Thankful Thursday

 I'm thankful for Hallmark Christmas movies.

I'm thankful for a warm house and food to eat.

I'm thankful for a husband who works hard to provide for his family.

I'm thankful for my kids.  Really.  I've got some good ones.

I'm thankful for plenty of money for Christmas gifts.

I'm thankful for family nearby.

I'm thankful that Christmas cards have started arriving. I know they're old school but I just love getting and sending them.

I'm thankful Kase hasn't had much homework lately.

I'm thankful Kael is feeling better- he had his first sickness away from home a couple days ago and it's hard knowing your kid doesn't feel well when he's not home for you to take care of him!

I'm thankful for Christmas cookie baking.

I'm thankful for the new furniture in our house which should be arriving very soon.

I'm thankful for time to run errands and wrap presents.

I'm thankful for friends.  

I'm thankful for early morning coffee in the front room by the Christmas tree all lit up.

I'm thankful for our health.

I'm thankful for our hot tub. 

I'm thankful we get to travel as much as we do.

I'm thankful for puzzles and family members who will swap and share with me and that Kase is really getting excited about doing them lately!

I'm thankful for a new planner. I love starting to fill it out for the new year.

I'm thankful for Kylee helping me plan my running workouts.

I'm thankful for my friend Danielle at the flower shop at Hy-Vee who always greets me with a huge smile and wants to chat for a bit.

I'm thankful for our church and our church family and our youth group.

I'm thankful for time to relax and read book and also for my Book Club.

Have a great weekend everyone. I hope you can make time to find joy in the little things. 

Weekend Wrap-Up

 LOVE having my whole crew together for the weekend! 

We started off Wednesday night with dinner out- (Kent was parking the car when I snapped this photo.) We had a lovely time at Olive Garden- typically dinners out are NOT Kase's favorite thing and very difficult for him to sit still for a long time but he did great and at the very end of the meal when we were paying, Kael offered to take him outside for a little walk. I was so proud of him and really appreciated him offering. We drove around a little bit looking at Christmas lights then came home for a fun family night playing old school video games on our three TVs downstairs! 

Thursday morning Kent went to the gym and I went for a run like usual then Kylee woke up and said she didn't feel well but she rallied and we headed to Keith and Cindy's for Thanksgiving! 

The cousins are always so happy to see each other.

The redheads!

Krue loves how strong Kael is.

Kase was the sweetest big cousin all day. He loved hanging with the littles.

The girls.  Kyle and Julia let us know they are expecting a baby girl in May so pretty soon we will have another girl in these photos! 

Crazy cousins.

The whole squad!

Kase and Krue were especially close all day.  He reminds me so much of Kase at that age!

We had a lovely evening just playing games- Perudo has been a favorite this break. One of Kase's friends came over and ended up staying the night so they had fun playing FortNite.

Friday poor Kylee was still feeling miserable so Kent took her to Urgent Care.  It wasn't strep (yay!) but they couldn't give her any meds (boo). Kase had a workout and I tidied up the house because Kael's girlfriend was coming over to meet and hang out with the fam! She is just so sweet and we had the nicest day getting to know her.  I had smoked ribs and made some tailgate snacks so we watched the Hawkeye game and later played some games on the Wii.  Emma was a good sport and joined right in! Garrett had come over too and a little later his brother Gavin came over then Kase and Gavin went to a friend's birthday party. Keith and Cindy stopped by (and brought the cutest Christmas jammies for the kids!) and Kase came home then left again for a hockey game with friends. 

The rest of us went out for dinner (Kent, Laura, Kael, Kylee and Garrett- Emma had to go home) then got ice cream and drove around looking at Christmas lights. So fun! Kael's high school best friend came over and they sat in the hot tub.  Kylee had an early night since she still wasn't feeling well. 

This buddy in his cute Christmas jammies slept until 10:00 AM Saturday morning!

We loaded up and headed towards Clear Lake to spend the day with my parents.  We met them at the most delicious Italian restaurant- everyone loved it!

