Vacation Time

Andy took a few days off to end May so we have been enjoying a little vacation time.

The kids have loved having Dad around all day. 

It became hot very quickly so we had fun playing in the water in our backyard.

 

Marie and Andy also got to spend a night in the tent until it started to rain on them.  At 12:30 the 2 of them came back into the house. Marie loves to camp in the backyard. Before they fell asleep, she took the flashlight and checked the yard for "dangers."

We also took a trip to the Omaha Zoo.

 Even though it was a hot day we still made sure to see just about every animal we could find. 

Marie loved the tigers and Bennett had so much fun seeing the fish in the aquarium.

 These kids love carousels...

 

At the end of the day - ice cream was in order!

Poor Bennett couldn't even finish his treat before falling asleep. 

It was a great day!

Memorial Day

To celebrate Memorial day we traveled to Rock Valley to remember our Grandpa Rick together as a family with the Van Beek family. 

First we enjoyed lunch at Paul and Keri's home and then spent time at the cemetary. 

 

The kids helped Grandma Nel clean of the headstones while we shared memories and stories. 

This is a very important time every year and I am thankful the kids are getting used to this tradition. 

 That evening we also had a BBQ with some of Andy's coworkers. It was held at an acreage outside of town so the kids were very busy exploring and going on adventures.  

After dinner and a giant bonfire, we headed home before the thunderstorm.

On Monday, we enjoyed time at home finishing up our planting in the garden.  We have several vegetables this year and we are anxious to see them grow!

Happy Birthday Dad!

To celebrate Andy's birthday, we went out for pizza and to the Explorer's baseball game as a family.

The kids loved the baseball game and we had great weather to celebrate.

Bennett we really into the game and seemed to be taking it all in very carefully. 

Marie loved the cotton candy, nachos, pop, and popcorn.

Happy Birthday, Dad!  

We love you so much and are so thankful for you!

Successful Surgery Day

We are all smiles!

Bennett's surgery went very well this morning and it was as fast as ever. 

Andy brought Bennett to the surgery center while I brought Marie to school.

I walked in just in time to give Bennett a hug & kiss and put him in the wagon.

The past day or 2 he was been attached to this baby doll and it even went with him in the wagon to surgery.

 

About 10 minutes after he was pulled away the surgery was finished and we were getting ready to go see him already.

He was calm, sleepy, and very thirsty when he arrived in the recovery room. 

We were home by 9 a.m. ready to eat and play.

We are hoping this makes a positive change in our little guy and how he feels!

whirlwind weekend

This weekend we got to pack in as much fun as possible!

We started out with pizza and meeting the brand new puppies at Chris & Mindy's house on Friday night.

They were born on Monday, May 12.  Marie and Bennett loved getting to cuddle these cuties.  They are so young that they don't even have their eyes or ears open yet.

 

 Next, we drove over to Spencer so we could spend some time with Papa & Grammy.  

We attended an open house at the hospital in Spirit Lake as well as spent some time with a realtor looking around at possible neighborhoods for us to live in.  

Meanwhile, the kids were busy packing in as much fun as possible with Papa & Grammy. They played ball, had a fire with s'mores, and made a few trips to the park.

Relief in Sight

The past 6 months have been rough for our little Benny.  He has been dealing with ear infections and fluid in his ears that just doesn't go away.  It makes him irritable, off-balance, and we noticed his speech was affected so we began having his hearing tested every month.  Just as we thought, he was experiencing a simulated hearing loss due to the fluid in his ears which therefore affects his speech development.  

Yesterday was his first ENT appointment and the doctor agreed with us - tubes are necessary to help Bennett feel better and hopefully stay better. 

Next Wednesday we will be having surgery early in the morning.

We are hoping and praying this gives our guy some relief! 

Here Comes the Graduate

Tuesday night was Marie's Preschool Graduation Ceremony. 

Her class has been practicing for months and they were all so excited for their big night!

During the ceremony they sang songs, recited poems, and received their diplomas. 

Marie had wonderful teachers this year: Ms. Bonnie and Ms. Brittany. They were very patient and caring and always had such wonderful things to say about Marie. 

Marie got close to several new friends and she was lucky to have her best friend, Trey in her class again. This is the last class they will have together as they will both be moving on after the summer.

 

Grammy, Papa, and Grandma Nel joined us for the celebration as well. We enjoyed ice cream and Marie's favorite place afterwards.

Next fall Marie will be entering Pre-Kindergarten at Holy Cross Catholic School.

She is looking forward to her new adventure. We visited her new school this past spring. Marie likes that her new school is a real school with a lunch room and library. She thinks the kitchen play area looks like a lot of fun, and she is excited about the class pet. 

Congratulations Marie! We are so proud of you!

Mother's Day

Today I had the pleasure of waking up to specially made oatmeal with chocolate chips and coffee.

Marie and Daddy carefully prepared breakfast while Bennett surprised me with new earrings he picked out himself!

After church we enjoyed brunch at one of our favorite restaurants.

Can you tell Marie made a few trips to the chocolate fountain?

The kids spent some time picking more flowers for me and enjoying the view of the river.

After naps and a few rain showers we headed to the park and ran a few errands as a family.

Marie and Bennett, I'm so thankful I get the opportunity to be your mom. 

Both of you teach me new things every day.  

Being a mom is the hardest and most rewarding job I will ever have.

Thankfully, your Grandmothers have been good examples for me to follow.

never a dull moment

Andy is officially done with nights (yeah!) so we have had some more family time the past few days. Here is what we have been up to!

We were the lucky recipients of May Day Baskets from our neighbor girl, Sydney.

The kids were so excited and wanting to eat the candy all at once. 

Someone figured out how to sneak his basket and hide behind the chair so he could eat a few more pieces...stinker.

We enjoyed a few days at the park between the cold and rainy weather we had last week.

The kids love the park and it is hard to drag them away every time...especially Bennett. It's not the best part of my day or his when I say it's time to go home.

Bennett has also been mowing our yard a lot...over and over and over. 

Too bad he isn't cutting the grass!  He is just yelling 'bubbles' over and over and over thanks to Aunt Liz and Uncle Andrew's early birthday gift for him.

Sunday was a full day for us!  We visited Sheldon and then Van Beek family to celebrate Mother's Day and Abby's birthday.  The kids played with their cousins and had a blast with a game called "Head Bands."

On the way out of town we got a call about visiting some 3 week old puppies...of course we said yes!

The kids jumped out of the car, sprinted to the puppy barn, and cuddled all the little cuties!

It was hard to walk away without one...

While at the acreage we also got to pet, feed, and even ride a few horses!

This has been Marie's dream for soooooo long.  She has been asking about riding a horse for months! 

This girl definitely has a love affair with them and it's pretty neat to think that maybe she gets this from her Grandpa Rick.

After this busy busy day we made our way back to Sioux City but not until we stopped for delicious strawberry shakes and dinner at Bob's Drive Inn in LeMars...one of my favorite stops.

 And then there's Gus...he's been along with us for all of our adventures but he still gets worried he is going to be left behind.  Every week after I get groceries he jumps up and sneaks into his kennel while the groceries are still inside just in case we are heading out.

Life has been busy and it's not slowing down anytime soon!