Monday, December 24, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
BIG weekend for Gabby!
Gabby had a big weekend....
She got her new Big Girl Bed!!
And..we can't forget Drake. He wanted to have a picnic on Saturday morning for breakfast. We tried to explain to him that a storm was coming, but he was adamant. He would've sat out there in the rain all morning! Crazy Kid!
She got her new Big Girl Bed!!
AND got signed up for Dance Classes for this fall! She was very excited and told her new teacher (Evie) that she was going to be a ballerina. She was a little confused and couldn't understand why she wasn't dancing that very day - she kept saying to Evie: "Ok, I'm ready for the show to start!". It was really cute. She will be taking Tap & Ballet on Tuesday evenings and will have a recital next spring.
And..we can't forget Drake. He wanted to have a picnic on Saturday morning for breakfast. We tried to explain to him that a storm was coming, but he was adamant. He would've sat out there in the rain all morning! Crazy Kid!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Summer Updates!
This summer is flying by. It's hard to wrap my mind around the fact that it's almost August. We've had such a great summer with the kids, they're at such great ages.
We've found ourselves staying busy with many activities - the kids favorite is always going to Adventureland! We've attended a few of the local parades - through various town festivals. The kids have enjoyed gathering candy (Gabby) and watching the Fire Trucks (Drake).
Iowa (much like the rest of the country) has been inundated with the HEAT this summer. This week we will have three consecutive days of 100 degree temperatures. One obvious way to combat this heat is to go to the beach! It's always amusing to see how the kids will approach new events/situations - the first time we went to the beach Gabby was in heaven swimming in the water, while Drake was mesmerized with solely playing in the sand.
We've built numerous sand castles, rivers, ponds...etc. during our beach trips and the kids favorite part is always getting buried in the sand - an obvious summer adventure. Drake spends a lot of his time picking up sticks and rocks and filling up his duck with water to transfer to his "Rivers". Gabby loves making "Castles" and burying Mommy and Daddy with sand.
A quick update on the kids -
[Drake]
Drake is still mommys little shadow - which I still can't seem to get enough of! I say he's already grooming his skills to be in sales - as he'll be quite the naughty little 2 year old and then follow it up with an: "I love you Mommy". Drake has taken an interest into always wearing a hat. He's quick to turn it around when the sun isn't out - it's amazing to me how inherently he is like Brandon. Whether it be from his competitive spirit or his natural draw to sports, he is very similar to his dad. With one exception - his temper :) He certainly gets this temper (or passion as I like to call it) from his mother!
Drake still loves his Dinosaurs, Balls and Food. The kid loves to eat! He (like his sister) loves to read books and just recently mastered knowing all of the days of the week and counting to 20. He is getting ready to transition to the next room at school - and will have Gabby's favorite teacher: Miss. Elizabeth. We are excited for him to make this transition as he is cognitively and socially very ready for the move.
[Gabby]
I know this is cliche' but Gabby truely is 3 going on 23! This child has always kept us on our toes - and being 3 has not changed this. The other morning when I went to wake her up she simply says: "Good Morning, Mom - How was your nights sleep?" Speaking of sleep - she still loves it. She can be quite the bear in the morning, it often takes us around 20 minutes just to get her out of bed. On the weekends, she'll sleep until 8:30 - which is a far cry from the 6:00 a.m. wake-up that's programmed into her little brother.
Gabby recently told us as we were getting ready to go to dinner one evening that her shoes were "Fabulous". The picture below is her explaining just that (the glasses are her Dora sunglasses which she frequently wears). She loves her shoes and dresses - often times when we go to get her from her afternoon rest time, she will have a completely different outfit on. She has been potty trained for awhile and has only had an accident a few times, so I was surprised when I picked her up from school one day and they told me she had had a potty accident. When I asked her why this happened she said quite frankly: "Because I wanted to wear my other pair of pants!".
