Trips are fun

 We surprised Grandma Nel with a girls trip to Chicago for Christmas.  

Mom and Dad used to live there and that is where Keri was born.   A trip back down memory lane, plus new adventures, plus a tour around Dad's old college were on our to-do list.  

 

Our first stop after a night in Waterloo was National College of Chiropractic.  We had fun just walking around and listening to Mom talk about their time here. She recalled where dad had classes, where their friends lived on campus, and looking at portraits of Dad's professors.  We also spent time in the library looking through old yearbooks.

 

 After finding our hotel and getting settled, we took off to the Sky Deck in the Willis Tower. 

We waited in line for quite awhile but we were having fun people watching and perfecting out poses for the big glass box above the city.

After a quick pretzel we were off to Navy Pier.  

There we rode the Ferris Wheel and walked around the water.  

Grabbed popcorn, and of course ate some deep dish pizza.

The next morning we walked around memorial park, saw the bean, walked along the water, and enjoyed the beautiful early spring day. 

 After a shower and quick lunch we got ready for the main event: HAMILTON!!!!

 Everyone LOVED the show and we will for sure try to see it again. After the show we had dinner and watched a movie in bed with snacks.  The next day we drove all the way back home, but man was it a great trip.  Marie is now a lover of Chicago and wants to go back soon!

While we were away, the boys had some fun of their own. 

They took a trip to Minneapolis where the final four was happening. 

They spent their time testing their athletic abilities, watching bball practice and games, and also hit up the zoo!

 At the zoo they ran into Eddie and Jess of all people!  small world - they had fun rubbing it in that they were seeing each other without Marie and me and sent us this picture!

There's always something going on...

 We may live in a small community but we are always hopping from one thing to the next. 

Bennett is loving his kindergarten year - especially the art class and making murals. 

 Brooks riding his new bike on the first warm day of spring. Our neighborhood is always hopping with kids.

 Our dogs are just the sweetest....and naughtiest.  recently they took off for a little run and Rex wound up inside the Y! good grief....

 Brooks and Bennett designing the perfect leprechaun trap for preschool.

 Nature Center space corner was recently revamped-our future NASA employee was impressed.

 Family Fun night at the Elementary School.

 STEM fair at school.  Marie conducted her own experiment testing dogs she knows and loves to see who was the smartest! She worked so hard on this and loved sharing her results.

Omaha Fun

 We finally got to hang out longer than a few hours with the VanMeeteren family.  We joined them in Omaha for a quick getaway.  We were at the zoo, enjoyed swimming at the pool, and hanging at the hotel. 

 It was a cold day at the zoo but we saw a lot of animals in their indoor enclosures.

The kids did great with a lot of walking and of course a few snacks.

 Seeing these kids together is so heartwarming for me.  Molly and Bryant are in some of my first memories of childhood so seeing our kids play and be silly together is so dang fun.  

The best part of the trip was having a few hours of uninterrupted time with Molly. 

Wine, talking till your throat hurts, and your best friend is about the most perfect thing ever. 

 ...this crew is pretty darn special too. 

The next week was career week at Brooks' school. Andy and I both talked about our jobs and then Brooks got to dress as his future career: Zoologist!

winter of basketball

 

Bennett and Marie both played Y basketball again this winter.  Each one did well and they worked so hard and improved so much through the season.  We love watching them enjoy activities and learn how to be a good teammate to their friends and follow the coach's advice (dad).

 

 Following their last game, we packed up the kids and headed to a USD womens and mens basketball game in Vermillion. 

We love going back as much as we can and our kids are really enjoying every trip too. 

This time we got to take along our new niece, Delaney. She and her mom are joining Chris' family with his girls and we are so happy to have them.

 

So many snow days

 This winter has definitely been an active one when it comes to weather, no school days, and adventures around the area.  This is how we have been staying busy:

 Baking, eating, baking, eating, baking, eating on repeat!

 The school has a special day called Winter Blast - Marie got to learn about archery. 

 Winter Games was cold but fun with cousins.

 Valentine parties for the kids. I was able to help at Bennett's - I love watching him with his friends and teachers in the class.

 Our first adventure with ice fishing was a hit!  The heated hut helped.

Swimming at the Y is always a nice option when we are getting stir crazy.

 Sledding down a great hill at the nature center. 

Building forts, climbing on hills, and eating icicles.

 Plenty of board games, puzzles, and cards to pass the cold temps.

Andy is busy coaching ball for Bennett and Marie through the Y.  It is so fun to see them grow and get better at their game. Andy enjoys it and always finds time for this even with his busy schedule.

 much of our snow has been fluffy and dry but we finally had some heavy wet snow for building.

Cosmic Yoga - thanks youtube!  Trying to stay active during one of our many snow days.