Chuga Chuga Choo Choo!

Also, two weeks ago, we took the boys to one of our absolute favorite STL attractions - the Wabash Frisco & Pacific Railroad - miniature steam engine trains that run on a track along the cliffs above the Meramec River. This was our third trip to the railroad, the first, of course, for Baby Ryan.

The big reason we chose this weekend was because Isabella and Grammy took the train to Chicago for a girl's weekend with Aunt Mandy, and Sean was really put off that Sissy was riding a train and he wasn't. So WF&P was my saving grace.

This is also the second time that we've gone and there's been a derailment on our train, so we're wondering if that's a bad omen of some sort. Too bad, really, because we're just going to keep coming. It's too much fun!

Amy, Sean & Trey

October 2007

Isabella, Trey & Sean

June 2008

Ryan, Trey & Sean

September 2009

I love my boys!

Because, com'mon, they are freaking cuter than cuteness!

Passing one of the other engines.

This really is a little boys dream outing!

Momma & her boys

My Easy Rider

When Sean turned 3 in May, he got a brand new bike! And then never rode it. At all, wouldn't even sit on it, to the point where I thought "Why do I ever buy this kid anything for his birthday?" His 1st and 2nd birthday presents from Mommy and Daddy have already been sold on Craigslist.

He did like to run around in his Lightening McQueen bike helmet and knee pads, but he was more interested in modeling them than breaking them in.

Sean, aka Mr. Blue Steal, back in May

Well, to my complete and total surprise, two weeks ago, Sean not only decided to take the safety gear beyond mere accessories, but decided he wanted to ride his bike! I am so proud of my Little Guy!

The big guy getting help from Daddy.

Notice Sophie getting completely ignored as usual.

My biker boy, sporting a mean tat from Sports Clips.

Look out, X Games 2022, Sean's bringin' some mad skillz!

Festival of the Little Hills

Also back in August, the fam decided to check out the Festival of the Little Hills - a St. Charles tradition. For you Hannibalians, it's like Folk Life, just bigger. Crafts, kids games, food, drink and many a fried delicacy - such as fried cookie dough and fried Oreo cookies. Yum!

And for mid-August, it was in the 70s - just perfect weather, and everyone and their brother (and mother, and dog, and pet gerbil) came out. We totally lucked out with parking, but our friends Brian & Melissa, who were meeting us there, spent over an hour searching for their spot. But in the end, we had a great time, eating way too much, running into friends, singing, dancing.

Ryan checking out the Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom display.

Seriously cool. But not as cool as Ryan.

IzzyB getting ready to fly on the bungee trampoline!

Weeee!

My little guy taking a drink as we wait for IzzyB.

By the end of the day, we were all pooped.

Only Ryan was lucky enough to not have to walk back to the car.

There was a vacation somewhere...

OK, crazy attempt to catch up on all the things we've done! LOL! Children are sleeping, will blog as fast as humanly possible....

Way back in August (almost two months ago!), we took a vacation! It was fun! (Crap, as I type this, I can hear Piglet babbling and talking in the crib!) This year, like the last few years, we spent the week at Lake of the Ozarks with our best buds, the Schneidermeyers. We rent a house together, just north of Camdenton, on an awesome cove, and we rest, and drink, and play, and drink, and swim, and drink. The kids have a great time, and we get some R&R hours logged.

The view of the cove from our back deck.

We really, really love this place...

Ryan, enjoying the Bagnell Dam Strip.

Only so much a Piglet can do...but look cute!

We go to The Strip to play Skee Ball, mostly, but more and more, we're branching out.

Pretty sure the kids would love an air hockey table at home to continue this vicious war.

One of the few times IzzyB was chasing me during bumper cars.

Yeah, I kicked her butt. Like that dad from Modern Family playing basketball with his kid.

Sean & Cole - these two are just too cute together!

We always spend a day at Big Surf water park.

Baby Ryan passed out from all the fun! =)

Momma & Ryan soakin' in the rays...

