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Sledding Fun!

2012-01-17T20:04:00.000-08:00

It finally snowed! Yay!! The boys have been looking forward to this day for monthes! There was barely enough snow for the boys to go sledding, but it didn't stop them. Mitchell went and filled up the tubes himself and off they went even though it was freezing outside! The kids had a blast with their new tubes that they got from their aunts for Christmas. What Fun!

Van Zee Christmas 2011

2012-01-17T19:28:00.000-08:00

After we got done with the Olson side, we headed to the Van Zee side for the rest of the night. The kids took alittle cat nap in the car along the way. We did some caroling for some shut in's at church and then we went to Connie's house for dinner. After dinner the kids opened gifts, they got alittle spoiled. Angie decided to have a scavenger hunt for Mitchell and Connor for one of their gifts, so they enjoyed searching for their next gift. The kids had a great time and we enjoyed watching them opening them. The boys are very blessed to have so many people who love them! We stayed over night and poor Nanc and Ang didn't get much sleep with our kids on the floor. We had a great breakfast in the morning to end the wonderful time we had.

Olson Christmas 2011

2012-01-17T19:14:00.000-08:00

We had a bittersweet Christmas this year on my side. Although we missed dad, we often noted that dad is spending his first Christmas in heaven. The kids had a blast together. We opened presents and then let the kids play while us adults socialized. It was a relaxing evening. We made a digital scrapbook of memories at the Olson's house that was updated as a keepsake for mom. Mom really enjoyed it and it was one of her favorite gifts. We all went to church on Christmas morning at Second CRC and listened to mom and Sharesa sing and then had Christmas dinner at mom's house with some extended family. Here's a few pictures of our time together.

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T12:56:00.000-08:00

Although this year will be deferent with dad gone, I am thankful that he is celebrating his first Christmas in heaven. What a glorious Christmas it will be for him..I can only imagine it! I told the kids the other day that Papa gets to sing "happy birthday" to Jesus face to face this year! The thought of that is both sad for me and yet amazing for dad. He will be missed! We hope you have a blessed Christmas with your family.

2011-12-23T12:50:00.000-08:00

Connor had his preschool program as well. It was super cute and the teacher's went to alot of work for it! The kids did great! I was surprised that Connor actually participated. I thought he'd might just stand there. But he did all the actions and sang all the songs! We were so proud of him!

Here's a short video of his program!

2011-12-23T08:13:00.000-08:00

We had Mitchell's Christmas program last week Friday. The kids did such a great job! It was soo cute!

Here's a short video of their program! Enjoy!

Advent

2011-12-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

We have been doing a advent series called the "12 days till Christmas" that I found online. It was wonderful, it had a Bible reading, family discussion and alittle craft that you could do with the kids. One of the days we were talking about Christmas tree's so we made rice krispie cut out shapes and decorated them with frosting and candies. The kids had a great time! We have really enjoyed the advent theme this year. It was the first time we've tried it. Each day there was an activity that I put in a sealed envelope with the # of that day on it. The kids couldn't wait to open each envelope for devotions each night. I think it helped the kids realize the true meaning of Christmas.

Connor's preschool party!

2011-12-16T10:25:00.000-08:00

Connor had a great birthday! He first had a party at preschool in the afternoon, then he had his extended family over for supper! I got to spend the day with him at preschool that day! Connor is quite a different child at preschool than he is at home. He's more serious and quite and hardly cracks a smile! The whole time he was up front in his class, he wouldn't look at anyone or would even smile just alittle bit. Finally at the end he finally got alittle smile out of him! What a fun day!

Connor's airplane birthday party

2011-12-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

We had Connor's birthday party on Denember 1st. We celebrated with a pizza party this year for something special! The kids had a great time unwrapping the presents and Connor loved his airplane cake. The runway strip even light up in the dark! Some of Connnor's favorite presents was the bat/ball and the football. He played with Caleb with that for a while downstairs after we ate cake. Thanks to all the wonderful family that came to make his day special! Happy Birthday Connor! We love you!

Connor's 5th Lego birthday party

2011-12-16T09:30:00.000-08:00

Connor had his 5th Birthday party and wanted to invite some preschool friends! We had a great time together celebrating! We first did a lego coloring sheet, then played a few lego themed games that I found on Pinterest. After that we opened presents and then had lego cupcakes! We had a great time playing with each other! Thanks to all his friends for coming to make his day special!

Christmas decorating!

2011-11-30T19:58:00.000-08:00

This year I decided to tackle decorating and putting up the tree without Elden's help! I do like to do it together as a family, however I had it in my head that the tree had to be put up that day. So Mitchell saved the day and helped alot! He helped me carry the tree in the house and stand it up. I was impressed! He also started putting on the lights without me having to ask him! He did awesome! The boys of course wanted to put the tree up already at 8 in the morning, so we settled on letting them put up their pencil trees at 8 instead. But by noon, we had the big one up as well! The kids did great with decorating the tree's this year and were a BIG help! I always look forward to decorating the tree's with them every year and will miss this age some day! Here's a few pictures of our fun day together!

Thankful Tree

2011-11-22T18:58:00.000-08:00

This year I wanted to make a thankful tree. I've seen alot of people do it, and thought it would be a good lesson for the boys to learn and to remember what thanksgiving was all about. I went to the library and made some maple leaves from their die-cut machine and then had the boys tell me what they were thankful for and put it on the leaves. I hung the leaves with a paper clip so the leaves hung nicely. I just used a old vase and put some rocks in it for the base and used a branch for the "tree" that I found from the yard. Total cost: $0. I like to make things that don't cost anything to make but look cute in the end! I was happy how it turned out and the boys learned a valuable lesson!

Wild Kratts

2011-11-22T18:54:00.000-08:00

Last week Friday Mitchell had "dress up" day at his school. My good friend thought of an idea of having her little boy and Mitchell be the "Kratt brothers". Connor of course didn't want to be left out, so he was "Jimmy". Mitchell was "Martin" and Skye was "Chris". The boys had a great time together and even made it in the school's newsletter! What a fun idea!

Halloween Party at Nana's house!

2011-11-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

Addy holding Peyton

The cousins in the costumes!

We had a great time at Nana Olson's house this year at trick-or treating! The kids had so much fun dressing up in their costumes...Papa was often thought of especially seeing Caleb's costume! Papa would have LOVED that costume!! We first made a craft with Mason canning jars. We cut out "leaves" from duck tape and let the kids put them on the jars whereever they wanted to . Then the kids painted the jars and put a battery operated candle in it. It turned out cute! We then put on our costumes and looked for candy down stairs. The kids had a blast finding it! We were going to make a halloween treat but ran our of time but our cousin Dawn brought us some yummy cup cakes to have instead! It was alittle crazy with 10 kids in the house that were 7 and under, but they all had fun playing together!Enjoy the pictures!

