Labor Day Weekend

With a long weekend we decided to head to Ogden for Saturday and Sunday.  Mark had asked Sarah if she wanted to go to the Iowa State game Saturday night so it was me and the girls with Grandma Sue and Papa Jim.  We had a good time making cookies and dinner.  Sunday, before Sarah's pictures, we went to Mark's to have lunch.  We also went to the cemetery to see Jane's headstone.  We had not been out there since it was put it.  It is one of those moments that you look at it and go, "It looks beautiful." and on other the other hand it SUCKS.  To see something that you had never wanted to see is a weird feeling.  Watching Layla go up to Jane's headstone broke my heart.  To know this is the only physical way that she will remember Grandma Jane was very hard to watch.  My girls loved her so much and we talk about Grandma Jane all the time.  They will not forget that she loved them everyday and that she is looking down on them now.  Jane was my Mother-in-Law but she was more then that to me.  I spent many times with her at home, on vacations, at Iowa State games, and I loved her very much.  There is such an empty feeling when I leave Ogden knowing that she is not at the house, knowing that she is not giving me a hard time and me back to her.  I alway tell people that Mark and Jane were not like the typical In-laws.  They were so much more to me.  I have known them for a very long time.  Longer then Sarah and I have been together and there was a closeness that Jane and I shared.  She was a Mom to me and I will always see her as that.  Sitting there today and reading the prayer quilt that people gave Mark after the funeral filled me with happiness and sadness at the same time.  She was such a wonderful woman and we miss her everyday.

 Layla looking at Grandma Jane's headstone.

Very beautiful.

A Night with 2 Girls

Last night we were short one girl, Ava. She went to spend the night with Papa Mark. Sarah's dad called yesterday and asked if Ava wanted to spend the night, just her. Of course she said yes and was so excited all afternoon waiting for Papa Mark. They went out to eat and back home to ride the John Deere. It is pretty neat that Papa Mark took Ava home to spend the night. They were having fun and just enjoying some 1 on 1 time.

As for the other two we went to Kmart to do some school supply shopping for Ava and then to Tropical Sno. It has been years since I had one. It was the first spot that Sarah and I went together as a couple way back when. Ella and Layla just loved them and by the pictures there was enough to go around. Layla kept shacking her head yes whenever she wanted a new bite. That girl knows how to eat her sweets. It was fun just taking the two of them out and having some time. It is amazing how much they talk making up for Ava's absence:)

Vacation Bible School

This week the girls had Vacation Bible School at Lutheran Church of Hope. It is truly amazing to see that many children celebrating the Jesus and his message. On average there is about 1000 kids for each one week session. The 3 hours is filled with crafts, message, and wonderful music. The videos below are just a small example of what goes on each day. God Bless the Word and how my girls just eat it up.

A view of the 3 and 4 year olds singing at the end of the day.

Trying to Stay Cool

Hopefully everybody is trying to stay cool in the crazy heat. We have been spending a lot of time in our new pool and we have decided it was well worth the money. Sarah spends as much time in it as the girls do.
Last Friday Papa Mark took us to the I-Cubs game in Des Moines. It was Ava and Ella's first Cubs game and the were not that impressed. It is so funny coming from the baseball background that I have and trying to explain it to them. It makes me love my girls just that much more. All they wanted to do was eat and play in the water, which they did a lot of each. We had a great time; saw a win, which the big Cubs can't do this year, and some great fireworks at the end of the game. We might be back but without the girls this time. I will be back to Principal Park next week. My dad, brother, and I make it our annual trip to the State Baseball Tournament. We spend a whole day watching some great baseball. It is fun just to hang out with them, we don't get to do it that often anymore.
With that stay cool and safe.

Two of my 4 beautiful girls!!

View from our seats.

The girls playing in the water out in right field.

Summer and the Pool

Summer at our house means busy, busy. Sarah has been super booked with pictures and we have not had any time to make it to a public pool. So because of that we bought a pool for the backyard. Not that big, 12' x 32". The girls love it and are in it from sun-up to sundown. With that, the new play set, and the playhouse we hardly ever see them. This week Ava and Ella have had swimming lessons. They have been going to the same private lessons for that last few years. Ava has really improved and can swim the length of the pool. Ella has gotten over her fear and is really making strides in the water. Layla loves to watch and wished she could be in the pool with them. Next week starts Vacation Bible School so another busy week is in store.

We are back.

