Farm Vacation

Friday
This afternoon I picked Mase up from daycare & we headed up to South Dakota to spend a long weekend at my parents farm. 

My sister & her kids were all visiting as well so I was excited to get to see her, all the kiddo's, my brother & his family as well.

About 5 hours into the trip & I see this sign....

 

Such a welcoming site knowing 1) I can step on the gas & do 80 mph legally and 2) we are only 1.5 hours from my parents place.

We arrived around 8pm & Mase was able to enjoy some fun with the cousins before it was time for baths & bedtime.

Saturday
After sleeping in, watching cartoons & enjoying breakfast together, my sister & I got the kiddos ready & we all headed to the park. My sister met a few of her high school girlfriends there as well & it was fun getting to see them & catch up since I hadn't seen them in years.

The kids had much fun playing on the swings, slides & throwing the ball around:

After a fun morning at the park, we headed home & all had lunch. Then it was time for some fun in the sun! My parents had bought a big pool for the kids to play in so they had filled it up with water the day before & it was ready to go by the time we got back.

We got all the kids in their swimsuits (ours as well) & headed out to the backyard for some fun. The kiddos hit the pool while my sister & I hit the lounge chairs with our books. We may or may not have cracked open a couple of Corona's with limes as well :)

We also got a little pool for Mase, Jensen & Dana to splash around in while the older kids played in the bigger pool. They were quite content with all their toys & floaties in their own little pool!

While the kids were having fun in the pool, Aunt Heather got to enjoy lots of snuggle-time with little Miss Dana :)

 

After supper the kids got to enjoy playing on the farm - checking out the sheep, jumping on the bales & exploring. Then it was time for bath-time & bed. This routine of breakfast, pool-time, supper & playing on the farm continued for the next few days.

Mason & his cousin Jensen are less than a year apart & these two became quite the little buddies after the first day. They pretty much became inseparable the rest of the weekend:

The next couple of days was more of the same. My grandparents came over for lunch Sunday to celebrate Father's Day so it was great getting to see them & catch up. I always savor the time spent with them as they are 90 years old so sadly I never know if it is going to be the last time I will see them or not. 

Since Mason's daddy was back home in KC we made sure to "face-time" him & wish him a Happy Father's Day. Mase was so excited to show him the pictures he made for him at daycare: 

 

Monday we had more pool-time & that evening we headed to my Aunt Denise & Uncle Mike's farm for pizza. My cousin Drew took the kiddos on a tour to his pheasant hatchery where we all got to see/pet baby pheasants as well as see all their hunting dogs. It was nice getting to see that side of the family & catch up. 

Tuesday it was time for Mase & I to head back home. We had SO much fun hanging out at the farm with my family! Before we left I made a pot of coffee, poured me a cup & made my way outside to my parents wrap around deck. I made it out just in time to watch the sun come up....one of my many favorite things to do while on the farm. It is so peaceful that time of morning. Just me, the birds chirping, the farm animals moving ever so slightly & the huge eastern sky:

Then I looked out to the south & there was a rainbow:

What an amazing start to my morning & a great ending to a long weekend spent with my family!

Cell Phone Dump

Haven't "dumped" the photos from my cell phone in awhile so here is a peek into what I have been seeing & pics that I have posted to my Instagram account lately:

Saw this cutie walking in front of my car at the store - love the dog sitting on her walker & that smile across her face :)

"I-Keem" - love his little devilish grin & those pudgy little hands!!

My Dad & Bubba taking an afternoon snooze - zzzzzz!

A new haircut & a sucker - this kid is happy!!

Made eggs for breakfast & not one but TWO eggs had double yolks! What are the odds???

A stuffed animal or Millie???

 

Somebody loves Chinese!!

 

I looked up into the sky & think I saw an opening into heaven!

11 years

Today marks 11 years since I walked down the aisle & said "I Do" to this amazing guy:

 Rehearsal dinner - May 21 2004

We have gone through a lot these past 11 years (14 years if you count the years we dated) & I couldn't have asked for a better husband or Daddy to be standing by my side going through life together:

 Here is to many, many more anniversary's spent with this guy!!!

