Happy Birthday Grandma Mary!

We wanted to wish you a belated "Happy Birthday" on July 5.
We love you so much! Thanks for being such a wonderful Grandma!




This is one of my favorite pictures of the kids with Grandma Mary. This was taken when they were 5 months old. They stayed the day at Grandma Mary's when she lived in Ida Grove.

Camping with Grandpa and Grandma

Last week Tuesday and Wednesday, we camped with Grandpa Rick and Grandma Kay. We had a blast sleeping in their camper. We enjoyed going on the boat. Caden and Allyson rode in the tube behind the boat all by themselves. It only lasted a couple minutes, and then Allyson wanted to get out, but I am so proud of them for trying it by themselves. Then Caden and I rode on the tube for awhile. He loved it! Caden even got to help Grandpa Rick drive the boat.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

Last week it was rainy one day when we were leaving for work, and the kids wanted to wear their raincoats.

1st Fishing Experience

Sunday evening, we went to try our skills at fishing. The kids each got a new fishing pole. Allyson picked a Barbie pole, and Caden picked a Spiderman pole.
We no sooner had the worm on the hook and the hook in the water and the fish would bite. It was good practice for the kids to see the bobber go under. There were a couple times when they weren't watching very close and would wait awhile, and reel in the line, and the worm would be gone, but no fish.
We did catch 3 fish. Allyson caught the first one, Caden the second, and Broc the third. If you ask the kids, they say "Daddy caught a fish with my fishing pole".
Allyson didn't want to touch the fish, but Caden did touch the fish with only 1 finger. (I don't blame them - I wouldn't touch them either!)
We had fun - but have lots of bug bites to show for it. (we did have bug spray, but it didn't work very well - Lesson for next time - get better bug spray!)

Picnic in the Park

We had a picnic in the park after church on Sunday. It was with my dad's side of the family. The kids enjoyed playing and the weather was very nice.

Laying Cement

Saturday morning, we had a cement truck come out and we laid some cement. The kids were excited to see the truck and all the help that we had. Thanks to Grandpa Wayne, Grandpa Rick, Uncle Kyle, our friend Jerry, and Broc. It all turned out great.

Sprinkler Fun and Slumber Party

This afternoon, we enjoyed the beautiful day and played under the sprinkler. Even the puppy joined the fun. Dora didn't care for the sprinkler. Of course water and dirt makes mud, so we played in the mud too!
Dana came over with the kids, and later we grilled. Tyler had alot of fun playing with the puppy. He asked if the black dog could be his, but we keep it here. He also decided since the puppy is a boy, it should be named Jet.











































































Eli is spending the night tonight, so I told the kids they could have a slumber party. Allyson says "no - we only have slumber parties at Grandma Mary's house". Here they are watching Lion King before bed.

New Bikes

Both kids have new bikes and helmets.
They haven't figured out how to use the brakes very well - they use the toes of their feet - so shoes will be wearing out quickly - but they both enjoy riding their bikes. When we bought the helmets, they had to wear them in the store and all the way home.

What we've been up to

I can hardly believe it has been over a week since I have posted. We've been busy this past week, so I will share some pictures to get you caught up.

Yes - we still have the little black puppy. Even though it is a male puppy, Allyson has named him Mimi.

We had a bat in our house last week. The kids were in bed and I was working in the kitchen, and I saw something fly over my head. I was kinda freaked, thinking it was a bird or a bat. I immediately closed the door to the upstairs where the kids sleep, and went outside to get Broc. He looked around a little bit, and then found it in a corner. He used a broom to get it out of the corner and "saved the day" by getting it out of the house. So glad he was home, or the kids and I would have moved out of the house for the night.







We went camping last weekend at River's Bend Campground. It is a new campground that opened Memorial Day Weekend. It is really nice. They have a beach/swimming area, separate fishing ponds, a great bike trail, and really nice camping spots. We all had so much fun!
Sunday evening when we were home, I asked both kids what was their favorite part of camping. Caden said "riding bike" and Allyson said "Daddy". Because he went on bike rides with the kids and they loved it! We celebrated Father's Day camping. Happy Father's Day to Broc and all the other dads out there. Hope you all had a great day!


























We had Pizza Hut pizza for supper the other night. In daycare, the kids participated in Book-It and got certificates for personal pan pizzas. They were pretty excited to have their own pizza.



















We have been doing the prep work to lay some cement behind our garage. This is an area that gets very muddy. Here is a picture of me using the packer to pack the sand. We shoveled all the sand off of the trailer by hand. It actually went pretty well. (The kids even helped with their sand shovels.)

Another New Puppy

Monday morning, Broc was going out to his car to leave for work, and came back in the house with this... he said it was just sitting out by the garage.
Allyson was awake and was so excited to see this puppy. She even dressed herself this morning, because she knew that she could get outside quicker to go see the puppy. (Both kids can dress themselves, but it usually takes them awhile to get going in the morning, and so I usually help them, so that we get out of the house on time.) Caden woke up and both kids sat on the toy box to look out the window and see the puppy.
They couldn't wait to get home to play with their "new puppy". I was a little hesitant to let them get too attached. Broc drove around to the neighbor's to see if anyone was missing a puppy, with no owners found. The next day, someone called me to say they had found a puppy with the same description as ours. We are thinking that someone didn't want them, so just dumped them out in the country.
Our new puppy appears to be a male Collie/Lab mix. He is very friendly and the kids love him. Dora and the new puppy get along great together.