With one in the Oven.

Wishing you all a Happy and Spooktacular Halloween from St. Louis!!

Penguins to Pain au Chocolat.

(4 October 2010)

A few weeks ago Bryan invited a family over for Sunday dinner. (Christian, the husband, is in the same program as Bry, but is a year ahead of him.) Myriam used to work full-time so she has made being a stay-at-home mom her full-time job....and is pro at finding all the fun and free stuff around town. She invited me & Brie to go to the zoo (in the morning while everything is free) and to check out some of St. Louis. We of course accepted and what a fun day we had!

I loved that the Zoo was lined with hay bales and pumpkins. That's one fun thing about living in a place....you get to see it change for seasons and holidays, whereas as a tourist you usually only see it in the Summer.

Brie riding on a carousel for the first time. She loved it!

Brushing a baby goat.

Brie and Estaban "riding" in a jeep.

(Brie, love the face.)


While we drove around St. Louis the kids apparently held hands. Too funny :0) Myriam took us out to lunch for some YUMMY friend chicken. Then we drove around Central West End and Lafayette Square. It was more of St. Louis than I've seen yet and it was so fun to venture around with someone who knows the city.

Our last stop was at this charming French bakery (Rue LaFayette) where Myriam treated me to a Pain au Chocolat (I LOVE those things!) and a vanilla steamer* She got bread pudding (she let me taste it....oh my goodness...it was to die for!) and a cappuccino. We of course had to enjoy our pastries and drinks on their patio. Oh what fun. Took me back to Paris.

*I felt spoiled all day long! Thanks for EVERYTHING, Myriam.

Like mother like daughter....enjoying Pain au Chocolat :0)




I'm telling you again...
Bread Pudding* = To Die For.

*I later read on their website that they make it from pain au chocolat. No wonder it was SO good!

Aside from the kiddies getting a bit cranky and needing naps by the end....it was a delightful day!

Lawn-Dwee.

Brie has recently become my "Lawn-dwee" (laundry) assistant. I ask her to open her arms, I place a wad of wet clothes in her arms and she carries it the three feet to the dryer, throws 'em in and comes back for more. She even has helped put the dirty into the washer. It's cute to watch.

Brie helping Bry "fold" laundry.
We haven't gotten this one down yet :0)

BANGS.

After making the cut and seeing THIS, I was SO worried that her bangs would look horrific, but they ended up turning out OK.

Now Brie can see, eat, have a runny nose (without her hair getting slimed to her nose. Gross, I know!) and be a normal toddler without the aid of a barrette. Yay! Should have cut them a long time ago :0)

Lil Felt Animal Clips.

I went to a little girls' get together to learn how to make felt rose hair clips. Let's just say, I think I was the slowest learner there. It took me over TWO hours to make this little beauty. So I'll probably never make another one, BUT it got me on a felt hair clip kick.

(The two flowers and the bear were clips I started making awhile back with my Mom and Em. I finally put clips on the back and finished them up.)

I love how the snail turned out. Cute, cute.

Carondelet Park.

(25 September 2010)

One Saturday in late September Bry took an hour break from his studies and we drove over to the beautiful Carondelet Park for a little picnic. Love those little moments with our little family.

Surprise...we're here!

(16 Sept - 23 Sept 2010)

My younger Brother Matt got off his mission at the end of August. As a surprise my Dad flew me & Brie to Utah for a visit. (THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!) Matt's homecoming talk in church was that Sunday and my Grandpa Sheets, his wife Kim, Kristina (her daughter) and Kent (Kristina's boyfriend) also flew out for the occasion.

Picking up us visitors at the airport.


We were buying time til Matt got home from school so Rach took us on a scenic drive (up Provo Canyon) to see the beautiful fall colors.

I guess I didn't get any pictures of our reunion with Matt...I was too excited to see him and for him to meet Brie for the first time!


After a tour in my Parents' garden. Yummy, fresh findings.

Kim and Em figured out that they have the EXACT same size of hands and feet :0)

Rach took Brie on a little bike ride around the neighborhood.

Friday we met up with Matt and he gave our California relatives a little tour of BYU campus...

MOA (Museum of Art)

Ice cream from Sugar & Spice from the Wilkinson Center.

We randomly ran into Cosmo while strolling around campus....

Notice Kent's #2 = BYU and Cosmo's reaction :0)...


Saturday evening we went up to Sundance to have dinner at the Grille Restaurant.


Brie was super cute and sweet and was sharing her french fries with everyone. She'd dip one in ketchup say someone's name and I'd pass it down to the them. She was as pleased as punch to see how happy sharing made HER and others. CUTE, cute.

Sunday my family got ready for Matt's Homecoming Open house. It was so fun just spending time with my fam (Pops, Biscus, Schmem, Pook, Bugs and Timmers), preparing the food AND "tasting it" :0).

Here's a fruit bouquet that Kim helped us make. It was really pretty easy. A head of lettuce, some kale, a flower cookie cutter, skewers and fruit....and you're in business.

Our good friends, the Soderquists, at the open house.

BFF!

Too cute = Julia + Brie playing together

Tuesday Brie and I went and had lunch with Julie & Isaac and Liz and her girls. It was so fun spending time with family again. (It was kind of a yucky nausea day, didn't feel motivated to take pictures.)

Tuesday night Tim (with a little subsidization from Em, Matt and me) treated us to dinner at Olive Garden. We all ordered an entrée and split them four ways. What started out looking like four yummy meals turned into four messy plates. Oh well. It was still yummy and fun :0)

Wednesday afternoon Brie and I spent the afternoon at the Crowley's (Rebecca's parents' home = MANY a good memory from over the years!). Rebecca made open face tomato sandwiches (I don't know their real name), strawberry ice and cinnamon toast for old time's sake. Yum. And then we chatted, chatted, chatted while the little girls napped.



Wednesday night Em made me a delicious lasagna dinner down in her ADORABLE apartment! (She is now living in my Parents' basement apartment but has TOTALLY redecorated the place...it looks SO colorful and stylish. That talented Em.)


Thursday morning Mom, Rach, Brie and I got some Mexican food for lunch and then went shopping at TJ Maxx.

Our flight ended up being cancelled and rerouted to another airline 2 hours later. Fun times, BUT I felt SO blessed with wonderful people to help entertain and humour Brie along the way. Thank heavens for angels :0)

Anyway, it was a WONDERFUL trip! I LOVE living in St. Louis (and was sad to have been gone from Bry for a week) but I LOVED being home with my family....oh good times.

My sweet Bry picked us up from the airport Thursday evening and when we got home.... the apartment was all picked up, cleaned & vacuumed...dinner was waiting, a pot of red gerber daisies was on the table, little notes were hidden through out the house and he had done several projects while we had been gone. What a welcome home! That dear husband of mine :0)

Play time.

(9 September 2010)

Last month one of Brie's little friends came over for play time. At one point I was showing her mom (Lea) some fairy wings I had bought at the Dollar Tree and then had to get out the tutus as well.

Mazy loved the laundry basket and kept climbing in then Brie would inevitably follow suite...big puffy tutu, blankie and all.

The one problem with having friends over to play is that Brie finds her blankie and then spends a bit TOO much time sucking her thumb in her blankie-induced-subdued state.

Soeur Muntinga.

(4 September 2010)



Betty (one of my mission companions) and her husband Adrian were visiting the USA and came by for a short visit on their way to Memphis. It was SO wonderful seeing her again and meeting her husband.