Reconnecting

Last weekend I was lucky enough to get away for a relaxing weekend with my dad and brother to the Black Hills in South Dakota.  We were able to do some fishing, hiking and have some much-needed quiet time (at least much-needed for this busy mama!)

My favorite part just might have been our tiny, less-than-modern cabin.  We did decide to at least rent the cabin that had a bathroom in the cabin instead of one without...I'm not the biggest fan of running outside to a comfort station in the middle of the night! There was 1 queen bed, 1 set of bunk beds, a bathroom, eating area and sink. That's it. No TV, no stove, no distractions.  We got up each morning, ate breakfast together, had our adventures during the day, ate out at some small local restaurant and then spent the evening reading or just talking!  IT. WAS. WONDERFUL!!!  And this is not all to say that I don't enjoy being home with my boys...I do.  It's just very nice to get away sometimes where I can selfishly focus on me and feel like more than just "mommy".  I was able to do my Bible study without pausing every few minutes thinking one of the boys was about to wake up from nap and interrupt.  Some quiet time with God was much needed and much appreciated!

Our first day there it was 35 degrees to start out the afternoon!  My dad and brother braved the cold weather...and rain/sleet mix to wade into the river in Spearfish Canyon.  This city girl was a bit too chilly for that so I stayed inside the nice warm car and read my book!  Later in the afternoon, we even had snow falling on us for a bit!

This is right after we dubbed my dad "Deadliest Catch"

Look at those layers - t-shirt, sweatshirt, fleece vest, fleece jacket, gloves and ear warmers...and I was the one IN the car!

The following day was about twice as warm as the day before so we took full advantage of the sunshine and set out for a 7-mile round-trip hike up to Harney Peak in Custer State Park.  It took us right around 5 hours and although it sounded crazy at the time, it was so totally worth it!  I still can't believe that this out-of-shape mama pulled it off but I had good encouragement along the way (along with more than a few catch-my-breath breaks!)

We got back down to Sylvan lake with a few hours of daylight left so we decided to try our hand at fishing again.  This time the fish were biting!  My dad and brother tried out their fly-fishing skills and were very successful.  They even let me pose with one of their buddies! I was not lucky at all this time around but actually had a great time seeing them enjoy themselves so much!  It was dark by the time we left and cooling back down to almost freezing temps again.  We were very happy for a warm meal that night!

Our final morning there we stopped and fished a bit more before heading back to Sioux Center in time for Grandpa and Uncle Bryce to see the boys before bedtime.  We took a quick look at Mount Rushmore while heading out-of-town...such a majestic sight!



I am one lucky girl!

 

 

 

Saying goodbye to summer

We've been back from our summer vacation for a few weeks now and I think it's time to post some pics (mostly for family members of course)!

 

Just starting the trip...already tuckered out!

We stared the vacation with a stop in Omaha at the zoo to see the Dinosaur's Alive exhibit.  The boys are very much into dinosaurs and thought it was AWESOME!!!

We continued the trip in true fashion by stopping in Salina to drop of the pup.  We practiced our fishing technique to prepare for Colorado.  Both boys were able to catch several blue gill in one of the farm ponds!

Then it was onto Colorado Springs.  We planned it just perfectly to be there for my Grandma's birthday party!  She absolutely loved that her great-grandsons were able to be there to help her celebrate!

From Colorado Springs we headed to Estes Park and our favorite cabins!  We wasted no time getting the fishing gear out and did some major fishing  Both boys caught a fish or two but it was not without learning some patience!

We also had a chance to do some (easy) hiking up to Alberta Falls at Bear Lake in the Rocky Mountain National Park!  Both boys walked almost the entire way by themselves which is very impressive as it was a 2-mile round-trip hike.  Needless to say they ate and slept VERY well that night!

Then it was back through Colorado Spring so Nana and Mark could take us to Santa Claus' village at the North Pole!  It is an amusement park especially designed for toddlers and younger kids and our boys are at the perfect age for it.

What a great trip!  We've been enjoying some lazy days at home before Ben starts preschool next week.  Then summer will be officially over at our house.

 

Easter and getting older...

Being a parent is sometimes hard.  Like when you have to tell you crying two-year old that his older brother gets ice cream but he does not because he did not eat enough supper.  Or when you have to make the decision to stay home instead of going to a much-needed playdate because of a runny nose and a little one who really just needs to cuddle with Mommy.

And while there are many more things that make this journey of parenthood a tough one, there is nothing more important than knowing you are molding and shaping your child to be someone who makes you proud. 

 A few weeks ago it was Easter and while the past years it has been mostly about finding eggs at the egg hunt, this year I really feel like Ben started to understand the story of Jesus dying on the cross for us and how this means our sins were forgiven.  What a joy to see his young mind think about how God has forgiven us for everything...before we even do it!  It has definitely made us think twice about forgiving our little brother for silly things like taking a car out of our hands or running into us with a tricycle!  What a blessing in our lives that we have the opportunity to hear the story of Jesus in the small town where our church is and then have a safe place to celebrate this day.
Now enjoy some pictures from the weekend:

Such handsome boys

The race begins

Found a well-hidden egg

A much higher view to find some eggs!

Good form for the football throw

A bit different form than his brother's



Grandma Shu helping Cooper dye eggs

 

A new family tradition

Two weekends ago, we decided to make the trek to Kansas City to watch our Cats play in the Big 12 basketball tournament.  It was meant to be a fun-filled weekend; basketball, family time as we were staying with my brother and his wife, and alone time for Matt and me (along with thousands of other basketball fans at the Power and Light district).

As usual, our boys decided to throw a bit of a wrench in things!  We started by making it just in time to watch the Cats play in the first round.

 They won so we were pretty excited for the next round!  The plan was to hopefully leave the boys with my dad and stepmom or possibly with my brother and his wife.  No such luck!  Both boys ended up with quite the stomach bug the next day so while my husband had a nice "date" with everyone at the P&L, I was cleaning up...well, you can imagine.

Luckily it hit 80 degrees that day because this is how Cooper spent most of Friday evening - poor kid!  I was just trying to imagine what people were thinking if they happened to walk by my brother's house and Cooper was standing at the front door in his (almost) birthday suit!



Saturday was a much better day for everyone so we gave bowling a try.  It was surprisingly not busy so we had a great time letting the boys get out of the house for awhile!  Excuse the shot of Ben in front of the bar area, apparently it's the only picture I was able to get of him that day!

Overall it was a pretty good weekend - just not one I want to replicate anytime soon!  I am hoping to make the Big 12 tournament a new family tradition however because both boys had a great time watching for Willie and doing their KSU cheer for everyone around!