Marie's First day of Preschool

 Here she is all ready to go on her first day with her new Princess book bag and school supplies.

Marie was so excited to start on Monday she could hardly get to sleep!  

Finally when the time came, she walked right into the room, hung up her bag, and blew Mom a kiss goodbye. 

And here she is with her first preschool award of excellence for following directions and being a good listener on her first day!

She loved everything about her first day except that she didn't get to use her new scissors yet.  

We reassured her that she will have plenty of time to use that scissors.

Marie is looking forward to all she will learn in school as well as the fun field trips she will get to experience!

Riding in Style

Thanks to Aunt Tina & Uncle Brian the kids have a new toy.

They enjoy cruising around the yard while Gus chases them. 

Bennett's legs are a bit too short to push the gas pedal so Marie does most of the driving.  

If only it were big enough for Mom & Dad!

Bountiful Garden

We are officially eating the fruits (and veggies) of our labor!  The garden is going strong and we are loving the fresh produce for our dinner.

 As you can see the plants are giant!  We must have some amazing soil because the tomato plants are about 6 ft tall. That makes it interesting when digging through for the ripe ones!

 

Marie is most excited about the pumpkins which are starting to appear. 

They are not going to be large pumpkins but it will be fun to use them in our fall decorating and activities!

Time with Uncle Nathan

As soon as we woke up on Saturday Marie was ready to get her swimsuit on and head to Papa's Boat!  

Uncle Nathan shared her enthusiasm and off we went.

We spent time boating, tubing, eating, swimming, and of course squirting each other as many times as we could.  

Marie and Bennett both love playing on the tube and dunking anyone they can get their hands on.

 It was a beautiful day and thankfully we got off the water right as the rain moved in.

 

Nathan came to spend the night in Sioux City on Sunday.

He played and played and played, got his nails painted, watched movies, went swimming with us, and even babysat the kids on Monday. 

Thanks for coming Uncle Nathan!

Arnold's Park

The kids were so excited that Uncle Nathan came to visit this past weekend! 

Nathan arrived late Friday night so we decided to spend one last night at Arnold's Park this summer while waited patiently.

We started with supper at Bob's. The kids preferred the lake view during their dinner vs. talking with their parents...imagine that!

Marie and Bennett both loved the rides and they each did several.  Some together, some separate, and some with Mom & Dad. 

 Marie loved the Ferris Wheel, roller coaster, trampoline, and log ride. Yep, the log ride!  She loved it..she went on it 2 times - one with Mom and one with Dad. As we approached the drop off she screamed, "This is awesome!"

 

Bennett loved the boats, Ferris Wheel, and train. His sister was pretty insistent they ride in their own separate seats so we nervously tightened him in. As you can see he loved every second of it!

 Until the train - no smiles on the train, just worry.  

However, as soon as we would say "Hi Benny!"  He would smile at us.

 

After one final ride on the Ferris Wheel and an ice cream cone, we headed back to Grammy & Papa's house to see Uncle Nathan!

Photo Session

Here are a few of our favorite photos from the kids' recent photo shoot.  

They both did great at the session and lasted through two outfits, hair fixing, face wiping, and a crazy mom who wanted to get the perfect shot.  

Marie loved every second of it and couldn't wait to strike a pose, flip her hair, and flash a smile.

 

 

  

Bennett did very well with the first outfit but as soon as we asked for more smiles with the 2nd outfit, he lost interest. He was focused on throwing the props around the studio.

 

It was a successful day and we are so thrilled with the results!

Biking Buddies

We have had unseasonably cool weather the past few days which allowed us to be outside nearly every minute of daylight this past weekend.  

We wrapped up Marie's swimming lessons, went for walks, and enjoyed time on the bikes. Unfortunately, Andy had his first 24 hour call shift so he spent a lot of his weekend inside the hospital.

Sunday was a perfect opportunity to find a flat parking lot and continue to practice steering and stopping.

Both Marie and Bennett have been spending a lot of time on their bike this summer. 

Both are getting more comfortable and more independent on them.

Both are showing their stubborn streaks as they try to do everything on their own even if it is too difficult at first.

And, both were not ready to stop biking and go home for supper.

 

 The parking lot is near our house so we will be doing this more often for sure!