Then we had a great time walking around uptown through some cute little shops.  It was flurrying a little and everything was so festive- it felt like we were in a Hallmark movie!

We stopped to grab coffees then headed back to their condo.

Boys played around outside for a bit- it's so peaceful and quiet there.

Kase had fun working on the puzzle!

We also played some board games- Grandma beat Kael at the end to be the Perudo winner! 

It was such a nice day spending time with them- their place looked so nice decorated for winter. We headed home late afternoon and thought we might drive through snow coming home but we didn't hit too much. Had a nice lazy family night here playing games and watching a movie.

Sunday morning Kylee was up early and went for a run. Then we were all five home, awake and healthy to go to church together! So that was really nice.  After church we did a few thing around the house, Kylee went to the gym then got her nails done with a friend.  Kase went to the ISU/Iowa wrestling match and Kael packed up and headed back to school.  It was just so nice having him home! It was a great weekend!

Thankful Thursday

 I'm thankful Kael is home!!! So good having everyone together under one roof. Looking forward to a great long weekend with the fam.  Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday afternoon we had an impromptu (ha! just kidding- it actually took about fifty texts and ten phone calls to line it up) dinner out with my sisters and their husbands! After much discussion about location, shuffling kids and arranging carpool plans for a few of them we FINALLY made it out! Totally worth it.  Love catching up with them.  The cousins all had fun too and Kase was excited to join after a friend's birthday party! 

Saturday morning Kylee went to the gym to swim laps and Kase had basketball.  We got to see him play two games and they won both and Kase played great! They lost in the championship but have had a great season so far.  Thankful for a team mom who captures great photos for me, another one who gets all the videos and also thankful for my parents and Kent's parents coming to the games and also Cindy for helping out with Kase later in the evening!

These two are peas in a pod.  Kase was happy to celebrate Ben this weekend! Love their friendship.

Saturday night we had Kylee's cross country banquet.  So, so proud of her! Coach Cog had a medal engraved for her for being Conference Champ! Also she was Elite Academic All-State meaning she has above a 3.25 GPA while participating in a varsity sport.  The entire team has an average GPA of 3.88- wowza! What an amazing group of girls.  

The coach always makes it really special and talks about each girl and one thing I hadn't realized was that Kylee was one of only five girls who didn't miss a practice the entire season! Out of 68 girls! Pretty impressive how hard she works.  Great things still to come from this one. Keep shining bright, Kylee we are so happy for you! Coach also makes a pretty awesome end of season video that's so fun to watch. 

Sunday Kase was up in the middle of the night not feeling well.  So he (and everyone else, actually) slept in.  After church we made a big breakfast then just got a few things done around the house.  Kase went fishing with a friend then Kylee and I did some shopping.  So great spending time with her and get in the holiday spirit!

We got the sweetest message from my aunt- LOVE that Kael got to spend time with extended family in Pella! I can't thank them all enough for making the effort to hang out with him!! And so proud of him for going to church with them- just so, so happy for that kid! Love our Pella fam!

Sunday night we went to a friend's house to watch the Broncos/Vikings game.  Kase has been a Riley Moss fan for a long time and also Kent and I had planned to be at this game with friends but decided not to since we had just been on our big Spain trip. It was just as much fun watching it with our families!

Have a great week! 

Thankful Thursday

 I'm thankful for Kase's attitude towards social media/texting.  I was talking with him the other day about who his favorite person to message was and he said, "Hold on" then proceeded to grab his phone and scroll waaaaayy down to the bottom of his messages.  He pointed at the very last one and said, "This person.  Because they don't text me hardly ever." Ha. While most of his friends can't seem to get enough of being on their phones, Kase just wants to play. 

I'm thankful that Kylee had help with her robot baby last weekend.  I think that was a little more work than she bargained for.

I'm thankful Kael is making plans to bring his friends and girlfriend to our house to hang out! Love when the kids want to be here. 