Mini Truck

Shane has been wanting to get Mason one of those mini battery operated trucks for quite some time now but I asked him to hold off until Christmas. Not only do I think Mase is just to little yet to drive one of those trucks, but I also had visions of the truck parked in the living room next to the tree with a big red bow around it & Mase seeing it Christmas morning & squealing with delight. 

Well...my husband quickly squashed my little visions this weekend when he came home with this:

 

Which is the EXACT same version as Shane's truck...only much smaller:

Instead of waking up Christmas morning to find it under the tree, he woke up on May 20th to find it parked in the garage next to Daddy's truck:

It nearly killed him having to wait all day for that thing to charge but finally later that evening he got to take it for a spin...with Bubba as his passenger:

Thank goodness we live in a cul-de-sac with hardly any traffic because this Mama was a nervous wreck watching him drive that thing down the street not knowing what he was doing. He got the hang of it pretty quickly & managed not to hit any cars or tip it over....yet!!!

I am sure there will be many hours spent this summer cruising around the new hood in his new ride!!

Moving Day

Today is the day - MOVING DAY! 

Boxes are packed, the house is empty & the U-Haul is full. Goodbye old house.....you will be missed! We leave you with all our wonderful memories these past 11 years & hope you provide the next family with just as many amazing memories as we have had.

Time to Celebrate

This morning we made our way to the graduation ceremony where we watched my brother walk across that stage & receive his diploma. I know I have said it before but we just couldn't be prouder of him!

Last in line waiting to walk across the stage

My parents & Steve - so proud of their baby boy!

 Proud sisters :)

After the ceremony, we all headed back to our house where we ate lunch & then hung out on the back patio enjoying a beer, the weather & the company. Later on everyone headed down to Union Station to give the little & big kids something to do while Shane, Mase & myself stayed home so Mase could take a good nap before the evening's festivities. 

Later that evening, we all met up at the Alldredge Orchards in Platte City, MO for my brothers graduation party. Even though it was over an hour drive for us, this place was so neat & such a great area for a family gathering. It is too bad this place is so far away from us because in the fall they offer u-pick apples & peaches (when the crop is good) & a pumpkin patch in October which would be lots of fun to do.

The main festivities were held in a little barn in the middle of the grounds that was perfect for the catered food/beverages & plenty of tables to sit at. 

 

My brother had hired a singer who sang & played guitar while we ate & he was awesome. 

 

There was a great playground for the little kids as well as race-cars to drive (pedal), fun houses to play in, friendly animals to pet & even a hay-ride!

 

After having much fun playing outside with the cousins, we all came in for some yummy cupcakes. Now this Mama knows better than to give my kid a cupcake piled high with bright red/blue frosting while wearing clothes, so we made sure to eat it topless.....my kid, not me :)

Blue frosting = blue lips

We had been enjoying ourselves at the graduation party for about 2 hours when the sky started to look like this & the temperature started to drop:

That was to the north. To the south it was pitch black in the distance with lots of lightening & after checking the radar there was a HUGE storm moving in & quick. We all tried to clean up & pack up food as fast as we could & unfortunately everyone had to leave the party early to avoid getting caught in the storm. 

We all felt bad for my brother & his wife for spending the money on the place & not being able to enjoy the full time there but we all needed to get out of there & take cover quick. We ended up getting caught in the storm half-way home & encountered a horrible down-pour of rain, small hail, high winds & lots of lightning/thunder but luckily everyone made it home safely.

It was quite an interesting end to the evening & despite having to leave early everyone had a great time & enjoyed celebrating my brother's graduation!!

Hooded

My brother is graduating from the University of Kansas with his Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) degree this weekend & we couldn't be more proud of him! It has been a very long road of schooling & sacrifice for him & to see him reach his goal & become an adult in the working world is awesome....for him AND his family!