Gabby loves to learn - we've been introducing her to very simple chapter books as she is increasing her ability to string words together in terms of reading. She's quick to read those words in which she's memorized and is getting very good and sounding out those words that are new to her. One of her favorite things to do every night is to "Jump" into a book - basically she opens up the book we're reading to a certain page/chapter and we all "jump" into the story and then she uses her imagination to act out the story - pictating to Brandon and I what she sees. She's all around a pretty amazing little girl!
We had another "first" in our house in July - both Brandon and I needed to travel for business in the same week - same days. Yikes! Luckily, both of our mothers were able to bail us out (so - note to everyone, you DO always need your mother) and were both able to attend to our business obligations.
Brandon was able to attend a San Francisco Giants game at AT&T Park - which I had the pleasure of flying over both the Indianapolis Colts and New York Mets stadiums. He loved the game and even got to educate some of the other attendees on what a ball and strike is. Apparently they didn't get Baseball 101 at age 1 like our little Drake did!
Last week we both traveled again to Savannah, GA as I had the pleasure of standing up in my dear friend Gina's wedding. As noted above, it was hotter in Des Moines than Georgia the weekend we were there! We traveled with my good friend Laura and her husband Jimmy - it was such a great trip. The wedding was a lot of fun and the city of Savannah was beautiful. We spent most of Monday walking around the city center, shopping, drinking and eating. It was a nice escape from our day to day craziness.
We are excited for the rest of the summer and all that it entails. I'm sure more visits to the Pool, Adventureland, the Zoo and even those lovely lazy Sunday movies are in store. We are taking a mini-vacation in August to travel as a family to Omaha in my nephew Braden's 1st Birthday. We'll be taking the kids to the Children's Museum and the Omaha Zoo - which we know they'll love.
As I look outside my window to the 102 degree day - I hope everyone is staying cool!
We've found ourselves staying busy with many activities - the kids favorite is always going to Adventureland! We've attended a few of the local parades - through various town festivals. The kids have enjoyed gathering candy (Gabby) and watching the Fire Trucks (Drake).
 |
| Airplane Rides with Daddy |
We've built numerous sand castles, rivers, ponds...etc. during our beach trips and the kids favorite part is always getting buried in the sand - an obvious summer adventure. Drake spends a lot of his time picking up sticks and rocks and filling up his duck with water to transfer to his "Rivers". Gabby loves making "Castles" and burying Mommy and Daddy with sand.
 |
| Beach Boy! |
A quick update on the kids -
[Drake]
Drake is still mommys little shadow - which I still can't seem to get enough of! I say he's already grooming his skills to be in sales - as he'll be quite the naughty little 2 year old and then follow it up with an: "I love you Mommy". Drake has taken an interest into always wearing a hat. He's quick to turn it around when the sun isn't out - it's amazing to me how inherently he is like Brandon. Whether it be from his competitive spirit or his natural draw to sports, he is very similar to his dad. With one exception - his temper :) He certainly gets this temper (or passion as I like to call it) from his mother!
Drake still loves his Dinosaurs, Balls and Food. The kid loves to eat! He (like his sister) loves to read books and just recently mastered knowing all of the days of the week and counting to 20. He is getting ready to transition to the next room at school - and will have Gabby's favorite teacher: Miss. Elizabeth. We are excited for him to make this transition as he is cognitively and socially very ready for the move.
 |
| Best Buds! |
 |
| New Hiding Spot |
I know this is cliche' but Gabby truely is 3 going on 23! This child has always kept us on our toes - and being 3 has not changed this. The other morning when I went to wake her up she simply says: "Good Morning, Mom - How was your nights sleep?" Speaking of sleep - she still loves it. She can be quite the bear in the morning, it often takes us around 20 minutes just to get her out of bed. On the weekends, she'll sleep until 8:30 - which is a far cry from the 6:00 a.m. wake-up that's programmed into her little brother.
