Eckert's 2010

We have not posted since early August, and there is a reason. We have been BUSY!!!! Ryan's sister, Tory, got married September 25 and Mandy has been putting her all into helping out with the wedding. We are glad to announce that the wedding was a beautiful success (it was a gorgeous day) and Danny and Tory are officially Mr. and Mrs. Danny McCorkell. (We hope to post pictures of the wedding later, but we didn't take any ourselves...gotta wait for the bride's copies).

Now life will slow for us for a little while. At least, that is our wish. We were able to spend some family time together this weekend and we went for our annual trip to Eckert's Farm. And as is tradition, we dressed Brendan in his Halloween costume to take some pictures. After the photo session, we ate some good country food and made our way to see all the animals. Brendan was a little too timid to get too close, but was able to name many of the animals that we passed. He's still reminding us, the day after, that he saw a "big camel." It's amazing to see how much he has learned just since last year. We then stopped to watch the pig races which Brendan loved. Each time they would let the pigs run around the track, Brendan would yell: "Go! Go! Go!" So cute. We then picked apples from the tree and found our perfect pumpkins: a daddy pumpkin, a mommy pumpkin, and baby pumpkin. We ended up with a beautiful day and another day full of memories.

Spider Brendan poses with a "scarecrow man."

Brendan drive a tractor:

The closest Brendan got to the animals. Watching Daddy feed the goats:

Uncle Shane and Aunt Lilly:

Brendan's ride around the park...Daddy. (Notice the beautiful blue sky.):

Our ride to pick apples:

Brendan picking his own apple off the tree:

Brendan eats his own apples this year, too!:

NaNa and BawBaw pose with Brendan (well, he watches them pose). Saying, "Cheese!":

Searching for Mommy's perfect pun'kin:

Uncle Shane found a winner!:

Holding "Baby" Pumpkin:

Fun Time with Daddy

Mandy has been so busy this summer that it has been hard to do things together as a family. But she was blessed with a Saturday off of work last week, without anything written onto the calendar. So we took advantage and went to a local aquatic center, just the three of us. We had a blast. There is a huge kid pool that was 4 feet at the deepest, water jets that shoot up from the ground, and a large wading pool that had a playground in the center with a giant bucket of water that would fill and then dump over tons of water. Brendan was a little afraid of that particular part of the aquatic center because it made a loud noise every time it would dump. His favorite part: a lazy river that circled the park. Going in we thought he'd lose patience easily, but we were pleasantly surprised. They had double rafts with one side closed in on the bottom so he could sit next to Mommy and enjoy the ride. As we'd pass under bridges that would drop water on us, we'd all scream. It was so much fun! After we took a break to eat some lunch he ran up to the river, pointing and shouting, "Raff! Raff!" (raft to those who don't understand toddler-speak). So we did it again. With as little time as we get to spend together, what with working opposite shifts all week and constantly staying busy with other life demands, it made this day seem all the more special.

Another Play Group Activity

Last week we were able to take the kids on another play group activity. As it was far too hot to be outdoors, we decided to visit a place called Monkey Joe's. Our friends Katie and Bobbie had been there a number of times and had recommended it as a good place to take the younger ones. So they joined us, along with Jessica and Josie. What a fun place!

It is an indoor location with wall-to-wall bouncy houses. They assign age levels to each house to keep things safe. For example, Brendan and Bobbie played in the ones dedicated to ages 3 and under. For most of our stay at Monkey Joe's, Brendan was OBSESSED with the quarter machine play car (even though I never put a single quarter in the slot). No matter where I would drag him around the location, he would sprint his way back to that toy car. We had to learn a number of lessons in sharing as other children would want to play in it...and B was reluctant to give it up. After about an hour of getting in and out of the car, I was finally able to coax him into the bouncy houses (with a little extra motivation from Bobbie). He would jump a few times, fall down a lot, and then be finished with each house.

All in all, it was a fun day. Some life lessons were learned, and we were able to spend some time with friends while still staying out of the terrible St. Louis humid summer heat.

Brendan driving:

Jumping:

And falling:

Josie, sliding down the slide like a big girl

Bobbie, cheese-in it up:

Cousin Time

In late July we were able to work out a time for Brendan to have a play date with his cousin, Jaxon. He came over to play in our backyard inflatable pool (which we have decided the boys have already outgrown). Jaxon was all over swimming time. He would leap off the top of the slide or dive face-first into the deeper pool. He sure is a dare-devil.

Brendan, on the other hand, enjoyed filling the pool with every single water toy available, pulling them all out, putting them back in, pulling them out, then in, and so on. I think it's fair to say that he has a cumpulsive side to him. At least he was entertained.

No More Shoes!

A few weeks ago we went to see the foot specialist and we were told that Brendan is officially DONE with his magic shoes!!!! He is still a bit pigeon-toed when he walks, but his feet are straight when he stands still and sits with his legs out front. The shoes did their job and corrected his bowed legs. As far as the remaining problem, the orthopedist explained that most children simply grow out of being pigeon-toed. We will still need to go in for a check-up once a year to make sure that he does not regress, but he firmly believes that the problem will correct itself by age 6. If it remains, or gets worse again, then we will have to consider surgical options. But he explained that the chance of this happening is one in a million. What a relief!