Weekend Getaway with the Family

This was Thomas's idea and a great one I will admit! He has wanted to take us all camping for a while and this past weekend, we decided to make it happen. Because I am 7 months pregnant, we decided to divide the trip into one night of camping and one night in a nice comfortable king size bed (at a hotel)! Last Thursday we drove up to Minneapolis and stayed at Lake Blyssby campsite for a night and the next day headed a bit farther north to an awesome hotel! The hotel was only a few minutes away from the Mall of America, which the boys were pretty excited to go see. The campgrounds were located around the lake and the boys spent a good portion of their time throwing rocks into the water from the beach. They LOVED doing this and it was hard to get them to come and eat their dinner. Thomas set up the 4 person tent in record time and we ate Mac and Cheese and roasted some marshmallows for smores. It was so much fun and despite a somewhat restless night for us all, we had a fantastic time! We ate pancakes in the morning and headed off around noon (it had then started to drizzle). We checked into the hotel, rest for a bit, and then headed to the mall. We rode all kinds of rides. Ethan rode his first big roller coaster! Thomas and I aren't sure that he even met the height requirement, but needless to say, he did ride it and had a blast! Simon road a mini roller coaster and he didn't like it so much. He did however like the big rigs that they all rode together. Both boys had so much fun and Thomas and I just enjoyed watching the looks on their faces! The next day we spent playing at the hotel's large indoor playground. This thing was absolutely amazing standing three stories tall and I think there were probably more than 20 different slides to go down. They were fast too! Simon was a bit intimidated at first so he and I stayed low to the ground but by then end of the time, he went all the way to the top with Thomas and Ethan. They all had so much fun...all 3 of them :)





It was such a fun trip and the kids are already talking about our next camping trip! We'll have to make it an annual tradition now. Now we're back in Ames and experiencing some hot weather! The boys played outside in the pool for the first time this year today and had a water fight with dad. I worked in the garden some and can now say that I have just about planted everything and will now need to just wait. It has been a slow start this year because of the cool temps, but I think everything will take off now that it's getting much warmer. I took a couple of pics of the garden thus far.




Here is a picture of the plantar box. Finished and filled with my herbs, kale, and lettuce. It's been growing wonderfully and I love that it's so close to my back door. We've enjoyed some fresh herbs already this year!

Easter 2011

Easter 2011 was a 2 week holiday for us. The boys kicked off the Easter Holiday with an egg hunt at Gina's house (one of Ethans good friends) along with several other friends of his. Julie (a friend of mine) hosted an awesome egg hunt in her backyard and the kids had a blast hunting for eggs and discovering all sorts of treats inside. There were plenty to go around, even for the little ones.





The following weekend, we headed to West Branch to be with Ken and Helen, Troy, Leanna and Grace for Easter. Helen treated the boys to some very cute Easter outfits and we did attempt to get pictures of all the kids taken at Sears. This attempt partly failed because Simon was not so cooperative. Grace and Ethan did great however, the only picture we could get of Simon was in the lobby. Oh well, we'll try again next year. He seems to get pretty uncomfortable when the camera is on him. Ethan would willingly take as many photos as needed. Such different personalities.



THe kids all hunted again for Easter eggs and a big Easter basket at the farm and they were thrilled to find what the bunny left for them! The baskets were full of fun treats and activities to keep them busy for a while. We still have the baskets sitting on the kitchen island and the kids love when I give them permission to search through them and play with all the fun little games and treats inside (this is now three weeks later). I think we will have to put them away soon as I am beginning to miss the space on my island. It's been totally worth it though!







We have had some very unusual Iowa weather. It has been very cold up until this last week so it has pushed planting back to a later date than desired. It is almost mid May and Thomas has been extremely busy. He has been working so many hours and fixing problem after problem. I am amazed at how much he has learned in 2 years working at his job. When I hear him troubleshooting over the phone, he sounds amazing! So technical and sometimes I can hear the farmers go from being frustrated and a bit on edge to calm and reassured by the end of a conversation with THomas. Did I mention my husband was amazing! Not to mention how he is so tired when he gets home and yet still has energy for the boys, and me :) I don't know how he does it. He is an amazing dad and husband. Oh, and he finished my plantar box!!! Here is is finishing up the last coat of sealant. Since then it has been filled with soil and herbs and vegetables have been planted! Yay! I will post more pictures later.

