The (Not So) Big One

As you may recall, Cody and Owen have been fishing a few times this summer. I can't remember exactly how many times they've been out, but they have been pretty unsuccessful in their attempts at actually hooking a fish. Leave it to my husband to research something in order to improve his chances. He asked friends with fishing experience and even went online and did some researching. In this week of research, he discovered that he had been using the wrong kind of bait. (And maybe even some other tips as well that went in one ear and out the other when he told me about them. Bait is the only one I can remember right now because, you know, I've got bigger fish to fry. Pun intended.) So, armed with his new bait and other tips as well as a bit of determination and just plain excitement, they set out once again to catch a fish. And lo and behold:



Owen caught one on his first try! It's the only one they've caught all summer and was about the size of my big toe, but they caught one!



I really wish I could have been there to see Cody take it off the hook but someone had to stay home and make good use of the air conditioning we pay so much money for. And I figure, might as well be me!

Before heading out, they went on a little nature hike, another one of their favorite things to do this summer. We've tried it as a family but it's just not really Cameron's thing just yet.



So hopefully next summer there'll be another cutie on the bench next to Owen! But for now, you'll just have to settle for pics of the big guys.



He's a little more hairy than the cutie I was referring to above, but he's still cute nonetheless. ;)

A Cold Day in July

Grandma Lynn came to celebrate the 4th of July with us this year. Newton has a parade every year, with activities following the parade on the Square downtown. It was pretty rainy and gloomy that morning when we woke up so I decided to hang back with Cameron during the parade because I didn't feel like chasing a newly-walking toddler in the rain. So off to the parade went Daddy, Grandma, and Owen. About 10 minutes later Cody returned for blankets. Yes, you read that correctly. They needed blankets. In July. While I had noticed that it was rainy and gloomy, I didn't stick my head out the door to see that it was 63 degrees! And I had sent my baby boy out in shorts and a t-shirt.

Of course, when Daddy is heading up the activity, he rolls a little differently than Mom. I would have brought Owen back and put him in warmer clothes, or at the very least taken warmer clothes to change him into when I went back for blankets. Alas, a Dad can't be bothered with such details and could not spare the 5 minutes it would have taken to get the extra clothes for Owen. Thus, the slightly blue tint in his lips.



Shivers and all, they seemed to enjoy the parade and Owen ended up with about the same amount of candy he gets on Halloween. All of which will take him at least a year to eat, and most of it will go in the trash. The good thing was that they took the time to head back when it was over to change into warmer clothes. Cam and I got suited up in our jeans and jackets and headed back out with them.

There wasn't a whole lot to do on the square but the "Smiley Face Train," which is at nearly every Newton event, was there. Owen has asked to ride this train at every local event for the last couple of years. We usually try to distract him from it because the line is SO long. But there was no distracting him this year. So wait in the line, we did.






And he throughly enjoyed it. Meanwhile, Cam stayed warm, happy, and well-fed in his stroller.





The only catch to this is that you have to keep the stroller moving at all times. So while Owen and I waited in line, Dad and Cameron strolled around the Square.

Next it was off to a small games section where you could buy tickets, play some silly games, and win even sillier, useless prizes. Owen did a "Go Fish" game, a game just like Bozo's "Grand Prize" game (where they finally had to just give him the prize because he couldn't hit that bucket to save his life.), and my personal fave, petting a rabbit.



Why is this my fave? Because you get close-up interaction with an animal and you don't have to bring home a useless prize that will eventually end up in the trash.

After all that fun we decided to head over and get some overpriced fair food. Owen and I split some of his new favorite food--nachos.



And while we ate we watched some polka/square dancers (I'm really not sure of their official title) break it down. They were about 12 women to about 4 men so Owen decided he would autioned for them.

Alas, no one stopped to sign him up. I kept trying to get Cody to join their ranks but he balked at the idea of tight, white polyester pants and red checked shirts. I still have no idea why.

Soon after, we headed out and had a relaxing afternoon at home. And wouldn't you know, the next day was nice and warm again! Daddy, Grandma, and Owen got out and enjoyed a little nature, while Cameron and I stayed home and enjoyed the glory that is air conditioning.