Share Preschool Halloween party

2011-11-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

Connor just loves preschool! He was so excited for his halloween party this year! He has lots of friends to play with but he playes mainly with Addison Van Maanan, and Lincoln Peterson mainly. He was a race car driver this year, so he was pretty excited since he likes race cars! One of his favotite halloween rymns that he learned was "Fly away boo, fly away boo, come back boo, come back boo(really loud)". He said that rymn so many times in the past few weeks. The Share preschool always does such an amazing job with the kids every year and we are blessed to have our child there!

trick or treating 2011

2011-11-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

This year we started off our trick or treating by having nana Olson come and visit us! We couldn't wait to show her our costumes! After that we went to the hospital with aunt Angie and got LOTS of candy! And since it was such a nice night, we decided to go visit some members of our church. Here are a few pictures of Marv and Dena Gearhart, and Betty Ward. The kid's favorite part was going from door to door and getting candy! That was the first time they got to do that, so it was extra special! We ended the night by going to TJ's for supper, so life couldn't get much better for the kids that night!

Carving Pumpkins

2011-10-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

We also had a chance to carve some pumpkins! Mitchell did a great job thinking about what he wanted his pumpkin to look like and carved it out by himself! He wrote it down on a piece of paper and then he carved it out just perfect! Great job Mitchell!

Pumpkin Farm

2011-10-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

Last week Thursday I got to go with Connor to the pumpkin farm in Grinnell! It was a gorgeous day that day so we were so thankful for that! Connor spent most of his time on the jumping spot that they have, and of course playing in the corn! The kids had fun listening to the lady talk about how corn used to be harvested before they had combines. Connor enjoyed picking out his new pumpkin to take home too! I enjoyed my day so much with Connor and am thankful for the opportunity to spend it together!

Harvesting with daddy.

2011-10-18T14:27:00.000-07:00

This the time of the year for harvest again. This was taken a few weeks ago when they started. Mitchell and Connor just LOVE riding in the combine with their daddy! We are thankful for a safe harvest so far but are anxious for it to be completed!

Fall pictures 2011

2011-10-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, we had our yearly fall pictures that I tortured the kids with once again! The kids did great and we got to have our friend Dawn do the pictures! She did a awesome job and I absolutely LOVE them! THANK YOU Dawn!! I went alittle crazy with posting so many pictures, but I couldn't help it! :)

In Loving Memory

2011-10-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

Although we are very sad at this time, we rejoice that my dad is in heaven right now singing with his voice praises to our God! Dad lived for his grandchildren and they will deeply miss their Papa but they all remember all the great memories that they had with him! They are going to miss going on mule rides, getting gumballs from the van and getting a bag of chips for the way home from him every week we visited! Plus many more memories, to many to say. It was both the highlight of the week for Papa and for the grandkids! We will miss him for the rest of our lives but praise God for his life and that he is at his eternal home completly healed! We also wanted to thank everyone who came out for the visitation and funeral, the wonderful food, Mr. Duven, the flowers/plants and Pella 2 praise team for making the service so uplifting. Thanks to pastor Doug for coming from Michigan and pastor Steve for his uplifting message. I truely felt God's presence at Dad's service and the music was very uplifting and comforting. I felt it was a good mixture of honoring dad's life and honoring the One who made him. We felt truely humbled and blessed by the love and support of so many people, Dad would have been amazed of how many really did love him! We take such comfort knowing that Dad is in heaven now and we praise and thank God that we have that hope! I ask for continued prayers for mom, our families, the grandkids and all the family and friends that will be missing dad for years to come. I end with the verse that meant so much to mom and dad from Jeremiah.."For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to give you hope and a future".

Newton Air Show 2011

2011-09-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we got to go to the Newton Air Show at the airport. The event was free and had tons of different airplanes to look at and learn about. The kids had a great time with a few of Mitchell's classmates as they watched the planes do their stunts. One of the best part of the show was watching a few parachuters jumping from a airplane and landing near them. One of the parachuters 'let Mitchell and Connor and some others help carry the American flag and put his parachute away. In the picture he was telling the boys that if he is still jumping when they get bigger and they wanted to learn how, that he would teach them how to parachute. It was neat to see the different types of airplanes and to watch all that they could do. Mitchell's favorite plane was the crop duster, big surprise! Connor's was the "star one"plane. Here's a few pictures of the fun day!

Pedal Tractor Pull!

2011-09-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

Mitchell showing his new shirt!

Waiting for his turn to pull!

Right after the tractor pull!

After a hard's day work!

Today we had the chance to do something extra special! We got to go to Mitchell's first State tractor pull in Marshalltown! Since this was a first time experience, we didn't know what to expect. We couldn't believe how many people were there! We got their plenty early and registered and waited patiently for our turn to pull! Mitchell was the 5th 7 year old boy to pull a 140 pound trailer of weight. He did great and was only 6 inches from getting a full pull! If he would have gotten a full pull, he would have increased his chances of going to Nationals in Mitchell, NE in September at the corn palace which would have been pretty cool for him. Since he didn't do any practicing this time, hopefully he can work hard and practice for the next pedal pull! We were proud of him for getting as far as he did and he was pretty excited about his new shirt and ribbon! Thanks to everyone who came to watch him pull! It was a pretty special day!

Swimming Lessons!

2011-09-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

Connor has had a exciting week this week! He started preschool and now he also gets to do swimming lessons! He had so much fun playing in the water and did great! He jumped in the water and put his head under the water and started to learn how to swim! He had a blast! He only had two other kids in his class that were all his age so he'll get lots of attention! I went alittle crazy with the camera!

1st Day of Preschool

2011-09-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

Connor had his long awaited first day of preschool today! He was so excited to finally get to do something special instead of always watching Mitchell get to do something special! Apparently he had a great time because I asked him how preschool was when I picked him up and he said that "he had SOOOOO much fun today!" They got to ride trikes, sing songs and have group time! I think this will be a great experience for Connor and I can't wait to share it with him and hear all about it! Here's a few pictures of his first day!

1st Day of 1st Grade!

