Family Picture...

We attempted a family picture....but this time it was Jack who just woke up and was not ready for our picture! At least we can say we tried.

Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We have been in Cook since Wednesday night late when we made our journey north! The boys were great travelers and slept for some of the time (and yes I took a nap too!).

We celebrated Christmas with my dad and brother on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Dad made some yummy food for us to eat and we have been entertained with going for walks, having coffee with friends and snowshoeing! The boys love playing with my brother's old toys. The adults have also had some good laughs about PeeWee Herman, Chuck Norris and Karate Kid to name a few.

Tomorrow we head down to Duluth for a couple nights and to celebrate Christmas with the Stepecs. Should be lots of fun with all the little kids running around!

Here are some pictures to share:

Henry and Sawyer have had a lot of fun playing together, and are looking forward for more time to hang out!

Christmas Eve Henry scored a forklift from Knuckles....a big hit for everyone!


Going to bed Christmas Eve night in their matching pjs. Can you find Henry in his crib? He is in love with Lindi's Care Bears and has to sleep with both of them. This was before Henry had us up at 4:00am sick to his stomach!

Jack loves to sleep on the cot at the end of the bed. Too cute!

We are really blessed and have had a wonderful time with family and looking forward to more "Minnesota Fun"!

I'm back...

Here's a catch up in pictures....

September (jack turned 4! can't believe it!)


October (i had 3 batmans at my house)


November (Steve and I went to a wedding and the boys wanted to be in our picture)


December (getting ready for Christmas)

Trial

Plain and boring I know but is the box gone? That's the real test I guess!

given up?

just curious I've you've lost hope that I would ever blog again? seriously as soon as I can get my pictures to cooperate on our Dell Desktop that we saved up for and bought 8 years ago. What a beast of a computer! But it's still kicking...so I guess I shouldn't complain.

anyone know how to get this silly box to not be on the middle of my blog?

Back to school

Here is a picture of Jack and I on our first day of school. Jack started preschool at Sonshine and LOVES it! I went back to Lenihan to teach 6th grade, and it's been a great start to the year, but I can't say i love it (or at least not yet!).

July 27th

I just don't even like the sound of that date. 5 years, has it really been that long? Sometimes it seems like it was just 5 months ago and sometimes it seems like forever. As I sit here and type this out (which I needed to do, so sorry if it's rambling) I am still sad. Sometimes I just can't even believe they are gone. People often ask if it's gotten easier, well I wouldn't say easier but I would say different. Things are different, life is different. I miss them terribly when people are off doing fun things with their mom or sister(s)...I think about what kinds of things the three of us would be doing, or our entire family for that matter. (Don't get me wrong...I have amazing, wonderful friends who are more like sisters, and an Aunt who is more like my mom than an Aunt...for all of them I am very thankful.)

The boys, would have loved them to pieces and they would have loved my boys. It does still sadden me that they will never meet them here on this earth. I never chose my life to be like this, and when I was younger and thinking about life this was never a part of my story. Sorry to make this sound sad and depressing, I'm really doing okay.

I love you and miss you like crazy, Mom and Lindi!!

change.

Change. I know it has to happen in life, but my question is why does it have to be so hard? I like to tell myself I'm good with change. But I guess I'm really not.

After a lot of thought and prayer, our lives are about to change a lot. Steve has resigned from his current job, and will take over as "Stay-at-home Dad Extraordinaire" while I go back to work. It has all been a God thing because I got my old job back, in my old classroom with my friend teaching across the hall. It will be good (I think) to get back into teaching and be around people I enjoy.

It's just hard to say good-bye to the people at church. We have been going there for the past 6 1/2 years and have established great relationships. I know they don't have to change, but I know they will. Steve's last Sunday is August 1st. If you could pray for us as we make this transition we would appreciate it.

4th of July!

We went up to the lake for our week of fun over the 4th of July. I think there were about 18 of us for a few meals. It's always the highlight of my summer, and the weather this year was amazing!! Only 1 night/morning did it really rain...enough to knock out the power in the cabins and left Steve to shower in the rain that was pouring off the garage. The boys loved it and were in and out of the water a ton of times each day. We're excited to head back up there next week and will be there for a few weeks.
Henry and Sawyer eating some M&M's....just like their moms!! :)

Group Shot!

Jack and Henry loved the rafts. Who doesn't?


We are already looking forward to our next year's 4th of July celebration. We're thinking of adding a new element...."Lake Vermilion's Got Talent"....I better go get practiced up!

Happy Birthday Steve!

We celebrated Steve's birthday on Saturday and Sunday night...we like 2 night celebrations here at our house!

Here are some pictures from the events!

The boys picked out their presents for Steve...well Jack picked out both! Jack gave Steve body wash and a new scrubbie for the shower, and Henry went nuts over the Elmo shirt! Steve is thinking about taking it back, don't you think it looks good on him?

Sunday night we went to our friends' house and they spoiled Steve and make yummy BBQ ribs! And they gave him a sweatshirt he really wanted when we were at the lake.

VBS

Last week was Vacation Bible School at church. Jack's favorite part was helping dad lead the singing. The last night Henry and I joined in the fun, and I couldn't keep Henry off the stage either! If only Henry would have looked at the camera.

M&M's

We are very serious M&M eaters at our house. We learned from Grandma Nancy! She LOVED M&M's.

We have the clean faces to prove it!

Jester Park

We went last week to Jester Park with out friends after Henry's ENT appointment in Des Moines. It was so much fun! We will for sure be going back sometime...