Of course, no 4th would be complete without a few fireworks. Our town did them on Sunday night this year (don't ask why) so while Daddy put Cameron to bed, Owen and I threw on our jackets, grabbed a blanket and some snacks and headed out to see some fireworks! We found a great spot to throw our blanket down and we had a rare Mommy/Owen night that we both thoroughly enjoyed.



The fireworks show was great and the company was even better. Maybe next year Daddy and Cameron will get to join us!

Where in the world are the Muhses?!

I know, I know, I've been a little MIA for the last few weeks. Where have I been? Basically just enjoying the summer with my boys! We've had visitors, gone to the pool a few times, visited some parks, done some geocaching (Cody and Owen's new favorite thing to do together), played outside, made over a few rooms in the house (complete with wood-working and painting projects for Cody and I respectively), had a few appointments for Cameron, and Cody and I each even got to have a weekend with our friends! Add on the normal day-to-day upkeep of the house and parenting in general and you have a summer packed to the brim! I have had such good intentions after we get the boys to bed each night to head down and punch out a few good blog posts. I've even written them in my head numerous times. But exhaustion always gets the best of me and I end up in a daze on the couch watching a bit of TV, then heading to bed so I can wake up and do it all over again the next day.

But I'm getting the blog itch again, so I'm going to work hard this week to start documenting all this great fun we've been having. I have discovered that not only is this blog a great way to share our lives with our family and friends (aka The Twelve People Who Still Read This Blog) but it has also turned into sort of a personal/family journal for me. I love looking back at all the old posts and seeing things I almost forgot that we did! I'm even planning to print it all out in a book form to preserve for years to come. But first, I need to make something worth preserving!

So stay tuned for lots of Muhs summer fun! In the meantime, here's a little glimpse of two of the cutest boys ever! (But I'm not biased or anything.)

A Tale of Two Genders

"Mommy, you have long hair."

"Yes, I do, Owen."

"But I don't have long hair because I'm a boy."

"Would you believe your daddy used to have long hair?"

"Why? When he was a girl?"

I think preschool is really going to do wonders for him.

The Swinging Lion

I had planned to stay in the 'boro for a week or so after Jessica's shower. However, after the horrible nights with Cameron not sleeping well, Cody and I decided it would be best to just take him home and try to get him back in his sleeping groove. Grandma offered for Owen to stick around with her, Grandpa, and Maddy for a few days. I tried not to sound too eager when I graciously accepted! Owen had a great time visiting with everyone while Cody and I reveled in the simplicity of life with one child. Owen is the most easy-going kid I know but kids, no matter how easy-going, are still a lot of work! So it was nice to have a little break as well as some one-on-one time with Cam. One night Daddy and I took him for a stroll in the park and some fun on the swings.

He wasn't quite sure what to think of it at first...

But he quickly warmed up to it...

Below are a couple of videos of some of the fun new things he is doing. He is expanding his vocabulary everyday! Things are still frustrating at times and are very much still on his terms but we are slowly but surely getting there. I'll post more of an update on him and his progress at the end of the month after his 18-month check-up (at 19-months--Mommy is forgetful in the summer!).

Alas, all things must come to an end and we are now back in our family-of-four groove! We had a great Fourth with Grandma Lynn at our house (I think we got some good photos and I will post them soon) and are anxiously awaiting more visitors this weekend! We love it when people come to see us! Especially now that Cameron isn't all that great of a traveller. Stay tuned for lots more summer fun with the Muhses!

Family Fun Time

Owen LOVES going to "Auntie Beth's new house." He loves to run all over the house with Cade, play with Cade's toys, and this trip he got to do lots of outdoor playing. Cade and Cash are going to have such a blast growing up on all that property! And I can imagine them taking all their cousins exploring when everyone comes to visit. Oh what fun we have in store for all of us! But, for now, here are a few shots from our latest adventure:

Cade driving Owen around in his gator. Yes, Cade had to do the driving because Owen really has no steering/directional capabilities whatsoever. Teaching him to ride a bike is no easy task.

He did, however, get in Cade's tractor and attempt driving on his own. I think he almost ran over Aunt Beth, then almost ran into someone's car. After that he thought he should just ride shotgun with Cade.