2011-08-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to back to school night at the NCS. Mitchell was excited to bring all his things to school and to meet his new teacher and to see all of his friends he missed during the summer! I thought I'd get some pictures tonight instead of tomorrow morning so it's not so hectic in the morning. Even though the summer went to fast, it will be nice to get into routine again! We are blessed to have a Christian school that we can send our little boy to to learn more about our loving Heavenly Father!

Slip n Slide

2011-08-23T19:19:00.000-07:00

Last week we got to get a new slip n slide! The kids have been begging for one since they played on one at a friend's house and so I thought I'd get one to have them play with. It was well worth the $6! The kids had a blast on it and played with it for hours! Here's a short video of them having fun together!

Mitchell turns 7!

2011-08-11T08:33:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Mitchell celebrated his 7th Birthday! We went to mom and dad's house for a birthday pool party! The kids had a great time playing with their cousins! Mitchell wanted to have a lego theme this year, so I made a "lego" cake and then small individual "legos" for each of the kids to eat! Mitchell definitely got alot of lego's to play with, we ended up getting a bin to put them all in. He was to obsessed with putting his new lego semi together, he stayed inside while the other kids swam outside. He's been carrying around his lego semi since he got it and has been playing with lego's ever since we got home! Thanks to everyone who came and made his day special! We love you Mitchell and are blessed to have you in our family!

Colorado Vacation

2011-08-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

Last week Elden and I were blessed to get away to Colorado for a week without kids to celebrate our 10 yr anniversary! We decided to bring our motorcycle with us and ride through the mountains looking at God's beautiful scenery. The children were fortunate enough to also go on vacation with Elden's family (a BIG THANK YOU!!) to the Ozarks during the week as well. So we were both on vacation, just at different places. Although we missed the kids dearly, we knew they were also having fun and were being well cared for or should I say spoiled?

Anyway, on Monday we rode almost to Utah border and saw some beautiful cliffs all around as we road on a windy road. That was probably one of our favorite rides, since we've never been on that road before. On Tuesday, we just went to Breckenridge for the morning and did a little shopping in the afternoon in Silverthorne. On Wednesday, we had the big day of going to Rocky Mountain National Park and when we got to the top it started to hail on us. That was nice, especially since we didn't have helmets on. I felt so bad for Elden, since his head just got sunburned the day before. Thursday we went to Vail area and started packing for home. We were thankful to have a hot tub to sit in after each day of riding in our resort at Keystone, especially after Wednesday's ride! Friday we took off early and went to Sturges on the way home. We also went to see Mount Rushmore, which was neat since neither of us have seen that before. It was a beautiful riding around the Sturges area with lakes and cliffs to look at. We put on 1200 miles on our motorcycle, so we definitely got out use out of bringing it with us. We had lots of great memories of Colorado and we are thankful for the 10 years of marriage God has blessed us with!

Maytag Pool Fun!

2011-08-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

After our zoo trip we went to the Maytag pool for alittle fun with some of Mitchell's classmates! As we were there, some of his classmates were jumping off the diving board. I have never let Mitchell try this yet, but thought since they were, surely Mitchell can do it too right? So I suggested that he started with the smaller one, but he wanted to go for the biggest one from the start. He tried it once and after he spitted and sputtered, he came flaling back to the side and said " I think I'll go to the little diving board till I get bored with that" . Mom's not as dumb as he thought huh? He had a great time jumping into the water and having fun with his classmates!

zoo

2011-08-11T06:40:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago the boys and I went to our annual zoo trip with Jody and her two boys! That day, we happened to get into the zoo for free, so that was nice! The kids loved the train the most, of course, but this year they also enjoyed looking at the dinasour display that they had too! The kids each got a hard hat when they came in because they were "digging" their new addition at the zoo. After the zoo, we went out to Carlos O'Kelley's for lunch, which was a treat and they even were nice and celebrated Mitchell's birthday 9 days early. We had a great time and always look forward to going back every year with Jody and the boys!

Adventureland

2011-07-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday the boys and I went to Adventureland with Ang and Nanc. We had great weather for it and we all had a blast! The first ride that Mitchell wanted to go on was the space shot! He just barely made it for height requirements (after we standed in line for a half an hour) and we were on! He wasn't too scared, (atleast he didn't scream like his mommy did) but after the ride he says, "Boy my legs are sure shaking"! Mitchell was determined to ride every ride he could all by himself! We were impressed how brave both the boys were in riding rides! I thought Connor for sure would be scared! We spent the morning on the adventureland ride side and then we headed to the water park part in the afternoon! The kids had a blast there! I would recommend it to anyone! They had lots of slides for both boys to go on, which was nice because often times Connor doesn't get to go on the water slides! Mitchell of course wanted to go on the tallest slide there was (the green one that goes straight down) but I wouldn't let him. But we went on the one with the slide with mats which was about as tall! Mitchell's favorite slide was the "toilet bowl"slide and Connor probably enjoyed the lazy river the most. A big THANK YOU to Angie and Nancy to inviting us and making the day special! It was a fun day but we were all exhausted after spending 11 hours there that day :)

4th of July

2011-07-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July with our family! It was filled with lots of fun activities that the boys enjoyed! We started off with Newton's parade in the morning, then we went to a remote controlled plane airshow near by our house where we saw a plane with a jet motor in it that sounded like a real jet taking off! Later that afternoon we went to lake Red Rock and went skiing and tubing. Mitchell even tried to ski all by himself. Aunt Nancy was a great teacher, but Mitchell only wanted to try once! After we stopped at Jersey freeze on the way home we headed to watch fireworks! It was a perfect day enjoying spending time to gether as a family!

Cars 2

2011-06-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

Last week Friday, we had a fun day! We started the day off with a garage sale at Elden's parents house and Mitchell and Connor got to do their own lemonade stand, they were pretty excited because they both made $4! After that we met our good friends Jody and Tyler for a fun afternoon! We met at Hickory park for lunch (our usual) and then went to the 'Cars 2' movie! This was the first time the kids have been to the movie theature and they were excited! After that we did alittle shopping of course! Thanks for the great time Tyler and Jody! We had a blast!

Bike riding

2011-06-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

Tonight Connor learned how to ride his bike without any training wheel! He did soo good and wanted to learn how. It didn't take him long to figure it out and off he went! He even did good when he fell down, it didn't bother him a bit! He just got right back on. We are so proud of him!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Father's day! This morning we started off with cinnamin rolls and their father's day cards that they made! The kids each made a card of one of their favorite memories that they had with their daddy and drew a picture of it and wrote what it was about. We also made daddy home made ice cream which is always a treat! The kids always like to play dodge ball in the basement, so they had lots of fun playing. I only sticked around long enough to take some pictures before I got hit by a ball! I didn't know who had more fun, Elden or the boys! I sure heard alot of laughing! We ended our day by having a bowl of homemade ice cream! What a great day! I am very thankful that our boys have a such a great father in their lives! We love you daddy!

