A Day at the Museum

On a warm winter day in February, Papa & Grammy set out on an adventure with three very special kiddos.

(mom was in tow, too)

The new Launch Pad Children's Museum in Sioux City is now open and we confirm that it is a must see!

The kids loved their time playing and discovering all the hands-on activities -

From the farm to the pizza restaurant or the maze to the giant lite bright board.

After the museum we were hot and ready for a snack.

 Cherry Berry frozen yogurt was calling our name!

This was a great day and we are thankful for the trip!

We can't wait to go back again.

Ice Skating Queen

 Marie is such a surprising girl who has always kept us on our toes.

Ever since moving to Spirit Lake her adventurous side has taken off!

Recently she has been asking to go ice skating and this past week we finally made it happen. 

It was a date night for just Marie and Mom. 

She started off using the little walker aide for about 3 time s around the rink. She seemed a little nervous but kept going!

After 4 falls, one hour, and a break for root beer, she made it around the rink on her own!

I was so proud of her...she never gave up and really worked hard. 

I hope we can do this again soon!

Snow Days

When we found out we were moving to Spirit Lake, we were anxious to experience real winters...well, we have definitely gotten our wish! 

Easy Bake Oven Treats!

We have had several snow days since the start of our winter. 

The kids enjoy it and honestly, so do I.

 It's great to have an excuse to stay home, in our jammies, watch cartoons in bed, bake, play games, and just hang out. 

One night after a huge storm, we found this recipe to make Snow Ice Cream. The kids loved it and so did Mom and Dad!  We were surprised how good it tasted. 

During our last few snow days, we stayed busy putting together our valentines for our friends. 

 Marie loves the time at home since she is so busy with school - she usually requests some girl time with baking.

Bennett likes having his sister home on snow days and usually helps with the snow removal at some point. He often asks for extra cuddle time.

Brooks loves the extra attention from his siblings on snow days but he usually refuses to stop playing and falls asleep in a random location after he is purely exhausted.

 Although we love snow, we are hoping the snow days are over this year so we can start to get ready for spring!

Winter Games

Our first official winter games weekend has come and gone and we truly enjoyed ourselves.

The weather was perfect and we had a lot of fun out on the ice.

On Saturday morning, Nathan and Andy played flag football on the ice for approximately 20 minutes...for some reason running and getting tackled wasn't as much fun as they thought!

After the game, the kids and I arrived to participate in the kid games.

They each took turns sledding down a big hill, flying kites, watching the helicopter rides, and even spent some time with sled dogs. 

Next the boys moved on to play in a bags tournament with Papa near Arnold's Park while the rest of us relaxed.

 

 On Saturday night, the kiddos enjoyed the babysitter and a movie while the adults went to a concert. 

A friend of ours from college is in a band and they were playing at the Barefoot Bar. 

We had such a fun night dancing and singing with friends.

 There were so many activities to participate in but we only chose a few.

Next year we will try some more for sure!

Baby Shower Weekend

This past weekend we were able to celebrate the two precious babies who will be joining our family in March or April by attending two showers for Liz and Andrew.

 Marie loved the girl time and was so happy to see her Aunts.

It is so exciting to think about these little bundles on their way. 

Marie is very anxious to be a helper and so is Aunt Kelly.

While the girls were sipping mimosas and googling over baby gifts, the boys were playing golf and eating pizza.

 

 

 What a fun weekend!

Sioux City Visit

 The kids and I took a trip to Sioux City to visit a few of our favorites - friends, the museum, and of course Palmer Candy Store.

We played at a friends house and ate lunch with them. Marie was so excited to see Gracie and Nina. 

These 3 girls are kindred spirits and I think they will remain close as they grow.

 The kids loved digging for dinosaurs at the museum. 

This is one part of Sioux City we really miss..all the free museums.

We will definitely need to make more trips back so Brooks can experience the museums too.

 Our last stop was for candy at Palmer's.

This was a full day and we were exhausted at the end of it, but it was great to spend some time in Sioux City again. 

As we were leaving, Marie said, "Mom, living in Sioux City was like living in New York City."

Not quite Marie, but it was a special place for us!

Van Beek Christmas

Our final Christmas get together was this past weekend. 

We spent the day on the farm and had a great time!

Not only did we eat more goodies and open more presents, but we also got to go tubing in the field!

The kids loved being outside in the snow...even Brooks!

Marie was very excited about her new horse. 

Bennett was loving his T-Rex and Spiderman walkie talkies.

And Brooks found some new trucks!

The kids played and played while the adults played a game, too.

We are so blessed with 2 great families!