Seriously, it should be illegal to be this cute.

We rented a waverunner for a couple of hours.

Izzy B & Sean after tearing up the cove!

Andy, Blake & Melissa getting ready to shred some waves.

It seems oh so long ago, but we really enjoy this week away. We are so blessed to be able to take a vacation, out of town, with friends, rest, play....drink. Now we just need our parents to buck up and someone go retire down at the lake so we can have a house to stay at for free. =)

Edited to add: I jammed one of my toes when we were at Big Surf - the little booger tried to start a fight with a concrete step, and lost. It still hurts. Like, right now, I put on my gym shoes to go workout, and my toe is still aching as I put my foot in the tenny's. Vacation memories can indeed last forever!

An apple a day...

They say it's never to early to teach your kids to make healthy food choices. I recently joined an organic food co-op, and it was my turn to drive to Ballwin to pick up the goods for the six of us that live in the St. Charles area. Isabella and I had a fun drive out, in the midst of rush hour traffic, getting lost because I was admiring the water park right next to the parking lot I was supposed to turn into, etc, etc. She really is so fun!

So then we get back, she helps my friends get their goods in the car, and then I start putting away our bounty. Apples, romaine, squash, oh my! And of course, I have yet to learn that I can't keep the refrigerator door open. Because Speedy Gonzales will go in for the kill.

That little stinker grabbed an apple and started chowing down!

Look, ma, No Hands!!

And the list gets longer...

I have this ongoing list of "All the things I never had to deal with with Sean that I do with Ryan." I know, long title, and it's a long freakin' list. Same parents, same environment, same upbringing, totally and completely different children. From day one. You hear about this when you have one child, but just like a childless couple, people can *tell* you things about having kids, but you don't really get it until you are there.

If Sean is my creature of comfort, Ryan wants constant change. He's happiest experiencing new, grumpy when you give him the same ol', same ol'. I cannot feed him the same thing too many times, because he bores of it and revolts. It's my own personal Bastille Day.

If Ryan is having a horrible day at home, I had to learn that I need to get him out of the house, whereas with Sean, that was the sign to keep our butts inside.

Ryan starts his day running, Sean wants to ease into things.

Sean is my sweet charmer, Ryan is my gregarious boy.

Sean did everything late - rolled over late, sat up late, crawled late, stood up & cruised late. He didn't walk until 17 months. He has a total "When I get around to it" attitude. Ryan is taking steps. At 9 1/2 months.

But what I've dealt with the most is Stuff. And the getting into Stuff. I used to watch kids in playgroup at my house, getting into things that Sean never touched, thinking, "Wow, those kids are weird."

No. Those kids aren't weird. Mine was weird. And Ryan is crazy. Trying to lick outlets. Trying to go for a swim in the toilet. Exploring behind the entertainment center. Pulling down the fake tree in the living room, eating the fake moss on top. Pulling the toy basket on top of himself. Sweeping the items on top of the toilet onto the floor - Isabella's rock collection has since been moved.

But yesterday was a new one. Another one to add to the list.

See that empty space in the fridge?

That's where the eggs were before Ryan pulled those down.

And there are Nine Extra Large eggs, all cracked, on the floor...

seeping under the fridge.

Thank you, Costco, for selling Extra Large eggs.

Thank you, Ryan, for showing me how much more I have to learn. =)

Round the Cycle We Go

Today is officially the first day of Cycle Break. For all you traditionalists, Cycle Break is what every child in grade school around here dreams of - three straight weeks off when everyone else is in school! We live in the *only* school district in the entire state of Missouri that operates its elementary schools on a year-round school schedule, and Isabella couldn't be happier.

So not only has it only been three weeks that Isabella has lived with us full time, we now face three weeks of no school! What to do, oh, what to do.....

Well, I'm not sure about the next 14 week days, but today, Isabella has been hosting her own version of Romper Room. Sean, Ryan, and Sean's girlfriend Emma are having a blast!

I'll be honest. I have NO idea what they are doing.

