We're Having Babies!! :)

. . . . ha ha, gotcha, didn't I? Not us - as in Mark and I -but us, as in the the newest additions to our family, the two sweet little birds who have taken up residence on our deck. For the past couple of months we have watched this mommy and daddy bird carefully construct a nest in the birdhouse we have on our deck, and now it's apparent something is going on in there because the mommy is sitting in there all the time (see picture above), and the daddy sits on the railing right next to the birdhouse. It's the cutest thing! It's highly unusual for us to look out the window and not see both of them - in fact, if they are gone, I sit and worry until I see them back on their perches. We love having them around, and I hope we'll get to see their new little family before they all move on . . . . I'm going to be sad when they're gone!! Here's the daddy on the railing - and he'll even hop on the nest to cover for mommy sometimes (second picture below):

We had the most awesome day Sunday- it was just the perfect day. We went camping over the weekend with some friends and my mom and dad (right by Custer Peak - a really beautiful area), so that was a lot of fun, of course, but yesterday was just a great day. We got up, cooked omelettes in the camper, then the group of us all hiked up Custer Peak - it was GORGEOUS. Perfect weather, amazing scenery, great company - a very nice way to spend a Sunday morning. And of course, I documented it . . . . . .

Here's Jack checking out the view about 1/2 way up . . . .

Noah and Jack and their favorite camping buddies:

Up at the top - spectacular 360 degree views - what a cool place!

My little rock-climber - it's impossible to keep his feet down on the ground . . .

Anyway, moving on - we then packed up and headed home. I managed to unload the camper AND unpack within one hour (!) and then we headed out on a 2-mile run with the kids (them on their bikes, of course). After everyone showered, we had supper and then all watched America's Got Talent together. Anyway, it was just a really fun family day - wish every day could be like that!

Next up: a 3-night camping trip to Spearfish with some friends for the long holiday weekend. Getting ready to head out early Thursday - and this will be our last camping trip until the middle of August! Happy 4th of July!

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord . . . " Psalm 33:12

What we've been up to . . .

Wow, I think this is the longest I've ever gone between posts - ! I couldn't believe it when I saw that it had been 2 1/2 weeks since my last one!! Yikes. Anyway, here's a summary of our past couple weeks, and a few too many pictures:
The boys . . . . .
attended a one-week basketball camp at the Y and loved it;
started golf lessons right after that, and love them even more;
had four baseball games, finishing off their first coach-pitch season;
went camping at our favorite campground (in Hill City);

During that camping trip, went biking on the Mickelson Trail:
That same weekend, had yet another birthday cake - we promised them another one when we couldn't have candles on the one at the hotel/waterpark. Candles are VERY important when you get seven of them!! :)
(It's a Wall-E cake - a movie that's coming out on Friday - yes, these movie producers know their marketing - our kids know all about Wall-E and they haven't even seen the movie yet!)

Anyway, after leaving Hill City, we proceeded directly to the Spearfish City Campground - another favorite - for two more nights. Mark still drove into Rapid to work, but we had alot of fun anyway. We rode our bikes everywhere - and Jack and Noah found a muddy jump to run their bikes on - here they are proudly displaying their mud . . .

Moving on . . . . . . after a couple days at home, beginning on the 20th we had a small Concordia "reunion" up in Keystone - 4 of Mark's college buddies and their families met here for a long weekend of reminiscing and touristy activities. Here's the 5 guys (we were missing one from Minneapolis who couldn't make it) . . .

We had a great time - all 21 of us!! Friday night, because it was raining, we went to the Ruby House in Keystone for dinner, then to the indoor black-light putt putt place by Rapid. Saturday morning we all headed for Mt. Rushmore - it's amazing how even after seeing it 5 or 6 times, I still love taking pictures of it - it never gets old! I love this one (taken from a cave below) . . . .

The traditional tourist shot . . . .