Silly Boys!

2011-06-19T19:27:00.001-07:00

Here's a few pictures of the boys just being silly!

Mason's birthday party

2011-06-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had Mason's 6th Birthday pool party at Nana and Papa's house. This was the first time that the kids all got to go into the pool, so they were pretty excited about the party! I got some good pictures of them swimming and having fun with their new water guns that they all got. After they swam for a while, they had a water balloon fight! The funiest part of the balloon fight was when Elden threw a balloon across the yard and got Nana good! We all had a fun night together! Happy Birthday Mason!

Omaha Zoo FUN!

2011-06-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

Our family is very blessed to have two great aunts to spoil our kids and that enjoy spending time with them. This weekend they got to go on their annual Omaha vacation to the zoo and the children's museum. The kids had a blast and enjoyed the zoo very much. Thier favorite animal was the Chita's! They also love to ride the trains every year as well! Here are a few pictures of their vacation! A big thank you to Ang and Nancy for taking the kids, they are very blessed to have you as their aunts!

Mitchell jumping in the water at the hotel's pool!

The boys in front of their favorite train!

The boys riding on the lift at the museum!

Swimming FuN!

2011-06-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a perfect day for a swimming party! We had lots of fun playing with Asher and with Mitchell's friend Kalley at our house! Asher had a great fun walking around and splashing in the water. When ever he was out of the pool he tried to get back in by pushing the side of the pool in and letting all the water come out of the pool! Kalley was the "lifeguard" and was teaching Mitchell and Connor how to swim! We had fun eating pudding pops for snack and also playing with water balloons! What a fun afternoon enjoying the water in this crazy heat!

Mitchell's Kindergarten Graduation

2011-05-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

Mitchell and his kindergarten teacher!

Mitchell's so proud!

Mitchell and I!

Tonight we had Mitchell's Kindergarten graduation! He was so excited about it and couldn't wait for everyone to see him graduate! Elden managed to sneak away from the fields to come and watch Mitchell graduate. Elden's whole family came and so did my mom, so we were thankful they were all able to come! Here are some pictures and video's of his graduation!

Connor.

2011-05-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

Tulip Time

2011-05-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we ended up going to Tulip time! It was a bueatiful weekend for it, so we were thankful for the good weather, but there sure was alot of people. We ended up going on Friday naight with my parents, sister and her husband and their kids. Then on Saturday we went with Elden's sister's and mom. We had a good time, Mitchell thought he was too hot to wear his shirt though. The tulips were goregeous this year as you can see from the pictures!

Four Wheeling!

2011-05-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we got Mitchell a newer four wheeler that was a little bigger! He was so excited b/c it was red, had a hitch on the back and could go reverse. I can't even tell you how many times he has gone in circles around the pasture! Connor is doing pretty good with Mitchell's old four wheeler, alittle harder on it than Mitchell was, but that is to be expected with Connor. Here's a few pictures of the boys riding their toys!

Planting

2011-05-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

We have a busy day surrounded by one theme...planting. This morning the boys got to watch Papa Van Zee come and till up the garden for us to plant and after that the kids got to ride with their daddy in the planter for a couple hours! They had so much fun; I'm sure Mitchell asked a million questions like he always does. This afternoon, we decided to plant our first vegtable garden! The boys were so excited to plant everything, Mitchell enjoyed it very much and it will be fun to watch him get excited when it starts to grow. We decided to plant sweet corn, potatoes, sugar snap peas and green beans. Mitchell also wanted to plant some watermelon as well in a different patch so he's excited to have watermellon this summer too ! We had fun labeling our sticks and putting them in the right places and also making rows (even though they weren't very straight) with our hoes! We have a rule that they have to help weed it once a week or they can't ride their four wheelers, so we'll see if they keep up on their side of the bargain! Mitchell told me that I wasn't allowed to put any flowers in his garden, imagine that! I'll keep you posted with the progress of our new vegtable garden!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today we had the privilage of celebrating Christ resurrecting from grave! What a privilage that is and we enjoyed celebrating with our church family this morning. After church we went to my mom's for Easter lunch! It was great to get together again with all my sister's families and my grand parents. Mom and dad were nice enough to hide over a hundred easter eggs for the kids and so as soon as lunch was done, the kids were off to find them. Thanks to my mom and dad for making it such a special day that the grandkids will remember! Hopefully everyone had a wonderful Easter with their families!

Fun in the Sun!

2011-04-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

Last week it was such a nice week, I wish it was like that this week! We managed to go outside those two days and enjoy every minute of sunshine that we could. The kids have been into soccor lately and so they liked to play a game in the pasture. It was also a windy day on Saturday, so I thought it would be perfect for flying a kite! That is, untill Mitchell got it stuck in the tree! Luckily I managed to get it out without breaking the kite. It was good to get some fresh air and I am looking forward to having nice days again sometime soon!

Kindergarten led chapel

2011-04-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

This morning I got to go to chapel at Mitchell's school to watch Mitchell's class lead the chapel. The kids did a great job and I got some pictures and video of the kids singing a song. The kids each had to say a letter verse as part of the easter themed chapel. They had alot of fun! We are so glad that we have such great Christian teachers teaching our little boy. Enjoy!

Making Pizza

2011-04-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

Last week we decided to make our own pizza's together. The kids each had a plate that could be put in the oven to put our pizza's on. They rolled their own dough out and topped it with their favorite toppings and popped it in the oven! It was yummy and fun for them knowing that they made it themselves!

Then and Now

2011-04-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

My garden-love this time of year!

Some Easter Egg's that Connor and Mitchell dyed!

It's hard to believe that spring is finally here! It was just a few short weeks ago that we had this last big snow, and I am sure thankful that it's gone! I always look forward to finding the first little sprouts poke out of my garden. It is my favorite time of the year and yet I am reminded that God always displays His bueaty in the snow and in the new spring flowers!

Bowling

2011-03-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, we met Shari and Tim for a evening of bowling in Monroe. The kids had a great time and Connor and Mason both beat their daddy's at bowling! Here's a few pictures of our fun evening together!

Dr Suess week

2011-03-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

In Mitchell's kindgergarten, they talked about Dr. Suess all week so I thougth it would be fun to make a Dr Suess hate cake. On Friday they eneded the week by watching a Dr Suess movie and so it was perfect for me to bring a little cake for them to eat while they watched their movie. Here's a few pictures of the cake. The suckers were for when the top of the hat "pops up" like on the tv show. It wasn't as cool as the pictures online but on well, the kids didn't care.

