Happy 4th Birthday, Marie!

It is nearly unbelievable but Marie turned 4 today!!! She has been looking forward to her birthday for so long and it finally came.  She was so excited she could hardly fall asleep last night.   

We started out with her breakfast of choice:  french toast.

Next we opened a few presents.  Marie now has her very own, not sharp, Bow & Arrow.  She is just like Merida from Brave and is so excited to learn how to use it.  This is taking patience and practice but she is determined!

We had some  friends from school over today along with her 2 favorite teachers, grandparents, and cousins.

 We were supposed to be at the park but due to the rain and cold weather we shifted the party to our house.

 Andy used his art skills to create a "pin the fish tail on Flounder" game, the kids whacked at the piñata, and of course cupcakes and presents.

 Although this wasn't our plan for the party, it all worked out well and Marie had a great day!

Happy Birthday Marie!  

Finally I'm Camping!

Marie has been wanting to go camping for quite some time.  She asks Andy over and over, "Dad, when can we go camping?" Finally, the weather was decent and Andy said the magic words, "Marie, should we sleep in the tent tonight?"  Before I knew it she was dressed and ready to go.

Of course before we could go to sleep in the tent, Marie needed a campfire and s'mores.  Bennett enjoyed the marshmallows a little too much!

As we all got to bed, I looked out the window and saw this:

Marie and Andy telling stories by flashlight in the tent.

Thankfully the rain stayed away until morning.  Andy & Marie slept peacefully all night in the tent. The weather was pretty cool so Marie told Andy they needed to cuddle to stay warm.  

Marie will be talking about this for months and I am sure she will be asking to go camping again almost every night!

Old Places...New Adventures

Andy & I really enjoyed our South Dakota Get-a-way this past weekend.  Thanks to Grandma Nel, we got to spend a night away and enjoy all sorts of things we don't get to do on a regular basis. 

Gus came along for the trip, too.

First, we stopped in Vermillion.

Gus got to run the gravel road, climb through the tall grasses, take a dip in the stream, and trek up Spirit Mound. It was fun to watch him as he timidly explored the new areas...often checking back to make sure we were still right there.

He also got a quick bath after digging in the mud...not his favorite moment.

After dinner we set up camp at Gavin's Point Campground in Lewis and Clark Park in Yankton.




We enjoyed a long walk along the river, played fetch with Gus, and watched him experience the river for the first time. Andy & I enjoy such simple things like a walk along the river with our dog...this was just the trip we needed.

We knew there was going to be rain during the night so we almost skipped out and got a hotel.
We are so happy we camped instead....we got to have a 3 hour campfire and uninterrupted conversation time!  It did rain during the night, but we stayed dry thanks to my always prepared husband.

In the morning we went for a nice long bike ride around the river. We had planned on pulling Gus with us in the carrier but he figured out how to escape in the first 10 seconds...so he enjoyed a nap in the car instead.

After one final walk around the beach, we packed up camp and went for breakfast. 

Along the way back to Sioux City, we stopped in Vermillion at the winery for wine tasting. 

The perfect way to end our trip. 

We were all exhausted from our trip on the way home.  

Although we enjoyed our get-a-way, it is always nice to get back home to the kiddos...who apparently were exhausted from their fun with Grandma, too. 

This past year has been such a whirlwind for our family. This was just the trip we needed to finally take a breath and enjoy the simple things we have always loved to do together as a couple.
South Dakota will always be such a special place for us.   

Tour de Char

Awhile back Andy & I decided to plan a trip for the original 3 members of our family - the 2 of us and Charlie. We were going to go visit all of our favorite places in Vermillion and Yankton. We knew it would be one of the last trips Charlie would take with us and we wanted to see him enjoy his favorite places one last time. 

Unfortunately, our timing did not work out the way we had planned. 

However, we still wanted to take the trip with Charlie - just in a different way. 

This time, we would say goodbye to Charlie, spread his ashes, and reminisce about all the fun times we had with him at our favorite places in South Dakota.

We started in Vermillion at our favorite Friday night gravel road.  It is just out of town with very few houses around, but plenty of pheasants to flush. 