The little brothers were content to hang out inside. Cameron loved playing with Cash's exersaucer. And I think Cash enjoyed the company.

Now if we can just get Cameron to sleep a little better, maybe we can get back there before he turns five for some more family fun!

Showering the Youngmans

After our trip to St. Louis, we headed down to the 'boro for a long weekend. Beth and I shared hostess duties in throwing a baby shower for my cousin's wife, Jess, who is due with their first baby in August. Beth and I had so much fun planning this event! We had a baby carriage/green and brown theme and we just ran with it! We held it at Beth's beautiful new home and I think everything turned out great.

This is the diaper bag that we got Jess. Under that is the spread from Grammy Gaye--lots of essentials for the baby's new room. Jess had picked out these colors a while ago for the nursery, so we drew our inspiration from that.

We bought lots of different baby outfits in our color theme in varying sizes and used them as decoration:

The best part about these decorations is that they didn't go to waste! Jess got to take them all home to put on cute little Baby Y. for the next year.

We had green and brown M&M's on the tables, along with baby carriages that I painstakingly traced and cut out, with the help of my awesome Daddy. Thanks, Dad!

The spread. I loved these beautiful vases and flowers that Beth found, all in the right colors, of course!

The cake and favor table.

A close-up of the cake--it says "Baby Youngman is rolling in!" It is kind of a re-creation of the invitations we sent. It was made by a woman in Murphysboro, in case anyone there needs a new cake lady!

A close-up of the favors--brown and green M&M's in a little bag. The carriage says, "Baby Y. is rolling in, thanks so much for showering him!"



Beth, Jess, and myself

Only a few more weeks until we meet the newest member of the family! I, for one, am ecstatic and can not wait!!!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

While we were on vacation in St. Louis we were finally able to check out the new Busch Stadium. I almost didn't go because I was afraid to leave Cameron since he wasn't in the best of moods, but I'm so glad Grandma insisted I go! The stadium was awesome! I was a little upset when I heard they were building a new one because I hate change and I am sentimental with everything...even baseball fields. But this park really won me over! It has an old-time feel with all the modern conveniences, including escalators! I hated when we had high seats at the old stadium and had to walk up all those ramps!

Since Steve Glodo was running the show, we made it to the stadium pretty early and had plenty of time to check things out before the game started. We stopped for a few photos outside:

Owen and Stan the Man

Being that this was Owen's first MLB game, I wasn't sure how he would do so I thought I should bring plenty of ammunition to fight boredom. I thought a backpack would be easiest to carry around but forgot to bring one. Fortunately, Maddy came to my rescue:

That's right, I rocked the Hannah Montana!

Third Base Entrance

All around the stadium there are plaques like these:

They were designed by one of my friends from college, Gabe Drueke, who is also from Southern Illinois. I had heard all about them but I was so excited to be able to see them firsthand! I was so impressed with what a great job he did!

Maddy had a gift card to Build-A-Bear and they happened to have one inside the stadium. So she took advantage of the situation and made her own Fred Bird.

The funny thing about this is that if the real Fred Bird comes within 100 feet of her she is consumed with fear and will not go anywhere near him.

We had great seats along the third baseline and took a little time to hang out by the dugout before the game to watch batting practice and possibly score some autographs. Unfortunately, we had no luck with the autographs but Owen still enjoyed himself.



One of my favorite things about the new stadium is how open it feels. You can see right into it from the street and inside, you have an awesome view of the city:

We were even lucky enough to find ourselves on the jumbo-tron:

Yes, that's me taking a picture of myself on the jumbo-tron. I was actually trying to get a picture of Owen and Cody on there because the guy got a great close-up of them, but I was too late and got myself instead!

Alas, the Cards couldn't pull out a win for us but a great time was still certainly had by all! And Maddy and Owen were just happy they got to spend a little time with their Grandpa.