Fun times at nana and papa Olson's!

2011-03-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got to go to the Olson's for the day! It has been three monthes since we've gone there due to everyone being sick and dad being in the hospital, so we were glad we could go on such a beautiful day! We had lots of fun playing outside playing on the swings and playing in the dirt! It was also spring break for the boys that are in school so everyone got to be there! Thanks to Nana and Papa for letting us come over! Enjoy the pictures!

Great Friends!

2011-03-07T09:45:00.000-08:00

Here's a great picture of Derek and Connor together!

I have been watching a couple kids lately on Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays. Derek is Connor's age and Emily is Mitchell's age. After school, I pick up Emily and then she comes to play too for an hour or so. Things are going very well and we are glad to have a playmate for Connor during Mitchell's days at school. This is one of their favorite things to do together! "Racing" around the table-although we aren't sure where the finish line really is!

Kids Fest 2011

2011-03-05T19:52:00.000-08:00

Today we had the opportunity to go to Kids Fest in Des Moines! We went with Elden's folks and had a great time together! I went a ittle crazy with the new camera and so are the best pictures! The kids had fun going down the slides, getting their faces painted and playing the games, but their favorite part was the tractor pulls!

Mitchell zonked out after a busy day working hard!

Mitchell and Connor and their ribbons!

Mitchell's so proud of his ribbon!

Connor showing daddy his new ribbon!

Mitchell getting his face painted by Erica Talsma!

Mitchell and Connor waiting in line for the wall climb.

Mitchell and Connor playing some football!

The kids both decided to do the tractor pull this year, which I was surprised that Connor would even try! He did a great job and is so PROUD of his ribbon that he got! Here's a short video of Connor's tractor pull.

Mitchell was so excited about the tractor pull and had practiced this week to prepare for it! Well, it paid off b/c he got FIRST PLACE!! He now qualifies for state and will have to have his next tractor pull in September (great timing for Elden :)) We were so proud of him and Mitchell was absolutely beaming! This video shows Mitchell on his first run.

The boys were so excited about their ribbons, they couldn't wait to show Papa Olson in the hospital! So as soon as we got done, we went to the hospital to show him ! Hopefully it brightened his day! It was a great day that the Lord has made! Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Honey Creek Resort

2011-02-22T15:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we ended the week by going to Honey Creek Resort. We were "blessed" with having Influenza A all week, so we were both glad to be better and to be out of the house! Mitchell had a blast going down the slide and went down so many times, I lost track. I think Elden had just as much fun going down the slide as well! Next time we stay somewhere, we'll have to get a hotel with a pool and a slide! Connor had fun on his sized slides and in the lazy river. Mitchell also enjoyed climbing on the rope that went across the water and balancing on the lilly pads. We went with some friends from church and enjoyed a relaxing weekend together

as a family.

Mitchell's half birthday celebration

2011-02-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

On Friday we celebrated Mitchell's half birthday at school. I came for an hour in the afternoon and watched the kids act out the story in the Bible of Joshua and the fight against Jericho and enjoyed watching the kids tooting their horns marching around their desks (which were the walls of Jericho). After Bible, the kids all sang happy birthday to Mitchell and Mitchell passed out cupcakes. We feel blest to send Mitchell to such a great Christian school and are thankful for a healthy and happy little boy to love!

Cold temps outside=fun inside

2011-01-27T19:59:00.000-08:00

Last week has been so bitterly cold, we tried to do some fun things inside to keep us entertained.Mitchell has been working hard with his Lego's lately and loves to come up with new inventions. He was pretty proud of himself for coming up with a new snow blade for his skid loader and carried it around with him everywhere he went. He probably asked Elden and I twenty times if we liked his new snow blade! Connor has been playing with Mr Potato Head lately and came up with a new creation with that too! He enjoys doing everything that Mitchell does as well, of course. We also made some snow ice cream together. At nap time, the kids thought it would be fun to sleep in the closet that goes between Mitchell and Connor's room, so I got a picture of them taking their "nap"! Last week Saturday, Elden watched the boys while I sent shopping, and took them sledding! Mitchell has wanted to do that for a long time. Connor wouldn't even try it, but loved to watch Mitchell fly off the sled! They had a great time with their daddy! Luckily this week it's been warmer, so the kids have got to play outside. Enjoy the pictures!

Florida

2011-01-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

Last week, we happily left the freezing cold temps and traveled to Florida for the week! We had a great time! We left on Sunday morning and got to Florida on Monday afternoon. My sister Shari and her son Mason were both in Florida already and so we surprised Shari and brought Tim along with us to Florida! That was fun to surprise her! Then we went to my aunt and uncle's place in Cape Coral on that Monday through Wednesday evening. The kids had fun playing in their pool and Mitchell had fun with their Lego's! One of our favorite memories there was when we took Denny and Karen's boat on the Gulf ocean! As we were cruising along, we saw probably four or five families of dolphins right next to our boat! We boated along Santa Bella Island and overlooked the white sandy beaches and the crystal clear blue ocean and soaked in the 80 degree sun! It was so beautiful! We had a couple scary moments on our way back to the dock, but we made it back safe and sound! Then on Thursday and Friday we spent the day at our Grandparents condo and enjoyed listening to the ocean waves. The guys played boji ball and the kids had fun making sand castles. On Thursday night we took the kids miniature golfing! The kids love to golf and even got to keep their golf balls! We headed back home on Friday afternoon and as we slowly went home, the temperature's just kept on descending! Nothing like going from 70 degrees down to -5. This will probably be the last year we go in a while since the kids will all be in school starting next year! We had a great time together as a family and were glad we went!

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-29T14:16:00.000-08:00

I was amazed of God's beauty yesterday morning when I woke up! It was gorgeous and I found myself wondering if God can make the earth look so beautiful, I can only imagine how more beautiful heaven will be! Here's a few pictures that I captured of God's artwork!

Our Little Christmas!

2010-12-29T14:03:00.001-08:00

On Christmas day evening we had our own little Christmas. The kids had fun opening up their presents and Mitchell really liked his new remote control truck that we got him. Elden thought of that great idea and it was a hit! Elden even got his old remote control car from the basement that hasn't seen daylight for five years and they had fun racing their vehicles in the kitchen together. Boys and their toys!! We hope you had a great Christmas!

Van Zee Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T13:51:00.001-08:00

Mitchell and his Kinze planter

Mitchell opening his Kinze!

