Slideshow

Here is the slideshow from Seth & Jenney's wedding:

Wedding Weekend

Wow! What a fun and busy weekend! Of course the best part was not having to travel! Our July wedding-fest is officially over now that Seth and Jen have tied the knot!

Rehearsal dinner was Friday night at La Fuente Mexican restaurant in Ames. This was one of Jen's favorite places to eat. The food was great and so were the family and friends.

Here is the wedding party. We may all look a little flush (well maybe just me) because it was about 300 degrees! Not sure if the place doesn't have A/C or if it was just not functioning! Nothing like making the Mexican all the more authentic!

I think Seth is ready to melt... : )

Here we are, all dressed up!

And of course the happy couple!

The girls received Wedding Barbie dolls from Seth and Jenney and they really love them! They hung in pretty well on the wedding day considering they had no naps and had to stay in their dresses all day. They both made it down the aisle OK but Sylvia needed a little encouragement. A funny moment was when Olivia made it up the aisle. She came straight over to me and said "I have to go potty." How funny!

It was a beautiful day and loads of fun. Congratulations Seth and Jen and thanks for making us a part of your day. We enjoyed seeing all of the friends and family and getting to know some new friends!

Click here for our other pictures from the weekend.

Play Pal

This week the girls had a friend to play with. They had lots of fun playing dress up and pretend.

MaKayla, Sylvia, and Olivia....3 Princesses

I bought the girls magnifying glasses for exploring. They love them.

Taking a closer look at the rocks....

What do these flowers look like close up?

Reiman Gardens

Yesterday we took a trip to Reiman Gardens. It was a beautiful day to walk through it and see all the wonderful plants. They also had dinosaur exhibits throughout the gardens. The girls had a fantastic time. We were too late for the butterfly garden so we will have to go back again! Click here for all of the pictures.

Here is some video of the girls playing on the chimes.

All-Star Supper!

As some of you may have noticed, we like to have themes in our meals. It just makes them more exciting! So in honor of the MLB All-Star Game, we had a ballpark supper consisting of brats, nachos, and of course, a tall cold one! Play Ball!

Off The Charts!

Sylvia certainly took to the potty much quicker this time around! She filled up her chart in a couple days! We ran out of room for the stickers! Good work Sylvia!

Back Where We Started

For our anniversary we decided to go back to where we started...sort of. Abbey and I had our first "official" date at the DQ in LeMars. So tonight we went back to spend an evening at the DQ here in Ames (like we need an excuse!) but this time we had three little friends to keep us company!

We're still cute right?

Here's to 9 years!

The girls wanted to do it just like mom and dad!

9 Years

Today marks our 9th wedding anniversary!

Then.

Now.

Love you Ab.

"and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one." -Mark 10:8

Cereal Time

Well, today was Joseph's first attempt at eating cereal. Check it out:

First bite ever..

Do I have something on my chin?

The sisters check his progress.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For...

ICE CREAM! This past Saturday our neighborhood was visited by an ice cream truck. We couldn't resist so I took the girls out to meet it as it drove up to our house. The girls thought it was pretty neat.

Here it comes!

Is that Blue Bunny I see?

Back to the house to eat our frosty treats!

Here's a short clip of the truck and its music.

Independence.....From Diapers

Inspired by a rash of children that we know that are Sylvia's age being potty trained, we are giving it a go again. What better day to begin this campaign than Independence Day! Freedom from the oppression of diapers! Today we declare our freedom from sogginess! Wish us luck.

Here is her inspiration. Little toilets that she can cover with stickers when she potties. One down.....

Spangled?

As Independence Day approaches we are all surrounded by symbols of our country: American flags, parades, fireworks, banners, hot-dogs, and music. Chances are we will sing or at least hear our National Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner. I always think it's great to hear it but I wonder sometimes if people really pay much attention to the words and think about what they mean. Do I even know what they mean?! Because really, who uses the word spangled anymore? So I took some time to study the words and decided to make my own translation:

O! Say can you see by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our Flag was still there;
O! Say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?

Hey, can you see this morning what we saluted last night?
That flag that we watched from our prison with the broad stripes and bright stars? The one that was flowing so bravely in this dangerous fight?
We could still see it last night because of the rockets and explosions;
So tell me, does our flag still wave over this great country?

Here's a great fact: The first sporting event that the National Anthem was ever played at was the 1918 World Series. It was played during the seventh inning stretch. This World Series was played between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs! (Though game one was in Chicago, it was not played at Wrigley Field, it was at Comiskey Park)

Lil Shoppers

This morning I set up a "farmers market" in the girls' bedroom, complete with vegetables and fruits and other grocery items (plastic of course). The girls were given 10 coins to shop with and everything in the market cost 1 coin (kinda like a dollar store!). Olivia enjoyed the activity but accidentally overspent on her groceries the first time through! Sylvia didn't shop, but liked playing with and counting her coins. Olivia and I took turns being the shopper and cashier. After shopping, the girls had to take their groceries to their play kitchen and cook lunch. It was delicious.

Early birds waiting for the store to open.

Ready to check out.

Time to pay up.

All bagged up and ready to go home!

Sylvia is counting the money.

Just Being a Big Sister

It's not easy being a big sister. You always have to know better and be a good example, you have to teach your siblings everything you know, and you have more responsibility! Thankfully Olivia has been up to the task. Here are some pictures of her with her 5 month old siblings:

Olivia with Sylvia at 5 months old.

Olivia and Joseph at 5 months old.