Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday!  I hope he has a nice, relaxing, western movie filled day!  We celebrated with my family yesterday w/ many yummy things like grilled turkey, mashed potatoes {his favorite} & homemade ice cream, among other things.  We also celebrated my nephew Alec's birthday & had a much delayed Easter egg hunt for the little kids {hey, it was snowing on Easter}.  Lydie was very excited to pick them up & put them in the bag.  

while we were gone...

Oh, and look what happened while we were gone.  Lydia's dormer area is now opened up, now just needs to be finished out... doesn't look like much here, but it is so cool.  Lydia woke up this morning chattering & pointing away!  I guess she thinks uncle Rick did a good job!

vacation?

So over the last few days, our family were on what we were calling "vacation", but Dan & I now agree, we need another vacation to recover from our vacation!  This is the first time we've gone for more than a weekend anywhere with all of the kids {sad, huh?}.  With Lydia in her present state as a seriously busy little girl, it was very interesting.  We didn't go far, just to Ames & Des Moines to visit some friends & let the boys stay somewhere they could swim {their one & only request}.  We left on Thursday morning & got to Ames, where we immediately had to find the hotel pool & swim, for supper we went to an Ames fave for pizza, Great Plains Sauce & Dough Co..  Friday we started out driving around Ames a little more & noticing in amazement the changes that have happened there since we lived there a little over 10 years ago.  The afternoon consisted of more swimming, then in the evening we met up with one of my good friends from design college, Sarah, & her family.  Sarah & I were in several design classes together & shared a love of Calligraphy.  We also did our Senior Art Show together... this is one talented lady!  Sarah's daughter Eliza & Lydia are only about 3 months difference in age, so I was excited to see them interact.  After supper with them, we went to a local park where they got to play.

  

BTW...Sarah, we had a great time seeing you guys, we promise, it won't take us so long to come see you next time!

Here are a few other pics from our trip....

Lydia tried had to try some powdered donut holes the boys were eating one morning for breakfast... I believe she may have been in a donut coma here.

I found this dolly for Lydie at Target, thought it resembled her quite well!  We named her Lulu!

After checking out of the hotel on Saturday morning, we traveled to Waukee, where some of Dan's former co-workers from Mt. Pleasant are working at a newer Shottenkirk dealer there.  We were happy to see them all.  The general manager's wife hadn't seen our kids for a year, & she was so excited to see them all.  

I think besides swimming, the trip we made on Saturday to the Science Center of Iowa was the kids very favorite.  They all enjoyed trying out the many displays.  Sorry, I didn't have very good pics from there.  We'd definitely go back though, it's a great to spend a few hours.

Saturday afternoon was spent checking out Archiver's {very cool to see the Reminisce stuff on the shelves!}, an awesome toy store, the pet store, etc.  Before heading home we stopped off at a little place we used to go to with friends called Porkey's, where they have cruise ins every Sat. night during the summers.  Word is this is the last year, since there will soon be a new HyVee built there.  Thankfully, the kids cashed out on the way home, so we had a nice quiet drive home.

Right now a beach & tropical drink sounds good.......

cookies

In preparation to leave w/ the kids on a short little trip tomorrow, I've been making some of their fave cookies... chocolate chip oatmeal.  I found this recipe a few years ago in a local cookbook & made it my own.  I haven't made cookies for a while, so it's been sort of fun.  The restraint part, not so much, but I haven't eaten one {yet}.  My favorite way to eat them is straight out of the oven, warm & gooey!  I think we'll try to make enough for our carpenters, too.

dormer

isn't it fabulous!  this is the much anticipated dormer off lydia's room.  we went back & forth on whether to do this or not, & i am sooo glad we did!  it is so cute.  my brother got everything done on the outside of the house w/ out even touching the current finished walls inside her room.  we're trying to get everything on the outside tied up before we do that.  i can't wait until they cut into her wall...it's going to be such a cute little nook {maybe a cute built in daybed with drawers underneath & a cute little chandelier above?}. i'm sure my brother will have some fabulous ideas for it & combined with what i'm thinking, this girl is going to have it all {her brothers may be jealous!}.