Special Visit.....

A couple of weeks ago the kids were able to spend time with their Grandpa & Grandma Kostman. We had a nice time, but the visit was way to short. I was able to get a few pictures.

Camp-out......
The other night the kids set up a pretend camp out with the neighbor girl. It was so cute to see them out there in their chairs all bundled up. It was cold out and a real fire would of really felt nice, but they settled for a pretend fire.

Apple Juice...
The last few weeks the kids and I have been making homemade apple juice. It is so yummy and has taught my kids what good apple juice taste like. The only apple juice I buy at the store anyway is the "Simply Apple". Luckily right now I have a bout 4 gallons of frozen juice in my freezer and am looking to put a few more gallons in very soon.

School has started.......

We started a few weeks back, but now that fall is officially here we are having to dig in even deeper. The kids are doing great and we are having a lot of fun. Just this past week Anna had her first ballet class and then Gabriel will be taking a fun Spanish class starting in just a few weeks. Next week all of the kids will be going to Awana's on Wednesday night and I know that Noah will be super excited to start his Cubbies class. Gabriel will be going into the Sparks class and is going to feel like such a big boy. Anna is excited to see all the friends that she made last year. There are also home-school meetings for me to go to and a couple of field trips planned. It's going to a busy year!

Caterpillar Cupcakes.....

One of the thing the kids enjoy doing is frosting cupcakes and decorating them. They are always wanting to have a party and making a cake is a great way to celebrate.

Yesterday afternoon they were having a camp out in the garage. I love how they use there imaginations.

Swimming in the River......
My parents property is right by the Yellow River and this past weekend was the first time the kids got to enjoy walking up and down the rapids. They had a lot of fun and even Anna floated down the rapids for a bit. This brought back so many memories of when I was young. I told grandpa that we are going to have to get some inner-tubes.

Fish for Supper...... .
This past weekend we went fishing in Grandpa Lanny's river and we caught 4 trout. The kids were really excited and I was pretty excited myself. This was the first time we actually caught fish. We all had a great time and are looking forward to doing it again.

Bike Rodeo...
Today the kids had a blast at the Bike Rodeo put on my our Park and Recreation program. Both of the boys got free helmets and all the kids got their bikes looked at and adjusted. Also they had some fun bike activities to help the kids know how to be safe. It was a great way to spend Saturday morning.

Stay in the lines.....

Dragon Art Festival.....

There was an art fair and car show last weekend. It was a fun time for the kids. They got to do a little dancing, make some funny looking glasses, bounce in the big bounce house and just enjoying being outside. We also found some friends who ended up coming over for lunch and stayed to play for a while. It was a great way to spend a hot summer day.

New Set of Wheels...
We were in Iowa this past weekend and the kids had a blast. Grandpa Lanny decided to get a new 4-wheel because he knew how much the kids would love it. It's just the right size for the kids and adults to drive. Grandpa & Grandma gave the kids a lot rides, but by the end of the day Anna & Gabe were giving each other rides and Noah. Thanks Grandpa for the cool set of wheels! We are looking forward to many visit this summer. Now the kids just wish they could have one at there house.

Happy Mother's Day........

The last few days the kids have been digging holes in the garden area looking for worms. Well today they decided to add a little water to the fun and ended up with a mud hole. Daddy ended up getting the water hose out to clean them up a bit, but it was not a big hit. The water was freezing, so we stripped them of there clothes and marched them up to the shower. How can a mother be made with a smile like that. It took all that I had to not laugh at what they had done.

Gabe is pointing at his brother and laughing. Noah was actually small enough to climb in the hole they had dug. Anna just stood by watching and I'm sure helping a bit. Later on Gabe tried to tell me that it was all Anna's idea. How do you ever get the truth from kids?

Madison Children's Museum....
Last week we went to the Children's Museum and the kids spent a few hours playing. There is so much there for the kids to do. There a good art area....

building area....

a pretend food area.

and so much more. I am planning on taking the kids about once a month.

Kid Fun & Other News.....

Today the kids and I went to the Kids Expo at the Alliant Energy Center in spite of the weather condition. The Lord was good and gave us safety there and back. We spent a good 4 hours there and didn't have a problem staying busy. The kids had fun collecting candy, playing games, bouncing for a bit and getting there hair sprayed fun colors.

The kids also got to enjoy an animal show were they saw animals like a tortoise, chinchilla, and one animal that sent Anna running far away..... a huge snake. I even kept my distance, since they are not my favorite animal. The boys on the other hand were up front and center. There was no fear in either of my boys with any of the animals and if Noah could of he would of climbed right up on stage.

Another fun place the kids and I went about a week ago was the Madison Children's Museum. It is an awesome place and the kids loved it. We were there for a good 3 hours and the kids came home exhausted. I love places were the kids can run and play hard because then they come home and sleep really well at night.

Lastly we will be traveling to Cedar Rapids Iowa on Tuesday because my husband has two interviews. The kids and I will be checking out the town and hopefully find some fun places to visit. We will also be praying for daddy that the interviews go well and that hopefully a nursing job will be the end result.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. I should of had my camera with me, but with trying to carry as little as possible I left it home.

A little late......
I'm not sure what has taken so long to get these pictures up, but here they are. The boys got some great things for Christmas like these skidsteers & Nerf guns. They love them and I find myself getting shot often.

Anna got this lovely jewelry box, which she loves. It was also filled with some goodies and now she has a nice place to put her lovelies.

The kids also got some bath robes and I hope to post pictures of them soon.

Marshmallow Suckers......
The kids love these things and were so excited to get them in the mail from Grandpa & Grandma Kostman. Thank you so much for making the kids feel special.

Daddy & the Kids.......
The kids were all piled on daddy's lap the other day, so I had to grab my camera and take a pick.

The Beach.....
This past weekend we found a nice beach to take the kids to. It is up in Pardeville Wisconsin, which is less then 30 minutes from our house. There is a nice park for the kids to play at, a nice sandy beach and the lake to swim in. The kids had a blast and we will be planning on visiting this place more next summer.

Bike Riding......

The kids have especially been enjoying their bikes the last few weeks due to Anna & Gabe having learned to ride without training wheels. I figured Anna would be able to learn, but Gabriel surprised me. It took them only a couple of hours of practice and they were going all by themselves. It's been awesome to watch them and they are so proud of themselves. Noah loves riding his Radio Flyer tricycle and before we know it he will be riding a big boy bike.

Swimming Lessons.......

Last week the kids had swimming lessons everyday at 11:00 a.m. for a half hour. They have both been loving it and have another full week of lesson again. The best part about the lessons was it only cost me a total of $30 for the full two weeks for both Anna and Gabriel. I wish I had known about it a couple of years ago. The other bonus is they are just down the street at the high school.

Happy 4th of July.......

The kids had a blast at the parade today and came home with a bunch of candy. In the afternoon the kids took a good nap, which mommy also did. We then had some friends come over for supper and to watch the fireworks. It was a great day of fun for all!