March

Now that we're into the first week of June, 

I figured I better get our March recap up on the blog
Nothing like being a few months behind
Thank goodness for Calendars and phones to look back at to see what we did

March

Thank you, thank you for bringing some nicer weather but we knew you were just kidding us

March 24th snow

March started out kind of rough for me

I've been dealing with some health stuff that no one can seem to figure out

When my doctor gave me the all clear from my blood work,

I basically crumbled
The only thing they keep coming up with is-
My body doesn't absorb iron correctly so basically I'm anemic ALL the time
How can I feel like crap all the time but supposedly not have anything wrong
Don't get me wrong, I don't want to have anything wrong
 I just feel like they aren't taking me seriously

In the midst of my mess, we learned that Genesis can no longer give allergy shots
I spent an entire day on the phone trying to find a new place for Parker to get his shots
Thankfully Dr. Dawson has agreed to take us on and so far we love it there
They are friendly, prompt and know their stuff

Parker started soccer for YMCA and had a great coach and team

Spencer started practicing with his Muskie 14U baseball team


Chip finished up his bowling season with a tournament in Green Bay


I got baptized on March 13th

Spencer got to spend an afternoon and evening with his girl friends family
I am NOT ready to have teenagers!


I FINALLY made the boy shave

Over all, March was a pretty uneventful month

February

February

February, Oh February...
You took everything out of this mama
You left me a hot mess full of emotions but it was a GREAT month

We started February with lots of LOVE notes and special Valentine treats
I heart attacked the boys doors last year and didn't really think it phased them
UNTIL Parker asked when I was going to start the heart stuff
I guess it did mean something!
This year I wrote one thing I loved about them and one quote
My note:
 I love that you respect your teachers
Quote:
Respect peoples feelings, It may not mean anything to you but it may mean everything to them

February 5th and 6th, the middle schools performed The Little Mermaid Jr.
We invited Parker's girl friend and Spencer met his girl friend there
The students did an AMAZING
It was by far the best school musical we've been to

I'm not a huge football fan but the guys in the house enjoyed the Superbowl


Parker had his first band concert and I couldn't believe how great they sounded


Spencer went on his first date {to the movie Zoolander 2}
He's been dating a sweet girl and is head over heals for her
While I'm not ready for girls, my heart melts when I that smile on his face when we talk about her

We spent a lot more time at the doctors office getting allergy shots
Parker is finally at the maintenance dose which means he only goes once a month now
Hallelujah.....

Parker went on his first youth retreat to the Dream Conference in Ogden Iowa
Mama was a nervous wreck but he did fine and loved it
They went to a ski resort and tubed in 57 degree weather

Spencer turned 14!
I still can't believe it and am still trying to wrap my brain around it while I'm still sobbing

Spencer got his permit!
His birthday fell on a Monday and the place is closed on Mondays
so I picked him up from school the next day and he passed with flying colors
I wasn't expecting him to pass since he hadn't studied much and kept failing the app test on his phone
I was busy checking out Pinterest and heard him say, mom
I looked up and I could tell by the smile that he passed
He also became an organ donor, that in it's self means the world to me
The lady working the desk kept telling me what an awesome kid he is
{Trust me, I know! but it's always great to hear}

Spencer has been looking forward to playing on two baseball teams this summer
Last week I received this text from Spencer- I missed Muskie tryouts
My heart felt like it dropped 80 feet
I knew how much he was looking forward to this and my heart broke for him
I emailed the coach, found out it wasn't too late and mama saved the day
Coach told us to be there Thursday from 6-8
On Tuesday I was checking the school announcements; there's a choir concert that night
I emailed the coach AGAIN, thankfully he works for the school district and understands
Spencer started practicing with the Muskie 14U team and couldn't be happier
We're eating, sleeping and breathing baseball


I joined a ladies small group with an awesome bunch of ladies from church


Spencer has been driving!


The last Sunday in February
was our youth pastor and his families last day at our church
One of the reasons we fell in love with Heartland was because of Daniel
That guy can sing and play guitar like no bodies business
but he is also an amazing youth pastor who can pour into kids
They are going back to the church he and his wife were raised in to become their youth directors
We're so excited for them but also so very sad to lose them


That wraps up February!

January little things

January

This was taken New Years Day
We were blessed with a beautiful start to a NEW year

January was pretty quiet for the most part but the last week threw us for a loop

The month was filled with allergy shots
We're trying to get the boy built up before Spring

We spend way.... to much time in this office

We bought a new car
Well...not new but new to us
Max, our F150 Super Crew was on it's last rim
The hubby has been eyeing the Ford Flex since they came out and it's his so I gave in

I finally took a day off work
I went shopping ALL BY MYSELF and bought mascara
I was hoping to have a better shopping day but the time alone was glorious

We had our first and hopefully last Express Care visit for the year
Parker had a nasty fever for 4 days and when it wouldn't budge from 104.4 it was time to go
We spent 10 minutes shy of 4 hours at Express Care
They tested him for strep and mono- both were negative
They sent us home with an antibiotic and some extra germs

We received a letter from the high school
letting us know it's time to sign the boy up for high school classes
Gulp.. fight back the tears
Wasn't he just in preschool?
Ready or not; it's time and my heart swells with pride for this boy who LOVES to learn

While we're on the subject of kids growing up too fast
Both of the boys have girl friends and we did some early Valentine shopping

We ended the month with some major plumbing issues
We had water coming up out of the basement floor drain
Tree roots were partially to blame so our beautiful maple will be coming down this Spring
We're sad but it will hopefully save us thousands of dollars and trouble in the end

Crazy things said:
Hubby: The car only makes the sound when you turn left or right
Me: Maybe you had to be there - but what other way would you turn?

