St. Louis! Good Friends, Good Fun

Dear Peep, 
Summer 2011 Road Trip!  After a little bit of planning we were on the road to St. Louis, Missouri!  Mike, Megan and Devo were meeting us in the heart of the wonderful St. Louis Zoo!  July has shaped up to be one hot mother of a month so with a little spray fan to keep us cool, tons of snacks and a lot of enthusiasm we met up at the carousel.  The zoo has done an excellent job of making sure most areas are very wheelchair accessible. Daddy joined us on the carousel and you found your elephant and Devo a wild ass, just be glad that isn't what you're called!!!  You really enjoyed yourself next to your blond buddy.  You both had to flatten a penny and then off we were to ride the train.  Daddy sat in front of us and Devo, Mike and Megan behind us until Devo needed some "more Henry."  I loved how you kept your hand firmly on my right leg, much like last September when we rode the water taxi in Chicago.  What could be better!  An orangutan hiding under a blanket, squirting passersby in the outdoor water fountains,  talking about the giraffes, eating some "Frog Spit," getting close with a snake, coolin' off with the penguins,  brushing goats, and sitting in a hippo's mouth.   We covered that zoo top to bottom!  (Feel free to look at all of the photos from our adventure in the slide show below.)

Unfortunately the beasts were smarter than the people and many were staying cool indoors.  It didn't matter.  You had a blast.  We really enjoyed watching you little fellas with the goats.  You were both so gentle and thought it was funny when the goats kept walking under Daddy's legs and especially when the large one bit the map out of my back pocket and took off!  Devo was a little goat whisperer.  He would make his goat sound and all the goats would check in with a ehhhhhhhehehehe.  The last time we went to St. Louis Daddy and I had such a wonderful time together, but we were dreaming of you.  That's right, we talked about you as we walked through the zoo one day with us enjoying the animals and the sights.  I wrote about our last trip here http://www.lisaandsteven.com/  Look in the what's new section.  Dreams do come true.  

Love, Mama

You Ain't From These Parts

Dear Sweet Bear,
Your verbal skills for 2 years 4 months are over the top.  You love to do word plays or tell little stories.  Sometimes you're a little poet.
Yesterday on the way back from an exuberant trip to St. Louis we did our traditional stop in a small town, Greenup, IL.  Greenup, the sight of  Pank's Pizza, the Candy Kitchen, and Abe Lincoln's first statements negative to slavery.  A 1.7 square mile town of 1, 532, as we entered Pank's Pizza for dinner it was clear we were not likely going to be welcomed as number 1,533, 1,534, and 1,535.  Laser beam eyes traced our path as we sat down to order.  Growing up I was stared at a lot.  Maybe I dressed a wee unconventional, but I really didn't think so, or maybe it was my Polish honker?... but ask my mom, my clothing choices were the bane of her existence.  Everywhere we went, "Why are people staring at you."  How am I to know?  Does it have to be such a negative thing?  So for the most part I can block out poppin' eyes until it gets really intense as this experience in Greenup was.  At the end of our meal a woman that was sitting to our left, reading a book alone enjoying her mean came to us, bent down and told us that she was an elementary principal and she wanted to tell us that we had such a nice boy!  He was eating his dinner so nicely and she really like hearing him say his please and thank you's!!!  Wow!  Good thing she didn't see you flinging your water bottle across the grass at the Arch a couple of hours earlier screaming!  She may have concluded a different opinion.  I have to remember sometimes that people aren't always staring to be rude or to pry, sometimes it is just because they think we're interesting and might like to get to know us!  Maybe we just didn't know the secrete town head bob or something.  
After Pank's (which was delicious) we went to the historic Candy Kitchen.  Daddy had a chocolate soda, good but not like Lou's at Zaharako's in Columbus, and you wanted a scoop of homemade butter pecan ice cream.  You professed its yumminess.  While reading the Candy Kitchen's brochure you started "reading it out loud" and graced us with a lovely and poignant poem to round out our trip.

"Ice cream"

"How I eat ice cream?"

"Its all gone."

 -Henry John Carl Thompson   July 17, 2011

I know! It is brillant.  Perhaps you were inspired by the spirit of Mr. Lincoln to really express yourself.  Who knows?!  It is possible? Right?

Screaming, "I LOVE ICE CREAM!"

Love, Mama