The kids and I had a great time in the Midwest last month during our visit. Life got so crazy once we got back that I haven't had a chance to blog about our visit. Highlights of our vacation (that I can remember right now... if I leave something out that you were a part of, I apologize. I have a terrible memory!)...
* Meeting sweet baby Tyler Zachary Skahill and spending time with the Dolan's and Skahill's - I posted some pics of our visit in an earlier post.
* Spending time with Aunt Julie, Grandpa Pete & Grandma Carol in Dubuque - eating taco pizza from Happy Joe's, playing at the park and having a great time!
* Meeting sweet baby Carly Jean Bachman and spending time with the Bachman's - blowing bubbles, snuggling Carly, playing on the Bachman's backyard playset and getting pedicures!
* Spending time with Aunt Julie, Uncle Kevin & TJ - hanging out in the hot tub, playing video games, playing with Susie the lifesize doll (whom Mattea insisted on putting in PJ's and sleeping with EVERY night!) and eating Whitey's ice cream.
* Spending time with Denise, Jake, Evan & Sarah - visiting Denise at "her" scrapbook store, watching the kids play Wii & Xbox 360 & chatting with my BFF.
* Spending time at Grandma Judie & Grandpa Bob's house - a reminiscent visit to Loras College, coloring, playing with toys, playing in the huge backyard, reading books and making mac 'n cheese.
* Celebrating Joshie's birthday - Joshie's awesome birthday date with Super Aunt Julie, a super fun time at the Grand Harbor Water Park (with Greg, Jake & Nate; Tim, Katie, Jake & Justin; Aunt Julie, Uncle Kevin & TJ) and a pizza party at Happy Joe's (should have ordered medium pizzas, not larges!!!).
* Sleepovers - Alex got to reconnect with Zack F (and meet his new little brother, Cade) and Joshie got to spend time with Spencer and Mason. It's so nice that these friendships have lasted even though we moved away.
I'm sure there was much more that we did that I can't remember right now, but all I know is that we had a great time! Thanks to everyone who made time or traveled to spend time with us. We truly appreciate it.
When we left to head back to Colorado, I fully expected to break the trip up, but the boys had a different plan. They were motivated to get back home, so we plowed through and all of the kids were just awesome travelers. We made it back in one day!!! When we got back on Saturday night, Jeff had just finished painting the basement! YAY Jeff!!! The dogs were excited to see us and Cody had learned several new tricks. It was nice to sleep in on Sunday and have the rest of the day to unpack, do laundry and relax.
I can't believe it's already May!!! April was full of crazy weather, playing in the snow, playing outside, blowing bubbles, Easter, making crafts for Aunt Julie's birthday, chopping 12" of hair for Locks of Love, Take Your Child to Work Day and some home improvements. It was interesting to experience a blizzard one day and watch the snow literally melt away within 2 days. The kids & I made the most of the cold weather... I buried Josh in the snow up to his chin (that was much more fun than shoveling!!!) and Mattea laid claim to the huge pile of snow I created while shoveling. Alex chose that afternoon to stay in his PJ's. :) A few days later, we were outside playing and Mattea was blowing bubbles. We found out that Cody loves to chase bubbles! It was hilarious to watch him chase the bubbles and pop them with his mouth. Easter was pretty low-key. We missed spending time with family. The Easter bunny found us and brought us great treats! I made a bad decision and had scheduled dentist appointments 2 days after Easter. What a mean Mom!! The dentist appointment didn't go so well, so lots of the Easter treats ended up in the trash... shhhhh! don't tell the kids... I don't think they even realized it! :) Aunt Julie's birthday was April 30th. She always spoils us rotten, so we wanted to make sure her day was extra special! Josh painted a wonderful picture on a canvas with his paint set. Mattea meticulously placed colored beads on a heart-shaped peg board, we added ribbon and then ironed it all to make sure it would stay together. It was fun doing crafts with the kiddos. Alex didn't make a craft, so he got Julie a "Queen for the Day" coffee mug! I had been growing my hair out for some time with the intent of donating it to Locks of Love. I had considered it before, but had never actually gone through with it. I am so glad I did it. I get lots of compliments on my new short 'do and the timing is perfect with summer just around the corner. Plus, it's just hair. Jeff was brave enough to take all 3 kids with him to work for Take Your Child to Work Day. By the time I arrived at lunch time, Jeff was ready to go solo again at work, if you know what I mean!!! The kids had a good time and Jeff enjoyed showing them around his office. Apparently, they can't walk a day in their Daddy's shoes because all 3 of them fell asleep on the way home after lunch!!! (Mattea was so tired, she even fell asleep with a sucker in her mouth!) Our home improvements for the month included some new art, lamps & a mirror for the basement (which my wonderful husband painted back in March). We painted our bedroom a beautiful shade of blue, but have yet to finish "accessorizing", so we still have our old comforter (which doesn't match) and the furniture I had in my bedroom growing up!!! Baby steps... Lastly, we painted the living room and had new carpet installed. It looks fabulous, I must say!
My plan for Saturday morning was to take Mattea to Skate City to teach her how to roller skate. Alex decided he'd like to learn as well. Josh already knows how to skate and he was ecstatic to go, so it turned into a family affair. Jeff wasn't thrilled about the idea, but went along with us. I was surprised when he told me he was actually going to roller skate! I thought for sure, he'd be the official photographer/videographer instead of putting on those lovely roller skates (tan w/ orange wheels - just like when we were kids!). Mattea was excited to skate, but was hesitant to do it on her own. She clung to my hands and didn't really like it when I only held one of her hands. Within an hour, she was skating along the wall by herself and even ventured away from the wall a bit. When I moved to help her, she adamantly told me she could do it herself. Little Miss Independent! Alex got his skates on and immediately got frustrated. Jeff says he is just like me. He wants to be a pro right away and if he's not, he gets mad. Yeah, I can see that. But, he was a total trooper. He practiced a bit on the carpet and then hit the skating floor. Once he got comfortable with it, he was dancing along to the music. He's got some great moves! Josh tried to hang with us while we helped Mattea & Alex learn to skate, but I knew he was pretty bored. So, I made up a game. I told him to go skate and every time he came by, he had to tell me how many times he had lapped me and give me a high five. It worked like a charm. By the time he got to 20, he was done with that game. Jeff & I traded off hanging out with Mattea. He got a little nervous about skating with Mattea hanging on to him for fear that she'd take him down with her if she fell! But, that never happened. I was impressed that Jeff didn't fall! He was pretty smooth on those roller skates! :) We all had a really fun time!
