Fun Despite April Storms

The weather has been anything but normal since Holden was born about 18 months ago, and this April was no exception. We've been forced to head to the basement twice in the past week, and Friday night's tornadoes in St. Louis were the worst to strike the metropolitan area in over 40 years. I'd say that we've been to the basement with Holden during Tornado Warnings about 7 or 8 times, and each time there was actual threat of a tornado (including the storm this past New Years Eve, which produced a tornado near where my parents used to live ... not too far from us; and then there was the February storms this year, when we were sitting in the basement and witnessed one of our patio tables blow into our basement stairwell).

And aside from the tornadoes, we're now getting a deluge of rain ... ugh. But despite all the extreme weather, we've been able to find time to get out into our garden at home -- and get over to the Missouri Botanical Garden on a regular basis. And when it rains, we just make the best of things inside, building forts or playing with anything in the house that might make a fun an interesting toy.

Here are some quick photos and a video that update what our little buddy has been up to recently:

Novice gardener examines the soil (yep, tastes OK).

Spending time outside whenever possible, even if it means just chilling on the front steps and gazing off into the distance.

Lots of fun at the Missouri Botanical Garden, esp. with Holden's new favorite sculpture -- the sheep. Got to ride several of them, and run around a bunch (always a good thing). And here is the video:

And even when the rain kept us inside, we had lots of fun. This was our latest fort in the dining room, officially named Fort Boppy after the rediscovered boppy pillow became its central (and necessary) feature.

I know that I haven't been stellar at posting new entries to the blog recently, but I hope to get better. Spring is always super busy, but there is always a lot going on in Holden's life to keep the posts coming. Hope to get more updates up very soon (and more videos).

Three Weeks in Spring Time

If you check in here on a regular basis, you know we love going to the Missouri Botanical Gardens, the neighborhod attraction that's practically in our backyard. And in springtime, there's always something new to see. Here are some pics from three (wildly different) consecutive weeks of visits.

Week 1: Mar 27. Day after a snow storm. Cherry Blossoms blooming.

Week 2: April 3. Children's Garden Opening weekend. Beautiful weather.

Week 3: April 9. Tulips and crabapple trees in full bloom. Temperature - upper 80s.

Discoveries

Everyday Holden surprises us with a new skill, or I should say--a new way to entertain us. Often, this involves his own unique interpretation of something we've been trying to teach him. A sample of just a few things that make us chuckle:

-I've tried to teach him what a chimpanzee says by curling my hands under my armpits and making the "ooo ooo" sound. He uses "jazz hands" when he does it.

-Thanks to a book that says that "teeth are not for biting, teeth are for smiling," he's learned how to smile on command. So bring on the cheesy pictures...and the fake smile.

-His teachers at school taught him to pant when he's asked what sound a dog makes. Yep, he really does pant.

-When we ask him what sound a cat makes, he screams. Which is pretty accurate, as you'd know, if you've ever been around our cats.

-He has the keenest sense of hearing for the sound of chirping. The faintest sound, and he blurts out "bird."

-I am, and forever will be, "ba ba." "Ma ma?" That's either "more milk" or "Miss Mo," his teacher at school.

-Holden can tell you what sound a coffee maker makes. Because ours grinds its beans when we turn it on. And because we love coffee.

-He has his own special dance. We call it the Holden shuffle. His daycare teachers call it the running man. I'm convinced his mad dancing skills are thanks to his Black Eyed Peas days in the womb.