St. Louis Arch & Busch Stadium

This week was Jon's springbreak from school so we got out of the house as much as possible and finally made a trip to visit the infamous arch and walked around downtown to the Busch stadium.

 Old Courthouse across from the St. Louis Arch.

 We had to walk a couple blocks since parking and construction was crazy.

 An impressive structure, the "Gateway to the West".

 Who knew there was an underground museum from one side of the arch to the other?

Waiting in line to enter the museum, I forget the national monuments have security and metal detectors and have to process bags through a xray machine.  They even patted down our double stroller.

 Inside the museum that I thought was interesting and Maddie thought was boring, ha.

 John C. Fremont who discovered Hooper Utah and who Fremont High  (Jons highschool) was named after.

 Jon pointing out on a map where Hooper is located.

 I hate selfies but look I was there.

 Yeah.  Wish I could have gotten a picture of the crazy lady dressed in all denim that spoke to and then followed us.  She meant well but scared that crap out of me.  Please don't stab me.

 Grass is green and the field is looking ready to play.  Actually ballpark village opens this Thursday.

 Hopefully we get to watch a game this summer.

 Maddie my little budding photographer.

 These tiles surround the stadium.

 Seriously she took all these pictures, impressive right?

 She enjoyed this trip especially the rock candy we bought from the little general store in the museum. 

Ended the family fun at a near by park.  She's really good climbing these rockwalls, probably better than I'd do.

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If you haven't voted yet please do so, they are currently in 3rd place.  This family has gone through so many challenges.  Their son had a brain injury accident and then their dad (Jon's friend) went totally blind.  Exactly they deserve this.
PLEASE help us WIN DAKOTA a BIKE!!!!!!

For those of you who have been reading my blog I have talked a little bit about this therapy bike that Dakota gets to use when we go to physical therapy. It is such an AMAZING bike and Dakota absolutely LOVES it! Not only does he smile and enjoy just being a regular kid riding a bike it helps a lot with his range of motion in his legs and helps him relax his legs and get rid of his spasticity. On top of that he gets to build muscle strength in his whole body as he works to hold his head up and push the petals a little bit on his own.

The problem is we only go to therapy twice a month and when he gets to ride the bike it is only for about 30 minutes if that. It is definitely not enough to get to make a big difference. His therapist and doctors have recommended that we get one for him to use at home but the problem is it is $4,000!!! If we had a money tree in our backyard I would be ALL over that bike…but unfortunately my landscaping husband hasn’t planted one of those yet! ;)

But this AMAZING organization called the friendship circle does a bike giveaway ONCE a year and it is happening this month!!! I just entered Dakota and NEED DESPERATELY ANYONE THAT READS THIS TO PLEASE VOTE FOR DAKOTA! The kid with the most votes automatically wins the bike and any other kid with at least 50 votes gets put in a raffle drawing for the remaining bikes.

Seriously…all you have to do is click on this link and their is a big red button that says vote for Dakota. Click it and you are done! It seriously takes 2 seconds!!  That is ALL I’m asking!! And then once you vote then you CAN tell ALL your friends and family about it too so they can vote too! ;) That’s it! The contest closes on the 24th so HURRY!!!!!!!

It would sure make my heart so happy to get to cruise Dakota around the neighborhood with the other kids and let him just be a kid!!!

http://zachandtessie.blogspot.com/ 

The Friedli Family is on my list of blogs that I follow.  An inspiring family to say the least.

10 MONTHS noooooooo!

Today Dane is 10 months old and I am in complete denial that he will soon be turning a year old.  Jon asked what kind of party are we going to throw for Dane in two months and I said, "None I don't want to talk about it".  I don't know if its the pressure of "When are you going to have your next baby?" or the plain fear of trying to have another baby, but I am not ready to give up my baby just yet.  But then again is any mother ready?

A few pictures from his session with Denoya Gomez out of Moses Lake, WA.  Highly recommend her, I think her new name is Lola Love Photography.

Antiphospholipid syndrome

It's been awhile since I've posted darn it. I've been so busy lately with taking care of kids, doing eyelashes, cutting hair, alittle gym going, alittle 2 on 2 volleyball match that resulted in tweaking my bad knee, but all the while I've been dealing some crazy symptoms well for 2 months now. I finally got a doc appointment made. My OB actually listened to my whole life history and had an idea about what might have been going on. So after an exam and 6 vials of blood this one test for

Antiphospholipid syndrome came back abnormal. You have to be tested again in 6 months to be "diagnosed" so maybe it regulate in time. Another blood draw and ultrasound to come to rule out a few other possibilities.

I'm ready to trade in this body. So frusterating on top of have a bum knee that I need to make an appointment to check it out. It's been tight and feeling weird for a week. Grrrrrrr! Well on a side note my kids are cute and that should be enough to keep me going.

Nauvoo

Carthage Illinois - Carthage Jail (original building)

 It was raining cats and dogs that day.

 Summer kitchen added on later.

 Keeping the children from touching things proved difficult.

 Room Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were kept in at first.

 Room the jailor allowed them to stay in when officials weren't around.

 Window Joseph was shot through, before falling two stories down.

A special feeling about being in that room.

 John Taylors was shot 4 times and Willard Richards was left unscathed according to prophesy.

 Bullet holes in the door that killed Hyrum Smith.

 Heading into Nauvoo Illinois.

The frozen Mississippi River was so impressive.

 Nauvoo visitors center.

 This statue was impressive.

 Beginning our cold hour long wagon ride.

 This temple is so beautiful in person.

 Learning how to make rope.

 At the Blacksmith's where I told her she'd get a ring, when we got their she said this doesn't look like a ring store.

She's showing off her ring and tiny horseshoe the blacksmith gave her.

 Our family Nauvoo brick.

 John Browning home holding many orginal designed guns.

 My favorite tour guide he was so patient with our wild kids.

 Trail of Hope leading towards Mississippi River.

 Mary Field Garner is my great great grandmother.

 She was believed to be the last living person to have personally known Joseph Smith.

 He father William Field's home still stands in Old Nauvoo.

Joseph Smith memorial.  The wind off the Mississippi was so COLD.

It was such a wonderful experience we loved being surrounded by friends and eating good food and playing "laugh so hard everyone's crying" games late at night.  We all rented a house and were a quick drive away from Old Nauvoo.  It was fun to watch Maddie participate and learned the trades and daily duties of that time.  It was so cold I kept thinking this is really what it was like for those poor pioneers absolutely freezing.  It was beautiful and impressive and we can't wait to go again someday when its warm.