And I took this one 6-7 miles away, from a lookout in Keystone:

After Mt. Rushmore, we headed to Rushmore Cave which is always a HUGE hit with the kids - and I have to admit, it's a pretty amazing place! Here's some of the kids in the cave (Jack and Noah are on the left with the baseball hats):

After the cave, we then headed up to the President's Alpine Slide. We got a great photo of the group of us (if you click on this to make it bigger, you can see Mt. Rushmore behind us):
And here's my boys at the top - Mt. Rushmore is way over on the right side of the photo:
Saturday night we had dinner at the Alpine Inn - 10 adults at one table and the 11 kids at another - that was interesting!! :) The kids did pretty good, although I think the other diners in the room with us were rather entertained! Sunday we hit the Big Thunder Gold Mine where we discovered a new family addiction - panning for gold! We got so sucked in we didn't take any photos - sounds kind of silly, but it was truly addicting, sifting through rocks and sand looking for tiny pieces of gold. Loved it!

During the weekend, Jack and Noah made a new buddy - Zach - he's 10 1/2, and is the NICEST guy - he was so good to all these kids who were younger than him. His dad got this great picture of he and Jack. If you read this, Zach - Jack and Noah are missing you! Churn and Dar - he's a fantastic kid - I hope we can do as well with Jack and Noah as you have with him!!
Whew! I think that's it. We've had a very nice quiet week at home, getting things done around here and preparing for our next camping trip this weekend. Right now I'm sitting on the living room couch watching the most awesome lightning storm out our big window - my own fireworks show provided by God. Reminds me how much I love summer!!

Where do the days go?

I can't believe how fast these summer days are already whizzing by! I always think summer will be a leisurely time - and in some ways it is - but our calendar is just jam-packed for the next 3 months. Amazing. Anyway, I'm absolutely loving having my boys home with me again - I love it that they come and crawl in bed with me in the morning and we just lay there and cuddle and talk and we aren't in any hurry and we don't have anywhere to go - it's just awesome. They'll always do this, won't they? :) They have been spending most of their free time outside - lately on their new bikes they got for their birthday (see pictures below), and have also been spending a fair amount of time at baseball.

We had a refreshing weekend AT HOME last weekend -we'd been gone the previous 4 weekends, and we will be busy the next 7 weekends, so this was our little "oasis" in the middle of it all. We put some heavy-duty work into the yard, but it felt so good to get it done and to just pay attention to some things around here we'd been ignoring. We spent quite a while at Jolly Lane nursery on Sat. morning with the boys, which was actually a lot of fun. I could spend a lot of time there, and the boys like checking out the cactuses and the vegetable plants. Now we're trying to figure out how to put a garden into our hilly yard . . . hmmm . . . .

This week Jack and Noah are in a basketball camp in the mornings, and at Vacation Bible School in the evenings . . .I'm trying to get caught up on housework and preparing for a 4-night camping trip this weekend.

Here's Jack's new thing - when he talks to you, he spells your name - I hear him calling for me "M-O-M-M-Y!" and I here he is talking to Noah - "N-o-a-h!" It's so funny, I don't know where he picked this up, but I guess it's good practice. We also dealt with his first "questionable" word while we were in Okoboji (!). We were finishing dinner at a restaurant when Jack said "Well let's get the h_ _ l out of here!" WHAT?!?!? Luckily I was the only one who heard it, and after I picked my jaw up off the floor, I explained that we do NOT talk that way. He got upset and said he didn't know - he'd heard it on TV - and I believe him, the way he was looking at me with huge eyes. Anyway, I hope we don't hear that again for several years!!

Here's Noah's new thing - reading. This child can't get enough - he even brings books with him in the car and reads while we are running errands. LOVE it. Here's his other new thing: endless goodnights at bedtime. After devotions and prayers, both Mark and I give him hugs and kisses goodnight, etc.

30 seconds after we leave his room - Noah: "Goodnight!"

Us: "Goodnight Noah"

Him: "I love you!"

