Nana's Memorial Weekend

Ryan's Nana (grandma) passed away last week so we made the 8 hour drive up to Toledo, OH for the memorial service. It was a great time to remember Nana and celebrate her life. It was also a great time to get together with family. I finally got to meet all of (well, most of) Ryan's cousins on his mom's side of the family (the Greek side). Thanks to Margie for letting us stay at your house, and Uncle Mike and Aunt Peggy for letting us all get together and trash your house :)! It is unfortunate the reason, but it was great to get together with family and enjoy one another's company! Here are some pictures from the weekend!

All of Nana's children


The cousins


Aubrey and Harley (she followed that dog around all weekend at Margie's house)



I know this is random, but I couldn't resist. We drove by the biggest cross I have ever seen! Anyone feeling it...


GG and Aunt Dee


Me and Ryan's cousin Andrea


Aunt Dee, and Ryan's cousin Kim and her thee ADORABLE kids. They were so sweet to Eva this weekend and showered her with love and gifts (literally -- they gave her a stuffed monkey that makes noise, and a book). These gifts were some of their own personal toys that they gave up so Eva would be happy. It was so sweet! Krista even sang Eva lullabies until she fell asleep, including her own version of Twinkle Twinkle.


GG, Uncle Al, Aunt Peggy, and Aunt Dee


Finally...the Lenahan Clan (minus Bubba who wasn't able to make it up)! What a good looking bunch ;)

Tour of Missouri

We LOVE living in St. Louis! There are always fun things to do on the weekends, and the best part is you can always find something free (from the zoo to the science museum, and so much more). This past weekend we got a call from a friend who told us about stage 6 of the tour of missouri that was finishing in downtown St. Charles. Let me explain because I had absolutely no idea what that meant. Everyone has heard of the Tour de France (whether you're a cycling fan or not), well there are other "tours"--one of them being the Tour of Missouri. It was broken down into 7 stages (or days). The stage 6 finish and awards ceremony was in our town of St. Charles, so we decided to head downtown (and by downtown I mean quaint historic town with cobblestone streets and quirky shops) for the event. I also didn't realize, until we got there, how big of an event this was. I figured it was people from MO participating in a fun race. Apparantly I was wrong. It almost seemed as though there were more international cycling teams than domestic ones. Anyway...we had a lot of fun watching them cross the finish line for stage 6 and receive their various awards. We brought our camera, but the darn battery died on us before we got any pictures of the cyclists or the awards. Feel free to visit www.tourofmissourifanzone.com for some great photos and videos. Why am I posting this, you ask, if I don't have pictures to post? Well, I do...just not of the race. I have a few of the girls and then some of, well...you'll just have to scroll down to see what else (but be warned, it might make you quesy).


So you might say to yourself, "Self, what is wrong with some lady with really long, fake, manicured toenails?". Then I would respond by saying, "Sure, there may be nothing wrong with a woman with toes like these, but this is no woman". You heard correctly, these fabulously (and ridiculously) manicured toes, which Ryan and I are convinced were fakes, belonged to a man!




Our blue eyed beauty

I am one in 305,149,345...literally!

Here are the results for Lacey Lenahan...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1 or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. http://howmanyofme.com">How many have your name?

And now for Lacey Smith...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 276 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Ryan Lenahan...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 3 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Aubrey Lenahan...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1 or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Evalyn Lenahan...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1 or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

All in all, we're a pretty unique family (and I'm not just talking about our names)!

Our baby girls!

I can't believe how big Aubrey has gotten. She isn't a baby anymore...she's a little girl! And Eva is smiling like crazy (mostly at her daddy--another daddy's girl) and grows a new roll in her neck, arms, or legs just about everyday! Don't just take my word...see for yourself!

We were eating chocolate chip pancakes the other day and we thought this video of Aubrey eating was too funny! She's a chocoholic, just like her mama :). Does this remind anyone else of those "how to eat a resees peanut butter cup" commercials.

Bus driver...MOVE THAT BUS!!!

