4th Festivities

The Spence Family had a wonderful 4th of July! The holiday can be summed up in several words...fun, friends, food, and fireworks! We did plan to take Kyle to our neighborhood Children's 4th of July parade with his very festive, red, white, and blue wagon, but unfortunately the weather didn't fully cooperate and we woke up to a downpour. The rain stopped soon before the parade was to begin, but we still decided to skip the parade since the weather was unpredictable.

Saturday evening we did have a small get together with a couple of other families at our house. We barbequed...hamburgers, bratwurst, and chicken, enjoyed adult conversation, and watched the children play. Kyle did have a little "goody bag" for each of his little friends, complete with an American Flag, a red, white, and blue lei, bubbles, candy, and everyone's favorite, a star balloon. Later in the evening we headed out to view some fireworks hosted by a local park. Everyone had an enjoyable time and was a great way to spend the holiday!

More Easter Fun!

This afternoon we headed to yet another Easter Egg Hunt held at a local park. The weather was very sunny and nice for a family adventure. Kyle was able to run, swing, slide, and play on the playground before hunting for the eggs. The egg hunt literally lasted a couple of minutes, but still was a good time for the children. Of course, the Easter Bunny attended the event, but since Kyle already saw the bunny twice in one week, we opted to leave and get Kyle down for his afternoon nap.

Kyle swinging on the big boy swing with Da-Dee! Mommy and Kyle before the start of the Egg Hunt!

Kyle all set and ready to hunt for some eggs!

Kyle and his friend Kate having some fun before the Easter Egg Hunt. Between, Kyle attempting to feed Kate grass and Kate tickling Kyle they had a good time and it sure made for adorable pictures of the two of them together.

Hanging With The Girls

This morning, Kyle and I went to my friend Angie's house for a little playdate. Just thought I would share a few pictures of Kyle with Riley (age 4) and Hayden (age 3). Angie and I met each other while Kyle and Hayden were in the NICU together. They were both preemies and each spent 86 days in the hospital. By looking at them today it's hard to believe...they have both come such a long way and certainly have grown up!

Riley, Kyle, and Hayden

This picture makes me laugh because Kyle thinks he is so cool sitting

between the two girls. At the age of three, Kyle is already such a stud...LOL!

Kyle and Riley hugging each other goodbye....so sweet and adorable!

Angie, thanks for having us over this morning and getting me hooked on Wii Tennis!

20 Year High School Reunion

Saturday, January 17th, I attended my 20 Year High School Reunion in New Orleans. I graduated in 1988 from a small private school in Metairie, LA. The class of '88 consisted of 42 students...26 which attended the reunion. The reunion was held at Antoine's Restaurant in the Historic New Orleans French Quarter. The menu is top notch and is a very high class restaurant. The appetizers and the private room were compliments of the class president...very generous! I certainly enjoyed seeing faces I haven't seen in many many years. The majority of people look very much the same as they did in high school. Through the years I have kept in touch with a number of people and recently have reconnected with others through Facebook. After the reunion, we went with a couple of friends for a late dinner at the Bourbon House....delicious seafood! Of course, I have to share a handful of pictures from the evening!

I would like to give a big HUGE Thank you to my parents for watching Kyle while we attended the reunion and letting him spend the night. I'm sure he had a lot of fun being spoiled by CeCe and Poppie. Thanks again...it was greatly appreciated!

Outside of Antoine's Restaurant Class of 1988 Best Friends

Picture taken after the reunion in the French Quarter...I joined in a

parade marching down the street.

My Senior Class Picture

Good Times With Friends

While in New Orleans, I was able to spend great quality time with friends. Saturday afternoon we spent time with my two best friends from junior/senior of high school and their families. It was so fun, since the three of us don't get a chance to be together as often anymore. We reminised about our fun moments in high school and attempted to prepare ourselves for the reunion. Staci and I were roommates at LSU our freshman year and had our share of good times, to say the least. Lorie, is the reason, I met John and am so happy we are finally neighbors in STL.

Sunday morning, I met my friend Staci, Jamie, and Melissa for an early lunch and plenty of laughs. Jamie and Melissa were two of my very best Zeta sorrority sisters. They both still live in New Orleans and I miss them so much.

Halloween Happenings

Kyle certainly enjoyed his fourth Halloween. We had a couple of friends and their sons over for trick or treat fun! We enjoyed spinach and artichoke dip and chili before hitting the streets. John and I were a bit hesitant how Kyle would behave because he had a major meltdown before we left. We are still unsure why he was so upset, but once we were outside he was perfectly happy and content. After one or two houses, Kyle, along with his buddies, sure got the hang of what they were supposed to be doing. All three of the boys had a fantastic time and even came home with a "little" bit of candy.

Typically, the weather in STL on Halloween is either really cold or rainy, but last night was absolutely perfect. The temperature was very mild and no sign of rain. Our subdivision was filled with children and neighbors were quickly running out of candy. Combined with the awesome weather and the fact it was a Friday night, everyone was on the streets trick or treating!

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween! Enjoy our pictures!

Kyle as Thomas the Tank Engine

Kyle says..."Hey you, Give me some candy!"

Kyle on the street trick or treating

Kyle and his friends wait patiently for more candy

Everett as Chicken Little, Kyle as Thomas, and Thomas as Yoda

Facebook

Do you have a Facebook account?

