It's begun...

Oh boy!  Ben's first year of (somewhat) formal education is already over and it has me thinking about how quickly the next years of school are going to go.  Our little group of 6 kids and 6 moms got together yesterday to celebrate the year and we all had a hard time believing that we made it through the entire alphabet, went on several fun field trips and made memories that will last a lifetime!  I'm looking forward to doing this with Cooper's group of friend someday but for now, I'll just do the mom thing where I say "I can't believe how big Ben is getting!!!"

Love . These . Boys!

Our area Tulip Festival was last week and although we are not of Dutch descent in any way, it sure is fun to go and see everyone dressed in their Dutch outfits and hear the wooden shoes marching along the pavement in the parade.  We took the boys on Friday night and had a great time watching the bands, playing some games and eating some yummy fair-type food!  My favorite moment of the night was when Ben was walking along with us and eating a dripping ice cream cone.  He stopped, looked up at me (face covered in vanilla yumminess) and simply smiled.  This must be heaven for a little boy!  He was, in that moment, completely content with life and everything around him. 

Since then, I have been looking for moments like that for myself.  And once I stopped to think about it, I found those moments EVERYWHERE!  Here's a few:

Saturday - after working in the yard for several hours, I took a shower and then just laid down for a two-hour nap with Ben next to me in my bed.  I woke up feeling so refreshed and content!

Sunday - got up early to put in a brisquet for lunch, made cookies for Matt's road trip and made pancakes for my boys...all before they were awake.  Just having that quiet time to myself was amazing!

Monday - took the boys to Omaha (all by myself) and was able to meet my dad and step-mom on their way back from a trip for supper.  We sat outside in the beautiful weather that God provided that day and I just knew I could handle my boys through the night in a hotel and at the zoo the next day!  (more about that later!)

It's amazing that from a simple $2 ice cream cone, I have been able to take a step back and really enjoy all that God has provided in my life.  Sure there are the moments that I wonder if naptime will ever come but then I find myself looking forward to when the boys wake up so we can make some more memories together!

(Here is Coop enjoying the parade from his favorite spot - we cannot get that kid so stay put for very long!)

Checking the cows

(Disclaimer - I know this is a horrible picture exposure-wise. . . look past that and see how cute our little farm boy is!)

Last weekend we traveled back to Kansas to see Matt's brother graduate from good old K-State!  The weather was the most beautiful weather I can remember in Kansas in a long time and the boys took full advantage of the long day and beautiful sunshine!  Near the end of the day, we were playing outside and I realized how much my boys are like their daddy.  Cooper especially likes to stop (not very often mind you) and take in his surroundings; especially when those surroundings include farmland for miles, and our cows just below my inlaws' house on the hill.  I captured one of those rare moments where he looks completely content and is just checking on his herd!

After Nap Fun

We've gotten into a bad habit. . . letting Ben take a nap in our bed!  Both boys' rooms are upstairs and since he goes down later than Cooper, it's easier to just put him in our room so as not to wake Coop by stepping on every single squeaky wood board in our over 100-year old house.  So he gets to sleep in our king-sized bed.  Not bad for a 3 year old huh?!
The best part is when it's time for him to get up, Cooper and I usually come in and meet him, hoping he's in a good mood.  Yesterday both boys were in exceptionally good moods after naptime so we got have some fun and wrestle around in our bed for awhile. . . THEY.LOVE.IT!!!

An ending...and beginning!

This past year, I have been the coordtinator for our local MOPS (Mother of Preschoolers) group. Yesterday was our final meeting of the year and I can't say I'm too sad for it to be over for awhile!  While it has been a challenging, busy, stressful position, I am so glad that I was able to play such an important role in an organization that I feel so strongly about!  MOPS is one of the things that saved me when we first moved to our little town and I didn't really know many people.  I was almost 9 months pregnant with Ben and was feeling a bit lonely because I had just spent the entire summer unpacking, getting a baby's room ready and just preparing to be a mom in general.  Little did I know that there were so many ladies out there with young children who could offer all sorts of advice to this soon-to-be new mommy!  I was hooked from the first meeting and have since served as a Discussion Group Leader, Hospitality Coordinator and over Coordinator.  And while I thoroughly enjoyed the year...I am definitely looking to the beginning of a much less stressful phase of life with my two boys!  With summer fast approaching, I am anticipating playing outside, taking them to the pool and my favorite destressing (is that a word?) pasttime, mowing my yard! So even though my boys are too young to be in school, I feel as though even our school year is ending and summer is beginning . . . and we are soooo ready!!!

Sharing a snack after naptime - before playing outside!
Ready for more days like this!

Squeaky Clean!

I absolutely LOVE how a baby smells after a bath.  And even better is how MY baby smells after his bath.  I love to wrap him all up in his so-soft towel and just cuddle with him.  Matt finally grabbed the camera the other night and caught a few of these moments for Embrace the Camera this week.  I'm so glad that someday I will have these pictures with me in them (looking young!)

Final Field Trip

Our preschool co-op had our final field trip last week.  We had another perfect day for an outdoor excursion and had the opportunity to visit Matt at work!  The kids got to learn how to make a bottle for a baby cow, see where the "nursery" is and then feed one of the calves.  Matt showed Ben and his friends a good time and they were still talking about it yesterday during their regular lesson!

What a great daddy we have! This was WAY out of Dr. Matt's :) comfort zone but he did an excellent job speaking in terms the kids could understand and even asked questions to help them feel like part of the process.  And even though Ben had been there before, he was so excited to show his friends what his daddy does as part of his job!

Children's Museum

We were so lucky that Matt had last Friday off so we took full advantage of having a family day before the busy season kicks in!  There is a wonderful Children's Museum in Brookings, SD (a little over 2 hours from here) so we packed up that morning, and headed north! 

The boys absolutely loved it!  From a miniature grocery store to a vegetable garden where they could pick corn from life-like stalks, it was very entertaining!  We spent three hours having a good time and using our imaginations.  We will definitely be headed back again soon!

Picking out some produce

Choosing some tomatoes

Hauling pumpkins from the garden

Mommy helping Cooper build

Playing some percussion instruments

Cheesin' it up at the water wheel

Tough guy changing a tire

Literally how Cooper fell asleep on the way home - with graham cracker pieces in both hands!