July 4th, 2011

We spent the 4th in Creston and Chariton this year. Ryan was in the parade in Creston to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of 41 straight wins for the baseball team. He was excited to catch up with some old friends. The kids got lots of outside time, took in a parade, the carnival in Chariton and one very scary flea market! Look how big they are getting......

Almost Summer!!

Wow--where did the school year go?? Tomorrow is Zo's last day of school and then a summer full of junior golf, gymnastics, swim lessons and fun! We are all excited for the nice weather! Here are a few updates from the past few weeks.....

Mr. Kai-man rockin his new shades...

Zoie--less two front teeth! She lost them both in a matter of two days. The tooth fairy was busy here!

We always run Race for the Cure Mother's Day weekend. After serving as co-chair for a few years I appreciate being able to actually run in it again. It was super weather and everyone had fun.

Tradition is that Dick, Linda and usually Brennen join us. This year Brennen had to work (man he is growing up fast!) so we welcomed Grandma and Grandpa. A huge thanks to them for pushing the kids so Ryan and I could run like the wind! Just kidding...we ran but not sure if it was like the wind or not. Ryan did place 4th in his age group and I got 2nd.

Ready for some sun, pool time and friends!

Zo ready for school. She didn't really want to go because Nana Janet and Tom drove in from Pennsylvania for the weekend but since Ryan is the principal we figured it didn't look very good to let her skip. :) Yeah, okay--I thought it was ok and he nixed it. He is smarter than I am sometimes.

My mom made these insanely awesome cake pops (like candy coated cake on a stick) while she was here. They were unreal! Then we had a wonderful visit from the Lindberg family with a May Day flowers and got to share them with all the kids. They were a hit! So were the May Day flowers! Thanks Jodi and the rest of the Lindberg fam!

Mr. Bunny 2011

We celebrated Easter this year in Creston with Grandpa Rex, Grandma Mary and ALL of the cousins on Ryan's side. Just so you know how confusing it gets...we have Cole, Cal, and Kai for our very busy, very blonde, little boys. I'm not sure I called Kai by the right name all weekend. The kids had a wonderful time dying eggs, hunting eggs outside that Mr. Bunny left (that sneaky little bunny) and having a slumber party downstairs. Slumber party makes it sound like sleeping was involved, when, in reality, there was really very little of that going on!

I did try again this year to explain why we celebrate Easter but when Zo tried to tell the story to the younger kids it come out "Well, today is the day Jesus woke up, decided he wanted out of the cave and pushed a giant rock out of the way because he is super strong." I may have to take some of the fault for my poor story-telling skills but the story comes from a cave we see while driving. If any of you drive from Ottumwa to Bloomfield you have seen the church that has the cave out by the road with the huge boulder in front. That cave has prompted more questions from Zoie about death, Jesus and sins. It has been a good learning tool--for her and me. I have had to call Grandma Linda on more than one occasion to clarify myself!

We also owe a big thank you to Grandpa and Grandma for watching the kiddos while we went to Des Moines for a day and on Sunday ran together. They were entertained though--Thor was in full costume and carrying an oversized hammer! Happy Easter 2011!

Random Updates....

If I were a student, I would surely flunk on posting new updates on the blog. My apologies...life has been nothing short of crazy the past few months. So, allow me to bring you up to speed. Zo still changes her clothes no less than five times a day. I her took to the Prom Walk the other day and ever since her choice attire includes some sort of dress and heels. She is all girl....

Kai LOVES his vacuum cleaner. Yes, it is pink but I think he is manly enough to pull it off. No doubt he is trying to clean up one of his messes but I love him for trying!

I have no idea where "Because I Love You Day" came from but Zoie insisted we celebrate it by picking random presents out for each other from around the house and wrapping them in various gift bags and boxes. Zo and Kai gave me a stuffed elephant and some cards. Just what I always wanted....

I continue to be amazed at Zo's teacher, Mrs. Greiner. She somehow managed to teach the kids two plays and put on a show for the parents. It made my day for sure. Zoie was the "ugly duckling" and got to wear her white fur vest and sparkly skirt after she became the "beautiful swan" so she was excited. They all did an amazing job.

Wow, this update is from Valentine's Day. Just another reminder of how behind I am! The kiddos were spoiled rotten from most everyone and Lori Dixon made sure they had some pretty special gifts. Try to ignore the horrible smile Zoie is giving--I have no idea what she is doing!

More V-Day fun...heart shaped pizza!

Kai adores his daddy so much and he does EVERYTHING he does. Very sweet. Bittersweet for me. Every time he does something cute I think about how much I will miss not having a toddler around in a few years.

Life has thrown a couple curve balls our direction lately and I continue to be thankful for the family that surrounds me. No matter how hard the day has been, both of our babies greet us with smiles and hugs and that pretty much fixes everything. I often wonder what exactly the Lord has in store for us and where he will lead us but I never wonder about what my first priority is--this family. I resolve to do better about posting more frequently...at least I will try to do better! Love always, Shan

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy 38th Birthday Daddy!! Thank you for putting your heart and soul into this family every day. We love you--Shan, Zo and lil man

Our Holiday Season.....

2,000 miles, 5 Christmas celebrations and one 6th birthday later we are FINALLY home and getting back to normal. We had a wonderful time celebrating the birth of Jesus with our families, ALL of them! We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. I just wish they all lived a bit closer to together! We even managed to squeeze in a trip to Pennsylvania to see Nana Janet, my sisters and their families. We had several "firsts" while gone including ice skating, sledding (ending in injuries of course) and Zo's first visit to The Little Diva Day Salon. Where, believe it or not, you can get your little one a mani for $5 and a pedi for $10. Totally worth the giggles, grins and fun they had for $15.00. Thanks Nana Janet!

Zoie and I spent a lot of time talking about Jesus and reading bible stories. She is so interested in religion and it was fun for her to really understand what it is all about. I returned a duplicate gift I had purchased for one of the Grandpa's shortly before the holiday and she told me that Grandpa wouldn't care if it was a duplicate because Christmas was really about baby Jesus being born, not the presents. I was very proud of her. She is growing up to be a young lady with a big heart.

Fun as it was, it is always nice to get home, unpacked and back into the routine. Well, except that I can't seem to get Kai to figure out that bedtime doesn't really mean stay up as long as you can stand it. :)

Ryan's mom always get the kiddos matching Christmas p.j.'s for our annual picture but went one stop further this year and managed to get the entire family in Iowa gear.....

One of Kai's favorite presents was a plastic razor. He watches Daddy everyday in the morning and couldn't wait to join him.

Look Mom...I'm a big kid now!

I wanna party like a cheerleader!!

Although her actual birthday isn't until the 21st, Zoie had her 6th birthday party on Saturday. We have found that the closer to Christmas you get, the more conflicts people seem to have. The "theme" was cheerleading and the DC Mustang cheerleaders and Monty the Mustang joined the party to teach the girls a few cheers, some tumbling and, of course, how to build a pyramid! I think the pictures speak for themselves.......