It has been a while since I have posted on here. With everything that has gone on in the last 3 months it is amazing we are all halfway sane!! These past 3 months have been the most trying of our lives. We lost Jane, Sarah's mom, in May to her courageous battle with cancer. That was by far the hardest thing I have ever had to go through. Seeing my wife battle with the pain, sadness, and all that goes with it solidifies how much I love her and that she means to me. She was so strong through the whole ordeal that I truly admire her for her bravery and courage. With that we have spent a lot of time in Ogden and with Sarah's dad. Through June we got done with dance and had the big dance recital in Ames, also 3 birthdays and an anniversary June is a very busy month. Now that we are halfway calmed down hopefully I will be better at getting this blog updated. Thank you to all for the continued support and thoughts through the difficult days.

Layla's first year

Ella turns 4

Our sweet Ella turned 4 on the 11th of May so we had a party for her this weekend. We missed having my mom and my sister there but our other family members were able to come a celebrate with us. Ella had a great party and had tons of fun with her cousins. It is hard to believe that she is already 4! We were able to have grandma watch and join us on skype. Thanks goodness for technology.

Ava's 2nd soccer game 4-9

This is Sarah. I decided we are going to use this blog as a tool to help my mom not miss out on anything. Lance and I are going to try to upload all of those little moments so she is not going to miss out on a minute of her grandkids even when she is not feeling well enough to be with them. This is for you mom.

Ava had her 2nd soccer game of the year. She is really improving. Ava has been our little dancer and not the most aggressive but she really got in there some today. We are really proud of her. Her goal is to score a goal this year and I really hope she gets too.






Our sleepy little Layla after the game. We did not even make it out of the parking lot.

Little Miss Layla

Over the past month Layla has really changed and seems to be growing every week. She is rolling and just starting to army crawl all over the place. Another one of her favorites is to eat food (I know, a real shocker in my family). She likes her baby good, but she loves our food. She is a big fan of anything that you put in front of her. The other night we finished dinner and I gave her a whole OREO to eat. It was funny to see her expression when she realized what I gave her. She finished it and then it was right to the bath tub as she was covered in OREO goo. Here are some pictures her first OREO.

Time to Crawl?

For the past few days Layla has gotten the idea that getting up on her knees is not a bad thing. She has also figured out that rocking back and forth is fun too. I am guessing that within the next week we will have a little crawler on our hands. I am not sure we are ready for that and I know Ava and Ella have no idea what they are in for. Here is a little video of Layla trying to figure the crawling thing out.

First and Last Sink Bath

Last night we decided to give Layla a bath in the kitchen sink. Well, that will never happen again. She loved it and when I say she loved it, she loved to splash until the water was running over the side of the counter and onto the floor. It was a great experience for all and next time we will put her in a bigger area to splash.

A Cold Couple of Days

The last couple of days have been a cold time in our house. Tuesday Sarah called me at school and said our furnace was not running and it was 63 degrees in the house. I ran home and had a look, not that it was going to do any good, and started to call around to get someone out to have a look. By 5:00 we had a verdict; fix it or get a new one. There are two choice that neither Sarah and I wanted to make but we had no choice. We bit the bullet and went with a brand new furnace. It couldn't get installed until the next day. So our family of 5 and 1 dog made the trek over to the neighbors, The Welters, to spend the night. I think that Mark and Gayle were not sure what they got into when they asked, no told us, to come spend the night. It was a good call because Wednesday morning the house was 44 degrees! We had a wonderful time at the Welters for a couple of day. Good food, a warm house, and great company. My Wednesday afternoon the furnace was in and warming up the house. We are so blessed for wonderful neighbors. Our girls think of them as an extra set of grandparents and I have heard more then once the girls call Mark and Gayle grandma and grandpa.
Hopefully this will be a expense we don't have to worry about for awhile. If we do we know we have a place to stay at least.
Here is a picture of the new addition to the family. For the cost I thought I better take a picture.

Our Little Dancer

Monday Ella was very excited to see and try on her dance costume that she will be wearing for the recital in June. She loves her dance class and can't wait to go every week. She does such a good job and we can't wait to see her on the big stage.

Next Time for the Video

We received a Flip Video camera for Christmas and I am still trying to figure 0ut how to upload to my blog. I will learn and have some video up shortly.

Our Dancing Princess

Last week Ava and her dance class showed us what they have learned over the past few months. Needless to say we are very impressed. It looks like the entire class is far beyond what they have ever done before. Ava's teacher pushes them and when they are finished with their 45 minutes class they look beat and Ava is ready from some food. Here is a little video of Ava doing her ballet dance. She is so good and we can't wait till June and the recital to see her and Ella perform on the big stage.