Gabby recently told us as we were getting ready to go to dinner one evening that her shoes were "Fabulous". The picture below is her explaining just that (the glasses are her Dora sunglasses which she frequently wears). She loves her shoes and dresses - often times when we go to get her from her afternoon rest time, she will have a completely different outfit on. She has been potty trained for awhile and has only had an accident a few times, so I was surprised when I picked her up from school one day and they told me she had had a potty accident. When I asked her why this happened she said quite frankly: "Because I wanted to wear my other pair of pants!".
Gabby loves to learn - we've been introducing her to very simple chapter books as she is increasing her ability to string words together in terms of reading. She's quick to read those words in which she's memorized and is getting very good and sounding out those words that are new to her. One of her favorite things to do every night is to "Jump" into a book - basically she opens up the book we're reading to a certain page/chapter and we all "jump" into the story and then she uses her imagination to act out the story - pictating to Brandon and I what she sees. She's all around a pretty amazing little girl!
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| Gabby's New Favorite Saying: "I'm FABULOUS!" |
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| Hamburger Hat and Princess Hat |
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| Sunday Afternoon Movie |
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| Popsicles on a hot Summer Day! |
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| Princess Gabby |
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| Christmas In July! |
Brandon was able to attend a San Francisco Giants game at AT&T Park - which I had the pleasure of flying over both the Indianapolis Colts and New York Mets stadiums. He loved the game and even got to educate some of the other attendees on what a ball and strike is. Apparently they didn't get Baseball 101 at age 1 like our little Drake did!
 |
| AT&T Park - San Francisco Giants |
 |
| Savannah, GA |
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| River Street & Savannah Bridge |
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| Savannah Cemetary |
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| Wedding Fun! - Congrats Gina & Keith |
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| Boo & Brew Tour - walking tour of local breweries and Savannah's most "haunted" areas |
We are excited for the rest of the summer and all that it entails. I'm sure more visits to the Pool, Adventureland, the Zoo and even those lovely lazy Sunday movies are in store. We are taking a mini-vacation in August to travel as a family to Omaha in my nephew Braden's 1st Birthday. We'll be taking the kids to the Children's Museum and the Omaha Zoo - which we know they'll love.
As I look outside my window to the 102 degree day - I hope everyone is staying cool!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Busy Weekends!
Now that the weather is nice, we find our weekends to be very busy. We've added to our "amusement" in the backyard with the additon of a Playhouse and an enclosed Trampoline, so the kids spend every waking moment outside. They received a picnic table for their birthday, so almost every meal is a "picnic" outside - which makes for easier clean up for Mom & Dad. We recently finished a landscaping project around our deck and are contemplating doing another project around the back of our house. There always seems to be something to do!
This past weekend was special as we took Gabby to see Sesame Street Live. She had a great time - she sat in pure amazement for the first 15 minutes and then once the shock wore off enjoyed singing and dancing to all of the songs. She had her first treat of Cotton Candy - and had the pink lips to prove she loved every bit of it. She saw a friend from school (Liam), so that made the day just perfect. As soon as we left she was telling us about how she couldn't wait to tell Miss. Elizabeth all about the "show" at school come Monday.
We received a very generous Christmas Gift from my aunt and uncle - Season Passes to a local amusement park (Adventureland). We took the kids this past Sunday as it was an overcast day - so we assumed it would be less busy and we really weren't entirely sure there would be a lot of applicable rides/activities for kids as young as ours. Boy, were we ever wrong! We got there around 10:00 and didn't leave until 2:00 - for anyone with toddlers, you know that's quite the dedication...especially going into nap time! They both loved it, enjoyed all of the rides - many of which we went on 3 if not 4 times. They were old enough to understand waiting in line and having their seat belts fastened...etc. - it was a very enjoyable day. One that both Brandon and I said was probably one of the best "family" days we've had thus far - just purely from watching how much fun they both were having! We are excited to go back this weekend as the large water park opens.
