Fun Weekend

This was our first weekend home in quite some time and we made the most of it!  Saturday morning we strolled around the Farmer's Market and grabbed breakfast along the way. Since we were on the south side of town and the weather was beautiful, we decided to head to the zoo. We've been there about once a week this summer, but have never taken a ride on the train or let Sage get her face painted. She got to do both this time, so she was ecstatic!

After the zoo we headed home for naps and work around the house. We made it to the 5pm service at church and then stuck around for Taste of Hope, which is like a huge free carnival, with awesome food, plenty of rides, and activities for the kids, only without the dirt and toothless smiles of the carnies you'd see at the state fair. Good, clean, fun. Both kids had a ball.

Sunday we did a little shopping and then headed to Raccoon River Park after nap time to play on the playground--totally forgetting there was a beach. Sage and Drew found a little stretch of shoreline after playing on the playground and flying a kite. They were thrilled.

I'm starting to get a bit teary-eyed thinking about going back to work in a week. We'll be back to three hours together each night during the week and we will have to maximize our weekends. We have sure had a lot of fun this summer!

Sage's City

After we returned from Target this morning with a new set of watercolor paints, I noticed Sage taking a bit longer to get into the house from the garage. After a minute or two I peeked out to check on her. She was going through a pile of wood scraps next to our miter saw (leftover from the insane amount of Pinterest projects that I have completed lately). She informed me that she wanted to paint the little pieces of wood. So, for the next 45 minutes or so, Drew helped me organize the toys in the basement (another Pinterest project) and Sage painted. Every once in awhile she called me up to check on her progress. I suggested that she could build a house and I would glue it together for her.  Then I returned downstairs. A bit more time went by and when I was called up again, Sage was so excited to show me the "city" that she built, "a view from a plane". As she described every building and piece in detail, I was amazed at her creativity and ability to even picture a city from an aerial view, when she has never even been in an airplane. I told her that I would bring up some bits of scrapbook paper if she wanted to add that to her city as well and then I would glue it all together. (I helped with the cutting, tearing, and gluing, at this point).

So, there you have it--Sage's city, which she calls "Hello Kitty City". Starting in the back row (from left), she has an amusement park and zoo. Next to that is a hotel, "because they are really tall!". The heart of the city is next, with all of the tall buildings and "Daddy's work". The train station is in the far back right corner. There is a rooftop garden on top of the building and those are three tiny steps next to the building "so the people can get on the train". Yes, that is a train in the foreground, five cars in all. What an awesome imagination she has! It turns out that Sage can take a pile of scraps and turn it into a beautiful city! ...and that's how we've been spending our summer. :)

More Summer Fun

Every day this summer I've been reminded of how grateful I am to be a teacher and have this time home with Sage and Drew. We are enjoying every simple moment together.

 Farmer's markets

 Picnics at the zoo

 

 Parks, parks, and more parks... who knew there were so many in WDM?

 Grandpa's retirement in CF

 Parks in CF...

 with their cousins

 Des Moines Arts Festival

 Feeding ducks...well, at least some of us were.

 Spontaneous trips to the splash park after frozen yogurt at Menchie's

 Laughs, laughs, and more laughs

Sparklers, swimming, smores, and Rasmusons at Grandma and Opa's

 Trips to the library

 Climbing at the mall

 PB for breakfast

 Playing in the backyard

 Drew at 19 mos.

 Sage at 3 1/2

Life is good.

Best. Weekend. Ever.

This past weekend we took our first "family vacation". No, it wasn't to the sandy beaches of Florida or to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado--we simply drove 2 hours to Omaha and stayed for a couple of days. We had a blast and it was the perfect little getaway for our family. We left around noon on Friday and spent a couple of hours at the Children's Museum. The kids could have stayed there all day, and thanks to our zoo membership here, we got in free!

 

 Sage wanted nothing to do with the stick bug, but Drew got right up close--so close that we thought he was going to smash the poor thing.

 We climbed to the top of the ant farm. The museum was so neat and hands-on for the kids!

 After the museum, we checked into our hotel and luckily were able to upgrade our single room to a two-room suite. It worked perfectly for nap time and bed time. There was also a water park attached that we spent countless hours in. The water was really warm and Sage and Drew loved the slides. There was a smaller, toddler-friendly area that they spent most of their time in. It was perfect.

 We started Saturday at the zoo. Our double-stroller and plethora of snacks kept the kids happy all day. It had rained over night so the weather was beautiful when we got there. By noon it was 103 degrees, but we kept cool in the shade and indoor exhibits. The kids weren't phased at all by the heat. 

 The gorillas were highly-entertaining!

Sage and Drew loved the walking tunnel through the aquarium. They were amazed by the sharks, giant turtles, sting rays and multitude of colorful fish. Drew kept asking for "more".

 After lunch and a long nap, we came across an unexpected treasure near Old Market. It is called Heartland Park--the perfect afternoon stroll along the lake, enjoying nature (and, again, lots of snacks and our double-stroller). 

 A block up from the park was this double-slide in the Old Market area. The regulars used waxed paper and cardboard to make the most of their slide down. 

 Sage learned quickly about friction, before we bummed a piece of cardboard and then she couldn't get enough. She went down on her own time and time again.

Drew was fearless and loved sliding down with Ross. We had to talk them into mac n' cheese and "cow" yogurt at Panera to get them to want to leave.

Saturday night we grabbed dinner and went back to the hotel to enjoy the water park. Both kids zonked out as soon as they hit their beds that night.  Sunday we drove back home after breakfast. It was the best weekend ever... with kids! :) :)

Getting in a Groove

Since Galena I've felt like we're really getting into a solid routine with summer and we're having so much fun! Every day we have lots of cuddles and laughs and plenty of time playing pretend and being silly. Drew has taken on his identity in our family as the comedian, while Sage can be quite the mother hen. Sage gets to do daily projects with me during Drew's nap time and then she has quiet time herself. She hasn't really napped at home in at least six months, but she actually looks forward to her quiet time each day. Most days she does fall asleep, but just the other day she watched me do yard work from her bedroom window for over an hour. She was happy--I was happy, it was great!!!

All of a sudden laundry has been piling up faster than usual because the kids can go through three or four outfits a day. Now I've learned to just let them run around in as minimal clothing as possible, so when they dig in the sandbox, help plant flowers, or mulch the yard, I can just hose them off.  Drew also thinks he's a big boy now so he has boycotted the baby swings and prefers the big kid swings.

We try to have at least one outting a day--the splash park, zoo, Target, a park, etc. I find that if we don't get out in the morning, then the days tend to drag. Plus, getting them out and running wears them out for nap time!  Today we made a day trip to Matt and Lauren's in Swaledale for some good ol' family farming experience. Upon our arrival I told Lauren that we saw a combine on the way in--to which she informed me that I actually didn't because it's not harvest time and that's the only time that I would see a combine. I'm pretty sure that she gets a kick out of my ignorance about farm life, but I'm slowly learning. Sage did get to sit in a combine while she was there and also up in a tractor. Lauren told her all about corn and bean heads, augers, grain bins and dryers, etc. (Hopefully I got all of those terms right, Lauren). and Drew just followed suit, like a little duckling along the way. He was in his element on the farm and could play with the kitties all day. 

This weekend we are taking a family vacation to Omaha. The fun never stops!

 

 

Unused trash can turned clothes hamper.

 



 We surprised Ross with a Nerf gun battle when he got home from work, just before Father's Day.