Vacay in the Lou

This year we decided to take our family vacation in St. Louis, where my brother lives. Grandma and Grandpa came up from Murphysboro and we all stayed at Uncle Josh and Aunt Angie's house from Friday to Wednesday. Everyone but Cameron thought this was a great idea. He did NOT enjoy the sleeping arrangments made for him and decided it might be best to give his brother a run for his money on that whole screaming-louder-than-a-howler-monkey thing. I'm pretty sure Cameron won, hands-down. And I'm pretty sure Uncle Josh would agree with me. So, I did something I have NEVER done, swore I would NEVER do, and swear I will NEVER do again...I slept in a bed with him. Never say never, right? While I did enjoy my baby boy cuddling up next to me and falling asleep, I only enjoyed it for about 10 minutes. This Mama needs her rest and she can't get it sleeping with a toddler!

Cameron's mood on this trip was unfavorable, to say the least. We thought it might be teeth, then we thought it might be his ears, but now we think we have come to the general conclusion that he just likes to be at home in his own space, in his own bed, where there are no crowds. I also think he is getting into that whole separation anxiety stage when we put him to bed at night, which would explain the incessant screaming. I'm happy to say that while it is not completely eradicated, it is way lessened and everyone is sleeping in their own quarters. We've had a few rough nights but it hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Of course, the downside to this is that I am now completely terrified to ever travel with him again. I worry about what this means for him as he grows and fear that he is going to be painfully shy around most people. Come on, did you really think I wouldn't try to turn this in to some sort of life-altering situation? You all must know me better than that! ;)

Anyway, enough of my babbling, if you've even made it this far. Let's get on with some pictures.

Our first stop was the zoo. Why are there no pictures of the zoo, you ask? That would be because we never got out of the car. We drove around numerous places in Forest Park looking for a parking place and after many "You-ees from St. Louie" on my dad's part, we never found one. It was crazy busy there so we decided to head to Grant's Farm instead. This was not before Owen cried because we told him we were going to the zoo, he saw the zoo, and then 10 minutes later we told him we were leaving said zoo.

We finally made it to Grant's Farm and checked out the World Famous Clydesdales before heading in:




It is taking everything I have to avoid any references to Owen having his picture taken with a horse's butt. ;) So I'll just digress...

As we were crossing the street to the entrance the crossing guard welcomed Cody and told him that "we have lots of great t-shirts available for purchase in our General Store." You guessed it, Cody wore a Cubs shirt in Cardinal territory and it only took about 10 minutes for someone to notice. There's not much we could do since 75% of his t-shirts have some reference to the Cubs on them.

Once we got in, we stopped to pose for a family photo. Well, a most-of-the-family photo. Danielle wasn't able to make it with us and Josh and I were taking the picture. You can see good evidence of Cameron's overall mood if you look at my brother's version of this picture on his blog.


We then headed over to the carousel, where Owen and Maddy rode with Grandma, all in their matching shirts that Grandma got them.

Cameron sat on the side-lines and watched with wide-eyed wonder as they went 'round and 'round. It was one of the few times during the day that he was actually content.

Then we checked out lots of animals, like cool birds:

And big 'ol turtles:

Of course, the highlight of the trip was the new Elephant show, featuring Bud the Elephant.

Be sure to read my brother's lovely recap of this show when you head over to his blog.

After a long, hot day, and a long, hot wait in the line to catch the tram back to the parking lot, we were finally on the tram headed home. No one was happier to hear that than our sweet, little Cameron, who was tired of being cooped up in his stroller all day:

Of course, this was not before someone decided it would be a great idea to purchase harmonicas for Owen and Maddy. By the end of the night, we were all regretting that idea. And we weren't the least bit upset when Owen's harmonica was lost at Uncle Josh's and still has not resurfaced.

Stay tuned for more pictures!

Big News for the Little Dude

There were times I thought it would never happen, but I am delighted to bring you the latest bit of Muhs news...Cameron is walking!!! He often has the gait of a drunken sailor and still crawls a lot of the time but HE IS WALKING! While he was letting go a bit during our vacation a few weeks ago at my brother's house, he didn't really take real steps until he went to Murphysboro with Grandma & Grandpa. Yes, that's right, the moment Cody and I have waited on pins and needles for happened while we were losing our life savings having a great time at Ameristar Casino in St. Louis. Here's the footage to prove it:

I've already signed him up for his first 5k.