pictures

Today has been a half day for me. I've been doing lots, but abandoning most endeavors halfway through. That's why I have a load of clean laundry unfolded in a basket, one in the dryer and one in the washer; a drainer full of clean dishes, and a sinkful of dirty; half an abandoned blog post saved to drafts; and pork chops that have been abandoned in a 30 min. marinade for hours while Dan and I eat canned soup. I also made a delicious bruschetta, then remembered that I don't have a yummy baguette to put it on, so I've been eating it with a spoon. So, in an effort to continue putting off moving the laundry to the dryer and finishing the dishes in the sink, and making up the cupcakes (I opened a box of mix, dumped it in a bowl and got the veggie oil out) for my Dad's birthday tomorrow, I've decided to post a bunch of pictures from our trip to Illinois.

I swear, Dan was in a much better mood most of the time!

My very first from scratch blueberry pie! Even Dad liked it, and he is not usually a fan of blueberries outside their natural, uncooked state.

This was at 6 Flags, Jack got himself all worn out, the guys had a blast, and Sara, Mom, Dad and I sampled the various culinary offerings such as huge turkey legs and funnel cake. Sara has an unnatural love for funnel cake!

Although you can't really see it in this picture, this is a terrified Grampy holding a sleeping Jackson in one arm and using the other to hold on for dear life! I didn't know it, but apparently Dad is scared of Ferris wheels, but he has no problems with the thrill rides/roller coasters.

This is a very sad Sara at Olive Garden. We went for soup, salad and breadsticks, but stayed for the never ending pasta bowls. And Jack decided that simply rubbing his tomato-sauce-covered hands on Sara's white shirt was not enough. (those spots could be controlled by the Tide pen that sneaky Aunt Rachel had in her purse) He moved onto finger painting, and Sara gave it up as a lost cause

A pool full of scouts, and my hubby. Can you tell which one is the 23 year old man in the pool full of teenagers? I'll give you a hint, he's in the back.

Dan and PJ at the St. Louis Zoo
Explorer Dan, searching...always searching

The Lines Family, featuring Justin-recently joining the ranks of overworked law student; Sara-sporting her Coach sunglasses and baby Madeline bump, Jack-chilling in the stroller, sporting the cute new hat that Aunt Rachel got him; and Madeline-who makes her debut in a month.
Dan, being a good monkey brother, grooming PJ

Another 6 Flags pic, with Jack hanging out with his fav uncle, sporting the way cool shades that Grammy got him

Jackson, "helping" daddy play the piano.
Another Jack pic, this time at the botanical garden.
Jack playing in a water feature at the botanical garden. This is the end of a progression from looking, running up to, splashing, drinking from, and finally putting his head in the fountain.
Jack and his other fav uncle, PJ

Jack was really into the butterflies. He kept wanting to touch them! And though you can't really tell, that's Justin in the brown and turquoise striped shirt, Sara is next to him, and Dan is holding Jack. A second before I took this pic, Jack was looking down at a butterfly, but he realized what tricksy Aunt Rachel was up to and looked up at the camera at the last second!

Wow, looking through these I'm realizing that I have a TON of Jack pictures. Guess I've got little boys on the mind.

Ummm, that came out wrong. I don't have little boys on the mind per say, at least not in a creepy, disgusting way. I just mean that with only six weeks to go, I'm really excited to get to meet my own little boy!