Us: "We love you too!"

Him: "Come check on me in a little bit!"

Us: "Yes Noah"

Him: "Goodnight"

Us: "Goodnight"

20 seconds later:

Noah: "Goodnight!"
Us: "Goodnight Noah"
Him: "I love you!"
Us: "We love you too!"
Him: "Come check on me in a little bit!"
Us: "Yes Noah"

Him: "Goodnight"
Us: "Goodnight"

And this literally repeats itself 2 or 3 more times until we finally have to say ENOUGH! Actually, he's not at all mischevious about it - it's really quite cute, but we always have to cut him off . . .

I'm signing off with some pictures of my little rock stars on their birthday:

With the all-important cake in our hotel room:

The gang at the water park:

Jack with his remote control helicopter - he was a litte excited about this particular gift:

And the kids on their new bikes - we were confined to the garage because of the rain:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABIES!

Seven years ago:

And now:

Today we are in the midst of celebrating Jack and Noah's 7th birthday - wow. Almost impossible to believe. Yesterday we kicked off the festivities with a party at the Watiki water park in the afternoon a few of their closest friends, and it was a blast. Jack and Noah have a great group of friends, and it was a great time. We rented a suite there to stay overnight and had some friends join us, so after the party we had a great evening of hanging out and playing at the waterpark. This morning we made a few more runs down the waterslides and then headed home, totally exhausted. The kids are now crashed on the couch watching some TV . . . and I'm fighting the strong urge to crawl in bed and go to sleep! It's one of those rainy, cold days (having too many of those around here lately!) and a long nap sounds good. However, my "to-do" list is calling . . . Next up is supper tonight at Pizza Hut (the kids' choice) and then home to watch a movie.

Last weekend we had a fantastic mini-vacation in Okoboji, IA for my mom and dad's 40th anniversary . . . lots of great pictures I have to post, but no time now . . . maybe tomorrow!

What a Week!!

Wow, we feel like we were just sucked up by a hurricane and spit out! The last 7 days have just been off the wall! After finishing a few more activities on Wed. and Thurs. last week, we enjoyed the boys' Kindergarten graduation on Friday morning - SO cute. I didn't fall apart like I was afraid I would, and had a very nice time. :) Yeahh! My little graduates:

We then spent the rest of Friday preparing for our FIRST CAMPING TRIP OF THE SEASON!! We're back in action and are so happy it's camping season again! Getting our camper back after 8 months of not using it is like seeing an old friend again. When we picked it up last week, Jack and Noah wanted to just go sit in it in the driveway, they were so happy. Saturday morning we headed out to the Badlands with 3 other families and my mom and dad, and had absolutely the best weekend. Great friends, spectacular scenery, beautiful weather, nice campground, it was just awesome. Check out this view - you can't grasp the depth here, though, with a picture . . .

There's Jack, if you can see him . . . .

There's my mom, taking in the view . . .

The Four Happy Campers, back in business!!

Another great view -

My two little monkeys . . .

What an unbelievable place to visit. Lots of people look at us funny when we tell them we're going to the Badlands, but they have no idea what they're missing - we just can't get enough of the place. The kids have the time of their lives there, and are already asking when we can go back! :)

Now we're home for a couple days, and then on Thursday we're headed to a resort in Okoboji, IA for a long weekend with my whole family, as well as Mark's parents, to celebrate my mom and dad's 40th wedding anniversary. Can't wait, it should be a lot of fun - it always is when we get the whole gang together.

On a closing note, here's what Noah did most of the afternoon on Friday while I was packing and cleaning the camper:

I was amazed - he got into this Star Wars book and couldn't put it down. He read the whole thing, and I know he understood what he was reading because he was reciting Star Wars facts to Jack. I LOVE it - he's developing a love for reading, just like his mommy!

Closing a Chapter . . . .