We look forward to the summer months and warmer weather. We seem to have a "pass" for just about everything there is to do in Des Moines (aquatic center, Adventureland, Blank Park Zoo, Science Center) so we're excited to spend our weekend out and about with the kids.
We are having our group of friends over on Saturday for a Memorial Day BBQ - I've been searching Pinterest for cute ideas for the kids and adult beverages for us older folk. Speaking of older folk, as of midnight I'm officially enjoying my last day in my 20's as tomorrow I turn the big 3-0. I was joking last weekend that I was spending my last Saturday in my 20's at Sesame Street Live! The glorious life of a mother :)
This past weekend was special as we took Gabby to see Sesame Street Live. She had a great time - she sat in pure amazement for the first 15 minutes and then once the shock wore off enjoyed singing and dancing to all of the songs. She had her first treat of Cotton Candy - and had the pink lips to prove she loved every bit of it. She saw a friend from school (Liam), so that made the day just perfect. As soon as we left she was telling us about how she couldn't wait to tell Miss. Elizabeth all about the "show" at school come Monday.
We look forward to the summer months and warmer weather. We seem to have a "pass" for just about everything there is to do in Des Moines (aquatic center, Adventureland, Blank Park Zoo, Science Center) so we're excited to spend our weekend out and about with the kids.
We are having our group of friends over on Saturday for a Memorial Day BBQ - I've been searching Pinterest for cute ideas for the kids and adult beverages for us older folk. Speaking of older folk, as of midnight I'm officially enjoying my last day in my 20's as tomorrow I turn the big 3-0. I was joking last weekend that I was spending my last Saturday in my 20's at Sesame Street Live! The glorious life of a mother :)
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Mexico
Brandon and I spent a week in Mexico in March - it was a quick trip but a nice escape from reality and we thoroughly enjoyed our time together.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Spring 2012
We've been enjoying this weather to the fullest - I can't remember a weeknight that we didn't go straight outside after dinner until bath-time. We've been spending our weekends at the Zoo (love our Season Pass) and the various parks around Ankeny. The kids love being outside - Drake enjoys throwing the baseball, kicking the soccer ball and throwing rocks :) (we're working on good choices!) and he still loves to swing. Gabby enjoys looking for ladybugs, naming off every animal we see, riding on her Dora Quad and taking walks in the wagon.
We went to the zoo again with Brandon's mom as she has greatfully come back to watch the kids while Brandon and I take a much needed tropical vacation :) She came a week early to spend more time with the kids, and of course we'll never turn down an extra set of hands. Both of the kids enjoy the zoo - but Gabby being the animal lover that she is enjoys it to it's fullest. She went as far as correcting everyone that it wasn't a "parrot" it was a "macaw". She is engrossed in learning about animals and spouts off random facts as we venture through the zoo.
Drake loves the petting zoo - as much as his germaphobe mother trys to protest :) He gets a thrill out of feeding the goats and adamantly protests when it's time to leave :)
Brandon and I are looking forward to a much needed vacation. He recently took on another high profile account at work and I took on two additional verticals/departments (and 7 more employees) in February. Balancing our careers and home is always a work in progress, but I'd like to think we're managing!
We went to the zoo again with Brandon's mom as she has greatfully come back to watch the kids while Brandon and I take a much needed tropical vacation :) She came a week early to spend more time with the kids, and of course we'll never turn down an extra set of hands. Both of the kids enjoy the zoo - but Gabby being the animal lover that she is enjoys it to it's fullest. She went as far as correcting everyone that it wasn't a "parrot" it was a "macaw". She is engrossed in learning about animals and spouts off random facts as we venture through the zoo.
Drake loves the petting zoo - as much as his germaphobe mother trys to protest :) He gets a thrill out of feeding the goats and adamantly protests when it's time to leave :)
Brandon and I are looking forward to a much needed vacation. He recently took on another high profile account at work and I took on two additional verticals/departments (and 7 more employees) in February. Balancing our careers and home is always a work in progress, but I'd like to think we're managing!
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