Our Mystery Road Trip To "The Beach" in Ottumwa, Iowa

Road Trip!

We told the kids we had a surprise for them. The only thing we would tell them about this surprise was that they would need swimming suits. We take many trips, both near and far, so they had no idea if we were going across the country or across town. The suspense was driving them crazy!

My Love of My Life and Me getting on the road

Our Boys- yep, they brought their skateboards

and half an hour on the road they still have no idea where we are going.

We stopped at a Pizza Hut for lunch on the way. 

We liked the sign so we took a quick picture. 

We live in the city so it was quite a treat to eat lunch in a small town with small town hospitality. 

It felt a little like being back home in Michigan.

We finally arrived at The Beach in Ottumwa, Iowa. 

It is about a forty minute drive from our home, but took us longer because we stopped often to browse interesting gas stations, touristy areas, and to eat.

I love this photo!

The boys posing for the camera

Goofy posing for the camera

I love it!

The boys had a blast on the slides. 

The tall one on the left plummets nearly straight down 200 feet.

They free fall for most of the drop!

I was too scared to try it. 

The wave pool was fun.

Love of My Life and me....we have so much fun together!

I am so squinty. I could hardly keep my eyes open. The sun felt like it was burning through my retinas!

We stayed until we were all tired and hungry. We had dollar burgers at McDonald's on the way home. 

That was a great day! I love my family!

Mazdapi - Nerdiest/Coolest Car Ever!

We spotted this neat car while running errands this week.
We are a geeky family so we appreciate smart humor.
Pi is on the trunk right after the mazda logo, and the licence plate reads "MAZDAPI"
I love it! I hope this gives you a chuckle, too.

I Love My Boys!

My boys and amazing husband. 

I was missing them terribly while I was enjoying my visit with Shayna and our new grand babies so they took a super cheesy photo at the local Steak and Shake. Aren't they sweet?Pictures always help me feel closer when I am away. 

Parker and Peyton Have Finally Arrived!

I am excited to welcome our second and third grand babies to our family! 

These precious little boys were born 30 seconds apart today! 

Parker weighed 7 lb. 3 oz. and was 21 1/4 inches long. 

Peyton weighted 7 lb. 1 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long.

Interestingly, Peyton was born en caul. This is quite rare, occurring in fewer than 1 in 80,000 births. The whole birthing staff ooohed and aaahhhed when they saw him come out with his sac intact. It was neat!

Mommy is doing well. The boys are nursing like champs. Daddy is proud and can't wait to get home from deployment to meet his sons. 

I would like to give photo credit to Amanda, at Amanda Cobb Photography. Amanda is not only a gifted photographer, but she was also amazing with the boys. She was gentle and patient and spent as much time as necessary to wait for our precious little guys to settle comfortably into each pose. The pictures are beautiful and it was a wonderfully sweet experience. Thank you, Amanda!

Happy Mother's Day

My favorite picture from our Mother's Day weekend.

We spent the holiday pampering ourselves at a hotel for this holiday. 

The night before Mother's Day my boys gave me cards and gifts that they had picked out and signed themselves. They were so sweet that I cried. We hung out in our hotel room and chatted until they fell asleep, in the same bed! They looked so sweet I just had to take a picture. 

This picture makes me so happy. Only a year ago we had just moved in together and our boys were struggling daily to get to know each other and become a family. Now they are peacefully and happily sleeping in the same bed together. It warms my heart.