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!

Mini-Brandon

SUNSHINE & a visit to Omaha!

Hello SUNSHINE!!  This week is projected to be un-seasonably warm, so we are enjoying it to it's fullest. After school yesterday we took the kids to the park, it's always fun to see what things they enjoy as they go back at a little older age.

The park we went to has a large basketball court and  many pick-up games were going on between older boys.   Drake has a large attraction to basketballs, baseballs...etc. so, as soon as he saw the basketball games he ran as quick as his little legs would take him directly into the middle of all of the basketball games.  I had just come from work - so attempting to catch him in my heels was not happening.  Luckily they all stopped their games for him to "shoot" the ball a couple of times and he thankfully did not get ran over :)

Gabby still loves the playground equipment, but started expressing interest in climbing trees yesterday after seeing some boys attempting to do it when we first arrived.  It was quite a sight watching her try to get her short little legs up a relatively straight tree.  Once Brandon arrived they worked hard to climb the tree - which ended with a nice scratch down the middle of her tummy.  A rite of passage, I suppose.

Gabby and I (along with my mom) took a trip to Omaha last weekend to see Molly, Jeff and Baby Brayden.   Upon leaving - Gabby was telling Drake goodbye and she says:  Goodbye Drake, I love You...don't let the bed bugs bite!  It was too funny!

Gabby was in heaven with the "baby" and also Molly & Jeff's dog: Shelby.  Shelby is a 90 pound mix, who loves to give kisses...Gabby spent a lot of the afternoon following Shelby around the backyard and throwing her ball to her. We took advantage of the nice weather and took her to the park - and later that evening watched Baby Brayden so Molly and Jeff could enjoy a much needed night out.

When we first arrived we took Gabby to the Omaha Children's Museum - she had a great time!   She loved the shopping center and the house - everything is to scale for toddlers/small children so she was in heaven!

We had a nice weekend with Molly, Jeff and Brayden - they've build a beautiful new home so it was fun to finally see it all done (we'd seen it mid-progress).  Gabby got to take a bath in their big whirlpool tub - in which she told us she was a "mermaid"!  She slept in a big bed with Mommy and got to go to many restaurants....one of her favorite things.