I signed up for an account over a year ago, but didn't start to use it until a couple of months ago. Facebook must be the new rage because everyone seems to be using it. There are so many fun applications to use such as...pieces of flair, superpoke, growing gifts, and many many others. Who knew that throwing sheep and gummy bears at people, sending Coach bag gifts, smiles, hugs, etc. could be so much fun. Besides these silly games, it's also a great way to stay in touch with current friends and get in touch with old friends.

If you have a Facebook account and would like me to add you as a friend please leave me a comment or send me an email. If you haven't signed up yet, do so now, so you can join in all the fun!

Father's Day Festivities

Yesterday morning we met some friends at a local park to celebrate Father's Day and let our sons have a little fun together. The park we went to was where Kyle's 1st Birthday party was held. They have a great playground and we enjoyed chatting and watching the boys play. After the park we took the boys on a train ride at the Wabash Frisco and Pacific Railroad. The ride is about twenty minutes and runs along the Meramec River and is such a pretty, scenic ride and most of all the children love it. After the ride we enjoyed New Orleans style sno cones which were a yummy treat on such a warm day. If you are in the STL and are looking for something fun to do with the kiddos this is a great option. The railroad is only open on Sundays, but you can check the link above for more details.

Kyle was dressed in his Thomas the Train overalls and shoes so he was certainly prepared to spend time on the railroad. Who knows, maybe when he is older he will be a train conductor or engineer.

I have included a few pictures to highlight our fun day. I guess "few" is a bit of an understatement...LOL!

Don, Everett, Lorie, Lindsey, Kyle, and John

Kyle enjoying the ride

I just love this picture of Kyle and Everett.

B Is For...

BIRTHDAY

This post continues my "ABC's of blogging" project.

Kyle's First Birthday was such a special milestone and we really had a fun celebration. My parents came to STL for the festivities. We began a tradition that year of going to the zoo. Kyle's actual birthday is October 5th so the weather is typically nice and it is our last zoo outing for the season.

When Kyle was in the NICU, Hayden was Kyle's neighbor for the majority of his journey. They were born one day apart and spent the same number of days in the hospital. I became good friends with Hayden's mom, Angie, and we have kept in touch since. We decided to have a double 1st birthday party for the two "little miracles". The party was held at a local park and the weather was perfect. It was so much fun and the perfect way to celebrate his first birthday milestone.

Included in the birthday invitations was this cute picture of Kyle and Hayden (shown below) with a sweet saying on the back of the picture. The card read:

No we're not twins.

We're not even related!

BUT we are two little miracles,

born a day apart and months too early!

We laid side by side in our little "boxes"

fighting for our lives for three months!

We have become dear friends and

thought it was only proper

to celebrate our first year of life together.

Picture included in the party invitations.

Mommy and Kyle at the Zoo - Oct. '06

Kyle's 1st Birthday Party

Kyle eating his cake at the party.

Our Little Family at the party.

Kyle's 2nd Birthday was more low key than his first. Instead of having a party, we had a small family celebration. We made our traditional trip to the zoo and had a celebration at home with cake and presents. Kyle's favorite "present" was his balloons. He played with the balloons for a week after his birthday!

The Birthday Prince at the Zoo.

Kyle wearing more of the cake than he ate!

Writing this post sure did bring back many good, fun memories. Time sure does fly...I can't believe he will be 3 in October.

I hope you enjoyed Kyle's birthday journey down memory lane! A is For...

Test Drive

Unfortunately, not test driving a car!!

I mean a second child. It's always fun for Kyle to have a friend over since he's around Mommy and Daddy continuously. He always has a great time with his friend, but today was a little hectic. One wanted to play outside, the other wanted to be inside. Since his friend is a little older, I was able to experience a little of what I have to look forward to down the road with Kyle. Fun times ahead! I will spare everyone all the details. After awhile everyone became happy and eventually were able to do what they wanted. They had the best of both worlds...being inside for a short while and outside for a while. I wasn't able to get any photos, but I'm not sure we had any great picture moments to capture. LOL.

We are settled in for our night of television. Big TV moments this week. The Dancing With The Stars finale is tonight. My prediction is Kristi Y. will take home the mirror ball trophy. She has been wonderful and consistant through the entire season. Also, the American Idol finale is this week. I've been rooting for David A. the entire season. David C. is very original and good, but there is just something about him...can't put my finger on it.

For any reality TV fans out there, Fun Office Pools is lots of fun. I've been in a few pools for the two shows mentioned above. One is between me and my husband. I'm sure I will win DWTS, but American Idol is a coin toss since John is a major David C. fan.

Who are your favorites?

Playtime With Friends

This morning we went to playgroup at Regan and Grant's house. Grant, Kate, and Kyle had such a fun time playing and exploring in the backyard. Regan has such an awesome, child friendly yard with such a wonderful playset. All three kiddos had a blast climbing, swinging, and sliding. The temperature was perfect this morning and it was windy which made it feel even better...at least to me!

I was able to snap a few good pictures of the three kiddos, although I didn't have luck getting a group shot. Grant and Kate don't mind having there picture taken, but Kyle runs whenever he sees the camera. I think he is tired of seeing the camera, since I'm constantly taking pictures of him.

Kate having a great time! Kyle getting ready to slide. He is sporting his new Thomas t-shirt. There is a button you press to make train sounds and Kyle thinks it's the coolest shirt.

Grant stops to strike a pose before going down the slide.