Amundsons

This past weekend we all headed to Southern Illinois for the Kettelkamp family reunion. Before we got there we decided to make it a 3 day tour and saw as many relatives along the way as possible. There was fishing at my Uncle Rogers pond (or better know as "the great lakes" in my family). Here was the finally score: Mom--- 0 (but she was the photographer) Dad---- 0 (there is no excuse for him) Charlie-0 (she was completely grossed out by the whole experience and once a fish was caught she wanted nothing to do with it. She loves fish so I thought she would love this. However apparently she loves fish and seeing them gasping and struggling was not what she considered a good time.) I however caught 3. Yes that is right... I am the woman! Ok... so they weren't very big, but please note the fly rod. Not easy my friends. We spent some time at my Uncle Richards Farm. Where she got to sit in one of her favorite things. A tracker. This is what she considers a good time.

The next time you are heading to the zoo. Stop and check your watch. Make sure that it is after 5pm. Today we wanted to go to the zoo but with various projects going on we didn't make it there until after 5pm.... it was awesome. If you have never been to the zoo in the evening, you need too. Very few people, cooler weather, great free parking and best of all the animals are out moving around so much more than during the heat of the day. I don't think I will ever go before 5 again. The flamingos... the apes... watching those silly bears... and of course the HIPPOS!!!! Papi made a better stroller.

1 kid + 2 grandparents + 1 amazing day at Grants Farm = a 4 hour nap

Charlie has found that a washcloth can make a great blankie for a hippo. And when there are multiple hippos, there is a need for multiple blankies. Plus then there are fewer washcloths for one of her least favorite activities, washing her face. Here she is telling me to "shhhh... hippos are night night" while she is rocking her baby to sleep. Also note worthy for anyone who does not want to get yelled at if they come over to play, she is very particular about who gets what bottle. For instance the above milk bottle with the pink top is only for baby. The below purple bottle is only for hippos. Apparently hippos are fake lactose intolerant and need soy. Tucking them in, and making sure that their toes are covered. Sweet dreams Hippos.

What is all the hubbub about obese children in America? If she runs to the ice cream shop it doesn't count right???? Please note that it is not by accident that she knows exactly where she is going. That is from some seriously strict training all summer.

After the yearly reorganization of the basement (and the 15 trips to Goodwill... how does all this stuff happen!!!!). I pulled out the hammock that Jacob and I bought in Costa Rica 3 years ago. Mostly because of my strict commitment to if I haven't used it in the past 12 months it was gone, and it hadn't been used in...yes, you guessed it, 3 years. Within minutes of putting it up Charlie had found a new home. The girl knows how to relax. She is also a giant fan of her new table and little "nook" that I made for her out of some old left over slate tile from the reorganization of the garage (no seriously!!! How does all of the stuff get there!) Just so we are clear though, my rainbow umbrella is still cooler than hers. And the "Summer of ice cream" continues...

Charlie loves Yuri. She is one of her good friends at Daycare that I hear about in the care ride home. Last weekend was her 1st birthday and her mom threw an amazing birthday Luau This is Yuri... don't you just want to eat her up???? Charlie making and then trying to figure out how to wear her glasses. The beautiful cake. Please note that I did not take a picture of the cake straight on, I took a picture of the side of the cake. The side of the cake that was exposed to a certain little blonde 2 year old girl, who could not resist the temptation and stuck her fingers right in. Where was her mother???

One day in the future Charlie is going to be over at a friends house, and her/his mom is going to make toasted grilled cheese. She will look at this June Cleaver-like mother and tell her that her grilled cheese isn't done cooking, because she forgot to blacken it. Which will be fine... until she takes her shirt off when they give her the tomato soup.

Charlie, Mjollner and I headed to Forest Park for a hike this morning. Prior to turning around we took a water break at Art Hill (it is a hill in front of the Art Museum, for those curious about the name... ) Charlie ran as fast as her legs could possible carry her down the hill. Laughing the whole way. Pure Joy. When she got to the bottom I sent Mjollner after her, which wasn't the brightest idea because he is old and fat and didn't want to come back up the hill so Charlie and I had to persuade/beg/plead/half carry him back to the top of the hill. While we were doing this the conversation went like this. Me: Come on Mjollner, you need to keep going. Charlie (with her eyes rolling at me): Mama he can't talk yet. I will tell him for you.... Ruff Ruff Ruff.... (special note: he still didn't move)

Charlie's prayer tonight at dinner "Thank you Jesus for my yummy cookies, thank you for my applesauce, thank you for my cheese, thank you for my yummy cookies, thank you for my turkey, thank you for my yummy cookies, thank you for my bread, thank you for my milk, thank you for my yummy cookies thank you for my pickle, thank you for my yummy cookies... Amen." Guess what she was excited about?

We live in St. Louis. A town that is filled with people who where born here and have grandparents who lived here and probably saw the arch go up. We don't. Neither of our families live close, so being in a town where everyone has family sometimes it gets to me. I think how fun it would be to just go over to my moms for a Sunday dinner or drop off Charlie at Jake's parents so we can head to a movie on a Friday. We don't have that but we do have the next best thing, we have our church group. Its a group that has become like a family to us. We have been involved in a church group since we first started at our church (with the Atkisons) which was... wow... probably like 6 or 7 years ago. And even though it has changed over the years in people, we really have only been apart of 2 different groups (both of which had Mohrs at times, we cant get enough of them!) Our first group we loved dearly and they truly became family to us here in St. Louis. I still consider many of th