Confession time. Those of you who know me know what a sucker I am for Extreme Home Makeover (not to mention Ty Penington :). And those of you who really know me know that I cry just about everytime I watch an episode. So when I dropped Ryan off at the Metro station this morning and heard that the big reveal in St. Louis was happening TODAY, and was open to the public, I went home, showered, and loaded the girls in the car. The girls could had no earthly idea why there crazy mom was dragging them to some strange place with hundreds of strangers only to roast in the hot sun, but I knew. They said the "move the bus" reveal was supposed to take place between 11 and 1 so we got there just before 11. If there is ever a reveal in your area, and you plan on attending, don't go when they say. Wait and go three hours later. Here's the short version of a very long 4 hours. We parked and took the shuttle (a big green school bus which scared Aubrey to death), to the house. We stood across the street (on an extremely steep hill). Aubrey kept slipping down the hill and running into people, and my toes were sliding down in my tennis shoes and really started to hurt. We were there for maybe 10 mintues when Ty came around the side of the house. After another hour or so (and appearances made by Paige, Eduardo, and Ed) nothing much had happened. Then the Ashley Furniture truck pulled up to unload furniture. Only the furniture was already in the house so this was purely for filming purposes (they unloaded and then reloaded the furniture into the truck and drove off). After about another hour, and two snacks and juice boxes later, still nothing. Then the bus came! And it drove off. And backed up. And drove off. And backed up...are you starting to get the picture? All for filming purposes. Then the limo pulled up behind the bus and a family got out of the limo. Only it wasn't the family who lived there. It was a "stage" family solely for filming purposes. It was at this point (and about 2:30 p.m. by now) that Aubrey made it quite clear that it was time for a nap. So after 4 hours of "sunbathing" in some strangers front lawn, waiting for a bus to drive off, we went home without accomplishing our primary goal (being part of the move the bus reveal). Was it worth it? As an avid fan of the show...YES! Would I do it again? Yes, only this time I wouldn't show up until an hour or two after they say the reveal will be. So tune into ABC in november for the STL reveal and look for me and the girls...we still might make it with as many film shots they took! And join in the "move that bus" chorus!

Me and my girls!

Isn't she just squeezable?!

Aubrey made a new friend who helped mommy out by holding and playing with Aubrey during our 4 hour stint.

The house...it was beautiful!

MOVE THAT BUS!!!

Hre is Ty running out to welcome home the family shot (the lady stood up right in the middle of my video :()

Here is the "family" driving up in the limo.

This was GREAT! We were waiting for the shuttle back to the parking lot and found this police officer dircting traffic. He is quite the dancer, though this video doesn' t show his greatest moves. Gotta love STL finest at their best :)

Advice desperately needed

We are attempting to begin a new chapter in our lives of parenting. The past few days Aubrey has taken her diaper and then proceeded to go to the bathroom. Today she thought she would be especially cute and take her diaper off during naptime. When I came to get her out of her room she pointed out (in her birthday suit) that there was poop in her crib, on her blanket, and yes--even on the floor! After talking with my mom, I have decided to try potty training. I know she is only 18 months, but she thinks she is 3 and I am tired of cleaning up pee pee and poo poo from all over the house. Which brings me to my point of this post. Seeing as how this is my first child, I know very little (ok, pretty much nothing) about potty training and could really use help. Maryn, I know you just went through potty training Luke, and Mandy I know you're working with Owen. I know many others have won the potty training battle with their kids. I would appreciate any, and I do mean ANY, advice or techniques that you have found to be successful. IHopefully in the near future will have some battle success of our own. I, and our carpet, appreciate your help!

Life would be dull if it weren't for campaigning!

It seems I can't go anywhere or do anything without hearing some political banter. How about you tell me why i should vote for you rather than why I shouldn't vote for the other candidate. I guess I just get sick of the negative nature of campaigning these days, that this video offered me a little comic relief amid all the uppercuts and right hooks of the political boxing ring. ENJOY! (Thanks Kara for passing this my way)!

Time for Some Campaignin' | Funny Jokes at JibJab