The Beginning of August

After a long day of traveling, we arrived in Missouri. Ethan was very happy to see Mimi again! We celebrated Todd's birthday on Sunday. Happy Birthday, Daddy!



During our visit, Ethan REALLY enjoyed time with his cousin Luke. Emily was away at camp and had a great time there, but we missed being able to spend more time with her. We kept busy playing on the swing set outside (when it was cooler and when it wasn't too cool either!), taking walks, playing with Mimi's toys, and watching Sesame Street. (Elmo is a hit where ever Ethan is!) It was great to have time with family. It wasn't all play for Ethan though. He had to help make Papa's Birthday Pecan Pie AND he was often found lending a hand at cleaning up messes. That Mom of his is a slave driver!




We had a special evening getting together with family members. Todd's brother, Derek, and one cousin, John, both live in Joplin, so we usually get to catch up with the families while we are home. Our visit this time overlapped with a visit his other cousin, Julie. It was great getting to see them again. The last time we saw them was at our wedding, and her youngest wasn't even born yet! That's way too long! We visited while boys swam. Yes...boys. Emily, the only daughter from the cousin's children, was away at camp, so there were EIGHT boys splashing about in the pool. As you can see in the photo, Ethan is the baby in the group.





One day we visited a walking trail and nature display. Look at the size of the frogs they have in Missouri! Ethan enjoyed watching the turtles and fish. He also had a good time putting samples under a microscope. We had to get a bit off the trail to get our 'piggies' wet in the stream and throw some rocks. Ethan had a really good time, and Mimi and Mommy did, too!