NO Dog!

Our boys have been wanting a dog for quite some time. However, for several year's Eric and I have been talking about how nice it will be when we are finally pet free.  We have a 17 year old cat which has been a great cat, but Eric and I have had pets our entire marriage!

I have been the main person against getting a dog.  When it is brought up, I just think of all the negatives that come along with that commitment.  Eric wavers back and forth, but I have been pretty adamant.

Until...A Dog's Purpose!  If you saw the movie you know it focuses on the bond between humans and dogs.  Well this movie just got me thinking about our boys' ages and how time is marching forward VERY quickly.   And every boy needs a dog, right?

The next night on an evening walk with Eric, I reluctantly broached the topic. I did it with caution because I feared vocalizing these thoughts would quickly spiral into a decision to get a dog.  And guess what?  After some breeder research, we were in the car the next evening on our way to meet our new baby!

Meet Chips, our adorable chocolate lab!

New Fun

New tube = new fun

The boys are ready for a new adventure on the water so we got a tube that isn't as big and heavy; therefore, it sails over the water with more ease.

I think they like it!!

To watch a video, click on the link.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6cSXi4H6eV8

Summer Outing

The boys and I took off this morning to enjoy some miniature golf, arcade games, and go-carts!

To watch the boys on the go-carts, use this link:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fEyzc0pquls

The Arch

One thing we have not done as a family in St. Louis is go up in the arch.  We decided this would be the trip!

The entrance to the tram cars is a little daunting and the ride up is definitely cozy!

At 630 feet above ground level, the view is pretty amazing!

St. Louis Fun Continues

The fam is together again at Busch Stadium!

Some of our ballpark traditions:  Cade gets cotton candy and Cameron gets pretzels
             Cade and Eric walk around the ballpark
             Cameron doesn't leave his seat
             Taking pictures to get on the jumbotron

On one of Cade and Eric's walks, Cade experienced a virtual reality game.  Watching someone do virtual reality is quite entertaining.  You can see that here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SWSYo49tes

We heart St. Louis

Our summer mini-vacation is to our beloved city, St. Louis.  Due to a rescheduled game, the Cardinals had a double-header.

Plan for the day:
Cameron and Eric attend game 1
Cade and I go to the zoo
All of us meet up for game 2

I had to break the news to Cade that we would NOT be able to cover this entire zoo the same way we did in Fort Wayne!  We covered a lot of it and had fun exploring it!  HOWEVER, the best part of the zoo was Cade's experience feeding the seal.  Of all the people in the audience, Cade was picked to be the volunteer.  They could not have picked a better person.  Cade LOVED it!  You have to watch the video to see him flinging slimy fish and octopus while using special cues to get the seal to do tricks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqmCSI_8sQo

Another first Cade had was petting the sting rays.  He has always been unsure before, but the baby sting ray was very friendly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTFoPBWahVo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfPHaXMguWQ

After the zoo, we visited Turtle Park so Cade could climb on all of the giant concrete turtles.

Taste of Culver

Eric and I enjoyed an afternoon out at the Taste of Culver.

Back to the Zoo

Cade did not get to see ALL of the animals and ride on the attractions during his school field trip so we had a zoo "date."

We had a great time covering EVERY part of that zoo!

And we enjoyed lunch at the place of Cade's choice, Steak 'n Shake.

Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate

This summer, I decided I wanted to take each boy on a "date" individually.  With Cameron, I chose to take him to tour the South Bend Chocolate Factory.  

We had fun seeing some candies being made, but the most fun was tasting it!  Yum!

Afterwards I let Cameron choose our lunch destination.  It was no surprise that he chose B-Dubs!