Aubrey & Joe's Wedding

Sylvia and Eric were invited to take part in the wedding of a good friend of ours.  Aubrey has been our dance teacher since Sylvia was three and Eric joined a class last year.  We've enjoyed getting to know Joe as well when we sit next to them in church.  Sylvia was a flower girl and Eric rang a bell to announce that the bride was coming.  We're looking forward to continuing our friendship with them as we go through life together.

4th of July

We joined the Kacmarynski's for the 4th of July parade this year.  We were thankful for friends to sit by as well as the shade of their Texas tent.  The kids got plenty of candy.  Eric sat on the curb most of the parade with his bucket sitting next to him.  He must have looked cute because people would walk right up to him and drop candy in.

We tried out the Coralville fireworks this year from the parking lot of Gilcrest Jewet.  Plenty of space between us and and all the noise but you could still see the show.  Eric wanted his ears covered so we tied his extra shirt around his head and he was happy.

Spring Playgroup

This spring, I had the privilege of spending time with some wonderful preschoolers.  They joined us once a week for afternoons filled with lunch, stories, baking, play time, races, singing, dancing, art and fun with friends!  It was such a pleasure to open my home to these friends and a great reminder of how much I enjoy teaching.

 

 

 

Easter

Sylvia and Eric woke up early Easter morning so we sat on the deck and watched the sunrise.  We talked about the first Easter morning and then came in to warm up.  Before church at Parkview, the kids enjoyed receiving a few gifts in their Easter baskets.

We headed over the Nana and Papa's and took a ramble in the backyard before hunting for eggs and eating lunch.  The weather was beautiful.

We dyed a few eggs in the afternoon and played in the backyard.

Grandma and Grandpa had us over for an egg hunt where we invited our neighbors who have a kindergartner in Sylvia's class.  The kids made resurrection rolls with me where you dip a marshmallow in butter and then sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar before wrapping it up in a crescent roll.  While cooking, the marshmallow melts and the roll is empty which reminds us of the empty tomb.

Great Nana came over to watch the kids hunt eggs.

The weather was still nice when we got home so the kids headed outdoors to play with a few new water toys.

Frozen

Sylvia has recently started saving her money.  For her first "save" purchase, she bought the movie Frozen.  She waited patiently for it to come out on DVD and was very proud to buy it with her own money.  We decided to have a last minute Frozen viewing party during spring break.  A few friends joined us for a snacky dinner and princess crowns while they watched the movie.  I love that she wanted to share her new movie with friends.

Dance Marathon at Horn

The student council at Sylvia's school hosted a mini dance marathon to raise funds for the University of Iowas Children's Hospital.  Sylvia had fun dancing with her friends in their neon clothes and getting her face painted with a friend from kindergarten.

Grand Harbor

We spent a weekend in January at the Grand Harbor Resort in Dubuque with our friends, the Baxters.  The kids loved playing in the pool and going down the water slides.  Sylvia is becoming quite the swimmer, Eric got brave enough to go down the water slides by himself and Drake had lots of fun going down on mommy's lap (I didn't let him try by himself although he was officially old enough).  Before heading home, we tired the kids out at Jumpin' Jane's.

My solution to early rising children while others were still asleep.  So thankful I packed breakfast.

A Visit from the Stiechs

We were blessed by a visit from my best friend from college and her family over winter break.  Our our kids enjoyed having a house full with the extra six people.  It's so difficult to live far away but I'm thankful for the time we do get together and that our kids also enjoy the friendships.

We spent a day at the Children's Museum

There was a photo booth upstairs at the museum that everybody enjoyed.

Each year Rachel and I send Christmas packages to each other's families but this year we got to open our gifts together.

Micah, Drake, Sylvia, Lydia, J.D., Abi & Eric

All but the two youngest boys slept in Sylvia and Eric's room.  Bedtime is fun with friends.  We also enjoyed playing at home and snuggling on the couch.

On New Year's Eve we took the kids to Hiawatha for a celebration.  There were bouncy houses, a spinning ride, photo booth, lunch and a countdown to a 12:00 noon balloon drop.

We skipped the expensive face painting at the New Year's Eve party and let the kids paint each other's faces at home.  They also made hats and drank sparkling grape juice while we watched a youtube countdown.  There was no way they were making it to midnight after playing all day.

Our final outing was to tot time at the gym.  The kids lined up their bikes for lots of races.

The kids (with lots of help from the adults) made hand print pillow cases for each other.

Matching shirts as we say goodbye.