the only place he would take a nap. Not the best place, but it worked at the time.

April 2006

The next two pictures, Kyle is sitting in his Bumbo seat. He enjoyed the seat, but for only a few minutes at a time. I knew it was time to say good bye to the Bumbo when he leaned backwards and fell out. Now they have a tray to attach to the seat which I would have liked to have...it's amazing how toys and baby gear change from year to year.

May 2006

June 2006

I adore this picture..he looks like such the little baby model.