the beach and balloons

How to enjoy the beach:

go in the morning when the sun isn't so hot and not so many people are there

bring lots of sweet and salty snacks to enjoy along with a cooler of ice cold beverages

remember your towels, shades, sand toys gear
forget all worries - you are at the beach!

apply plenty of sunscreen to your silly 2 year old
remember to let your daughter try things on her own - she is getting so brave in the water

let loose and make a big splash with your little family


How NOT to enjoy the Indianola National Balloon Classic

decide to go without researching into the event

leave only 45 minutes before the balloons take off
forget any sort of snack for the car trip or wait time in traffic

wear sandals so walking through the field is not only fun for you but also challenging for your daughter who is also wearing sandals
forget chairs and use the dog blanket you have had in your car for the past few weeks to sit on...a little dog hair won't hurt anyone.
leave the water and Gatorade in the car...after all, the signs did say no coolers

arrive to the event as the last balloon takes off

and finally, don't bring any bug spray for the fireworks...You are sitting in a field surrounded but thousands of people, how bad could the bugs be?

fitting it all in

So here we are at the end of July already...I can't believe I will be starting back to school in a few weeks. We are realizing once again that we had too many things planned for our summer break and we are trying to fit it all in at the end.

We ran away from Des Moines for the day to visit Eddie, Jess, & Hudson in Omaha. Hudson is growing so quickly! He is so much fun right now...smiling and giggling, grabbing at Marie's hair, and trying to teethe on her cheeks, too! We had a great time as we always do with them.

Andy is also tackling yet another home improvement project. This guy seriously never stops making lists for our home...it's annoying and endearing all at the same time. I am lucky he is so willing to learn new things as it saves us tons of money.

And finally, Marie is now officially a ballerina. She has been in her first dance class this summer. I thought it was going to be really relaxed and carefree but she has learned a lot! She looks so big in her dance leotard and skirt...what a big girl.

Andy's First Entry

I've interrupted Kelly's great blogging to announce that we've officially entered our last year of medical school!

The past three years have strengthened our family through many challenges and even some adversity along the way. With the countdown officially at 10 months, I want to thank my girls for their constant love and support.

Through the first couple years that were full of exams and now being away on different rotations, they have always been supportive and understanding of the path we are taking. We will continue to encounter bumps along the road as we start the residency application process, but we will get through it together.

I want to thank our extended family and friends for their help along the way and Kelly, Marie, and Charlie for their support! It's been an interesting journey that I can't imagine being on without you.

Finally

This summer has seemed to fly by without us even realizing it...but we finally found the time to enjoy some summer musts:

the pool.

Marie loved the slide.
Okoboji and Arnold's park to monkey around.
Cheer on Marie's boys during a 10k.
visit to Sheldon to play with fun cousins...and got a few too many mosquito bites.
visit the science center - who knew it would be so much fun?!?
Wow...it makes us tired just looking at all the fun we have been having this summer!

More Visits

We just got back from our final visit to Peoria (3 visits this summer if you are counting). This time Andy was able to come along. Once again, we had a grand time with our friends.
Bryant & Andy were able to golf, Molly & I enjoyed pedicures and some time shopping, and Piper & Marie napped and played. It was lovely.

We also had a visit from Aunt Liz this week. Marie was so excited to play with Aunt Liz and was very sad to see her go.
She told Liz that she would miss her so much and it's true...this morning she asked me, "Where is my Aunt Liz?"Of course we had to take Liz to Snookies - our favorite ice cream joint.

Andy is testing this week at Des Moines University. All 3rd year students came back to DMU for a week of lectures and testing as they enter their 4th year. So, we are going to have a picnic this evening to catch up with friends.

Can you believe this is our last year of medical school? It is crazy how the time has flown by...crazy but good. We are ready for the next step of this journey even if we don't know where we will be!

Marie says...volume 2

So it's been awhile since I have documented all of Marie's sayings. She has always been a talker and this continues to be true. Lately we have been laughing at all she says so we thought we better get some things down in writing.

She copies EVERYTHING she hears. This past weekend, Andy & I just started saying random things to see what she did and she would repeat the craziest things in the same tone we had said them. Lesson to us all: be careful what you say around her!

She is really into being a 'mommy' to her stuffed animals, dolls, and Charlie. She is frequently sitting in her room with everything laid out around her changing diapers, feeding bottles, burping, and putting them into time out. I often hear, "what's the matter pink baby? I know, I know, we have to change your diaper...listen, diaper change or time out? ok let's change your diaper." I am pretty sure she has heard that from someone else a time or two...

Marie is also very good at memorizing songs. Instead of us singing to her at bedtime, she sings with us. We have sung the same songs to her over and over and now she knows the words.

She officially has names for her grandparents: Grandma Nel, Grammy, and Papa. These are finally consistent and it makes talking about them much easier. She frequently asks to call them to chat. Marie is picking up there sayings as well"
'oh man'
'how about that'
'no way Jose'

She enjoys everything outside especially the park, swinging, and walking Charlie if she can hold the leash and not be in the stroller. She has been walking him with me a lot this summer and is very used to yelling, "Heel Char...no more pulling."

Marie is accomplished at chewing gum and frequently asks for a "big one." none of that half piece business anymore.

Marie is very good at identifying all her shapes, colors, counting, body parts, etc. This made a recent visit to the doctor very interesting as she explained to a random person why she was at the doctor...let's just say it was something she could have kept private :)

Like every child, Marie has some funny things she says a bit inaccurate.

Examples:

toilet paper is called paper toilet

Rie's help you means I will help you

She sees herself in a picture and says, "oh it's you" meaning "oh it's me"
instead of saying 'good night' she often says 'have fun'...not sure where that came from.

She is speaking with a very normal speech difference of saying /f/ for sblends. So, fwing is swing, fool is school, farkler is sparkler....you get the gist. The speech therapist in me is completely bothered by this but I know it's normal...doesn't mean I can't try to fix it though :)
However, her /r/ sound is quite amazing.

So there is an update on Marie's sayings...she is quite the character and keeps us on our toes.

So many pictures, so little time.

July 4th has come and gone which means the summer is half over! I can hardly believe that we are this far into summer and we STILL haven't even made it to the pool.

Even so, we have been keeping very busy.
Marie is lucky to have a lot of fun outdoor toys in our own yard.

We spend a lot of time running through the sprinkler. Charlie likes it too.

Playing on our slide and in our pool followed by a much deserved popsicle.
And of course enjoying s'mores with our bonfires.
We even got to celebrate the 4th with sparklers and snakes. Not exactly the fireworks Andy loves to mess with, but we have to compromise since we aren't living in South Dakota anymore...

Marie also likes to water flowers with me this summer.
She has her own watering can and bucket - as you can imagine, she takes this job VERY seriously.

We also made it out to the zoo this summer. Marie always likes to spend as much time feeding the goats and watching the giraffes as possible.

We stayed around Des Moines for the 4th as Marie is battling an infection. We were able to attend a parade to celebrate. Marie was right there with the big boys chasing down the candy.

Charlie is known for his fear of fireworks. Even though he is a big hunting dog, he is so afraid of bottle rockets! Every time he heard one go off this weekend, he had to quick go find where Marie was so he could protect her. At one point, he even jumped over a chair and pushed her door open just so he could lay by her...what a crazy dog. It was annoying and sweet all at the same time.

So far, our summer has been filled with traveling and fun adventures. We are looking forward to the next part of summer which will include more traveling, the Iowa State Fair, and hopefully a few trips to the pool.