I'm thankful for a shoutout for Kase at Junkyard the other night.  He was playing games before it started and must have thrown a cool trick shot and later the leader mentioned it in front of everyone.  I think he felt like a pretty big deal.  Mostly I just love that our kids have all enjoyed going to our church's youth group and continue to invite friends along! 

I'm thankful (kind of) Kent and I went to Adam Sandler with our friends the other night. Truthfully I wasn't feeling well at all and it was such a late night but it's always good to see our friends and have an adult night out.  And Adam was great! I just wish it had been a different night.

Have a great weekend! 

Weekend Wrap-Up

 Friday night we went to the Jag/Hawk semi-final football game at the Dome! I love this picture of Kylee and her friend Emma twinning with the neon theme.

Kase rode up with his buddies and they got into the theme too!

It was so exciting to see Garrett play at the UNI Dome and although the outcome wasn't what we wanted it was a fun night.

Kase had an overnight church event that I had registered him for long before we knew the Jags made it to the Dome and before I knew Kase had a basketball tournament the next day.  So I let him join for a late night jump at Urban Air then hurried him home to get a few hours of sleep!

I enjoyed coffee out of my Spanish mug!

Then off to Grinnell for basketball.  Kaser was tired and had a bit of a cold but was in great spirits.  Possibly thanks to these donut holes!

He and his buddies played SO well. They are just really maturing and playing as a team.  They went 4-0 and were champions! So fun.

Kylee took off early for Sioux Falls for the Nike Regional XC meet. She had a good time with friends and they lucked out with beautiful weather so she was happy!

Sunday none of us felt great so we took it pretty easy.  Just got some much needed things done around the house and Kase played with friends a little bit in the afternoon.  

Weekend Wrap-Up, Spain Edition!

 Hello everyone!! Lots to catch up on.

Last Friday night Kylee started her project for Parenthood class and she had a robot baby all weekend.  Kase was busy with friends so we took Kylee and her baby out for a nice dinner! We laughed about her getting interrupted with crying which was funny at first but she was more than ready to hand that baby back over when the weekend was done!

Kent even helped out!

The next morning we headed to the airport for our trip to Spain! 

Meanwhile back home this group of ballers won their tournament! Big thanks to my parents and Kent's parents who held down the fort at home while we were out of the country.

Long flight but decent food!

Hooray- we arrived! Sunday morning we landed in Barcelona around 9:00 AM and took a taxi to our hotel. It was a perfect spot in a fun part of town and I'm so thankful to Kent for taking care of the reservations!

We dropped off our bags then headed out for breakfast and coffee.  I couldn't have been happier about this sunny spot- a super cute cafe and the chocolate croissants and cafe con leche were what I had been dreaming about and we found it right away.

We took a little walk around our neighborhood and were able to see both the Gaudi houses.

So cool!

We took the funicular and enjoyed beautiful views of the city. 

And also the sea! 

We really lucked out with beautiful weather our whole trip.  And we just had the best time with my high school friend Andrea and her husband Brendan. Andrea had studied with me in Spain when we were in college!

Back to our hotel to clean up and rest before dinner.  We were cracking up at these denim robes the hotel provided!

Dressed for dinner!

We went to the restaurant in our hotel and it was ah-may-zing.  Pretty desserts too!

I loved getting pictures from back home! Kase was living it up at Pizza Ranch and cracking geodes!

And even holding the baby! Kylee spent the day at church with friends then doing Christmas boxes to donate. She and her friends get together every year to do this and I love that!

The next morning in Spain we went to Park Guell. We had the loveliest time strolling around and finally made our way into the Gaudi part of it- just so cool.

 

(Truth be told we had a bit of a time finding the entrance to this specific part of the park and when we asked a worker there he told us to "simplemente dar la vuelta" which became a catch phrase we used the entire trip when we couldn't figure something out!)

Beautiful!

Brendan and Andrea met up with one of his friends who lives in Barcelona so Kent and I took some time to explore the mercado.  I just loved this.  So bright and vibrant and just really fun! 