Here are some pictures of our day there:

Henry the fearless one! He loved the waterfall and pond they could swim in.

Jack loved this old log they had to climb through. At one point he was pretending it was McDonalds and we could come and order at the window.

boys...

Can anyone say road rash?

Weekend-O-Fun!

Last Thurs-Saturday we met our Cook friends in the cities. We always look forward to this time together....it seems we go once in the fall and then try again for spring. We met at a hotel that had a kid slide/pool, a huge hotel room (due to our fan not working), and Culvers in the parking lot! Who can beat that? Here are a few pictures from our adventure.

Henry on the slide.

We went to an indoor playground/gym that was amazing. The boys ran and ran. It was a perfect outing thing no a rainy day!

We all braved the zoo on a freezing day, but the crowds weren't bad!! :)

Henry loved the farm part of the zoo.



It was a great weekend, and I can't wait for our next adventure! How about camping? Are we that brave?

Mother's Day!

Every Mother's Day I have to go through my sad moment(s) about how much I miss my mom and how much she still means to me. I just miss her like crazy and would love to be able to pick up the phone and call her and tell her all the funny things that Jack says, or how Henry just melts my heart. I never imagined in a million years that I would be raising my kids without my mom's advice or guidance. She was the best mom ever! I have a lot of work to do to be half the mom to my kids that she was for us. She taught us how to talk to anyone, eat lots of chocolate, be outside, go for lots of walks, downhill ski, how to have fun no matter what you were doing....and most importantly how to love Jesus!


(The only picture I have on my computer of my mom, without going through multiple CDs)

Okay, on to the happier side of the day...

I was given a new camera lens for a gift, which I've had a lot of fun playing with today...given two adorable boys who didn't want to cooperate for a picture (that's what I get for putting them in matching shirts I guess!).
Try #1:

Try #2:

Give up and take pictures of them doing what they both love...


I also got to take a nap, while the boys washed the van inside and out!

I am so blessed.

Spring!

Spring in Iowa is one of my favorite seasons....like today it's going to be 82 and sunny! Who can beat that? Flowers are planted, grass is growing, and the house is slowly getting cleaned for the season. It reminds me of growing up how we had to wash the walls, clean closets, etc. with my mom! Memories...

Here are some fun pictures to show what we've been up to.

We went up to Pine Lake State Park and Steve ended up carrying both boys for a bit...one on the front and one on the back!

Bike rides....Henry's helmet is a bit of a disaster!

Lots of time at playgrounds! It's my secret weapon to wear them out so they get take good naps and go to bed early! Henry is fearless...so that keeps me on my toes at the playground, but he has a blast!



Off to get a few things done while Henry takes his morning nap...and before we head to yet another playground!

africa

(Christie and I in a village...note the "bath water" on the side of the log)

okay, I know it's taken me over a month to write this post....my trip to Africa is just too hard to put into words. I think I'm going to make a list with some pictures that go along with them, or in some cases let the pictures speak for themselves. So hold on, cause here I go...

I'll start with the "challenging" things:

- Seeing Child Labor in action. Being the first white people in a village. All at one stop. The kids were digging in the dirt and carrying huge bags of sand on their heads. We're not talking 10 years old, I mean like 4 or 5. Seriously, they didn't look much older than Jack. They were mining for diamonds. Sick. I had to look away and not think about what was going on, or I thought I was going to burst out in tears right there. That changed me.


- We also saw a lot of homes that were destroyed by the rebels. It is sad to see the homes destroyed which means families were separated and children were left orphaned. That changed me.

- Seeing how many kids were not in school, not to mention how corrupt the education system is. The kids have to pay to hand in assignments, in some schools. That changed me.


- Transporting a pregnant lady in labor (due to an ambulance getting a flat tire), who speaks no English and then we get a flat tire. We successfully made it to the hospital, which the hospital is an entire different story. That changed me.

Now for some "amazing" things:
- Kids smiles, and appreciation for everything.

- Seeing Christie in her home.


- Riding a honda for 30 cents. This was by far my favorite part!


- Just how fun a laser light is to people that have never seen one.

- How good a cold Coke tastes when it's so hot (even the Africans were telling me it was hot)

- How fun a balloon is to a kid who has no other toys.

- River #2, a beach in paradise! Amazing.

If you made it this far, please know that because of my trip to Africa...I am changed.

Saying goodbye to Christie. Miss her.

wow.

I can't believe I leave for Africa tomorrow morning. I never in a million years would have predicted this! I am very excited to have this opportunity. Am I nervous to leave the boys? No, I am not. The boys will be spoiled while I am away. Grammy and Steve will be with them, along with numerous other friends!

I hope to take a lot of pictures, and come back with stories to tell! Off to get a few more things done before I leave...but not before I post a picture of my suitcase.

This gem was 2$ at the goodwill, and not to mention the bumper sticker it came with! I did take the sticker off as Steve assured me it was a bit obnoxious and I did want my suitcase to make it to Africa. But how do I drag it through the London airport you might ask? Why with Saylor's leash of course! It does have wheels but didn't come with a strap...so we invented our own. Too bad I didn't get a picture of Jack dragging the suitcase, Henry following behind, and the dog wondering what in the world was going on with her leash! All this craziness is going to make me really appreciate being able to sit and read a book on our long flights!

Oh yes, and the boys were given not 1 but 2 large boxes and they have been a variety of things over the past few days, but my favorite by far was Jack's office.

And one boy couldn't be in the box without the other one wanting to join in...