One Small Step for Man...

Hi. It's me. Ryan just took ONE step. =)

I think we still have a long way to go before we're a full walker, but this kid knows he's got it! The problem is he gets so excited from standing (and now today, taking one step) that he looses his balance. And he's still a pretty wobbly guy all around, but man, is he so freakin' cute and funny!

Ga-Ross!

Just a quickie post....

So I'm making one of my favoritist dinners tonight - Garlic Chicken Penne. Isabella and Sean and half the kids in the neighborhood are outside, playing kickball. Trey's (finally) tilling my side flower bed.

And Ryan is crawling around on the kitchen floor, exploring, laughing, playing. For no particular reason, I look down at him. He's chewing on a diaper. Which I don't think much of, and I say, "You silly goose, where'd you get that?" And then I start to wonder - where the Hell did he get that.

Oooooooohhhhh Eeeeemmmmmmm Ggggggeeeeeee! That diaper is wet, with pee. That's Ryan's diaper in his mouth!! (Swallow the tiny bit of vomit that just came up.) My first - completely irrational - thought is how the heck did he get into the trash can, open a wet diaper, etc. And then the realization hits....

Ryan is wearing a pair of overall shorts over a t-shirt. All clothing is intact. And yet he is wearing No Friggin' Diaper! My baby is Houdini reincarnated. He removed his wet diaper, without removing his clothing, all while hanging out under my feet as I cooked.

I'm still in shock.

Follow that Baby!

The last of the Latta childrens would be Ryan. Or Piglet. Or Baby Taz. Named so because that kid leaves a path of destruction wherever his wee little hands and knees take him. Ryan is the kid that Sean was not. He's showing me how not-child proofed my home is, he's into everything, tearing up all that gets in his way, as he squeals and screams with glee. He's a Freak.

Luckily, he's a cute freak. That's what God does to keep you from killing your own young. While he still looks bald from far away, when you get close, you realize he has quite the head of blond hair. And it's starting to curl up, and totally reminds me of the baby from Hi & Lois. (What was that kid's name?!)

Hi & Lois baby

He has the most stunning blue eyes. Great, another gorgeous kid, this one a blue-eyed blond stud. Did I mention I was in trouble? He's a charmer, too. Smiley, happy, gregarious, full of zest and life, curious and mischievous. And then he'll hit the proverbial wall, his head spins around and pea soup shoots out. Yeah, he's *that* kid. Charms the pants off ya, and then flips out and you have no clue what hit you.

Happy baby, doing what he loves best. Eating.

And he is SO living up to his Piglet nickname. Ryan does NOT stop eating! And, per his 9 month check up last week, he's only 25th percentile for weight! Of course, being a Latta, he's 87th percentile for height, and is wearing the size 12 months clothes that Sean wore the summer after he turned one. But he's constantly filling up those hollow legs. He still drinks 4-6 bottles per day, plus is on almost all table food, eating anything I put in front of him. We are pretty much done with baby food, and will probably be transitioning to a cup and milk by the time he's 10 months. He's a freak of nature.

But a freak of nature that I sure do love. He's just so amazing. Teeth #7 and #8 are breaking through the gums this week, he's cruising all over the place, climbing up on steps, standing for a good 10-15 seconds. He gives kisses, drinks from a cup, says Mama and Dada (and bunch of other stuff that I can't figure out). He's so big, so fast. I think I'll keep him.

My little climber & explorer.

Who is this Little Man in my house?

While I've been non-blogging, my baby is growing up. Fast! I'm referring to my first born, Mr. Sean. AKA Lil' Boo. AKA Little Man.

Sean is growing like CRAZY! He is as tall as my hips, talks like a little boy rather than a baby, tells jokes (badly). He knows all his colors, shapes, most of his letters, can spell his name, and is getting better at his numbers. He asks a million and one questions a day (OK, I actually hate this, but I know it's a good thing.) And my favorite, dances like a madman! He's seen a few episodes of So You Think You Can Dance. And he thinks he can! (And, um, he actually can!)

