Celebrating With Family

It started with a party and ended with a wedding. And everything in between - well we celebrated a lot with family. 

It seems like holidays are always crazy times at the newspaper and in family life, and until today, I hadn't had a chance to sit down and write a blog. But we had a wonderful time celebrating America's birthday this July 4 week with our family and friends.  And it really was a week-long celebration. 

On the Saturday before July 4, we headed to St. Louis for our nephew's second birthday party.  And of course, we were running way behind schedule (getting lost on the way didn't help matters), but it was a great day to spend with Kyle's family. Quincy is definitely into Lightning McQueen right now, so we enjoyed a Cars-themed birthday party.  Both girls loved all the attention from Kyle's aunts, uncles and cousins, who for some, it was their first chance to meet Charlotte. 

Herschelman family photo at Quincy's birthday party.

Charlotte's new Tigger from Uncle Shane.

Before we left, we took one final photo of Kyle's siblings, their spouses and kids, before the newest Herschelman would arrive later in the week. 

After the party, we headed back home, only to head out to Raymond for the community's annual Independence Day celebration.  Kyle and I had to cover the parade and queen's events for the paper, but we also had a chance to watch Charlotte's first parade with Kyle's family. The girls looked so cute in their patriotic Minnie Mouse dresses.

Patriotic princesses

Typically, we celebrate the Raymond festivities at Kyle's grandma's house, and even though the numbers were smaller this year, the girls still loved all the attention. And it's always so much fun to be together and catch up.

Believe it or not, we actually had a third event that same Saturday, as two of my cousins were visiting my Aunt Janice and Uncle Doug. And since we couldn't be everywhere at the same time, we felt lucky that my cousin, Dru, and his daughter, Evee, stopped by our house Monday night for dinner.

Hanging out with Dru and Evee at our house

While the grown-ups shared some pizza, Evee had a ball playing in our new playroom.  I was so excited to see all the toys played with and listening to her stories.  It seems like we don't see each other as often anymore, but it also seems like no time has passed when we get together.

Since Tuesday was actually July 4, Kyle and I both had to work a little bit for the paper.  He covered the biathlon and I covered the cardboard boat regatta, and we both enjoyed two really nice events in our community.

The girls and I headed over to my cousin's house for a mid-afternoon Fourth of July picnic. Since Kyle's biathlon started so early, he stayed home and took a nap. But the girls and I had fun talking to everyone, and I enjoyed all the food!  Even Dru and Evee came over, so we got to visit with them again.

Three sweet cousins (Evee, Gracie and Isabel)

The youngest two cousins (James and Charley) on their first July 4

It was awfully hot that day, so Kyle and I opted to keep the girls at home instead of going out to the lake for music and fireworks. Instead, we enjoyed an evening at home together, just the four of us, snuggling and watching movies.

And if our week hadn't been eventful enough, we got to meet our newest nephew on Friday. Daniel and Monica welcomed Kolston very early Thursday morning, and we couldn't wait to snuggle him on Friday. It worked out well because they were at the hospital in St. Louis, and we had to pick up Grace's new braces for her feet. It's hard to believe that the next generation of Herschelmans now number five!  We even made our best attempt to get a photo of them all together.  They are all in the frame, but that's about it.

All five Herschelman grandchildren (Quincy, Charlotte, Grace, Kolston and Keelen)

The two newest Herschelmans with Kyle

Before heading for home, we stopped to have dinner at Fitz's with Kyle's sister, Mikaela, and her son, Quincy. We even made room for a root beer float before we left.  Grace liked sharing her ice cream with me!

Grace shared a root beer float with me!

Charlotte wanted Aunt Mikaela to share with her.

Charlotte checks out the bottling at Fitz's.

Quincy cheeses with Uncle Kyle

Before closing out our holiday week, we had one more big event, Charley's first wedding! Our family had been invited to the wedding of two coaches Kyle covers, the new Matt and Mallory Millburg, and it was fun to get the girls all dressed up for the big day. We also got to see lots of friends, and even have dinner with Kyle's cousin, Marcus and his girlfriend. Both girls were so sweet the whole evening, smiling at anyone, who stopped by to visit with us.

Family photo op at Charlotte's first wedding!

Cheesing with mommy

Selfie with mommy

Beautiful girls at the wedding

I have to say we were exhausted by the end of our holiday week, but I can honestly say we wouldn't have changed it for anything.  Spending time with family and friends is always worth the time and effort, and we loved every minute.  And we can't wait to do it all again.

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A Little Bit Of Muny Magic

They don't call it Muny magic for nothing! And we've been so blessed to see two shows there already this summer.

