And so it begins...

With our big move only 9 months away we thought we better spend some time in Spirit Lake and check a few things off our list. 

Friday was spent looking at houses, houses, and more houses. Luckily the kids didn't have to endure this part of our trip - they were taken care of by our realtor's two high school children.  They had a blast!  When we picked them up that evening they were sweaty and exhausted from playing.

   

After they took a little nap in the car we drove over to Papa and Grammy's boat so we could take an evening boat ride to dinner.  We enjoyed dinner outside while watching the many boats go under the bridge.

The kids perked up with their dinner so we decided to spend the rest of our night at Arnold's Park 

The kids were given season passes this year and they are loving them!  

Bennett tried the kiddie coaster this time. Right away Marie put her arm around him and yelled to us " I don't think he likes it!" He stuck it out though...tough guy.

After we closed down Arnold's Park, we ended our evening with ice cream.

This was such a fun night - the kids really enjoyed themselves and they were absolutely exhausted from all their fun.

 We woke up Saturday morning feeling pretty tired. We spent some time fishing at a little lake in Spencer...this didn't last long as we were not catching anything and we were all pretty exhausted. We decided to go back and take naps before continuing with the fun.

Later that afternoon, the kids were very patient while we bought a new van! It will be coming the end of August...we are anxious to have more room for our car trips.

We rounded out our time at the Lakes with a little miniature golf game.

This was a first for the kids. Marie loved it, Bennett decided throwing the ball was much easier. 

 We stopped in Sheldon for dinner with Grandma and then once again took off for home. 

It was a busy 2 days but a lot of fun!

A Little Chicago Getaway

After months of planning and preparing (mostly arranging our children, dogs, and figuring out our work schedules) we were ready for our first real trip without children!

We joined our dear friends Molly & Bryant for a trip to Chicago.

After they picked us up at the airport, we went right to brunch at The Little Goat. 

We proceeded to order some of the best pancakes and waffles we have ever eaten.

 Next we enjoyed a walk down to Millennium Park to enjoy the view and cool breeze of the lake before we got ready for the Cubs game.

 At the game we enjoyed great seats along with plenty of stadium snacks and beverages, and music.

It was a beautiful day and Andy was thrilled to be able to say he visited Wrigley Field.

 The boys were pretty excited about the Chicago Bears playing a pre-season game that evening. Because Molly and I are the best wives in the world & Andy knows how to negotiate with ticket scalpers, we scored 4 seats for a good price at the Bears game that night!

 

It was an amazing experience filled with plenty of adventure, more stadium food and beverages, and souvenirs. FYI if you are ever at Soldier Field, bring a small purse...just trust us.

Saturday started out with a walk downtown around Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park.

We took the signature picture with the Bean, walked through a few stores, and ended the morning with a delicious deep dish pizza.

 

Our afternoon was full of more site seeing with an architectural boat tour as well as Navy Pier.

The boat tour was a great way to see the city's buildings in their entirety. 

Once again we were blessed with amazing weather to enjoy our day!

 

 Saturday evening we enjoyed a delicious mexican meal followed by decadent desserts. 

We spent the night talking and eating- what we do best!

 

 

 We ended Saturday with a late night trip to the Sky Lounge in the Hancock Tower.

The view was beautiful and it was a great way to end our day.

 

After brunch on Sunday we left for the airport and said our good-byes.

This trip was such a memory maker for us and we are so glad we were able to make it work out!

Thanks to Grammy & Papa and Grandma Nel for their help with the kids and dogs. 

 It's not easy to sneak away from work and responsibilities but it is necessary every once and awhile. 

We were exhausted on Monday but definitely worth it!

Now, where to next????

More Sioux City Hot Spots

We are continuing on with our adventures around Sioux City this week with two more sites.

The Sioux City Public Museum and the Sergeant Floyd Monument.

On a rainy afternoon what better activity than a free museum and yummy sweets from the Sugar Shack Bakery?

First we stopped at the bakery and picked up some unbelievable treats with oh-so-much frosting to enjoy. Andy was able to sneak away from paperwork for an hour or two so we picked him up along the way.

Bennett loved the fire truck airplane in the museum of course.

 

The museum shared history of what makes Sioux City unique as well as highlighting significant events in its history.

 The newest feature is the "Big Dig." 

Here the kids are allowed to go into a pit with a brush and act as paleontologists digging for dinosaur bones. We spent most of our time here.

This was a great way to spend a few hours and I am sure we will be going back this winter when it's way too cold to enjoy the outdoors.

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On a warm, sunny, and wind-free day we stopped at the Sergeant Floyd Monument with a picnic. 

The kids are always talking about "the big pencil" but we have never actually taken them to it.

After picking up a few happy meals, we settled in on the lawn near the monument for a picnic. 

 They spent their time learning about the Lewis and Clark exhibition, climbing the steps around the monument, chasing butterflies & grasshoppers, and scaling as many walls as they could find.

 Once at the top of the hill they were surprised at all they could see - the cars, trucks, river, and skyline. It was quite the view!

Helping Hand

Out of the past 76 hours or so Andy has been working nearly 68 of them...insane.

I knew between moonlighting and his call schedule on top of clinic this weekend I was going to need some help. So, like usual, I called Grandma Nel to come give me a hand. 

The kids LOVE having visitors stay overnight. They are convinced that the overnight say is about 100% better than just a day visit.  So on Saturday morning we were greeted by Grandma Nel and her dog Sammy.  

Our weekend was full of fun while poor Dad was working or sleeping.  He is such a hard worker and I will never understand how he does it. 

We managed to do a little back to school shopping for Marie, go to the new Planes: Fire and Rescue movie, church, swimming, and ice cream. 

The kids loved the movie and one again I was impressed by how well Bennett sat for it - popcorn and skittles did help however.

Thank you to Grandma Nel for the great weekend - it was much better with you here to help out!

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!