5.30.2016

Weekend Wrap-Up

Man, it's going to be tough to send Kael and Kylee off to school tomorrow after a fun filled "unofficial start to summer" kind of long weekend! I have TONS of pictures, so here goes!

Friday it was a little rainy, so Kase and I started our day with a blanket fort.  Then a friend asked us to join them at the Indoor Playground, so we spent a couple hours there.  It was a fun start to our weekend! It was also a good day for Kael at school- he had gotten an autograph from an Iowa State football player who had been at their school AND he earned two belts during his trombone lesson! He's been working hard practicing all year long and I'm so happy for him that it's paid off!

Friday night we had dinner at my parents' house.  So funny that the three boy cousins all showed up wearing hot green shirts!




Saturday morning Kael and Kylee had their first triathlon practice.  It was chilly out but the said the water was warm and they both had fun. After a quick lunch, we played around the house.  Kael spent a lot of time doing trick shots with a frisbee- he's been watching some trick shot videos online and is having so much fun trying to recreate the shots at home! Later, it rained again so we went out for ice cream, then I (Fun Bully) convinced Kent that we should go to the pool since it was opening day! Kase has been begging to go for the last few months, and even though it was a little rainy, there was no lightning so we went for it! 




Despite how Kase looks in this picture, we had the.best.time.  The air was cool but the water was really warm.  The kids even convinced me to get in and go down all the slides since no one else was there.  Honestly, this was one of my highlights of the weekend.  Great memories.



Sunday morning Kent, Rob and my dad went out fishing.  They had great luck and caught lots of crappie! 



Meanwhile, the kids, my mom, and I picked up donuts and went to a park.


Then we went to her house to play in the water. 


And then had lunch at Leaning Tower, where Tam and Huston joined us!


When we finished lunch, the guys were just getting home, so they cleaned and ate their fish!


Sunday afternoon we went to Collins and swam.  It was a beautiful day out and we always have fun up there. The kids would have stayed all day and night if we wouldn't have needed to head home for plans with neighbors. 



{Impromptu} driveway hangouts are the best.


This morning Kylee and I joined my dad, Mandy, Tyson and Brooklyn on the boat. It was so, so nice out. Love getting out on the water before anyone else is out there! 


Captain Kylee!



Anyone need any sunglasses?



On the way to the lake, Kylee noticed some house boats and said, "I'm glad we're not lake people.  Like, glad we don't live on the lake on a boat."  I'm glad she clarified because I nearly interrupted her saying, "Kylee, we are totally lake people! We love to fish and swim and ski!" In fact, Kylee told me she hopes to learn to ski this summer.  So that's on our bucket list! 


Had lunch at my parents' with all the cousins, then had our First Annual Memorial Day Water Balloon Toss Tournament, where Justin and Rob were crowned winners!











I know when you look at pictures, it's easy to think what a perfect and fun weekend we had. And we did, but it wasn't all perfect.  Kent's car wouldn't start, later in the weekend we locked my keys in my car, a couple times Kase fell asleep for a too late nap/too early bedtime that had me staying up with him until 11:00, and to top it off- Kent burned his hands pretty badly saving a frisbee from the (very, very hot) roof.  But even with all of that going on, it really was a great weekend.  I can't believe the kids have six more days of school left, but I know they will fly by.  Summer, we're ready for ya!



5.26.2016

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful these birds have finally let us alone a little.  Every time we play in the sandbox or every time I try to water my flowers, I get dive bombed by these birds who are protecting their nearby nest. They've let up a little.





I'm thankful for some neighborhood garage sales! Mom stopped by a few the other day and Kase and Kylee had so much fun going along and picking out some new things for the summer!


I'm thankful Kael's first mowing lesson is done.  He's going to have it mastered by the end of summer, I just know it!


I'm so thankful and overwhelmed with the gifts from my students at the end of the year! People are so generous.

I'm thankful for a mini nap Kase took at 4:00 the other day.  He spent the rest of the evening happy as could be. 

I'm so thankful the kids got their yearbooks the other day! It's one of their favorite days of the year- they sit and look at them for hours when they get home! 

I'm so thankful for the fifth grade track meet. All the fifth graders from the north feeder were there and it was so fun to watch them!  I loved watching Kael but, just as much, I loved hearing the kids cheer each other on.  Every time an Ashland Ridge kid was racing, our crowd went wild! And it was fun to see Kael connect with friends from other schools too. It gave me a little glimpse into what middle school will be for him!  The event was just awesome and you can tell they've been doing it for a long time- it was so well organized! What a great day! 



I'm thankful we did some repairs on my car the other day.  I really like my car and do not want to have to shop for a new one anytime soon.

I'm so thankful my mom came over to help out yesterday.  She just totally lifted my spirits and helped with some mundane tasks around the house.  Not to mention we had a fun lunch out and got TONS done! Feeling so much better about summer being right around the corner! Moms are the best.

I'm thankful Kase made a quick recovery when he was sick the other day.

Have a great, long weekend everyone!

5.22.2016

Weekend Wrap-Up

The last few weekends have been busy for sure, but so, SO fun!

Friday night Kyle and Julia had offered to babysit the kids if we wanted to go out for dinner so we took them up on their offer.  The kids had the best time with them- running races, playing at the park, watching a movie.  Several neighbors commented later on how much fun they could see the kids having in the backyard! Kent and I had a great night out with friends and we tried Jethroni Pepperoni.  If you haven't been, I would definitely recommend it! 





These race photos are AWESOME.





Saturday we got to check out the new Ankeny Market & Pavilion! My dad has been involved in this project and it was so cool to see it all come together for the first Farmer's Market of the season yesterday!


Later Kylee had her last Ninja Warrior class. She's bummed that it's over but had a great last day. She poured her heart into running that course and finished the whole thing in less than a minute!




Meanwhile, Kent was up in Collins helping his dad with a project outside at their house.  The rest of the fam was all there too, so after Ninja Warrior, the kids and I joined them, had lunch, and spent the day hanging out there.  We rode bikes, played at parks, visited grandparents, played soccer, swam, grilled out and had the most fun sitting around the patio talking at the end of the day. It was a good day.



Sunday after church, Kael had a soccer game. It was a beautiful day out and Kael's team tied, so they were happy!


When we got home a bunch of neighbors were out playing so our kids joined in the water fun for awhile.  Love our 'hood.


Then we went out boating! It was so nice out and the kids had fun exploring Grandpa's new boat.  We also played at the Big Creek park for a little bit before going out for pizza with my parents. 



I love this goofball. 

They didn't have much luck with the fishing, but we had fun anyways! 





Looks like a potentially rainy week ahead, but we have a few fun things planned so I hope the weather stays nice!