Springtime Fun

Spring is finally here!!! It seemed like it would never come and yet it's here and passing ever so quickly. With Thomas' busy work schedule, I don't mind that spring goes by quickly because we sure do miss having him home! All in all, he has said that the work load this spring is relatively lighter than previous years because of a number of different factors. We are in the 2nd week of April and he says he has a good handle on things and should be finishing up next week! Yay! The boys and I have been making the best of the time when Daddy is away, but they sure do miss him (as do I)! Let's see...where to begin...

We colored some Easter eggs with grandma and grandpa a couple weeks ago. These aren't just any ordinary eggs...these are brightly colored Amana eggs (meaning that this is the tradinional way to color eggs in the Amana colonies). Everyone has remarked on how vivid the colors are and asks, how on earth did we get them to be so incredibly bright! Ethan had a great time rolling the eggs in dye and wearing the gloves.




We colored eggs while THomas and Grandpa worked on the basement. They carried in numerous panels of drywall down into the basement and covered most of the room and part of the ceiling. Good work guys!





It was a busy and productive day! So much fun having Grandpa and Grandma in town to help us out and kick off the spring season!

Ethan has also started his spring soccer class. He practices at the City Hall gym and Thomas has been working with him while Simon and I watch along the sides. The teacher gives them some skills to practice and the parent helps them out. It's been fun watching Ethan as he LOVES kicking the ball around and Thomas says that he is actually really good!





Unfortunately, the nice weather is going to be leaving for the next coule of days as we have been told there is snow in the forecast for Friday night and throughout the weekend. We are a little bummed but I feel somewhat relieved that I have a few more days to plan out the garden and get it ready for planting. I think we will finish tilling and loosening the soil next week and plant some cold crop veggies next week as well as finish the planter box! Oh yes, Thomas has built me the most beautiful plantar box made of cedar wood, which is leaving a wonderful aroma in the garage where's it sitting at the moment, and it is a pretty good size (about 2' x 6'). I will post pictures when he has finished it but here is a picture of the process. It still needs to be sanded and stained. I am super excited to put all my herbs and salad greens in it this year. I am envisioning a box full of fresh greens and herbs right outside my back door! I have high hopes! If all else fails, and nothing grows, the box itself is beatiful and will dress up my patio quite nicely all by itself.

He's 2!

Last weekend, out little guy turned 2 years old! We threw him a big party with a pinata (that he didn't care for so much), a tractor cake (thanks to grandma Fawcett) and lots of family to join him. We went to my Gaga and Papa's for dinner and celebrated with all the family and cousins and the kids had a blast. The week before, we spent prepping for the party and the boys and I did some paper mache to create a fun pinata for them to destroy at the party. All the kids seemed to enjoy it but Simon wanted to just watch and observe. We are really finding that he doesn't like to be the center of attention too much and this might have been a bit much for him. The kids were just about able to break it open but Thomas took it and dumped all the goodies out. Then we opened presents and had dinner and cake. The kids played in the jumpoline for a while (a large inflatable trampoline) and Simon absolutely loves it. He loves balls and the combinations of balls and the jumpoline are his favorite things to do. Overall, I think the party was a hit. Simon is definitely 2 as this week has been a bit of a challenging one. He is really exercising his will and beginning to really voice his opinion. We are working on doing this in a respectful and appropriate way. He is so different than Ethan and it truly is fun to get to know each them better and watch their growing personalities blossom. We're excited to meet baby #3. The boys have been talking to him and Ethan is always telling Simon that he needs to be careful not to be too rough with the baby. This is good advice, especially for Simon.