Flyboy Sean, mid-back spin. He's got some mad dance skillz!

Oh, and we're peeing on the potty. =)

Yessirree, a week after I decided to stop talking about it, and give it a rest for a month, Sean decided he wanted to be a big boy and he *stands* and pees in the potty, just like Dad does. Not to sound perverted, but it's the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Now, the #2 duty is nowhere on the horizon, and I'm hoping he figures that out by the time he moves out of the house. So he still wants to wear diapers, not big boy underwear or even Pull Ups. He's had few accidents, and most of those were out of indifference. I don't love this trait in my son, something that he's shown ever since he was a baby. Remember how he didn't walk until 17 months? It wasn't because he couldn't do it. It was because he was like "Meh. I'll do later." So we still have a long road to go before he's 100% potty trained, but at least I know we're on the road!

And I cannot tell you enough. I have a gorgeous son. I mean, he's just flat out beautiful. I know I'm his mom, but seriously, he is going to be that little boy that all the girls are googoo-gaga over. I'm so in trouble.

Pretty boy, with his big, brown eyes. And goofy grin.

In the meantime, Sean's adjusting to sharing a room with his brother. They're doing great, though Sean's waking up a good hour and a half before he used to, and not making up for that with an afternoon nap. (Lots and lots of whiny, cranky 3 year old this past week. Ick.) And I've tried to let him sleep in, and just get Ryan up, but this picture shows what I am now walking into at the crack of dawn.

My boys. Two peas in a pod.

Needless to say, these boys love each other to death, and Sean is just the *best* big brother. Until he rams Ryan over at full speed. Or my favorite - he knocks him down, Ryan starts crying and Sean starts shushing him to be quiet so Momma won't come in. I know eventually I will have to pad all the walls like an asylum and replace all my household goods with rubber and plastic. But at least my boys will be close!

...And Tween makes Five...

In case you haven't heard by now, our family grew by ONE recently! Well, technically, we've been a five-member family since December 4th of last year, but now we're "Official!"

Isabella now lives with us Full Time!! Yes, it's very exciting, we could not be happier! And, yes, it was a surprise to us all! Long, complicated story short, two Sunday evenings ago, we got a call that she wanted to move here, and two and a half hours later, she was here. The next day was still a major in-limbo day, and it wasn't until Monday night that we knew - for sure - that this was happening. Isabella started a new school on Tuesday, and our life has changed forever since then.

Gift from my dear friend Amy E.

We now have the boys sharing the nursery, and Isabella has her room back to herself upstairs. We've visited her school, met her teacher as well as some of her classmates. She has new friends, one of whom she has hung out with multiple times. She asking about getting involved in activities this year and next, and even asked me to show her where she will be going to middle school next year.

Isabella, chillin' in her updated digs.

The boys and I get her on and off the bus, she helps with dinner, goes shopping with me, and just this morning, I was quizzing her on her spelling words for her test today as we waited for the bus. It's new, exciting, crazy, chaotic, and All Good!

Our baby girl, IzzyB

In all fairness...

I haven't forgotten about my blog. I have no less than 11 partially written posts, all started with the full intention of getting posted, but life (read: Children) find a way of interrupting, and days later, the realization that that story has long passed. In the past month (which I think was August, but it flew by too quickly), I have not worked on my blogs; on Pampered Chef; on my photo cards; or anything else that may eventually lead to my post-children career.

However, in the past month....

We went on vacation.

Had a very successful garage sale.

Added another child to the daily mix.

Rearranged bedrooms.

Established brand new routines for all kids (and mom and dad!).

Oh, wait, did you catch that 3rd one? The one about the new, full-time kid? More on that later... =)

The beauty of being a stay-home-mom is that I can deal with these large family changes and not worry that my work is suffering. My work is my Family.

And I'd just like to say that this Family has never, ever been better.

In the meantime, I, the novice writer, obviously need to embrace the short and sweet stories, and worry about the long poetic prose for another time in my life!