A few words from Mom

One of the reasons I started this blog was so the kids would be able to look back on it when they are older. I realized Hudsen had some words of wisdom and it might be nice to have a few from Mom as well :). Below are a few words from Mom.

#1 ask questions. This was hard for me sometimes because I like to appear as if I have it all together all the time. I do not. I have come to realize that the more questions I ask, the better. Rather than pretend to understand or be afraid of what the answer to the question is, it is better to ask than wonder, it is better to know than guess and it is better to question than conform.

#2 look on the bright side. A positive attitude can do wonders! You are going to come across negative people in your life. You can choose to fall into their negative attitude or look for positives in each situation. This does not mean you have to smile even when bad things happens. It means to understand that there are going to be ups and downs to life. You choose which you want to focus on. A positive attitude can take you far.

#3 be a team player. You were already on a team when you were born. Our family is a team and we make decisions based on how it will benefit all of us. Throughout your life you are going to be on many teams. Be someone that others can depend on.

Your life is not a dress rehearsal.

Oh and eat your veggies, don't run with scissors, and be nice to your brother/sister :)

Hudsen's words of wisdom August

When I asked Hudsen why Eleanor had a good report at school and he did not, he replied "because she is a different species".

While going to the bathroom when I asked if he was done he replied "I'm not done mom, pooping takes time, just have patience"

When I ask him what he wants to be when he grows up "a policeman because I want to help people.". He also tells me that I can be a princess when I grow up.

When he wants to be alone he says " just give me a little privacy". This makes me laugh every time.

Most mornings when he sees Eleanor he says "good morning beautiful little girl"

Dance Party!

Saturday was a little cloudy and the kids and I are a little worn out on baseball (ok so maybe that is just me that is worn out). Jarren needed to work in the afternoon so Hudsen and I had the great idea to decorate the basement for a dance party!

We started off by making a sign.

Then we colored pieces of paper and hung them from the ceiling. Hudsen thought this was the best.

Then of course we had to make a playlist. The playlist included some great hits from Alvin and the chipmunks and Miley Cyrus to name a few. Good thing Hudsen and I have the same taste in music :). After that we prepared the snacks of cookies, popcorn and gold fish. Hudsen wanted to crack some eggs to put on top but luckily I talked him out of it. Ever since him and I have started preparing dinner together all he wants to do is make eggs! After the snacks were ready and the basement was finished we all got dressed in our dance party clothes and waited for Dad to come home.

Eleanor had a great time dancing to the music and Hudsen liked showing Dad the decorations and shaking his booty.

Eleanor danced so hard that she bumped her lip on the eliptical and got a pretty big fat lip from it. She looks a little like a duck right now (a very cute duck). This brought the party to an end. Except for the bump, the party turned out well and it was a fun activity for the kids and the parents :)

Iowa State Fair

On Friday afternoon the kids and I got in the car and headed to pick up Jarren and go to the Fair. I had one kid (Hudsen) who was so excited about going and the other kid (Eleanor) didn't care either way. She was just excited to see her brother so excited. I am not a very big fan of the Fair but I do love seeing Hudsen excited. I gladly covered up my dislike for the Fair and talked about all the animals we would see and the fun we would have.

We did see sheep, pigs, chickens and cows. We also saw all kinds of different people not listed as an attraction :). Hudsen said his favorite animal we saw was chickens. Eleanor did a great job just riding in the stroller. We were only there for an hour and half but we manage to see everything we wanted to see and get dinner followed by mini donuts. Hudsen has now been to the Fair 4 years in a row. This was Eleanor's first time.

Eleanor also had another first after the Fair. On the ride home she puked all over herself in the car. There has been a bug going around Generation Next and she seemed to have caught it. She has such good spirits though that I had no idea she didn't feel good, After she got sick she was right back to smiling. So far that was the only time she has gotten sick and been fine the rest of the weekend. Her first trip to the Fair will be a memorable one:)

Scavenger Hunt!

Hudsen and I decided that Dad might think it was fun to do a scavenger hunt when he got home from work. First thing Hudsen had to do was draw a map for Dad to follow. He loves drawing maps for us before we go on any adventure and likes to tell us which way to turn so we follow the map.

After the map had been drawn it was time to put the clues around the house and backyard. Hudsen told me where the clues would go and we both brainstormed on what to write on the clue. It was a lot of fun and lead to quite a few laughs.

We decided that the surprise at the end of the map should be popcorn balls. We made those up and Hudsen was a great help in the kitchen.

