Farm Life

We decided it was time to take a little trip up to the farm.  I guess we felt like we were missing out on dirt, muddy shoes, bug bites, chiggers and ticks.  Okay okay, there might have been some fun wrapped up in all of that as well.  We spent the day exploring, fishing, riding, shooting, swinging and swimming.  Every little boy's (and girl's) dream.  We had a bunch of happy kids on our hands...except when it was time to leave!  I will admit going up to the farm is a great way to soak in some good old fashioned fun and I'm so appreciative that our boys have access to this treasure and the ability to escape the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives every so often.   I'm sure we will be heading up for some more bug bites fun soon, and next time maybe I'll even get in the lake (but probably not).

Mini Mud Craze

We are always looking for something fun to do with the boys and when we heard about this event we thought they would dig it...and we were right.  It was a mini mud run specifically set up for kids and it was AMAZING.  Amazing that is up until Bennett's shoe literally got stuck in the mud and we lost his sock forever.  He has not stopped talking about the fact that he lost his sock and anytime you bring up the race all he talks about is the damn sock.  You would think we don't provide him enough socks the attachment was so fierce.  Hopefully he gets over it by next year though because this is going on the must do list and we're dragging everyone with us next year.  Cousins, friends, acquaintances...anyone we talk to really.  It's game on!  And nobody is safe from the mess...nobody.
  

Graduation #1 for #2

Recently Bennett had his first graduation.  I say "first" because we all know kids these days have 1 million graduations.  All of which are important nonetheless ;).  He graduated from his current preschool and will be moving to "the big kid school" next year but...still in preschool.  He's a victim of an August birthday so he gets to get EXTRA smart with another year of preschool.

Anyway, the first graduation "activity" was a little vandalism!  Let me explain.  All of the teachers from his school go to all of the graduating student's homes decorate them, leave them a present on the front door step, and then knock and run!  Bennett thought he was something special let me tell you!

The next graduation activity was a cute little program inclusive of caps and gowns and a couple of cute little skits.  I even included a video from one of the performances because I'm pretty sure they gave Bennett the best part, or maybe I just think that because I'm his Mom.  That later is probably true, but he makes an amazing Kangaroo I must say!  We are so very proud of Bennett and really sad to be leaving this preschool, but we are certainly excited to have both boys in one location FINALLY.  WOOHOO for convenience!

And finally, what graduation celebration would be complete without a little ice cream treat?  So here is our little graduate, enjoying his Celebratory Ice Cream!

Air Show

Every time there is an air show Chad wants to go, but we haven't been able to make it happen for a few years.  This year the head of the household was DETERMINED to go so we threw him a bone and made it happen.  I'll say the boys were so/so on the whole thing.  They were entertained by the planes for a little bit, but then just wanted to run around and explore instead of sitting in awe like their Dad.  So basically we ditched the old man, let him sit and gaze at the planes while we went and took in some of the more hands on exhibits.  And of course got some snacks, because snacks make any adventure better.  I do have to admit it was kind of cool to show the boys some things that their Mom has a part in.  My heart went pitter patter when we were exploring the C17 (yes I realize this makes me a nerd, and I'm perfectly fine with that).  I don't know how impressed they were with my aerospace connection but I like to think they were impressed with their old Mom's knowledge!

World Traveler

That's right, it took me almost 35 years but I finally made it to Europe!  It wasn't exactly the great adventure that I had always dreamed of, you know the one where you stop at a million cafes and you see a bunch of castles and you drink beer with some locals and you meet the Queen of England and you go to a fancy art museum and maybe even run with the bulls.  It's kind of like my dream of finding a brand new car with a big red bow waiting for me in my driveway, I realized long ago it's just not gonna happen.  But this trip to Europe will work, for my FIRST trip.  I WILL go back and it WILL NOT be for work that time.  But who am I to complain about a free trip to Europe, am I right?  The only problem is they really wanted me to work while I was there and it turns out we were really busy going between different sites soooo the sightseeing was at a minimum.  I did however get to experience a few of those cute cafes, and I did see some charming sites but in the end I think it just made me want to come back even more.  This was just like an evil tease.

I was in the Netherlands, specifically Amsterdam and a few of the surrounding areas.  I know what most people think of when they think of Amsterdam and yes we did make it down to the Red Light District on our last night and yes it is as strange as one would think and no I am not going to post many pictures of it. You either need to use your imagination or use your Google because this is a family blog :).  I will share with you a few pictures of my trip that to me capture the essence of Amsterdam (tulips, bikes, windmills, crocked houses, markets, gelato, and cafes) and I hope that it will entice you all to one day go see it for yourselves...and take me with you.