VACATION!

The weather forecast for today is saying temperatures in the 40s...that's just a little change from the weather we were enjoying last week in the Caribbean! Bart and I went on a cruise for our 5th wedding anniversary. First, we drove from Kansas City to St. Louis, where Maia and Chase spent their vacation with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Matt and Aunt Laura. They were busy almost everyday, going to the Zoo, Chuck E Cheese, the Pumpkin Patch, and Halloween parties. Grandma gave us a journal from their vacation telling us what the kiddos did each day of their vacation, and gave us a huge stack of pictures! From St. Louis, Bart and I flew to Orlando, Florida. We spent one night there, then we were off to Port Canaveral. Our first stop was Coco Cay, Bahamas, then St. Thomas, and finally St. Maarten (where Bart proposed 6 years ago!) We had such an amazing time! We took about 500 pictures while we were there...Here are a few of the highlights.

The Bahamas Parasailing in the Bahamas Our HUGE ship, Mariner of the SeasAfter one of the formal dinners on the shipOne section of the upper deck of the ship, looking towards the 2 pool bars, and stage The Royal Promenade, in the middle of the ship

Laying out on the upper deck with nothing but ocean for over one hundred miles in all directions.

Before dinner, outside of our dining room

Sunset in St. Thomas

We went snorkeling in St. Thomas, where we saw a ship wreck (a little spooky), jelly fish (really spooky), sea turtles, and tons of beautiful fish.

When we were in St. Maarten, we visited the same jeweler that sold us our engagement ring, and bought a new wedding set! Bart and a beer after buying the rings!

We arrived back to Florida at 6:30am Sunday morning, and our flight wasn't until 5:30pm. Needless to say, we had a little time to spare. So, we went to The Kennedy Space Center. This is one of the 3 remaining Saturn V Rockets in the world. Orlando International Airport, waiting for our flight to go home and see the kids.

9 Month Update

Chase had his 9 month well-baby visit today

Height: 28.5in, 60%

Weight 21.4lbs, 60%

Chase has really be on the move lately. He loves pushing his walker, or anything that he's strong enough to move. His new favorite thing is climbing. He climbs up on anything he's able to hike his little knees onto. Maia's princess chair is usually the first thing he goes for. He is starting to find out that he can stand without holding onto anything...walking is just around the corner.

We went to visit Bart's parent's last weekend. The kids had so much fun! Maia played outside most of the time. She loved the cows!

Our darling daughter

Aunt Laura made a trip to Kansas City this weekend! It was so good to have her here...I know the kids had a blast with their Aunt!SISTERS! BART'S FIRST PONYTAIL! Bart put Maia's hair up in a ponytail for school last week...I'm pretty impressed!

PUMPKIN PATCH!

We went to the Pumpkin Patch last weekend, and decided to see how tall the kiddos are this fall. Maia is growing like crazy! Chase's height may be a litte inaccurate...we may need to wait until the next doctor's visit to see how much he has really grown! Chase still isn't too sure about grass, but he's starting to get a little more curious. He was so good all day, riding around in his stroller, watching all of the kids. Maia ran the entire time we were at the patch. She pet and fed animals, tried out the slides, swings and bikes, road the train, and ran through the corn maze. It was a busy day! She was sound asleep before we hit the main road. Chase has a tooth!! Chase's first tooth busted through today. Aside from the constant changing of drool-soaked bibs, he has been doing really well so far.

Chase has been cruising all around the house for a few weeks now, but his new "trick" is to push the chair around the living room, and he actually stood unassisted for a couple seconds the other day. Watch out...this kid may be walking soon!

Chase is 8 months old!

Maia got a new tea set...and LOVES it. We have all indulged in tea and cookies every night. CHEEEESE!

LAST NIGHT SHIFT!! My last night shift was last night! It has been a long time coming. I am really looking forward to more time with Bart and the kids, as well as more SLEEP!

Maia got her hair cut last weekend. She was so good! She chose to sit in the yellow Hummer.

She picked out a pink sucker when she was finished for doing such a good job!

Chase is 7 months old!

Chase has really been doing a lot lately. He is sitting really well by himself now, and can pull himself up in his pack-and-play, and on the ottoman in our living room. (It's a problem when he tries to pull himself up in the bathtub!) The look on his face shows how proud he is of himself! He has been eating fruits, veggies, and meats. He usually can hold his own bottle (unless he's feeling lazy), and he puts his own pacifier in his mouth. He has been sleeping through the night pretty consistently. (Just to let you know what a relief this is to Bart and me, Maia didn't sleep through the night until she was 2, and still wakes up on occasion) Yesterday, Chase said, "Da, Da". I'm pretty sure he wasn't calling for Bart because he was at work, but it's fun to hear him make new sounds, and to see Maia get so excited when he does something new. She is his biggest cheerleader. She was so happy for him yesterday when he started hitting two blocks together...they were both laughing at the noises he was making..it was so cute!

I am SO PROUD to announce that Maia has gone 36 hours without a pacifier!!! (Including nap and bed time) Many of you know how attached she is to her beloved "pappy". Bart and I thought we'd be up with her all night, but she only woke up once, and went right back to sleep. She has not even asked for it. I thought I had gathered all the pacifiers in the house, but somehow I am still finding them...I didn't realize how many she had! One by one, they are being placed in an undisclosed location. It has been a long time coming, but I think we may have broken the pacifier habit. (I think it has been just as hard for Mom and Dad as it has been for Maia!)

Last weekend, we met Grandma and Grandpa Buck, Uncle Larry, and Aunt Linda in Sedalia for the Missouri State Fair. The weather was perfect. We had a really great day!