Eleanor did miss out on the fun as she was napping but she did get to help Dad look for the clues. I think there may be a few more scavenger hunts in our future :)

Fun outside

The past few days have been great afternoons to be playing outside. The kids and I have had fun burying peach pits (so peach trees will grow of course :), playing baseball, swinging, and going for a walk or 2. On Tuesday the Studer boys came over to play for a bit and Eleanor and Hudsen both loved seeing them. Eleanor has been going to Generation Next for a little over a week. Amy Studer use to watch Eleanor before Generation Next so E use to see the Studer boys everyday. It was very obvious by her reaction to seeing the boys that she missed them. Below are a few pictures from our week so far.

Birthday party, wedding and anniversary

August is the best month of the year! Ok I might be a little biased since my birthday does fall in this month but we have had so much fun in August already. Friday night we went over to Johnson's to swim and have pizza. Hudsen and Eleanor both had a great time playing with the kids and the water.

On Saturday we started the day of with a family walk since the weather was nice. We then had Isabella's 1st birthday party at noon. The kids had fun at the party. Hudsen made a fish and Eleanor made a lot of friends. Both kids are not shy at all these days. Isabella looked so cute at her party and the decorations were great! Hudsen's favorite part was the fish cupcakes :)

After the party Jarren and I headed to Pella while Uncle Jeff and Lina watched the kids until Gma and Gpa Hummel came over. Jarren and I went golfing before the wedding and while the weather was nice my golf game was not. Jarren had a great game. The wedding was at the golf course so after getting ready we headed back to Jeff and Kelsey's wedding to enjoy the night with good friends. There was some dancing, plenty of good conversation and great cupcakes!

Sunday we came home early to see the kids and play. It was a beautiful day! We packed up the picnic basket and headed to the park. Jarren and Hudsen played baseball while E and I went for walk. Sunday was also our 6 year anniversary. Traditional anniversary gift for 6 years is candy. I got Jarren a candy dispenser for his desk and he got me Stam Chocolates. Great anniversary and a great way to end the weekend!

Happy birthday Dad!

This post is a few weeks behind but better late than never :). While Hudsen was gone to Gma Pat and Gpa Gary's another special guy in the family was having a birthday. On Tuesday of the week Jarren turned 29! Him and Eleanor started off the day with pecan puff for breakfast. Then it was off to work where his co-workers brought treats. Than that night Jeff and Lina watched Eleanor while Jarren and I went to the OP for dinner and did a little birthday shopping. Hudsen called that day to wish Dad happy birthday. Both kids had picked out a card for Dad. Happy Birthday Jarren!

A week with Gma Pat and Gpa Gary

A week at with Grandma Pat and Grandpa Gary was full of fun and adventures for Hudsen. How much could one little boy and his grandparents do..a lot! Every night when we talked to Hudsen he would tell us about all the fun he was having and how he was being a good boy and having all kinds of adventures. When we came to pick him up on Friday, it took him about an hour to tell us all the fun that he had. He wanted to show us everything! Below are the pictures from the week.

Hudsen and Grandma Pat made cookies. Hudsen was a great helper in the kitchen and even a better helper eating the cookies :)

Hudsen loves to get out the drums at Grandma and Grandpas. He is very musical :) Luckily we do not take the drum set back with us.

On Wednesday Gma, Gpa and Hudsen went to the chipmunk movie in Emmetsburg. It was a really hot day and the perfect day to go watch a movie.

Hudsen and Grandpa would visit the creek often to see the flowers and check to see if there was any fish. When Gma made the comment that there was not much water because we needed rain, Hudsen said "I know how to make it rain. You ask God for rain "GOD WE NEED RAIN". Oh to have the innocent mind of a 3 year old.

Hudsen and Grandma would go swimming some afternoons. There they would meet up with Aunt Nancy, Hailey, Emily and Zac.

One of the adventures was to go to the fair and look at the animals. Hudsen really likes looking at animals and feeding them. He may not be a farm kid but sometimes he likes to pretend like he is :)

Going on walks in the country and making a trip to the church about a mile away to ring the bell and play the piano was also an adventure. The days got a little hot, but that didn't stop these adventures from happening. It was no wonder that Hudsen was going to bed good at night, he was so tired from such a fun filled day!

Eleanor missed Hudsen so much while he was gone and so did Dad and I. It was great for him to get a fun filled week with Gma and Gpa but we were sure happy to have him back with us! We need our little guy around to help us build forts, play baseball and let Charley out to go to the bathroom (that and many more things!)