Once our Olson side was over (and after a nap) we headed to church for our candle light service and then headed to our Van Zee Christmas. We didn't get started opening presents till probably 8:30, so the kids were pretty excited to get started. The kids got a lot of John Deere toys, remote control cars and some jammies, but Mitchell's favorite gift was his Kinze planter that he had wanted for four years now! Aunt Nancy had alittle fun with wrapping the planter in three boxes so Mitchell had to work for it! Connor isn't allowed to play with it since he's not the most careful with his toys, and so far he's been good with not playing with it. Mitchell hasn't let his planter leave his sight since he's got it! That night Mitchell ended up staying over night at Nana and Papa's house and he even had his flashlight on looking at his Kenze during the night. Funny little boy! We ate breakfast there too that morning and enjoyed our Christmas day together.

Olson Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T13:41:00.000-08:00

Connor in front of all the presents before our gatherings!

Little miss Nora!

We had a great Christmas, and hope you did the same! We were busy with lots of sleepovers, presents and fellowship. The first Christmas gathering we had was at my parents house. The kids always enjoy playing together and opening presents. We went to my parent's house on Wednesday night in the afternoon and got there before the winter storm. We had dinner together and let the kids all open their presents! The kids had a blast opening them and it seems every year they are older that Christmas is alittle less crazy. We stayed overnight there and then enjoyed having a yummy breakfast and the kids opened up their stockings that they got from Nana and Papa! That morning we the kids played outside and went sledding on the terrace and had lots of fun in the snow. Here are a few pictures of our Olson Christmas.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite time of year! I just love the decorating, present wrapping, and Christmas carols that we sing. This morning we had the chance to go to CMA and were reminded about having Joy even when things don't go our way. We need to share our Joy of Jesus with other's this season and through out the year. It is hard to do with all the business of the season, but I hope that we all take time to reflect on the Joy that Jesus gives everyday. I pray that you will have a Merry and Christ-filled Christmas!

Awana's Christmas program!

2010-12-19T11:12:00.000-08:00

This morning we went to Commununity Heghts Alliance Church for their Awana's Christmas program. Both of the boys were suppose to sing, however Connor wouldn't go up and sing. I wasn't surprised, but was disappointed because I was looking forward to seeing him up there. Maybe next year. Mitchell did a great job singing though and the program was very nice. I took some video of the kids singing and a picture of the kids up there singing! What a fun day!

Kindergarten Christmas program

2010-12-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday night we had Mitchell's first school Christmas program. The entire class of 11 kids sang two songs, one of them was a Spanish song where Mitchell got down and crawled on the floor and pretended like he was a donkey. He told me for the past couple of weeks that he had a surprise for me about the Christmas program but couldn't tell me. So I was definitely surprised when he was the "donkey". The program lasted about and hour and a half, and by that time the boys where ready for bed. The kids did a great job!

Winter fun!

2010-12-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

The kids were jumping up and down because they were so excited because it FINALLY snowed!!! They couldn't wait to go outside and scoop the driveway! They were probably outside for an hour scooping the snow. Another thing they enjoy is having their CAT train around the Christmas tree this year! They have spent many hours playing with that train! I just love this time of year!!

A fun Christmas day!

2010-12-10T17:54:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday we decided to go to the mall for the day! I always enjoy bringing the kids to the mall every year to ride the train in the mall. The kids brought their own money this year to pay for the train ride. We finished some last minute Christmas shopping and ate lunch at the mall. Santa Clause was at the mall but since Mitchell knows that santa isn't real, he refuses to sit on his lap. I laughed when he said "Why is Santa here for? He's not real! I don't know why people lie all the time about santa for." So of course since Mitchell didn't want to sit on Santa's lap neither did Connor. After we got done at the mall, we decided to go to Bass Pro Shop on the way home. The kids enjoyed seeing all the animals and fish but their favorite thing was the toy train that they could operate themselves! Mitchell told me that he wished he got this for Christmas and maybe someone got it for him before it got to be expensive. I said that maybe he can put it on his Christmas list for next year! He seemed satisfied with that but I doubt anyone will be purchasing it for him since it's $200.00. We enjoyed our day together!

Connor's 4th Birthday-part 2

2010-12-03T11:20:00.000-08:00

Last night we went bowling for Connor's party here in Newton. We had a great time bowling, since it's been a while for alot of people since they've been bowling. The kids did great bowling and Mitchell even got 111 for his score! He was pretty pumped! I have a picture of him when he got a spare! After we bowled, we opened presents! He got alot of HotWheels, a log semi, helicopters, wooden train set addition and much more. He was pretty excited about his presents, of course he wanted to open all of them right then. After presents we dug into our Thomas cake! The kids had a great time and we were thankful for all of the family we have to help us celebrate Connor's special day! We love you Connor!

Connor's Birthday-part 1

2010-12-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated Connor's 4th Birthday! I can't believe he's four years old already! Wow, has time flown! I decorated the Thomas cake yesterday afternoon and made a separate cake for last night's little celebration! I took a few pictures of the cake and of last night's party. Tonight we are going to celebrate with all of our grandma and grandpa's and aunt and uncles and cousins at the bowling alley here in Newton! The kids are very excited about it. I will post some more pictures tomorrow of the party tonight!

Little Christmas Trees

2010-11-23T18:44:00.000-08:00

The kids are getting excited for Christmas already and were begging me to get their Christmas tree's out and decorate them. So I got them out and let them have fun decorating them! They did a great job and always look forward to decorating them each year. The lights we had were burnt out, so we will have to get another strand of those tomorow. But here are some pictures of our finished trees!

Give Thanks!

2010-11-20T07:04:00.000-08:00

We have been talking about what we are thankful for at home with the boys. Mitchell says he's thankul for trains and for Connor and mom and dad. Connor says he's thankful for trains as well. I hope next year they are thankful for more important things other than toys :) We are thankful for our healthy boys that we get to watch grow every day and for all the blessings that our Lord has blessed us with. But most of all we are thankful for Christ who died on the cross for our sins so that we may live in eternity witth Him! We are thankful that Jesus is with us every day guiding us in all our ways untill we get to that great day of being with Him in Glory! Oh how GREAT that will be! I pray that we may live our lives in thankfulness to Him for all of the things that He has done for us! Our family hopes that you have a blessed Thanks-giving with your family!

