Seven Years

We celebrated seven years of marriage with a small getaway.

Selfie shot!
Lunch at Summerfest after dropping the kids
off with Grandma and Grandpa.

Then off to the Lake House (thanks Uncle Chip and Aunt
Patti!) for complete relaxation and views like this for two days.

Cheers to the first seven years side by side with my best friend.

While Dad is Away, We Play

While Dan was in China, we weren't just sitting around.  We had lots planned.  Places to go, people to see, things to do!  The first week he was gone we had to stick around here because Nora had VBS, but we were gone each weekend and the first couple of days of the final week he was away.  Here's a little of what we were up to while Daddy was working in China.

We visited a farm.

They had a loader there.  We might as
well have won the lottery.

I climbed in with him to get him more comfortable.

Then I was chopped liver and he wanted
to be on his own.

Found a hammock.

Also had this giant fiberglass horse on the
front lawn.  The previous owners really enjoyed
horses.

We took a trip to the zoo.

And some of us rode the merry-go-round.
Some of us (like those pictured) had to sit on
the bench instead of an animal because he was
scared.

Saw her favorite animal at the zoo.

Took a train ride at the zoo.

Snuggling with baby sister.

Helped Grandpa grill Father's Day dinner.

PICKED DADDY UP FROM THE AIRPORT!!!

He even brought back presents.  Stickers and colored
pencils which are way more interesting than taking a
Dad just got home picture for mom.

Lots of cuddling ensued. 

VBS

Nora was old enough to attend Vacation Bible School at St. Paul this year.  She was pretty excited about it. I thought it was a pretty good way to dip her toes in the water, if you will, getting her ready for what school will be like (her staying there without me for a few hours and then coming back to get her).  

On the way to VBS!

Her and her bestie, Mal, in the same group.

So excited.  So proud.

This was the set for Kingdom Rock this year. 

Saying bye to brother.

Everyday, VBS starts out with a few songs together where they introduce the theme for the day (prayer helps us stand strong, the bible helps us stand strong, etc.)  Parents can stay for the song part before the kids go off to start their activities.  Never having participated in VBS as a child, I had no idea what to expect.  Everyday, I walked away impressed and feeling blessed that our kids are getting these wonderful God-loving messages and I'm happy we will be able to send them to a school who will help instill this in them everyday.  I'm even excited to be learning more along with them as they grow.

While Nora was at school, I took Myles to do boy stuff.
We went to Home Depot to sit on the "tractors"...

and took a look at what kinds of options they
had for re-doing our bathroom.

When I picked Nora up from day one she was tired.  Happy, but tired.  Luckily, she wanted to go back so I'd call that a success.

End of day two.
So so thrilled with the crown they made.

So much so she pretty much wore it all
afternoon.

Wednesday was a whole new story.  Fittingly, Wednesday's theme was "Worry About Nothing Instead Pray About Everything".  Nora was completely fine during song time.  Then the kids started leaving the church and heading towards their activity.  Cue the waterworks.  I had to walk down to her activity with her and she still didn't want me to leave.  So, we said a prayer about being worried and a little scared about today.  Worked wonders.  After just a couple of minutes I left.  I knew I'd get a call from the Youth Director if she wouldn't stop crying so I also prayed about not worrying.  Prayers answered all around.  When we came back to get her she was jumping up and down proclaiming, "I didn't cry at all after you left!"  Score.

Wednesday, this little man also came down
with a fluke fever.  While all 206 participants
of VBS were rocking out to closing songs,
he fell asleep on my lap.  And let me tell you,
it was not quiet in there!

With my girl for her final day of VBS!
Love her to pieces.

 Oh, did I mention, the first day I totally cried when I dropped her off?! Yup.  I'd like to blame it a little on the pregnancy hormones but I had tears.  I just kept thinking of her going to school in just a couple of months and she walked away from me and to her group so easily.  That's exactly what I want for her and I hope she loves school but I am going to be a wreck on the first day of school.  I've already told myself I can't let her see me cry or she'll think I'm sad or there's something to be sad/scared about.  Hold it together, woman!

Father's Day

This Father's Day, Dan was half a world away.  Literally.  He was in China so we thought ahead packed him a super-secret Father's Day package to open while he was away.  

All his kids' creations were put in this
very official envelope and tucked into his suitcase.

A glued and glittered sign that only Nora
could help create.
(Sorry for the rotation of this picture - it
wouldn't flip!)

This is my favorite.  It was one of those fill-in-
the-blanks-all-about-dad-from-the-mouth-of-a-
three-year-old kinds of things. I'd like to do this
every year for Father's Day.  I just have to
remember to do it again next year.

Nora also wanted to draw a picture of him.
I added the quote she told me when she was
done.  It says, "This is a picture of Daddy.
He's smiling because  he likes me."

And these are the cards they each made for him.
Again- sorry about the rotation.

I hope his top secret Father's Day envelope made him smile and feel loved from the other side of the world even though we couldn't physically be there with him.  

****

Back in the U.S. I was in Wisconsin with the kids to celebrate with the other fathers in my life.  For the past few years, my Grandpa has wanted to take a walk along a trail and then out for lunch.  It's been years since I've gone (I think since Nora has been born) so it was nice to be back with them again for a few hours.

Me with the man of the hour.

Second cousins.
Reagan - my cousin, Ryan, and his wife's daughter.

The walk and the time playing outside at the
restaurant with Myles and Reagan did her in.
She fell asleep on the way to Grandma and
Grandpas.  So out that even when we got
there and I turned off the car, she stayed
sleeping for 15 more minutes.

We had dinner with another amazing father.
Kids are bathed and ready for the ride home
already in their pjs.

But not before a little curiosity.  Any
dibs on how long it takes him to figure out
how to unlock the gate? 

Happy Father's Day to all the special fathers in my life.

Toddler Bed for Myles!

The inevitable has happened.  Despite it taking much longer than I would have placed money on, Myles has finally discovered the joys of crawling out of his crib.  And really, it was perfect timing in my opinion.  With baby sister on the way, I wanted to transition Myles to a toddler bed before we moved him in with Nora so he had some time to get used to that first.  So after a few days of crawling out, I decided it was the perfect time to convert the crib to a toddler bed -- and not to mention, just more safe. 

He was very excited and proud, as you can tell.

He kept saying, "big boy!"

The first night, I flanked a body pillow along
the bed in case he fell out.  It's a
great item to jump out of bed onto.  Clearly.

That first night couldn't have gone better.  He talked to himself for a while but never crawled out.  Before I went to bed, I checked on him.  Completely zonked, probably dreaming of other things to jump from and climb on.

In August, we plan on moving Myles in with Nora so the new baby can  have her own room to cry in and not disturb either of the kids.  I think they'll both love sharing a room and I'm sure some nights, a bed.