This evening was his hooding ceremony which is a special recognition for doctoral degree candidates during which a faculty advisor & the Dean of Graduate Academics place the doctoral hood over the student, signifying the success in completing the graduate program. 

My brother & his classmates were part of KU history this evening as his graduating class was the very first class to graduate with a doctorate in the Nurse Anesthetist program! So after his official graduation ceremony tomorrow, we will soon be able to refer to my brother as Doctor Steve :)

Cousins & Crown Center

This morning my sister Jen & nephews Tanner & Cael flew in from WI for my brother Steve's graduation this weekend. Mase & I met my brother & his wife Meghan at the airport where they suprised them with a sign & balloons:

My parents & other brother Chris are driving down from SD & joining us later in the afternoon so we had some time to kill before they arrived. We decided to take the kiddos to Crown Center for lunch & see what it all had to offer. 

We initially were going to take them to Lego Land but when we saw that it cost $18/person to enter we decided against it & instead got a picture with the Lego people:

We instead ventured over to Kaleidoscope which was much more in our price range - FREE :) 

The boys had SO much fun playing & creating cards, puzzles, crowns & so much more at Kaleidoscope & loved assembling their little goody bags of craft projects to take home.

We next headed over to Fritz's Railroad Restaurant to eat some lunch & enjoyed some most delicious "diner-type" greasy hamburgers & fries. 

 

We ordered our food over the phone to some magical voice in the kitchen & an overhead train brought & delivered our food to our table. The boys had so much fun watching the train deliver everyone's food & then return to the kitchen to pick up some more.

 

After lunch we headed back to our house for nap-time & to await the arrival of my brother & parents. Once Mase awoke from his nap, we went to my parents hotel for a little pool-time & waited for them to arrive & check in.

So much fun had already been had & it is only Day 1! Looking forward to seeing what the rest of the weekend holds for us all!

Mother's Day

Rather than one special day a year, I think that Mama's should be appreciated every day of the year. I had no idea how hard (yet amazing & wonderful) motherhood would be until I had a child of my very own. 

As my little one enters "the terrible two's", my love & respect for my own mother (and anyone out there who has ever raised a child) grows more & more every day.

 1972 with my Mama :)

Sadly I was not able to spend Mother's Day with my own Mom but we did manage to spend it with Shane's Mom & it totally made her day! We met his Mom, Aunt & brother out for lunch & spent a couple of hours together celebrating Mom's Day.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at home not doing much of anything other than playing with my little man, grilling out for supper & after Mason went to bed I made some popcorn, curled up on the couch & watched a movie. Pure bliss.

Sometimes I look at this little boy & can't believe this is my life. After waiting so long to have a child, I make sure to never take time with him for granted. I am sure to be thankful for being blessed with such an amazing, smart, healthy little boy who looks up at me & calls me his Mama - a hundred times a day - literally :)

Happy Mother's Day to my very own amazing mother, my sister & sister-in-laws who are mothers, my near & dear besties who are mothers and to all of you Mama's out there reading this!

Today is YOUR day & I hope you enjoy every minute of it!

Play-date with Hannah

Mason has a little "girlfriend" named Hannah who used to be in his class at daycare. Those two were buddies & were always seen playing together, they slept next to each other at nap-time & on the weekends Mase would ask about her. Unfortunately, her family ended up moving closer to the city a few months ago & they no longer get to see each other everyday :(

Hannah's Mama texted me the other day saying that Hannah had been asking about Mason & if we could find a day to get the two together for a play-date. I told her what weekends we had available & today we finally made this play-date happen.

We ended up meeting at one of our favorite places: Deanna Rose Farmstead for the morning & these two were SO excited to get to see each other!

Hannah's brother Brody, Mason & Hannah

We spent the morning riding the horses:

 

Hanging out together watching the fish:

 Feeding the baby goats:

Sharing a snack together:

These two were so cute & had so much fun spending the morning together. Hannah's Mama & I agreed to do these play-dates more often so that these two little cuties could remain buddies!

Next play-date - fun at the pool coming soon :)