Awana's

2010-11-20T06:56:00.001-08:00

This year we decided to bring our boys to Awana's at a local church in town. I thought it was good to have our children learn more about God in a fun way. My sister brings her son to Awana's at her church and spoke highly of it. So we go to Awana's every Wednesday night. I am a teacher in the Cubbie's room and Mitchell goes to Sparks. A few weeks ago Connor got to take Cubbie Bear home for the week and bring snacks with us to Awana's the next week! Connor was so excited to have him home and brought him everywhere with us during that week. Here's a picture of Connor and Cubbie bear!

Truck Paper

2010-11-03T10:39:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday night, we stopped at the gas station so the boys could all get a truck paper. Then the boys all sat down at the table to look at the papers. It was moments like this that I wish I had a little girl to play with :)

Trick or Treating

2010-11-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

Last week Thursday we went to Nana and Papa Olson's house for a halloween party! We dressed up in our costumes and looked for treats in the basement! On Saturday night we went Trick or Treating at the hospital with our Aunt Angie who came along! We were glad she did! The kids had a great time showing off their costumes.

crafty things

2010-10-26T08:25:00.001-07:00

On this rainy, windy day we thought it would do some craft projects. We first started by painting some pumpkins! The kids did great and the pumkins were very colorful. We also got some leaves from outside and glued them onto paper for fall collage! I took a few pictures of our great creations!

Family Fall Festival

2010-10-09T16:44:00.001-07:00

Today was such a awesome day outside to enjoy a fall family festival! Connie, Angie and Nancy all joined us today in going to the festival in Pella. It was nice outside everyone took advantage of the great weather! It was very busy but we got their when it opened and got to ride the horses b/f it got to be too big of a line! We got to do some pumpking painting, horse riding, train rides and even on a hay rack ride! The kids had a great time and were tired when they were done! We even got to eat lunch there! It was a fun day for the kids and we appreciate our aunts and grandma for going with us!

Fall Pictures

2010-09-30T21:22:00.000-07:00

This morning I went to an old barn that I found along side of the road and brought along some pumpkins and gourdes and took some fall pictures with the boys! They turned out awesome and I was so excited to edit them on picnik. It was so fun to take them and the kids did great! I am truely blessed that our boys are truely best friends! Here's just a few of the 142 pictures that I took!

Carving pumpkins

2010-09-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Mitchell got to pick out his pumpkins at Earl May. He was so excited to carve out pumpins he could hardly wait till this afternoon to get started. We stopped and got some LED lights to put in our pumpkins and Mitchell is excited for when it's dark and he can really see his jack-o-lantren glow! Mitchell did a great job carving his pumpkin all by himself and Connor had to have mommy help. They both turned out great and now we are officially into fall!

picture perfect day

2010-09-28T19:42:00.001-07:00

We spent most of the day outside enjoying the nice weather! The kids got some new paint last weekend so they were excited to try it out and paint some pictures. They decided to paint outside which was a great spot for our messy painters! They were wiped out after a long day of playing outside!

Safety City

2010-09-20T15:07:00.001-07:00

This morning we went on a field trip with Mitchell's kindergarten class to "Safety City". There were four police officers teaching a lesson to all the kids to "Stop, Look and Listen" before crossing the streets! Mitchell and Connor did a great job learning and even got to give detective "McGruff" a high five before they left!

Day out with Thomas!

2010-09-20T14:50:00.001-07:00

Mitchell and Connor on the train!

Having fun with the trains!

Reading a Thomas book with Dan Wardell!

On Sunday we decided to splurge as a family and go see Thomas the Train in Boone! The kids are obsessed with trains and so we thought we'd treat them to a day full of Thomas! Unfortunately, the weather was not the best, but we still enjoyed our day out with our family. There were lots of things to do, there were train sets to play with, Thomas stories to be heard, and trains to ride! I tried to get lots of pictures, although the kids weren't in the mood. The kids had a great time and were glad they got to go. After we were done there, we went to Hickory Park for supper. It was a fun day full of great family memories!

Karnival 4 Khloe Fun!

2010-09-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we went to a local church in town to support alittle sick girl in town and to help pay for the medical bills. We had a great time and we were thankful it was indoors since it was pouring outside. They had clowns, bounce houses, sports complexes and many games to play while we were there! Nanna and Pappa Olson came with us to the event along with Addy and Caleb! The kids had tons of fun in the bounce house and got lots of necklaces and candy! It was a great turnout and there were alot of people when we left! I hope they raised alot of money to help pay for their medical bills and thankfully Khloe is doing well!

Harvest has begun

2010-09-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

On last week Tuesday, Elden has officially begun to bring in the harvest. It has been a beautiful week to pick and they got a good start. Although it's disappointing to not have high yields, it makes you appreciate the good yields they have had the past few years. Unfortunately, they lost a lot of their river bottoms due to the floods and some of the beans aren't looking to promising, so it might be a short season :) Every year I pray for a safe harvest since the farmers have such long hours and little sleep.

The kids even got to ride for the first time last week Saturday afternoon so they were excited to see Daddy and spend some time with him. It was a gorgeous day for them to ride. I couldn't tell who was more excited to see each other, the kids or their daddy! Here's a few pics of them starting this harvest season! Keep safe!

Pickin Gourds

2010-09-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

Earlier this spring Mitchell and I planted some gourds and some pumpkins because Mitchell wanted his own garden. As you can see, he didn't do much weeding :) Tonight before it rained, I checked our garden to see if the gourds were ready to be picked and to my surprise it was! Connor was the one excited to pick the gourds, so we picked them together. I was surprised how many gourds we ended up with! Here's a few pictures of our gourd pickin!

First Tooth!

2010-08-28T05:40:00.000-07:00

Mitchell woke up this morning to his surprise his first tooth came out! He was so excited that it finally came out, he had been waiting patiently for it to come out. He can hardly wait till the tooth fairy comes tonight! His tooth came out just in time, we have family pictures this afternoon that he can show his new toothless smile! It's been a hard week on mommy, first kindergarten and now his first tooth !)

1st Day of Kindergarten

2010-08-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

Mitchell was so excited to go to Kindergarten he could hardly wait! Last night we went to his school to put all our supplies away in his desk and meet his teacher. He was up this morning at 6 a.m. ready for school. He wanted to get up early so he wouldn't be late. He was alittle nervous about going to school but he had a great time. His favorite part was getting to have a "Job". He got to pass out papers to the rest of the kids. There are 13 kids in his class, so we are excited about the amount of children in his class. Since Elden graduated with a class of 3, we were just hoping that wouldn't be the case for Mitchell. Mitchell is anxious to learn new things and play with his new friends. Although I was sad to see him go to kindergarten, I know he'll love school and am anxious to hear about what he learned in school every day.

