And so it begins...

Well, the school years have officially started for Kale. Even though he went to 3 yr old preschool last year it didn't really seem like school because it was just 2 mornings a week. We mostly did that just for social reasons because he hadn't really been around other kids up until that point. Now there's no looking back!!

As usual, he wasn't all that excited that I HAD to take pictures of him before he left!! He humored me though, not just by letting me take his picture, but by making silly faces the whole time. I love the picture of him with his backpack bending over the chair - as if I couldn't see it on him when he was standing!!

I was very saddened while I was driving home. He's been my baby who loved his mommy more than anything in the world and it was tough realizing that he was letting go a little bit to start this new adventure and now I needed to as well. I have truly been blessed to have a husband who saw the importance of my being home to raise our children and I have cherished EVERY SINGLE moment. I think I need to come to grips with change and that there will be many NEW moments to share with them now and to be proud and excited about those things. Who knew that sending our little man off to preschool would make me so sappy!!!

I'm excited to hear about his day when it's time to pick him up. He's become such a big boy and I am so proud of him for not being scared or nervous!

2nd grade

Hard to believe our little girls are in 2nd grade!! They were VERY excited to get to school and once we got there, they were very quick to say 'good bye' and ran in the door. Why is it always so hard to watch them grow?? It will be so fun to hear how their first day went - it can't be too bad considering they have a birthday party right after school!

We had open house night where the kids got to meet their new teacher (which they already knew really well so were extra excited to see her), put their things in their lockers, and find their desks.

As per tradition, Kale and I went to McNally's to pick up some donuts. When I asked him what he wanted to do today he said "watch Bob the Builder"!! He obviously didn't get to watch it quite as often this summer with the girls home!

The big "Four"

Yep, our little man is 4!!! We had a great day with lots of family, friends, godparents, etc. The girls even played whatever he wanted to play with him the whole day!!! That's a BIG thing here! For the 3rd year in a row Kale begged for a 'tractor' themed birthday party - so we honored his wishes once again! He raked in LOTS of tractors - many with remote controls, a grain auger, a disc ripper, coloring books, a big semi that he can work on (it came with tools and new tires), the 4 yr old addition to his Precious Moments birthday train, John Deere shirt and hat, and lots and lots of love the whole day! He's excited to have some money gifts as well to go pick out a very special toy too. Needless to say, we are going to be re-organizing the toy room the next couple of days and building a wall of shelves in his room soon to display all of his tractors and accessories so they don't break in the toy box.

It's hard to watch my baby grow so quickly - I just want him to stay little a little longer! He's been such a joy to our lives and I thank God every night that he blessed us with 3 beautiful and healthy children. I can't even imagine what our life would be like without this amazing little boy.

It was also exciting to have my step-sister call during the party to tell my parents that her water broke and was on her way in to have their baby!! Kale now has a cousin to celebrate birthdays with!!! We can't wait to meet little George!!!

Fun weekend in Yankton, NE

We spent a recent weekend in Yankton helping Chad's Aunt and Uncle move their antique store - or should I say, Chad and his Dad helped move the store, the rest of us enjoyed some play time (especially since our neices made the trip with us and Grandma and Grandpa Fank)! We got to stay in one of Chad's cousin's cabins by the lake so took in some lake time right when we got there. We had a great time and look forward to going back again sometime soon. It's such a beautiful area with the cliffs and the dam.

Things were looking so good!

Our little Anabelle had been doing so well - no seizures in 2 years! Well, after a call to the pediatric neurologist today, we think she might be having them again!!! She has had a few restless nights the past few nights and last night she awoke screaming and crying for someone to come help her. When I got there, she didn't have any strength to pull herself up in her bed and had a hard time moving the left side of her body (which is the side she was having the seizures on). Of course, she was on the top bunk!!! I finally got her down and she spent a couple more minutes trying to get her balance back. This happened twice before I thought about asking if she remembered to take her pill at supper time to which she said she hadn't. This wasn't the first time she had forgotten to take her pill but we've never had this happen before. Her neurologist said to make sure she takes her pills regularly and if after a few days she's still having problems then we will need to up her dosage of meds. Keep your fingers crossed!!!

Storms...round ??? There's been too many to count.

Yet again, another round of storms ripped through the area - with 70 mph winds and 3 inches of rain in less than 30 minutes! The item destroyed in this storm (since there is always something!!) was our trampoline. The wind was hard enough to pick it up and send it over our pool and wrapped it around the tree right next to our back patio! We are thankful, once again, that our home was spared and that no one was hurt. We had spent all day out cleaning up the yard from the destruction left by past storms and looks like we will spend this week cleaning up after this one! Thankfully no trees went down this time but there are plenty of extra large branches to clean up. I hope that everyone else made it through the storms safely since it covered the whole state of Iowa!!

Cylinder 125 yrs!!

There is nothing like growing up in a small community, and there is nothing like a party in that small community either!! We had such a good time at Cylinder, IA's 125th celebration this past weekend.

It was blazing hot, so we took pleasure in finding some shade wherever possible but that didn't deter people away from the festivities.

Hard to believe it was 25 yrs ago at the centennial that Chad and I met for the very first time - so fun to come back 25 yrs later and share this celebration with OUR FAMILY.