Back in June we went to the P&G Championships to see some incredible gymnastics. A friend of mine works for USA Gymnastics and kindly gifted us tickets, thank you, jackie! It  was a busy week for Jordan, but we made it to their last event and it was worth it!

All of these women are so talented, and that Simone Biles, is incredible. Most of the photos are of her, because  she really was talented, and it was obvious.   

This was also the first day Ruby started to really walk, so there are some fun photos of her showing off her new skill. These photos were so fun to look back on.

chocolate face watching gymnastics and even though it looks like she's staying still... she only wanted to get up and move around! big walker and everything. 

These two, Pri and Dillon joined us. They're some of the best of friends and we're so thankful to have them here in St. Louis. 

Dillon is Ruby's favorite person, not even kidding.

And below, you can see Pri watching out for Ruby, it takes a village, and I am so glad this family is in ours. 

free and happy!

Ruby had been working on walking forever, and we realized why it took her so long to finally get going, she prefers to run and go fast. we're not really surprised here. 

this happened a lot the first few days, and still does. 

Ruby doesn't know a stranger and actually insists on hugging every little kid she sees. I promise this girl was excited about it, but maybe a little frightened. haha. here mom was just out of scene totally encouraging this, because it was adorable. 

Eckert's Farm is over across the river from St. Louis, in Belleville, Illinois. Our family loves to visit, because it has a little of everything, and there's always something new growing, or an event happening. 

Our first visit was to one of their summer concerts last year, which included dinner at their restaurant. Since then we've picked apples, strawberries, blackberries, and today I am sharing with you our adventure in veggie and flower picking! 

Also to note in this post, Ruby's first experience with an ice cream cone. Ice cream beard included. 

Jordan was most excited about picking vegetables. Unfortunately we don't have much of a garden at our current house. We have giant trees that shade the yard and make it difficult for growing sun-loving veggies. But, that didn't stop Jordan from digging a whole in the middle of the yard to plant corn. While we're still waiting for a yield from our crop, so,  it was nice to pick some yummy veggies from the fields. 

The photo of Ruby getting ready to chomp down on the pepper. haha 

She's always up for trying something new, although these days she spits it back out. 

Looks like she approved of the pepper. Even this girl understands handpicked and fresh.

I could probably live in these flower fields. I went off to pick a handful of flowers on my own, while everyone else picked veggies. Jordan informed me that they were done for a while, while I was happily selecting my bouquet. I also have no concept of time. 

family photo tip:

if baby is unhappy for photos, throw baby in air (make sure to catch baby, of course) and try again. 

Eckert's frozen custard stand was a welcome sight after being out in the hot sun. 

Ruby enjoyed her first ice cream cone and took it very seriously. She sat here on this bench quietly and licked her ice cream cone the entire time. We were really impressed with how well she did, almost like it's a family trait that we've passed down to her. She held it upright the entire time, like a pro. 

serious business happening

just check out that ice cream beard

I think it's safe to say that Ruby thoroughly enjoyed her first ice cream cone. 

I opted for a pina colada smoothie, which sounded incredibly refreshing. It didn't disappoint. Above is a photo of it next to the beauties I picked. 

Thanks again, Eckerts for a lovely afternoon. We all left a sticky, tired, and happy mess. 

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If you missed my previous posts from our visit to Eckert's Farm, see those HERE 

This past Thursday Jordan and I were able to get some much needed time to ourselves. This month has left very little time for that, as Jordan often gets home late and needs to go to bed early. And guys, it's not easy. 

Jordan had off work last Friday, so we took advantage of our 'weekend' night. Thankfully our friend Jen was up for having a little friend visit her for the evening.

Jordan surprised me with a reservation to the Tavern, a restaurant I have been wanting to check out. It's a little pricier than our normal go to restaurants, so it felt special. And it's in our favorite St. Louis neighborhood, the Central West  

Man, I am so glad we have a baby now, because it's really awkward to take photos of yourself.

Tater Tot Casserole, yes, it was delicious. and that cocktail, also delicious. 

after dinner we walked down a few streets of the most charming older homes. 

and of course I can't go without sharing a photos of Ruby. This is a snapchat screenshot of Ruby playing legos with Jen, thanks again, Jen!