Weekend Getaway with the Family

Last weekend, we went to an indoor water park called Wasserbaun located only about 2 hours east of our home. We went with Grandma and Grandpa Fawcett and Leanna and Grace. The kids had a blast. There was a small pool with fountains, slides, and a tipping barrel of water that Ethan spent most of his time in as well as a deeper pool that both the boys enjoyed with Mom and Dad. I was a bit reluctant to go swimming but I took the plunge and had a great time! I think Thomas felt like he was a kid again and had a blast with the boys teaching them how to go under water, jump off the edge, and slide down a big slide. He is a great teacher and I can see the lifeguard come out in him with the boys around the water. He might have to teach me a thing or two. We had a wonderful time with the family, the set up was great being that we had a room right next to grandma and grandpa Fawcett and Leanna and Grace were just a few doors down. Uncle Tom joined us for dinner one night which was a treat! We love spending time with him. Thomas and I were even able to go out on a date one night, thanks to Mom and Dad Fawcett, when the boys went to bed. They were pretty pooped from the afternoon so they went right to bed and we headed out. It was some much needed one on one time that we were blessed with! I would say it was a great weekend, full of memories with the family. I could see this becoming tradition every year as a way to break up the winter months a bit with a fun getaway that isn't too far at all!







This is Ethan jumping into the water from the side. He was able to even jump in all by himself with his life jacket on. I didn't get any pictures of that. We were pretty impressed that he was able jump so far!





These are the pictures of the water park and the slide that Ethan went on all by himself! He loved it. Simon went down with Thomas but wasn't so sure about it. He clearly let us know that he did NOT want to go down again. Maybe next time :)





Here are a few pictures with Grace. She was also jumping off the side with Ethan. This was our best attempt at getting a picture of all three of them together. It's not the easiest thing to do :)




There was also an arcade which Simon thoroughly enjoyed. He really liked playing ski ball and racing cars. All three of the kids played for tickets and by the end of the trip were able to trade in tickets for some fun toys to take home!

This last week, I'm sure we had record temps for Iowa in the monty of February. I think one day the temp was up to 66 degrees! It was absolutely gorgeous and we took advantage of it. We went for so many walks with friends and some by ourselves. We went to the muddy parks and played outside of our own house in the mud and slush. The boys got out there lawnmowers and pushed them up and down the street together and Ethan was able to try out his new bike with training wheels that he got for Christmas. It was a great week, one worth noting! It seemed as if spring wasn't far until this week approached and we're back in the freezing temperatures. Some people often ask me if it's difficult to be in Iowa coming from a place like California and honestly, I think it is what you make it. I really don't like being cold and the winter does seem to be a bit long, however the family and friends that we have here in Iowa add such warmth to our lives and I wouldn't trade that for anything...that doesn't mean that a trip to somewhere where it's warmer during this time of year wouldn't be nice. I think that might be something we try and do in the years to come when the kids are a bit older. I would love to take a road trip south to break up the winter a bit but we'll see. For now, we're doing ok and trying to take every advantage of days that show some sunshine and above freezing temps.
Next post, Simon's Bday! We've already been making the plans and EThan and I are going to work on making a pinata and special favors for the kids. I think Grandma Fawcett is working on a special tractor cake and Gaga Shiplett is making plans for a spectacular meal to celebrate the day! Can't believe our little guy is turning two!
Oh, and this next Tuesday, March 8th, 2011, we will be finding out what the sex of baby #3 will be! We can't wait!!! Updates soon to come!

15 Weeks and counting...

I never did this with my other two pregnancies and I always loved looking at pictures of the friends that did do it, so I thought I would start taking profile pictures tracking each week (or maybe month) of baby #3's development in my tummy. So here it is and although we are a few weeks late getting started, this is me at 15 weeks pregnant. I think I look farther along than that, and I oftentimes feel a LOT farther than that, but that's it...only 15 weeks. The boys, especially Ethan, have really been enjoying watching me grow and Ethan is so anxious to feel baby move. Simon is just excited about it because EThan gets excited. I'm not sure he knows what is really going on. My OB appointment went well this week. I heard the baby's heart beat and the doctor says that he/she sounds like one happy baby in there. :) Next appointment (March 8th) we get to find out the sex of the baby and I cannot wait! I am not hoping for one or the other, although I've mentioned to a few people that I would really love three boys, a healthy, happy baby would be a blessing, no matter the sex. I am so frugal by nature that I can only think of all the money we'd be saving by having another boy, however I've been to so many garage sales and consignment shops and have been so tempted to browse the pink racks because the clothes are absolutely adorable! I can really say, without a doubt, that I am truly excited to find out, regardless of what they tell us. Ethan has been referring to the baby as a girl and he would really like a sister. I think he would be happy either way as well.