We had to get a little snack of course!

Then met back up with Andrea and Brendan and enjoyed a gorgeous walk by the seaport and saw some amazing yachts! Then we found a great paella spot!

Then it was time for us to visit the Sagrada Familia! Words just cannot accurately describe how impressive it is. 

We really enjoyed our audio tour (thanks for the heads up, Tam! And also for all the rest of your tips and things you let me borrow for the trip!)

I had read that sunset is a particularly pretty time to visit and that was so, so true! I couldn't get enough of all the stained glass.

Then we had the most fun dinner at a tapas place! Truly a Spanish experience and a highlight of our trip.

So charming- seriously looked like it was out of a movie.

The next morning we were up early- can you see the time change and short nights are starting to show on our faces?! Ha.  Found a Starbucks but we decided that we truly preferred Spanish coffee (either cafe con leche or espresso) to the Starbucks coffee there. Kent is a total convert and has already ordered a new machine for his office. 

A quick flight and we were in Granada! This plaza is where we often met up with classmates for tours, excursions, etc.  It was just exactly like I remembered.

Our hotel here was so cool! Super old- so much history. 

Adorable courtyard area.  Shoutout to Kent again for finding a perfect hotel in the perfect location.

So pretty here!

This painting downstairs in our hotel is hundreds of years old.

We had some lunch in Plaza Nueva- back to the hotel for a bit then Kent and I went out to explore the city a bit and of course grab some coffee.

We loved strolling down the streets and just seeing all the shops and it's so crazy how much was the same as when I had been there! 

Back to our hotel to have a quick drink with our friends before exploring the city some more!

Walking by the cathedral at night was so beautiful.

Then we made it to Plaza Bib Rambla! This was our FAVORITE spot when we lived here.  Great cafes, restaurants- lots of great shopping nearby and just so pretty.  Andrea and I just died when we walked around the corner and into the plaza! So many memories.  

Churros y chocolate in Plaza Bib Rambla.  Is there anything better?!

Our husbands thought the area was as aweomse as we did so we continued our tour and walked by and stopped at some of our favorite spots.

Then, we met up with another friend and walked to the Albaicin for dinner.  Our concierge had made us a reservation and promised a gorgeous view of the Alhambra and we got it for sure!!!!

It was such a lovely night catching up , eating great food and taking in the views.  What a life. I'm the luckiest.

Gorgeous walk back to our hotel.

The next morning Kent and I found another lovely cafe and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. 

YUM.

Then we went to the cathedral. This was actually Kent's favorite part of the entire trip! 

Honestly I had kind of forgotten how amazing the Granada cathedral is and likely took it for granted when I lived there!

Then we walked to my old school and met up with our friends. 

Walked around the city a bit more then our friend had to head  home.

We spent the afternoon at La Alhambra! We walked up and found a spot for lunch nearby.

Then headed in! Again, it was just amazing.  Gorgeous view.

Andrea and I have been friends for a loooooong time but our husbands hadn't known each other very well before this trip and I'm thrilled to say they got along great.  We really had the best time together.

So many fun photo opps here!

Really neat getting to experience this place again, this time with Kent.

Ha.  Love this one.

We made our way back to city center and stopped at a few shops along the way.  Couldn't help but think of Kael as we passed this place! 

One last stop for churros y chocolate.  When in Spain I guess!

We had one final dinner together with our friends at our hotel restaurant.  We pretty much had the place to ourselves and thoroughly enjoyed just reminiscing on memories from the week and just also catching up on each others lives.  I'm so very very thankful for this special week that I will remember forever!

I'm also so thankful for both of our parents to help with the kids and also so very proud of how the kids got along without us.  When I'm home I do a lot for them because I can since I don't work but I'm pleased to report they are more than capable of doing things on their own and keeping the house running well.  It was such a blessing to come home to happy kids and a tidy house.  So thanks to everyone who played a part in that!!