Razorback Football!

For the past several years, Marc has made it a point to block off a weekend for us to go to Arkansas for a Razorback football game. Marc loves football and this has become a fun tradition he looks forward to! So, we made the long drive to Arkansas for a fun-filled weekend.

The weather was still warm enough for a swim which was a great treat we weren't expecting!

Isaac LOVES the water. Such a ham. :)

Then, it was time for game day! At the last minute we decided to take Eli with us (we had already planned on taking Isaac). I knew Eli would have fun but always hesitate to let him do something that Hailey is not also included in. She gets sad sometimes about being younger than him and occasionally gives us the impression she feels left out. So, I sat her down and asked her if she wanted to go sit in a seat for a long time and watch some boys throw a ball OR if she wanted to stay with the babysitter and Bailey and paint her toenails. She of course chose to stay which made me feel so much better about taking Eli with us. :)

Stacey and I sat with Isaac inside because my parents' seats were right in the sun. Marc and Eli sat with Nana and Papa D and had a great time!

 Got your nose Aunt Stacey!

And I finally got a sleeping baby even with all those fans calling the Hogs!

We had so much fun and look forward to our next trip to Arkansas for Thanksgiving!

Daddy Day Care

I have learned so much over the past 1 1/2 years that I have been a stay-at-home mom. SO much. Maybe I should blog about it sometime...but that would require me to sit and think and would entail the kind of blog that I don't have time for anymore. Ha! Above all the lessons, I have learned that I need occasional time away from my children to be the best mommy I can be. Whether you are a working mom or a stay-at-home mom, parenting is tough work sometimes! I don't have slotted breaks like I used to at work. And "nap time" doesn't always live up to its title. Some days all three sleep at the same time for several hours (Yes!!!) and other days they all fall asleep at different times and wake at different times (No!!!) and I am left needing a nap myself. :)

I used to think "me" time sounded so selfish, but in reality it is absolutely essential for this phase of my life. I love serving my family, but as a mommy at home with a 4, 2, and 7 month old, I need moments away in order to maintain joy in serving each day without reaching burnout. So, I try to grab up at least an hour or two each week to get out of the house without pushing a stroller, carrying a baby in the carrier, or holding the hands of my sweet little boy and girl. Marc is who I surrender the troop to most of the time. It is a good time for Marc to bond with the kids and for the kids to enjoy their fun daddy (and did I mention good for the mommy too?).

Some of the daddy day care action this summer...

And at the end of all the bike riding, swinging, rolling in grass, swimming in the pool, eating popsicles and ice cream, just line 'em up in the tub and hose them down. Daddy style for sure. ;)

A New School, A New Year

We decided to switch to a new school this year for Eli. This school is closer to our house and is preK-12 which means we won't have to switch Eli again for Kindergarten. I had no doubt he would do great with the transition. He is so social and enters new environments with such ease. When we went to his Open House a few weeks ago they had bags of popcorn for everyone. So, when it was time for Eli to part ways with his old friends at his old school he said, "I'm going to a new school where they give you popcorn!" I had to explain to him that was a special day and popcorn was not going to be on his daily menu. :)

The first day of school was actually a "Meet and Play" for the parents and kids. Each child brought a parent and we spent a few hours going through their centers with them and helping them to acclimate. It was lots of fun! There are 12 kids in Eli's class, one teacher, and a teacher's aide.

 Working on a nature collage

 Creative writing center

Story time

The next day it was time to do it for real! No mommy or daddy this time. :) There is something about packing a lunch for Eli that makes me all of a sudden feel like he is growing up on me.

I love Eli's new class and his teacher. Because it is a Christian school they are reinforcing much of what we have been teaching him at home. It is SO encouraging to me to have other people in his life through church and school that are reinforcing those lessons. In fact, some things that I have been working with him on for months now all of a sudden seem to "stick." It was almost like having someone else there with the same opinion and view as mommy and daddy made it seem like a great idea. I'm ok with that. :) We are so excited for the year and to watch him grow, grow, grow!

Boats and Planes

Somehow we always manage to plant ourselves in cities along a river (Nashville, Wichita, Morgantown, Peoria). I love how rivers can add so much to a city. Many cities build along their rivers with restaurants, museums, and great walking trails. And if you live in a city on a big river like the Illinois River, then you get river boats as well!

The Spirit of Peoria is a paddle boat that was built in 1988 and offers tours up and down the Illinois River (and Mississippi River too!). We had been wanting to take a ride on the Spirit of Peoria for awhile so when I saw a special deal a few months ago for two adult tickets half-price I grabbed them up. Hailey and Isaac were free so I just had to buy a ticket for Eli on the day of our cruise. The kids were so excited to take a trip on a boat (especially since Nana and Papa D had just been on a cruise boat and told Eli all about it) and they were also super excited that our other Papa decided to come along for the ride.

The flying Asian carp on the Illinois River are amazing. They can jump so high!

Isaac had a great time on the boat, too!

Enjoying lunch on the boat.

The boat was full of great treats like M&Ms and Frito's. What more could any kid want? :)

The kids loved watching the big paddles on the wheel churn through the water 

We had so much fun! After we got the kids home and napped, Mama Reenie arrived so she and Papa could watch Isaac while Marc and I took the big kids to go see the movie Planes. They have only been to a movie theater once so this was also a special event!

They both took a toy plane with us into the show. They loved the movie and the popcorn and sprite (which is a REALLY big treat) made it even better!

We picked up a pizza on the way home which made for a great end to the day. Isaac is now eating when we eat which is so fun (particularly when someone else is there to feed his hungry mouth so I can eat my food when everyone else does. Ha!).

And we finished off the night playing outside and showing Papa our garden that Papa D helped us get started. We have grown corn, green beans, Swiss chard, cucumbers, and tomatoes this summer. It has been a learning process. The raccoons seem to have found my corn and enjoy devouring it at night. Not sure we will grow that one again next year. Too much work for no reward!