Me: We're going to start eating cleaner next week
Parker: I'm sure that won't last long
{He knows where he got his sweet tooth}

Hubby: Do guacamoles grow on a bush or a tree
Me: You mean avocados?

Spencer: Are you sure you don't want a pancake
Me: No, I don't really like pancakes
Spencer: They're just like less wrinkled waffles


That's a wrap for January

Parker turned 11!

When you have a December birthday at our house,

your birthday celebration lasts about 2 weeks because mama feels bad about her lack of planning

{ya know, the day you find out your pregnant and think 9 months from now is Christmas}

Parker's actual due date was December 29th but was born December 17th

It's not the best picture but this is how we start birthday mornings at our house

We  had Grandma and Grandpa over for supper, gifts and
 of course, turtle cheese cake which he requested

Parker, you light up our life!
You are always thinking of others and truly have a heart of gold
We love that dimple in your right cheek and your gorgeous eyes that change color day to day
We love that you love food and are always wondering what we are having for the next meal
{I truly believe this is your Great Grandpa John in you}
You are handsome, caring, athletic, smart and funny
You are everything we could have ever asked for
How did we get so lucky?
We LOVE you more than you'll ever know!

Christmas and all that hoop la

We're in our last week of January and I'm finally posting about Christmas

 I wish for just one year, 

we didn't have to work or go to school through the month of December

We could sit home, admire the decorations, bake Christmas cookies

 and celebrate without all the hustle and bustle

I was a little ba humbug going into December

If it hadn't been for the hubby, I'm not sure the tree and village would've been put up
but it was and I'm forever thankful he got me out of that rut

I think I've posted about our village before
We've been working on painting this village for 17 years

Our tree gets decorated in the traditional red and green with Robert Stanley ornaments
Every year I buy the boys an ornament and try to pick one that's personal

Spencer got a robot - He is loving his robotics class
Parker got a Santa with a fish - The boys have taken up a serious hobby of fishing

The first Friday in December is always the Holiday Stroll downtown

Parker sang at the church with the Colorado Jammers

and the weather was beautiful so we decided to go enjoy the stroll

I'm pretty sure they had a record turn out this year

We started out the month with a critter in the attic 

We've had everything from mice to a raccoon up there and we were pretty sure it was a squirrel

When the live trap didn't work, we resorted to rat traps

We ended up with a BIG mouse and were relieved when we finally caught it

There's nothing like laying in bed and hearing it scratch in the attic above you {Eeeek} 

During one of our ventures up into the attic to check traps,

we discovered we have a mold issue

The people that added the addition on to the house didn't vent the bathroom vent out of the roof

They vented it into the attic so all of the moisture has been trapped up there causing mold

We got more bad news the middle of December

We found out that Parker failed his eye exam at school in October

I scheduled an eye exam and sure enough, the boy needed glasses

A little more bad news news
This boy grew - Like over night!

He is officially taller than me, not that it takes much
It's a sad day when your kids can look you in the eyes

My baby turned 11!
We are careful about keeping his birthday totally separate from Christmas
so I'll be writing a special post about how we celebrated at a later date

The week school got out for Christmas break we had 3 concerts

I love Christmas concerts and the fact that our schools still let the kids sing CHRISTMAS songs

Many schools have winter programs in fear of offending someone
Not ours and I'm forever grateful!

The week of Christmas was WILD

We weaned Spencer off of his migraine medicine by doctors orders

As of right now he's doing great without it and we pray things continue to go well

Spencer chipped 2 teeth that we had to have fixed at the University of Iowa Dental College

If you ever need a tooth fixed, Dr. Vargas is your guy!

My brother and his family came home and I took some pictures of the kids for my mom and dad

This was one of the fun pictures I took
They were such troopers wearing pea coats when it was 60 degrees

We celebrated Christmas with my mother in-law on Christmas Eve, 

Christmas day was spent with my immediate family 

and the day after Christmas was spent with my aunts, uncles and cousins

Spencer told me the only thing he wanted for Christmas was an iphone
He didn't want ANYTHING else!
Thankfully the boy was due for an upgrade so that's what he got
Plus a few other things
He has become quite picky in his teenage years
Just about everything needs to be Nike or Under Armour
He got a Nike sweatshirt, Nike belts, Nike long underwear...
You get the idea!

