It's Karma Baby

During our trip to Iowa, we were discussing the time period when mom and dad built our house in Storm Lake.  I was Cooper's age then and I was telling them that I remember it as being a time when I just ran around unsupervised.  I remember playing hide and go seek in the garage that was packed with all of our furniture and in my memory there is no adult supervision.  Of course, like mom said, she was always there, just busy doing things.  You know what they say, what goes around comes around...Karma baby.  As the remodeling project on our house progresses, I now find myself in my mom's shoes.  The other morning I was rushing around the house trying to get things done before the sub-contractors arrived.  Suddenly, I couldn't find the kids. This is scary when there are huge piles of dirt and holes in the area that used to be our kitchen. Then I heard the giggling, they were in the room where all of our stuff is being stored playing "monster dog" (whatever that is) and loving life. Sounds a lot like unsupervised hide and go seek does it not?

Mimi and Papa- Iowa, the final installment

The highlight of our trip is of course spending time with our family.  And for the kids it is spending time with Mimi and Papa.  The cutest thing in the world was seeing them run up the ramp at the Omaha airport to jump into the arms of Mimi and Papa.  And that was only the beginning.  Throughout the two weeks we were there, Cooper and Bella couldn't get enough of these two.  Mimi's skills from her years at Kinderschool really come in handy as she spends all day everyday entertaining all of the kids!  Papa took Cooper to a night at Arnold's Park that he will always remember, he is still talking about it. Cooper and Papa come from the same mold, you really realize it when you see them together.  Even though we live far away, the kids have a great bond with Mimi and Papa, we can't wait to see them again in California!

Lions and Tigers and Tears- Iowa Part V

The weekend before we flew back to California, the whole family migrated to Omaha Nebraska.  Dave and Brandon found a bike race they could do there and we thought it would be fun to take all of the kids to the zoo.  It is a great zoo and we did have a great time.  We saw all the star animals, the lions, the tigers, the bears.  We also saw Gorillas, all sorts of monkeys and deer and birds.  As the day progressed, we had yet to see the elephants.  We decided that this would be our last stop before leaving, well our last stop ended up being on the FAR side of the zoo. We had four children and one stroller; as you can imagine, they all wanted to ride in it after a long day of walking. By the time we finally reached the elephants, three of the four had cried at some point along the way and I'm pretty sure all of us, including the adults, felt like crying and  wanted to get in the stroller. So, we headed back to the hotel for some rest and some snacks before going to the Old Market for an action packed dinner.   It was a great way to end a great trip back to the midwest!

Brothers from another Mother- Iowa Part IV

Brandon taught Jack and Cooper this phrase and they just couldn't get enough of it.  If these two were lucky enough to live in the same town, I think Wendy and I would do a lot of driving back and forth. They rarely fight and have such an awesome time every time they are together.  Both of them are full of energy, creativity and sometimes mischief.  It's crazy how fast a game of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle can go from innocent to craziness, so we have to keep our eye on these two.  Their favorite activity this time was putting on their daddy's hats and glasses and  pretending they were ping-pong bandits. Any of you who watch the Backyardigans will understand where that comes from.  Every time they get together, they seem to get along even better.  Wendy and I are lucky to have two little boys who love each other so much.  Jack and Coop this one's for you!

Baby Finn- Iowa Part III

Things can get pretty hectic when there are four kids around that are under the age of six.  We did our best to keep everyone entertained and occupied so that things didn't get too crazy.  There were some moments though that sibling rivalry was raging ( and Jack even got involved).  During moments like those, it was so relaxing and peaceful to hold or even just watch baby Finn.  Kids really are so innocent at that age.  He was perfectly content eating cheerios off the carpet or holding a hand me down toy from the other kids in his hand and staring at it.  He can't tattle yet, he can't pretend he doesn't hear you, he can't say "naughty" words that he knows he shouldn't.  He is such a calm and happy little guy.  All four of us in our family truly enjoyed getting to know the Finnster better during the trip. 

Frenemies- Iowa Part II

Bella and Jack (my nephew) have a unique relationship.  When either Wendy or I have both of them, we're pretty sure that people think they are twins.  In fact when we were in Mexico, I was holding Finn and sitting with Cooper, Jack, and Bella and a woman asked me why I didn't stop after the twins.  Both Bella and Jack have very defined personalities already.  Sometimes (like when it is just the two of them playing and Cooper is otherwise occupied) this is a blessing. They both are quite creative and intelligent (yes, I'm bragging) and for one night played "picnic" with each other for over two hours and had a wonderful time.  Other times (like when Cooper is a part of the equation) they spend their time being plain rotten to each other.  Wendy named them frenemies and it's the perfect name.  When they are teenagers however, we think that they will think it is pretty cool to have a cousin that is the exact same age.  Until that time though, it is never a dull moment when these two kiddos are around!

O-K-0-B-O-J-I: Iowa Part I

There is nothing that means summer fun more than time spent in Okoboji Iowa.  From the moment we arrived to the minute we left, it was non-stop fun.  The week began with Wendy, Brandon, Dave and I doing the bike ride around the lake.  The weather could have been better.  It was extremely windy and pretty chilly.  We still managed to have a great time though, riding against the wind and stopping at all of the local bars along the way.  The end of the ride was a bit terrifying as the wind picked up even more, the rain poured down and we were pelted with hail.  Notice the drowned rat picture from once we got back to the cottage.  It is always so relaxing (as relaxing as life can be with four children under the age of six) to spend time in Okoboji.  We had great food, great drinks and great fun.  We got to visit with old and dear friends.  The kids lived outside enjoying time in the lake, on the hammock, playing ping-pong ( and fighting about ping pong) making s'mores, riding the waves on the wave runners and the boat (poor Bella got sea sick), going to Rocket Park, and going on walks.   Every time we have to leave Okoboji, I think about how lucky we are that years ago, my grandparents decided to get a cottage there.  During my childhood and now that of my kids it has been the place where some of the best memories ever have been created!