Some cute pics: A study in green ;)

Kieran and mommy cuddling on the sofa after bathtime

Neko wanted to get in on the love-in

Kieran getting ready to walk out the door (sans shoes!) for another visit at his new school- note the pack-back... he is very, very excited about it ;)

Such a big boy :)

Boone County Fair 2011

With the drop in the temps (low 80's from nearly 100*) we decided to try our luck at the county fair this year. Although Kieran enjoyed the petting zoo and a snowcone the fair just didn't seem that great this go around. Not a lot of rides for little ones and not that much going on really. On the plus side, there weren't very many folks out and the weather was down right pleasant :) The animals were a big hit and Kieran really enjoyed feeding the goats. There really wasn't a ride, other than the carousel, that Kieran wasn't too small for or I wasn't too big to ride so we opted for a couple passes on the oldest, most junky looking carousel I think I have ever seen. Kieren didn't seem to mind the looks of it and liked that fact that it went pretty darned fast! He liked his cherry snowcone but didn't like having to have help with it. One unexpected interest was a strange, roaming, mechanical, puppet-machine that Kieran liked talking with- I think it reminded him of Elmie ;)

Feeding the "cows"

"One more snack!" This means he wants us to buy another $1 cup of goat kibble ;)

None of us were to sure about this camel...

Getting goat feeding tips from dad

Riding and sort of enjoying the carousel that time forgot...

The snowcone pre frustration melt down ;)

The roaming mechanical puppet- as you can see Kieran is interested but just not sure yet

The remains of July...

Kieran has spent the last few days of July nude from the waist down (unless we leave the house;) playing indoors mostly because of this terrible heat! Lots of running around, tormenting the dogs, pushing trains, smooshing play-dough and generally being wild! We managed to get one last "vacation" in before August rolls around... against Rick's better judgment we went to Onondaga State Park to enjoy a little of the out of doors and sleep in a cabin- whoo-hoo!
On our way to the resort we stopped at the Onondaga cave and nature center- got a little of the great outdoors but still stayed cool ;) The cave tour was over an hour long with lots of hiking on slippery paths deep within the earth while stopping every now and again to listen to the guide. Kieran did okay but didn't have much patience for the tour guide's information so that was a bit embarrassing- lots of yelling "GO!" and animals sounds "RIB-BIT!!", but he got better the further we went. The cave was pretty cool (literally and figuratively) and I think despite some of the fussing, Kieran liked it too- he asked to go back today ;)
After the cave we checked into our little cabin which Kieran loved! He ran around from room to room (there were two including a bathroom ;) "cleaning" and checking out his new digs. He was really excited about the the bunk beds and jumped around there for a while too. After we settled in and played as long as we could stand at the park's playground, we headed into "town" for dinner. Onondaga is located in Leasberg, MO a tiny little town with one very greasy, very smoky local diner. The good thing was that the clientele was just as loud and obnoxious as Kieran- so we fit in fine ;) Mommy enjoyed a beer and daddy and Kieran split a couple cokes- BIG mistake! Even though we cut Kieran's pop with water, he still had waaaay too much sugar and caffeine and we paid for it at bedtime! We all liked our greasy pub food fine- Kieran packed away most of a huge burger and some mac n' cheese before we finally started back to the cabin.
We all showered (smelled like an ash-tray after dinner!) and settled in for a little Finding Nemo (we brought the lap top). Eventually we decided it was time for Kieran to head off to dream land- it was nearly nine by then. So I went outside while Rick tried to get the little one down- no luck. I tried my hand for a while but it was clear he was wound for sound- bouncing around, giggling and getting out of bed! We tried to watch a little more TV but he couldn't even be still for that! Eventually we went with the tried and true... "cry-it-out-good-cop-bad-cop" Rick holds him down so he can't run around and then Kieran cries and eventually, when mom can't take it any more I soothe him until he passes out from exhaustion ;) It works but it isn't pretty. Needless to say, Kieran was up LATE last night- past 10:30 for sure! He did however, sleep in a little till after 8 this morning.
After we cleaned up and ate a little we packed the car and headed down to the river- the main attraction for the park. We decided against a float this year and opted instead to hang out on the gravel bars and play in the water. Kieran liked the rocks a lot and warmed up to the water- we played there for nearly two hours before Kieran had had enough- unfortunately we didn't bring the camera down to the water so we missed out on those photo ops. After we showered and cleaned up we headed back home. We stopped in Cuba for some lunch at Pizza Hut and then were on the road again. We made it back home by 2 and as always it's good to be in our own house.
Kieran did great with his potty training and even managed to "hold it" a couple of times- like when we were stuck in the cave tour without a potty or on the road- he has turned in to such a big boy!