Parker still has that little boy left in him and I LOVE that
He also got an iphone but also got legos, a huge art set, a game and some other fun stuff


We were truly blessed in 2015
Happy New Year a little late!

A fall recap

Here's a Fall recap

I'm so far behind I can't even remember what went on
I had to resort back to my phone and check the picture gallery for a reminder
Isn't it sad that we use our phones instead of cameras these days?

Spencer and Chip went to Wartburg College in September
  Spencer and some of his friends from school sang at the Real Men Sing event
It was a fun guys day out but Chip said it was middle school overload

We celebrated homecoming with a WIN for the Muskies
We walked in the homecoming parade and even went to the game
The weather was wonderful and since we're close to becoming a Muskie family,
we decided to go and cheer them on

Spencer isn't really a cheerleader but they were willing to let him try their poms out

Finishing up the parade with a beautiful sunset

Game time

Spencer and Chip went to a corn field maze with the youth group so
mama was left in charge of pumpkin carving this year
Parker and I picked out a design, he scooped it out and I got to carve it while he watched tv
I think the hubs would have done a better job but Parker LOVED it and that's ALL that matters

We celebrated Halloween
Grandma made Parker's vest and hat {Such talent} and such a cute little fisherman

The boys say they'll never be too old to trick or treat

We support the teal pumpkin project
{Food Allergy Awareness}
Read more about it here

We worked hard last fall to get some projects done around the house:
Stained the monstrous deck we rebuilt last year
Stained the front deck
Painted the bathroom
Stained and put a towel cabinet in the bathroom

and
painted the kitchen

We had Fall parent teacher conferences
The boys are doing GREAT and we're so proud of them

I did the Lagomarcino 5k with a friend
The location was BEAUTIFUL {downtown Davenport}
It wasn't one of our favorite 5k's but we enjoyed the hot chocolate and turtles at the end

We were going to do the Turkey Trot in town but we got our first snow and it was canceled
We were pretty bummed but are looking forward to a new year and many more 5k's


We celebrated Thanksgiving with family and LOTS of food

There you have it,
Our Fall recap

Vacations 2015

Our vacation plans this summer didn't work out quite as grand as we hoped

but that's okay because a sweet little one was brought into the world

Our plan was to go to Virginia this summer to visit some dear friends

I didn't get any vacation until after July 28th so we were going to have to wait until August

Not our ideal plan but we would make it work

THEN their daughter announced she was due to have a baby August 12th

Yikes.... She lives in North Carolina and her parents would be traveling there when baby arrived

Baby could come a week early, a week late or right on time

Babies are not predictable so we decided to delay our Virginia plans
Little Charlotte came a few days late while we were on vacation to our other destination

Our "other" destination wasn't nearly as grand but we made the most of it

Everyone needs to attend the Iowa State Fair once in their life time, right?
I remember being drug to the fair when I was little and HATED it
It was hot, I was certain I would die from all the walking and I just wasn't a farm girl

Now that the boys are a little older, I thought it would be the perfect time to take them
They are young enough to still have fun and old enough to remember it

We saw the butter cow, ate fair food, let the kids ride some rides but their favorite part was:
Drum roll......
The cow judging
They loved the cows

We watched one boy get thrown by his cow
My heart broke for that young man
He worked all year with that cow and unfortunately that cow showed the judges who was boss

My best friend and her family camp the entire 2 weeks at the fair
Their 3 girls show cattle and hogs and perform in the Bill Riley talent show every year
Seeing them was the high light of my day at the fair


A few pictures of our day at the fair:

The FAMOUS butter cow

The Monopoly guy was new this year

Fair food is a must

Pricey but so yummy

The boys got to rock climb and zip line


While we were in Des Moines we went to Sky Zone





The boys
 mentioned that they wanted to go to Sky Zone
This place is AMAZING for non stop boys
Give them an hour of time and I guarantee they'll be wore out when you leave

We ate at Zombie Burger

People definitely hype this place up

The food was good, we can say we've been there but we probably won't ever go back

Who orders a salad at a burger joint?

That would be me because it looked better than a greasy burger on a hot day

After we finished up at Zombie Burger, we drove up the road to the pappajohn sculpture park

It was HOT and the kids weren't really interested in the sculptures as much as climbing on the wall

No, we didn't break the rules

It may look like Parker is sitting on the horse but he's really sitting on the wall behind it

One of the highlights of our trip was cooling off at Orange Leaf
I pulled out my phone and googled ice cream shops near us
{Isn't technology great? What did we do before we had phones?}
I saw Orange Leaf frozen yogurt was minutes away
 I hadn't heard of one of these
 but the minute we walked in the door I knew I found my new favorite indulgence

It was worth every penny of the $27 we spent
Some of our favorite flavors were -
Strawberry Lemonade
Peanut butter cup
Wedding cake
and
Peach mango


So Des Moines wasn't nearly as awesome as Virginia would have been
but we did some firsts and made memories and that's whats important