Grace was excited for Charley's first Muny!

For as long as I can remember, the St. Louis Muny has been a great place to make some wonderful family memories.  Mom and dad took Johnny and I to a show each summer, and that's really where my love of theater began. And I continued to make the summer trips to the Muny as I became an adult as well.

Grace and daddy hanging out before the show.

The first summer Kyle and I were dating, we made a trip to the Muny almost every week to see the shows.  Kyle only skipped one week because he refused to see High School Musical with me. But we've always had a really good time there together.

Mommy and Charley at Jesus Christ Superstar

Grace's first show was Aladdin, when she was just ten months old.  She seemed to enjoy the music, and fell asleep in my lap for the entire second act.  That same summer, we took her to see Dreamgirls, and even though we left at intermission, it was still a great show.  We also added Seuessical, the Musical to her repertoire a few years later.

Charley's first Muny!

It seems like it had been a few summers since we had made the trip to St. Louis for the Muny. But we've already been to two shows this summer, and we've loved every minute.

Watching the Muny is hard work!

Sort of on a whim, Kyle asked me if we wanted to take the girls to see Jesus Christ Superstar on opening night.  It's always been his mom's very favorite show, and even though she had to work that night, we thought it would be fun to take the girls.

Hanging out with my girls after the show

As soon as we got off work that night, I fed Charlotte and we loaded up the girls.  We decided it would be easier to find a nice shady spot to feed Grace when we got there, and we did.  It was the first time we brought Grace that we had seats in the accessible rows, and it worked out great.  Grace got to sit in her own chair, and I think she was more comfortable.

Meeting Constantine Maroulis, who played Judas

While we were sitting in the courtyard feeding Grace, I started telling Kyle that I had been watching the news that morning and they were talking about some of the cast. He started to look up the actors on his phone, and found that American Idol contestant Constantine Maroulis was playing Judas. Since we try to give Grace as many experiences as possible, Kyle tweeted to him and asked about meeting after the show.

Meeting Bryce Ryness, who played Jesus

When we got done feeding Grace, we made our way to our seats, and enjoyed the truly fabulous show. The music was just wonderful, and the cast was great. There's just something about watching a show under the stars at The Muny that's just magical.  Charlotte slept a bit during intermission, but was very content the entire show to sit on my lap.  

After the final bow, we waited a few minutes for some of the crowds to clear out, and Kyle was still hoping we might have a chance for Grace to meet Constantine. As we gathered up our belongings, Kyle was a little disappointed that we hadn't heard anything. But as we were heading to the van, we noticed a crowd gathering around one of the entrances. So, we decided to wait a few minutes and see if we could meet him.

And it worked!  We put the girls in a small line where the crowd was waiting to get autographs on their programs.  Kyle introduced Constantine to Grace and asked if he would take a photo with our girls.  He greeted Grace warmly and asked how she liked the show.  It was a really special moment for us to watch him talk to her.  After Constantine came through the line, another actor, Bryce Ryness, who played Jesus, also stopped by to greet our girls. What touched me the most was that they both specifically interacted with Grace, not just us.  Even though Grace can't necessarily respond to them, it meant so much that they made her feel important too.

Before we left for the show that night, I had some reservations about taking both girls.  Would it be too hot? What if Charlotte cried a lot? What if it was too late when we got home?  All my worries were quickly gone once we got there, and enjoyed a family night together making memories.  There is just so much truth to the phrase, "Muny magic."

So, when the next week rolled around, we thought it would be fun to take the girls to see The Little Mermaid.  It's one I'd never seen on stage before, even though I have seen the movie a zillion times.  We got accessible seats once again, and even though Grace sat on my lap for a bit in the beginning, it was nice for her to have a place for her chair too.  

Grace was excited to see The Little Mermaid

It was another beautiful night, and the big outdoor fans do so much to keep patrons from getting too warm.  The music was fantastic with both songs we knew and some that we didn't. They had some really great puppeteers too throughout the performance. My personal favorites were Ursula's tentacles.  

Kyle and Charley cheesing in the line

But the highlights of the performance for both of us was during one big production number when two young actors were wheeled out in wheelchairs as part of the dance ensemble. Kyle and I both teared up watching them, knowing what a bright spot it was for these youngsters. They had a chance to "dance" on the Muny stage, something they probably never imagined they would be able to do. Special thanks to the Muny for honoring inclusion, and letting people of all abilities know that anything is truly possible.  I still get goosebumps just thinking about it.

