Saddle Up!

 Sunday was one of those perfect days.

 We were able to go visit and ride a horse on Chris' farm for an entire afternoon.

 The kids all took turns riding together and on their own.

 Every time Marie got off she was sad and worried she wouldn't get another chance to ride.

 Chris fashioned some reigns for us to use and Marie did a pretty good job trying to steer the horse in the right direction.

 Even I got to ride - something I haven't done in years but it all came back.

 We had such a wonderful day.

Thanks to Uncle Chris for being so patient and letting us all get our turn!

Plymouth County Fair

 Our family loves a good fair - the food, the animals, and the rides.

On Saturday we went to the fair in Le Mars with some friends.

First things first - everyone had to climb on the tractors!

Bennett loved this part of the fair more than anyone else.

 He also got a chance to try his hand at milking a plastic cow - harder than it looks.

 The kids enjoyed petting many animals and walking through all the animal barns. 

We also got to watch a horse show for awhile - the kids did a good job staying quiet.

 Unfortunately after lunch the rain started.  So instead of rides we went for ice cream at the Blue Bunny ice cream parlor. 

We all were ready for a sweet treat and had no trouble picking out exactly what we wanted to eat!

 Marie & Alexander have been in the same class this year and have become great friends. His mom is another family medicine resident in Sioux City.

Everyone had a great fair day!

Airplane Tour

 Since we only have 1 year left in Sioux City we are trying to visit all the places on our wish list.

One of them was the aviation museum near the airport. 

 Bennett is really into transportation right now. Trucks, airplanes, tractors, fire trucks, ambulances, buses, pretty much anything that moves will catch his attention.

We didn't know what to expect for this museum but we were pleasantly surprised at all the history and hands-on experiences for the kids.

They were able to climb in different planes and helicopters as well as watch different videos. 

Andy & I found the information on Flight 232 which crashed in Sioux City particularly interesting.

All in all it was a great experience and we are glad we were able to experience it together.

Mueting Farm Party

On Saturday we drove down to Lincoln, NE to spend time with the extended Mueting family. Whenever we all get together you know 3 things are going to happen: it will be loud, you will laugh a lot, and you will come home exhausted!

As soon as we pulled up the farm the kid jumped out and scattered to find their cousins. 

The afternoon and night were filled with fun activities:

bouncy houses, water balloons, water guns, three legged races, food, ice cream, karaoke, fireworks, and a rousing game of wiffle ball.

Like I said, exhausted! We were there for about 6 hours and I'm pretty sure the kids sat down for a total of 20 minutes.

It was a great day and so much fun seeing everyone again. 

On Sunday after sleeping in and breakfast, we took off for Sioux City with 2 very tired kiddos and 2 very tired parents. 

Until next year!

Nature Center Adventures

One afternoon last week we decided to hike around the nature center near Sioux City.

The kids were able to see hawks, bees, and learn about different animals in the area.  

After the indoor fun we headed outside to the trails and play center.

 They both had a great time climbing, hiking, running, and digging.

This was a completely free activity which everyone loved!

We will definitely go again!

We have some news...

 

Late at night on April 30th, we discovered that our family would be growing in January 2015!

After waiting through those first weeks and dealing with some sickness (not nearly as bad as my previous 2 pregnancies), Andy was able to sneak an early peek through ultrasound.

The ultrasound was taken at 10 weeks and the baby was looking healthy and strong.

 Bennett and Marie are both excited at this point. 

Marie was getting nervous about me being sick so much and she was crying in her bed one night because she thought there was something really wrong with me.  So, to calm her fears we shared the news earlier than planned. She ran around the room in circles, jumped up and down, and wanted to know everything!

We told Bennett the next morning and surprisingly it sank in as he went and told her teachers all about the baby in mommy's tummy!

  

 I am currently 14 weeks along and doing very well so far. 

We are praying for a healthy pregnancy and baby!

Maya's first swimming lesson

 

 We took a family outing to our favorite little campsite the other night so Maya could have her first introduction to the lake.

She was very curious about the water especially when Gus was retrieving and swimming.

Bennett thought throwing sand into the water was the most fun until he figured out that he could just walk into the lake with all his clothes on!  

He thoroughly enjoyed himself.

 

 Marie stayed busy drawing in the sand with sticks and looking for treasures.

 

As usual Gus only had eyes for fetch the entire trip...an obsession I tell you.

 

We were so proud of Maya for being so brave and walking all the way into the water. 

No swimming yet but she did drag the dummy out of the water all by herself!

We will have many more trips to this lake in the future so Maya will have plenty of time to practice.

4th of July fun

Whew - what a weekend!

It was full of family, friends, fun, and of course fireworks.

It started with a visit to Sheldon where we were able to play at Grandma Nel's house and spend time with our dear friends, the Van Meeteren's.

Marie & Piper hit it off right away with coloring and puzzles while Bennett & Max became acquainted through hugging and wrestling. 

It was a short but sweet visit we are so thankful we got to have!

After dinner with Grandma Nel we headed to Spencer where Aunt Liz & Uncle Andrew, Aunt Katie, Uncle Nate, and Grammy & Papa were waiting.

We had plenty of fun that night playing with all 3 dogs - Cali, Gus, and Maya.

On the 4th we enjoyed a relaxing morning followed by time on the boat.

The weather was warm but windy so we didn't stay on the lake too long.

Next we went to Arnold's Park for ice cream, rides, and a funnel cake.

The kids love the rides there and they are getting very confident with all of them.

That evening we enjoyed a delicious grilled dinner followed by fireworks, glow in the dark bubbles, sparklers, and of course playing with the puppies.

Saturday morning we enjoyed a brunch with the family celebrating Papa & Grammy's retirement. 

After a much needed afternoon nap, we once again drove to the lakes for boating, swimming, tubing, and more Arnold's Park.

We completed our weekend with supper from Bob's drive inn - one of our favorites- and a quiet drive home with sleepy kids and sleepy dogs.

Our 4th of July celebrations were fun-filled and well worth the driving and exhaustion.

June flew by and we are looking forward to the rest of our summer!