Well, today marked a major milestone in my life - I attended my very last MOPS meeting. When I walked out of the church today and the doors closed behind me, so did a huge chapter in my life. I'm sitting here sort of in shock that it's all over - I've been dreading this day for the past week, so all at once I'm glad I finally got it over with and can move on, but yet it's so hard to let go. To say that MOPS has had a profound effect on my life is an understatement. When I walked into that church 5 years ago, I didn't know a soul there - or anyone in Rapid City for that matter - and if you would have told me on that day that I would be leaving MOPS 5 years later as the Coordinator, I would have told you that you were completely insane. Through MOPS these past years, I grew as a Christian, as a woman, as a mother, as a wife, and grew some wonderful friendships with some really amazing women. I am so incredibly thankful for this experience. Now, I can't imagine my life without it, although I know God has something else in store for me next - I just have to trust that it will be as wonderful as this has been.

I'm learning I hate milestones. I'm a sentimental fool, and these things just get the best of me. I struggled through today, and now next on my list is Kindergarten graduation on Friday morning. I don't know how I'll get through that! To think that my babies will be in 1st grade next year is really more than I can get my head around right now, so somehow I'm going to have to withdraw and shut down the ol' emotions on Friday. Uggh. And THEN, the boys turn 7 in two weeks - instead of being able to happily celebrate their birthdays, I seem to mourn the fact that yet another year is gone - why is that?!? I think something's wrong with me . . . This area of my personality clearly needs some work. Wish me luck.

Backing up a bit, last Friday the boys had their track meet (against all the other Christian schools in Rapid - over 500 kids participated), which really ended up to be a lot of fun and Jack discovered he LOVES track (which really was no surprise to Mark and I - this kid has loved running since he was two). Anyway, first up was the softball throw, in which Noah took 2nd and Jack took 3rd - unfortunately they competed in the same flight - not good for the sibling rivalry issue we have! Anyway, here they are in the throw (Jack first, then Noah):

Then they competed in the 100 meter dash - again both in the same heat - here were the results: (Noah 2nd, Jack 1st)

Next up was the 200 meter dash, and this time they got to compete in different heats (yeah!):

(Jack doesn't look to happy or anything, does he?)
There's Noah, headed for the finish line:
Last of the day was the 400 relay - here's their relay team, with their results: Jack was the anchor (the last one on the team to run), and as you can see, he's determined to finish first:
And here they are with their teachers, who were just awesome - they would literally run the last 10 meters or so, with the kids, along the sidelines, over the finish line. They were just the best!
Immediately after the track meet, we left town for MN, arriving at Mark's parents house around midnight - ugghhh!! Had a great time during our short trip, though! Got to spend some time with Mark's brother and his family, and attended Mark's cousin's wedding. It was a great evening. Noah and Jack LOVED the dance, which we figured they would, and they were happy to see firsthand exactly what they would be doing in Uncle Josh's wedding in September (ushering). Noah got really excited about the "costumes" they'll be wearing :). He especially liked the really shiny black shoes - too funny. Jack developed his first "crush" during the evening - Mark's cousin's girlfriend (Abbey) - she's fantastic with kids and Jack attached himself to her for the whole evening. She was so kind and so patient with him, it was so sweet. At one point, they were sitting together having the most serious conversation and I asked Mark what he thought they were talking about - he said "probably Webkinz." :) Afterwards, we asked Jack what he was talking to Abbey about and he said "Webkinz and claw machines!" Ahhh, a "date" with a 6 year old!! Anyway, here's some photos of the evening:
Here they are, all handsome and ready to go:

Here's the infamous Abbey - the object of Jack's affection for the night:

Having the in-depth conversation:

And dancing with her (like I said, she was very patient):

Here's Mark and his gorgeous cousin, the bride:

And here's Noah dancing with the bride:

As you can see, he enjoyed himself:

And here's Jack with Mark's Aunt Darcy - mother of the bride. Darcy - you looked absolutely spectacular!!!