Park Fun

2010-08-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

Connor and I had a special day together on Mitchell's 1st day of school. We went on a bike ride and then went to the park for a while. Connor already knows how to pump his legs when he swings, which is impressive since he's not even four yet. Here are a few pics of Connor having fun at the park.

Asher

2010-08-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

I have started watching my cousin Dawn's little boy two day a week. We have enjoyed having a baby in the house again and playing with him. Although he still sleeps alot, the kids love him dearly, especially when he's awake. Here are a few pics of the boys loving Mr. Asher.

Boating

2010-08-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we got to take the boat one last time! It was a beautiful evening and we invited our friends Ryan and Leisa and their two kids to come along. We had a great time besides a little boat trouble at first. The kids jumped right in and the water was refreshing. Mitchell got some used ski's at a garage sale so he was anxious to try them out for the first time. He did a great job trying, but just drug and swallowed a bunch of water. When he got done skiing he said, "How about I try again when I am 7." After boating we went to Jersey Freeze and got some yummy ice cream! We had a fun evening!

Train Tracks!

2010-08-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

Mitchell and his trains!

Mitchell and Connor being silly :)

Mitchell spent most of this rainy morning working hard on his train. He used both the wooden train and his new CAT train that he got for his birthday. He was pretty proud of his new creation! Here's a few pics of his train tracks!

Mitchell's 6th Birthday party!

2010-08-11T07:35:00.001-07:00

Last night we had Mitchell's 6th Birthday party! Mitchell was SOOO excited for his party to start, he could hardly wait! Aunt Shari made an awesome airplane cake for him that was yummy! He loved all his gifts that he got and is busy playing with them! Thanks for all of those who came and made his day special! Happy 6th Birthday Mitchell! Mommy and daddy love you very much!

Swimming with our cousins!

2010-08-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

Sunday was such a hot day, we decided to go to our mom and dad's for the afternoon to swim. The kids had an awesome time swimming for like 6 hours straight. They slept great that night! Our cousin Nathan was there as well and played so great with the kids! Thanks to mom and dad for keeping up the pool and making it look so nice!

Zoo

2010-08-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got to go to the zoo with our friends Jody and Tyler and Mason. We had a great time together like usual and the kids loved playing together.They got to see all kinds of fun animals but their favorite part was riding the train! After we went to the zoo we went to Carlos O'Kelleys for dinner. Mitchell was so excited b/c they came and sang "happy birthday" at the restaurant and he got a ice cream sundae. Lunch was a little crazy so I am sure they were glad when we left. We managed to get a little shopping done and Mitchell got to get all his school supplies! He was so excited to get all his new things! We definitely had a great together with lots of memories! Thanks for going with us Jody and boys! Looking forward to next year!

Garage Sale!

2010-08-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

All the kids eating their cookies!

A few weeks ago, we had our yearly garage sale with some friends from church. We usually have one or two each summer together, and this time it was at our friend Carrie's home. I promised Mitchell we would have a lemonade stand so he was beyond excited! He made his own sign showing a glass of lemonade and a watermelon cookie with a big 25$ (instead of a cent abbreviation) on it! He has his cash register and blue folder (shown in picture) that he used to count how many people bought lemonade that day. Mitchell loaded up his table and chairs in the truck by himself b/c he wanted to be ready for the garage sale! He was quite organized and quite a salesman! Every time that someone came by he asked if they would like some lemonade and a sugar cookie (I made some frosted watermelon sugar cookies to sell as well). He said his favorite part of the garage sale was when Papa and Nana Van Zee came by and got some lemonade and each gave him a whole dollar! I think they ended up making 8-9 dollars from the sale! We had a great time!

Branson Vacation

2010-07-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

We went to Branson this year on vacation with Elden's family instead of going to the Ozarks like we usually do. It was nice to go somewhere different and see new things. We did miss seeing all the awesome homes along the lake though. The weather was great, nice and hot and the water was very warm and clear! The kids had a great time playing in the water and Mitchell absolutely loved to ride the tube this year! I rode with him a few times but kept on getting tipped over so I think I am fired from riding with him again. We brought the zip sled this year in hopes that Mitchell tried riding it. Elden used to always ride on that when he was little untill his sisters finally talked him into skiing. Mitchell loved riding on the sled backwards just to see if he could do it. Then Elden tried to ride it for old times sake... let's just say he was alittle too big for the sled and the rope broke. We all got a good laugh out of watching him though. Here are some pics of our vacation and a video of Mitchell riding the zip sled! Enjoy!

Family Fun Night at the YMCA

2010-07-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

Having fun in the bounce house!

The boys waiting patiently for the magic show!

Connor and his new balloon sword!

Mitchell and Connor showing off their painted faces! Mitchell

had a Dinosoaur and Connor had a spider web!

We didn't have much going on last night so I thought it would be fun to bring the kids to the Newton Y in town for their family fun night! They had dinner for free, a bounce house and tons of games for the kids to play plus a magic show! It was definitely a nice evening to spend outdoors with the kids having fun! I took a few pics of the kids enjoying the evening!

After a hard day of play...

2010-06-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

I had to laugh at Connor tonight when he fell asleep in our bed. He looks so funny sleeping this way! I couldn't resist taking a picture!

Garage Sale!

2010-06-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

Mitchell is a very creative little boy, which I believe he gets from his daddy! He decided that he wanted to have a toy garage sale on Saturday afternoon. So he decided to make a garage sale sign (the number 1 is because everything is a dollar), he picked out the toys he wanted to sell and got his card table outside and was ready to sell! He waited patiently for any car that would stop along our gravel road, but sadly no one did. After about ten minutes of waiting, he decided that we needed some kids music to entice people into stopping by for the garage sale. Unfortunately, that didn't work either. But he was sure excited about his garage sale and he is quite a salesman which is another trait from his daddy :)

sLuMbEr pArTy!

2010-06-19T21:06:00.001-07:00

Everyone ready for some fun!

All the boys asleep!

Best friends!

The boys reading their new John Deere books!

Last night we decided to have our kid's cousins over for a BOYS ONLY (except for mom) slumber party! Mitchell and Connor were so excited to have Mason and Caleb come and spend the night! On Saturday I brought the kids to the John Deere store, Trainland and then to Mc Donalds for lunch. We had a great time and would recommend Trainland to anyone! Thanks to Caleb and Mason for coming to our slumber party! We ended the day by going to Papa and Nana Olsons for pizza and home made ice cream complete with fireworks to end the great day!