Happy 5th Birthday Abby!

Before heading over to Austin and Mallory's to celebrate Miss Abigail's 5th Birthday - we stopped by the park in Crooks. Blast from the past! I used to play at this same park when I was a girl.

Lucy and Roman enjoyed the swings.

 

 

Even with his new hairdo, Roman still demanded to wear his sister's headband out and about! Haha!

 

Enjoying the warm November day.

 

Meanwhile, Daniel was enjoying some time pheasant hunting out west with Ranger.

 

 

They got a few birds so Daniel was able to provide some appetizers for Abby's party. :)

 

Our little ladybug of a cousin Abigail turned 5 this fall.

 

We had fun at her ladybug themed birthday party. Here are the kids playing pin the spot on the lady bug. :)

 

 

Here is Abby with a table full of her cousins and friends at the party.

 

 

Happy Birthday to our sweet girl!

 

Abby had her own personal little ladybug cake. She did a nice job sharing with her cousin Courtney.

 

One of Abby's gifts was a Frozen microphone. The kids enjoyed a few karaoke sessions! Roman was a rockstar! 

 

Here are Grandma Sharon and Grandpa Glen with all of their grandbabies. All 8 of the kids were at the big event!

 

 

I was also able to squeeze in some snuggle time with little Esther. What fun!

 

 

Happy Birthday Abby! You are the best! We love you.

Quick trip to Mitchell

While we were in South Dakota we made a quick trip to Mitchell to see Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Storm. We had a wonderful visit with them.

 

Lucy and Roman were happy to see Grandma

 

 

And Grandpa too!

 

The children did a nice job playing and chatting at the apartment although they did do a fair amount of begging for treats! Haha! Grandma Storm happily spoiled them with cookies and candy.

 

After our visit we did a quick drive by of the Corn Palace and headed to Culvers for lunch. The kids  had ice cream outside in the unseasonably warm November weather.

 

 

We are so glad that we could stop by Grandma and Grandpa's place during our travels! We are very blessed to have them in our lives!

 

 

Fun at Grandma and Grandpa's

As always, we had fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We played with cousins - Anna and her family got Lucy some great play food and small appliances for her little kitchen.

 

 

We snuggled with baby Esther.

 

We had dinner with cousins.

 

Lucy and Roman had fun in the bath.

 

Daniel and Ranger did some pheasant hunting! They had fun in the field and were able to get a couple of birds.

 

The children and I ran a few errands as long as we were in the big city. :) We even stopped by Toys R Us. As you can see, Roman was captivated. While we were on our adventures, Lucy asked me - 'Mama, what are all of these stores that are sticked together?' I told her, 'That's called a Mall'. Haha!

 

Romy got a little Snoopy at the toy store.

 

Lucy and Roman got to stop by Grandma's school. They were so excited to see her classroom.

 

These two can't wait to be in first grade! :)

 

We did a little bit of shoe shopping with Grandma! Don't let these sweet pictures in the train fool you - there was some serious fighting going on in this engine as well. These two couldn't decide who should be engineer!

 

As usual, we enjoyed hot tea at grandma's house. I love this tradition, Lucy is even using the same tea cup and plate that I used to have at my Grandma Hoekman's house years ago.

 

 

Happy 9th Birthday Paul!

We have lots of November birthdays in our family - Lucy, Paul, and Abigail all celebrate their special days within 10 days of each other. We were lucky enough to attend both Paul and Abby's parties while we visited South Dakota this year.

 

It is hard to believe that Paul turned 9 this year! I remember the day that this kid was born like it was yesterday.

 

 

Here is his little fan club at the fiesta.

 

 

Paul had a basketball themed party this year!

 

 

 

Everyone was excited to sing Happy Birthday to Paul.

 

The cake was delicious.

 

As part of the party festivities, some of the kids did a basketball jersey craft. This auntie doesn't really know anything about basketball but even I remember Bulls #23. Haha! Blast from the past.  :)

 

 

This party was packed with 8 and 9 year old boys. Wow! What a group - I have to admit that it was a bit overwhelming at times! I have never heard so many fart jokes in my life. In just a moment I saw life flash before my eyes - Roman as a 9 year old surrounded by fart jokes. Slow down time! I need my little guy to stay small. :)  

 

 

Happy Birthday Paul! We love you and we are so happy that we could be part of your celebration this year!

Roman's First Hair Cut!

So Roman has been sporting some long hair for a while now ... we have been putting ponytails in his beautiful locks since the late summer. He calls these his 'horsey ponies' and 'man bun' and asks for them in the morning. He has been mistaken for a girl on multiple occasions. Oops! Lucy has never had a haircut either but Roman's hair seems to be growing faster than hers. When we were in South Dakota, we decided that it was a good time for Roman to go in for a trim. I didn't want to cut it himself because I knew that he would be a squirmy worm! Luckily Katie and Anna were already scheduled for cuts and a cancellation occurred right before their time slots so we were able to sneak some time with a stylist. Here is a 'Before' picture of our long-haired dude:

 

 

Here is the 'After' photo! He looks like such a handsome little man now! He also looks a lot older! My sweet little baby locks are gone but that's okay!

 

 

He looks so calm and happy holding his post-hair cut sucker but don't let that look of joy fool you,  the whole process wasn't that smooth. Here is how it went down: 

 

 

 

The look of shock as Roman realizes that he is in for more than sitting in a booster chair and wearing a cute smock.

 

 

It took a couple of bribes to get it done! Here is the first of multiple suckers.

 

 

Getting closer!

 

You can see a hint of a smile in this one!

 

Finally - looking sharp with his new hairdo! Big thanks to Laura for squeezing Roman into her schedule and for being so patient with his antics during his first haircut. :)   

 

Meeting Baby Esther

Warning: Excessive cute picture alert.

 

When we were in South Dakota for Veterans Day weekend we were able to meet our adorable new niece/cousin - little Esther Anne! She is such a sweetheart!

 

 

So excited to have a new little girl in the family. When I was growing up, we had so many boys in the family. I had two brothers and just a few girl cousins, no one had a sister! Lucy is so lucky! She has 4 girl cousins already. She was thrilled to welcome another girl! :)

 

 

Selfie with this beautiful baby!

 

Oh my goodness - how cute is this?

 

Love her!

 

Lucy was a very proud older cousin! 

 

 Montage of cousins! Roman and Lucy are big fans of Baby Esther.

 

 

We love you Esther and we are so happy that you are in our family!