Henry's 7th Birthday

Henry turned 7 yesterday! He woke up to a breakfast of gingerbread cinnamon rolls, which he didn't take one bite of because he was so excited about his new smart watch.

Nathan had to go to work, so the boys and I hung out at home and then Henry wanted to go to Ginger Sue's for lunch to get a waffle. And then we got to do something so fun - Christmas caroling with their piano studio! It was so fun. We went to three places on the square and then their teacher rented a room at the local coffee shop and they had a little party. Very special!

For dinner we met Grandpa Glen, Grandma Pam, Uncle Will and Aunt Regina at Dave and Buster's. It was almost too much fun for one day!

Today was his big party with his friends. Porter and Garrett came over (poor Archer woke up sick) for donuts and hot chocolate before we headed to Sleep Inn for a morning of swimming. These boys were pumped! Lots of silliness and lots of giggles. Thankful for these sweet friends for our sweet Henry.

On this day...

 Look at baby Jack on Dec. 22, 2008.

And brand new baby Henry on Dec. 22, 2010.

 On one year later, on Dec. 22, 2011.

November

November was a busy month -- Thanksgiving was up first! Wait, I can't forget a trip to IKEA the day before Thanksgiving. I got a new chair for the dining room and Henry got his new beloved stuffed dog.

Next was Thanksgiving! A  highlight this year was our awesome craft -- Christmas light t-shirts that we will be wearing tomorrow for the sugar cookie decorating contest.

We are so good at selfies!

Then, it was Nathan's birthday and a trip to Worlds of Fun/TJ Maxx to see the lights. They still might think there is TJ Maxx in the Worlds of Fun parking lot. Nathan and I are so funny!

Then, we went to Lebanon and got to go to a super fun concert with Grandma Sue, Grandpa Bill, Great Grandpa Dee and Great Grandma Donna.

The next day we were off to Silver Dollar City with Grandma Sue and Grandpa Bill. The weather was beautiful and there were tons of people there. But, lucky for us, all those people were there to see the shows, not ride the rides! We didn't have to wait in line at all and we rode all the big rides.

On Saturday we went to the Wonders of Wildlife Museum in Springfield. The highlight of the day was definitely when Grandpa Bill went "scuba diving" with Santa!

Then it was home and to bed! The next day was the boys' Christmas piano recital. Whew, what a month!

Fall Fun for Henry

A bit of catch up for fall activities... Henry played flag football with a great bunch of boys and great coaches. They were the Bearcats and they had a blast. There were two freezing games -- at 8:30 in the morning and temps in the 30s!

He also started Cub Scouts, so now he's a Tiger Scout. He had to be flipped upside down to get his Bobcat badge. He's having fun in his den and thinks he's pretty big now.

Jack is 9 1/2!

I forgot to post pictures of Jack's half-birthday. Somehow he keeps growing and he's already 9 1/2! He requested half of a chocolate bundt cake and got a new rubix cube. Life as a 9 1/2 year old is pretty good for sweet Jack. He's playing flag football, enjoying Cub Scouts and still taking piano lessons. He loves reading, building Legos, Pokémon and playing outside. And despite being pretty big now, he still loves Charlie and loves Henry the most of all.

Bicycles and a Boxcar

Last weekend we took a quick trip to Rocheport to ride bikes on the Katy Trail and spend the night in a boxcar. It was so fun!

When we got there Sunday we went to our boxcar, which was right on the trail. It wasn't ready for us to check-in yet so we headed off on our first bike ride. It was chilly and raining just a bit, but it didn't matter once we got going.

Then we were cold and wanted to warm up and check out the boxcar. It was the coolest place and right on the trail. The owners of the bed and breakfast renovated it and now it has a bathroom, two lofts with beds and another bed on the main floor. It also had a couch, TV, and little kitchenette area. They had lots of games and kid-friendly DVDs too.

For dinner, the B&B owner invited us to a concert and potluck. Two other people staying in the main bed and breakfast were folk singers, so they gave a concert for everyone. After dinner we headed back to the boxcar to watch a movie and eat popcorn. The next morning it was quite cold so we weren't in a hurry to get out on the trail. The boys had a blast playing in the hammock. I wondered why Henry had dirt in his hair later that day. Then I realized it was front the wild swinging they had been doing in the hammock.

Soon we headed off on the trail and this time, had perfect weather. We explored a few caves along the way and climbed lots of rocks. The trail goes right along the Missouri River and the scenery is beautiful. After our ride, we ate lunch at delicious restaurant in the little downtown and headed home. We were only gone a little over 24 hours, but it was a wonderful getaway. On the way home we were already planning our trip back next year.