Naked Kieran wearing his Tigger hat he and mommy "colored'

Kieran wearing one of mommy's jackets- good look for him don't you think? ;)

A favorite pass-time... dragging a block while Koshka chases it!

Koshka prevails

Play-dough time. Rick made Kieran Mike and Sully from Monster's Inc. and Kieran was scarring the "baby" with them!

Waiting at the Onondaga nature center for the cave tour to begin

Mommy and Kieran's matching "cheesy" smiles ;)

Kisses!

In the cave enjoying the 57* temps!

The main Lodge and store

Our "Kozy Cabin"

The accommodations- we ended up just pushing the double bed up against the bunk beds and all slept together- like the good ol' days ;)

The Meramac River were we played in the rocks and "ocean" as Kieran called it ;)

Kieran pretending to sleep in one of the bunk beds in our cabin

Lunch at Pizza Hut on the way home

St. Louis Vist 2011

We took another mini-trip this week, this time to St. Louis to visit the Magic House and zoo. We stayed with friends of ours from Chicago who have recently relocated to the St. Louis area. After spending a sweltering morning at Pirate's Cove pool with some girlfriends and their children we had a little lunch and got on the road and were so glad to see our plan worked- Kieran was thoroughly worn out and slept most of the way to Irene's house. We picked up our friend and headed off to the Magic House in St. Charles. Kieran visted this children's museum last year and remembered the model train area very well and made a b-line for it as soon as we got there! We spent a lot of time there pushing buttons and watching trains run on the tiny little tracks while Kieran ran up and down making his train sounds and yelling "All-da-board!"
We finally did manage to convince Kieran that some of the other exhibits might be fun too and he finally relented and enjoyed lots of other play areas before returning to the trains one last time ;) That night we had a yummy dinner with Greg and Irene while Kieran ran around their new home, making it his own with his potty chair in tow and Monster's Inc. on their TV! Once Kieran was down, we really enjoyed spending time with our friends and having a drink, or two ;) Kieran slept okay until about 4 am but after that he was awake most of the early morning rolling around and talking.
After a breakfast at McDonald's Kieran slept on the way to the zoo and so did mommy ;) Kieran had a good time at the zoo, but had a few melt-downs due to the lack of sleep the night before and the intense temps- upwards of 100 degrees- yuck! Of course his primary objective at the zoo was to ride the train- which we did and he loved every minute of that! He also really liked a "tunnel" that was meant to look like the belly of a whale (not sure he ever caught on to that). He loved the penguins and we went through that exhibit a couple times- he ended up convincing us he needed a little hopping penguin toy as a souvenir :) We rode the carousel and that was a moderate success. He also really liked a sort of hands on children's building with sand and manipulatives he could interact with- this was the place we saw "Dorie" from Finding Nemo ;) We ate a yummy lunch at the Painted Giraffe Cafe and then hit the road and as expected, Kieran was out in five minutes flat and slept the entire way home despite a pit stop and some serious traffic :)
We all had a very nice trip but as usual it is lovely to be home again in our own space. Next week we will take our last mini-vacation down to Onondoga state park to stay in a cabin and play in the creek. More to come on that trip soon...

Kieran and the model trains at The Magic House. I am surprised we don't have more pics seeing as how we stayed here for half an hour!

A tunnel in the Magic House- Kieran said he was looking for a mouse ;)

Water play...

Kieran eyeing a "fish stick" so he could go fishing for a plastic fish in the pond.

Build your own race car.

Kieran is really into "cleaning" right now and took this dust pan all around the construction area in the Magic House "cleaning" up the rocks and dirt ;)

Kieran in the Bobcat

President Rother- has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

President Kieran and his secretary of transportation discussing important train matters

In the petting zoo...

This is what Kieran was staring at :)

Petting the rays and sharks with daddy at the zoo

"Look mommy! Dorie!"

Kieran checking out the "pigs" (guinea pigs)

On the "shake shake bridge" (a Thomas reference)

Kieran's new favorite animals

Mommy and Kieran in the penguin house- this is a great exhibit on a hot day- very coooold inside!

On the carousel- he was just about to loose it because he heard a train pulling into the station and wanted to get on NOW!

Finally- on the train at last!

I think next time we go we will buy a pass so that we can just ride the train around three or four times- he can't get enough!

Kieran on the car ride home- completely zonked out!