my special grands...

My favorite things to do with my special grands are:

Watching the ducks swim

swinging under the tree

playing with my farm and making silly animal sounds

driving the boat

and cuddling up for story time.

Birthday Month Celebrations

Marie's first birthday was full of celebrations. We decided it was only fair to have a birthday month - not just a birthday! It started a few days before her birthday with a visit from Grandpa Joe, Grandma Karen, and Aunt Liz.We had birthday cake and playtime with presents and new toys.

Next we celebrated at daycare. Marie brought in sugar cookies with strawberries and whip cream to share with her friends. This completed her first year in the caterpillar room and now we are moving on to the ladybug room. It was sad to say goodbye to her teachers, but we are excited to meet new friends.

On June 18th, Andy officially began summer with the completion of his board exam. We traveled to Sheldon and Spencer to celebrate Father's Day and Marie's Birthday with the rest of the family. This included boating with the Muetings in Okoboji and a birthday part in Sheldon. As you can see, Marie was not shy about diving right into the cake. The puppy party was the perfect way the round out her birthday month celebrations.

It is very hard to believe that our little Marie is one year old already. She is so many things: independent, funny, smart, curious, independent, caring, friendly, social, oh did I say independent? We are always amazed at how much she is learning and growing each day. What a year it has been. Who knows what this little lady has in store for us...

First Year Photo Shoot

Sunday was the day for Marie's Birthday Pictures. It started out perfectly with a good nap, good lunch, and a clean girl. Perfect combo for good pictures right? Well, that's what we thought. Marie decided it was another day to celebrate her independence. She wanted to be with mom, not with the photographer who was tickling her with a fake flower. Oh well - we got some great shots of our little one year old.

Happy Birthday Marie

June 9, 2009

Our first family picture with Marie Beth

So I was trying to get a great picture of Marie in her birthday shirt but
she just wasn't into it this morning. Every time I tried she would pull a
face or hide her face with her book.

She is declaring enough with this baby stuff - I am in charge now :)

We will be celebrating with birthday treats at school today
plus a picnic tonight.
Happy Birthday Marie! Daddy & Mommy love you so much!

Funny Faces

Marie has officially began the
"pull the funny face when you see the camera" phase.

Perfect timing girlie - we have your 1 year pictures on Sunday!

Marie's Giraffe

Miss Marie & her giraffe at the Omaha Zoo.

Marie's Memorial Weekend

On Sunday we drove over to Omaha to visit Eddie & Jess and enjoy a trip to the zoo. Jess was our personal tour guide which was very helpful. Marie did so well - we were amazed at how she handled the crowds. She was much more aware of all the animals around her during this trip to the zoo.

Fell asleep in the car on our way to the zoo...woke up and wondered, "Where are we now?"

With Dad in the jungle.

Marie really liked touching all the vines that were hanging down.

Notice how both Jess & Marie are getting tired of me snapping pictures?
After the zoo we went out for pizza and ice cream. Marie slept through the storms as we drove back to Des Moines - a great trip.

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On Monday we decided to rest up after our eventful Sunday. We went for a nice walk in the cemetery to pay our respects to our veterans, played outside, and took a nap. Andy was busy studying for boards but he managed squeeze in some playtime with Marie outside. This little lady enjoys the dirt! We are looking forward to playing outside this summer.