Omaha Zoo

 On Labor day weekend, we decided to take a extra day off and go to the Henry Doorly Zoo. This zoo is definitely our favorite. It's not too far away, and not so huge that we spend all of our time walking. They have an amazing aquarium, a butterfly garden, and a 3 story rain forest, just to name a few of our favorites. It was really fun to see how much Abby has changed since the last time we were there. Instead of just sitting in the stroller, she was able to walk with us and was so excited to see all of the animals. The zoo is one of her favorite places. We will be going back soon!
The sting rays are still Kate's favorite. She thinks they have 'happy faces'.

1st Day of 1st Grade!

I've Missed This.

It's been way too long since I have posted anything. June 12th...Wow...So much has happened since then. Swimming lessons, airplane rides, school starting, Kate's 5th birthday, and then the normal pictures from everyday life. I find that I need to make updating this blog a priority. It helps me to slow down and reflect on how truly fast they are growing up. I still haven't accepted the fact that Kate is 5. I look back at pictures of her as a baby and I think that was just yesterday. I want to capture all of the kids as they grow up so hopefully I'll never forget. And this blog is the perfect way to do just that. So I'm back and excited to catch you up on all that has happened in the last 4 months!

Andrew and Kate both did amazing at swimming lessons this year. Andrew passed a two year class in one year and Kate completed everything on her list also, but can't move up until she's in kindergarten. At the end of lessons, Andrew was able to swim 2 laps with no assitance and Kate could swim one lap on her back all by herself! We decided to get a neighborhood pool membership this year and we were at the pool almost everyday!

We we also able to go on a plane ride this summer piloted by Josh's dad!

Andrew was SUPER excited! (obviously)

During take-off Abby was a little nervous...

So happy!

Can you find our house?

 Fast Asleep

Be looking for pictures of Kate's 5th Birthday and the first day of school soon!

5..4..3..2..1.. BLAST OFF!!

Today was Andrew's Birthday Party. He invited 6 boys and girls from his class. The theme was Space and Rockets! The kids were all so well behaved it made the party very fun. This morning was a different story. First of all, it rained all morning. So all of the party set up for outside had to wait until last minute. Then the cake...oh the cake. I ordered the cake from Confectionery Disasters and lets just say it lived up to it's name! I had ordered a 3D space shuttle cake. It was going to set up on a wedding cake stand and have icing coming out the bottom looking like smoke. The cake decorator and I were both very excited about the cake. So she tells me this morning that she wants to deliver the cake because it is over 1.5 feet tall and she doesn't want it to tip over. Well it tipped over anyway. And the more we tried to fix the cake the more the cake disintegrated. The cake decorator felt horrible. It was a good thing that she was crying because it kept me from crying. The actual rocket was made out of fondant, so it was the only part of the cake that was half-way salvageable. After a little brain storming session, she ran home and iced a black cake and put white stars all over it. We laid the rocket on top and....whew...it looked decent. Not the amazing cake that I had planned, but it was still cute.

Now more about the party. The guests started arriving at 1:00. Once they were all here, we headed to the backyard where they painted t-shirts with glow in the dark paint. We had sponges in the shapes of starts, rockets and crescent moons. They had a really good time. It was fun to see the creativity of each child. Their shirts were all so different, but very cute. Next it was rocket launch time. We had a stomp rocket, bubble rocket and baking soda and vinegar rocket. The kids shot off the first 2 rockets, while Josh got the baking soda rocket ready. This is our 2nd rocket of this type, so I thought he was a pro. I was wrong! 1st attempt shot side ways across the yard, 2nd attempt all the ingredients poured out as soon as he tipped it over, 3rd attempt went 5 feet in the air, 4th attempt went off in the garage, and finally the 5th attempt was a success soaring really high into the air. It was pretty amusing and fun to give him a hard time about! Then we moved onto a rocket pinata that was filled with glow in the dark stars, bouncy balls, milky ways, orbit gum, pop rocks and lifesavers. We ended with cake, ice cream and presents. It was a really fun birthday party and Andrew loved having all of his friends over!

This is Leah. She calls herself Andrew's girlfriend. He is silent on the matter. She sent him notes home throughout the school year that said 'I love you, Andrew'. She also proceeding to kiss Andrew on the cheek after this picture was taken!

This is Jaley. I would say she is probably his best friend. She is the sweetest little girl. During the party she always made sure Kate was included and had such nice manners. Andrew and Jaley have a great time just being goofy together.

Notice crazy Max in the background!

The whole gang!

The savlaged cake..It looks pretty cool!