We loved to grab a quick dinner, usually from Taco Johns or Dairy Queen and head to the gravel road. 

Charlie would run like he had never run before. Ducking in and out of the ditches, flushing pheasants, chasing rabbits, and of course barking at the cattle.
He loved this road in the summer, fall, winter, and spring. 

Our next stop was Spirit Mound which is north of Vermillion.

When Charlie and Andy went to Spirit Mound, they would stay off the trail. 

  They liked to walk through the tall grass and look for pheasants. 

Charlie and I would stay on the trail - hiking to the very top, enjoying the view, and then running back down the hill together.
At the top of Spirit Mound sits a bench.  Charlie and I used to rest at the bench after our climb.
Andy etched Char's name into that same bench.

This is a quiet place with a small stream running through the land where Sunny is resting as well. 

Our final stop in Vermillion was our favorite dock at Clay County Park.

This is where we took Charlie so he would get used to the water. 

This is also where we played fetch, rehabilitated his leg after his first surgery, and where we lost him over and over again to those pesky deer in the woods.

We spent so many Sunday afternoons and evenings right at this spot.  

Charlie loved to play fetch here and cool off from the summer heat.  

Andy & I laughed thinking of all the times we sat at the tree line just waiting for Charlie to come back to us after one of his adventures in the trees.

After Vermillion, we drove to Yankton. 

In the summer, we used to drive to Yankton to enjoy the beach and river during the week when it wasn't filled with campers and swimmers. 

 Charlie loved to swim in the river, play fetch, and explore the trails. 

After moving to Sioux City, we made a quick trip to Yankton last summer. 

Charlie remembered the beach immediately and spent all day swimming and laying in the sand.  

 Charlie's final stop was home...exactly where he loved to be the most.  

Charlie will continue to watch over us, guard the house, and keep an eye on Gus.

 Although this trip was different than what we had planned, it was such a great way to officially say good-bye to Charlie.
We loved thinking back and laughing about all the adventures we had with our dog.
  Without him, I don't think we would have discovered our favorite South Dakota places.

Nature Center

 

So far our summer weather has been less than enjoyable...cloudy, cool, and rainy.  

Unfortunately this weather has not only cut into our pool time, but also into our vacation time.  We were supposed to spend some time in Okoboji this past weekend but due to the cold weather and some spring colds for the kiddos, we opted to stay home.  

But that didn't stop Daddy from planning some fun activities. 

We headed to the Dorothy Pecaut nature near Sioux City. 

 The center was full of hands on exhibits featuring animals, plants, and birds found in northwest Iowa.

Marie and Bennett both loved it. 

They got to crawl through tunnels like badgers and see raptors up close and personal.

Because of the rain we didn't get to hike on the trails around the center and state park. 

We are planning on doing this again this summer so we can experience the trails first hand.

 This was a fun way to spend a rainy Saturday morning.

But hopefully we get to see the sun soon!

Chilly Memorial Day Weekend

Our Memorial Day was packed with travel and family time.  Andy had the weekend off so we thought we should take advantage of it and get out of town for awhile.

We started out by heading to Spencer to visit with Grammy, Papa, and 

Aunt Liz.  Marie was so excited to get on Papa's boat!  Too bad the weather didn't cooperate, but we still got our boat ride, ice cream, and Arnold's Park adventures in between the rain showers.

Marie played with Aunt Liz until she nearly fell over from exhaustion.  Bennett had a blast being adventurous with his new crawling skill and hamming it up for his audience, and Gus was a fantastic puppy on his first visit to Grammy & Papa's house.  

Next we went to Rock Valley to join the Van Beek family for our annual trip to the cemetery.

The kids take their cleaning jobs very seriously.

 

This was Marie's 2nd time here to visit Papa Rick and Bennett's first.

Marie was filled with questions this time and left feeling a little confused but understood it was a special place to visit and an important day for Mommy. I look forward to continuing this tradition with them as they get older and hope they find comfort in it like I do.

It was great to spend time with family and we are looking forward to June - full of travels and fun summer time adventures!