Family photo op

This time, we didn't stick around afterward to meet any of the actors, we just loaded the girls up into the van in their mermaid pajamas.  Charlotte, who slept the entire second act, entertained herself the whole drive home, and was still wide awake at midnight when we pulled the van back into the drive.  I think she was still excited from the show.

Wearing their mermaid pajamas on the way home

On the drive home, Kyle and I started talking about how much we thought Grace actually got out of the experience.  Since she's not able to tell us, we don't know exactly how much she sees or hears.  I feel like she is able to see some things right in front of her face, as she still responds to the pictures in books. And I know she hears us talking to her, but neither of us know how much she takes in at something like The Muny.

But we didn't let that worry us. One thing we do know for certain is that Grace loves to be with us. And that feeling is definitely mutual for all of us. We feel so blessed to have so many wonderful opportunities to make memories together on our Grace-Filled Journey. Whether or not we get to any more Muny shows this summer or not, we will always remember our nights filled with "Muny magic."

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Remembering To Celebrate The Little Milestones

This milestone started with a wiggle.  And it wiggled and wiggled and wiggled, before Grace lost her very first tooth on June 1.  

When I dropped Grace off for preschool one morning this spring, I noticed one of her big teeth was coming in behind a baby tooth. Her baby tooth was only a little wiggly at that time, and since Grace has a mostly liquid diet, she doesn't use her teeth much, and it took a long time to actually fall out.

The girls and I were having lunch with mom at the Ariston when I noticed her baby tooth had finally fallen out. So, we celebrated with a piece of dessert and lots of excitement.  Even though she had actually swallowed her tooth, we still put her special little tooth box next to her bed for the tooth fairy to come, leaving some money for her piggy bank under her pillow.

Celebrating her first lost tooth with dessert at the Ariston

After losing her first tooth, I got out Grace's baby book to fill in the spot for her first lost tooth.  It was fun to look through all the pages and photos, filled with other firsts and milestones for her first couple years of life. 

It's funny how hard it is to remember back even just a few years, and I'm awfully glad to have written down some special memories.  Much to my delight, her first word was "mama," and although Grace only ever had a handful of words, it's so sweet to remember the ones she did. Some of my favorites were ball, pup, Elmo and even amen.  

One evening, Grace and I were waiting in the living room for Kyle's dad to come and watch her. We were standing by the front window, and as he came up the walk, Grace very softly said "papa." I was so proud of her, and something I will always remember.

We put her tooth fairy box out, even though she swallowed her first loose tooth.

Although I'm not always very clever, when Grace's first tooth popped through, I noted in her baby book that it finally came through after we'd had dinner at Greasies, and she was wanting to try a cheese smack.  I also made note that one of her favorite sounds was the garage door because it meant that mommy and daddy were home.  And I'm sure glad I took the time to write down so many of her firsts from along our journey.

Grace wasn't much of a crawler until she was bigger. In fact, for the entire first year of her life, you could leave her in the room and come back to find her in the exact same place. She'd be mad you left her, but she was content to be right there. 

Grace slept right through the Tooth Fairy's visit, but she left some money for Grace's piggy bank.

As we started working with her on walking, she was really only ever able to walk between us or between pieces of furniture on her own.  One of my favorite photos is one Kyle took of Grace holding my hand while we walked across the backyard to my mom's house one afternoon.  And I can remember two very distinct times that Grace took off walking on her own.  She never made it very far, but it's something I hope to always remember. The first time was at Kyle's mom and dad's house.  Grace took off from a kitchen chair into their living room, but in trying to get Kyle's attention to watch her, I startled her and she fell. The other time was at church one morning. Grace left our pew and took a few steps across the aisle to where Nancy Harrell was sitting.  I'm not sure who was more delighted, but Grace sure was proud.

I will probably not have any memories of Grace running across the backyard to give me a hug, bounding down the steps of our house or even chasing her little sister in the backyard. But that's okay. We do our best to cherish each and every moment we do have with Grace. 

And I think it helps us to celebrate the little milestones even more.  I'm hoping to start writing in Charlotte's baby book this summer, but we've already seen so many firsts with her. She rolled over for the first time in April when Grace was having physical therapy in Springfield.  We think she wanted to show off too.  She also loves to smile and has started "talking" all the time.  We truly love every single minute and can't wait to see more firsts in the next few months.

It seems strange to say, but one of the greatest gifts INAD has given us is finding the joy in all the little moments and milestones. For us, it's not about winning the baseball game, getting the lead in the school play or even dreams of becoming president someday. On this Grace-Filled Journey, we celebrate smiles and strive to find happiness in all that we do.  

So, even though we can't wait to hear Charlotte's stories or run across the backyard someday, we'll still be finding happiness in all the little moments life has to offer.