Puddles!

Ugh it just keeps raining!!!  Our front yard is a swampy mess (we are super thankful that we haven't had any flooding though) and it is starting to really stink around here.  The kids have certainly been having fun in all of the puddles that the rain has left behind!

This is a bigger one down the hill from our house.












Looked more like a pond than a field all week.

Everything is really green around here lately.

Our very own personal pool  :)










We have pretty much been playing outside rain or shine the last week.  The kids aren't too bothered by the rain, and since it hasn't been lightning very often they are out in it most of the time!

Eating some yogurt while watching it rain.  Good times.

Helping the grounds crew lay mulch.











We are all packed up and ready to head to Virginia with my mom tomorrow morning.  Hoping for some sunshine!!

Evansville and Holiday World

Last weekend we went down to Evansville to see everybody and go to Holiday World.  We got there on Wednesday and Josh and I stayed downtown for a night to relax without the kiddos-which was fantastic (thanks to my mom for watching the boys!!) !  Then on Thursday we went over to Owensboro for a bit to play before my dad and his friend Tim worked on our car (a huge thank you to them!!).  Friday we helped out at Tony and Ben's to prepare for their reception in July.  I was seriously sore for days after digging so much!  Finally, we got to Saturday and Holiday World.

We had so much fun.  It was crazy crowded, being a Saturday and all, but the kids were able to ride a bunch of rides that they loved, and Tony, Josh, and I managed to hit up the new roller coaster right away.  Of course, we did have to run most of the way back to it so we could get on first thing, but it was totally worth it  :)





Dave and I riding the roller coaster in the kid section.

Dad and Kyra with the grandkids and Santa!

Ike and Liam looking really pleased  :)

Tony, Dad, and I riding the Raven.

Look at those faces!

Having some ice cream with Uncle Ben.

Josh's photo montage.

Ike playing at the awesome playground in Owensboro.

From our date night-walking along the riverfront after dinner.













Great time as usual in Evansville.  Ike took multiple lawn mower rides from my dad and grandpa, Dave showed off his swimming skills, and we all got some relaxation in.  Now we are gearing up for a trip to Virginia with my mom (just me and the kids), then a weekend in Tennessee with Josh's parents.  Busy busy summer!

Neighborhood Fun

This is just a quick post to show off some cute pictures of the boys hanging out with friends.  They are just so adorable all together having fun!

Bennett, Lewis, Ike, and Sam all trying to ride the truck.  












Chillin.

I just love Sam's expression here.  Doesn't he look thrilled?  :)

Racing their scooters.

With Kyson on a golf cart ride.   I have to say, there are some awfully cute kiddos (and husbands :) ) on campus!

Hiking in Salamonie

Josh and the boys gifted me with an Indiana state parks pass for Mother's Day, so we began our exploration of some local parks/reservoirs last weekend!  I am trying to brainwash the kids into thinking that they like to hike so that we can do lots of exploring during our trip to Colorado this summer. :)  So far, it is working perfectly!  They had a blast on the mile loop we did and keep asking when we can go again.






Dave and I out on the trail.














Ike walked all but about 10 minutes.  I was impressed!

















Ready to start the trail.

Trudging along!










We had never been out to Salamonie before (which is ridiculous because we live about 10 minutes away!) and we really liked it a lot.  I am excited for summer days when we get hit the beach!!  And we have several more trails to check out that are good for the kiddos.  Hoping to do a lot more of this type of post throughout the summer/fall this year!

In other exciting news-Dave learned to ride his bike without training wheels!!!  Here's a video of course.

Dave's Preschool Graduation

Where is the time going??  Can't believe Dave is going to start kindergarten this year!  He had his preschool graduation last Wednesday and it could not have been more adorable.  All the kids did a great job with their songs and they each were able to say what they wanted to be when they grow up.





Dave with his best friend Alec before the ceremony.

Last day picture!

Ike was pumped for some singing.

So cute.

Dave with his teacher Miss Stephanie.











Here is a video of Dave announcing his future profession.

I cannot say enough how great preschool was for Dave.  He has grown so much since he started two years ago and I am so glad we decided to send him!  Now we have a summer full of fun before he goes off to kindergarten.  Kindergarten!  Seriously, how is that possible?

Mother's Day in Evansville

We went down to Evansville to hang out over Mother's Day weekend.  The weather wasn't super cooperative, but we had lots of fun hanging out with everybody and even got some pool time in  :)  I may have forgotten my cameras, so I had to rely on others for my pictures.  (Which is why there aren't very many :) )

On Mother's Day we went to church with Dad and Kyra, swam in the pool for a bit, then headed over to grandpa's for a cookout.



We love our momma!  And when did Tony get so tall??  Unfair.

The kids had to be a part of the picture of course.

Photo montage Josh made of Dave jumping in the pool.

Dad and Josh helping take down a huge limb at Tony and Ben's.













Grandpa and Ike out for a ride on the tractor.









Great weekend and a fantastic Mother's Day!  Looking forward to our next trip down in a couple of weeks!!

Dave's First Soccer Game

Ugh my little guy is growing up too fast!  Last Saturday was his first soccer game in his YMCA league (and next Wednesday he graduates from preschool!!).  He had a ton of fun, especially because his best friend Alec is also playing on the same team.  A staff on campus helped Dave learn some skills to get ready for his big game.

Posing with his beloved soccer ball.

Doing a kick off?  I know nothing about soccer!

Oh the cuteness.  Alec and Dave before the big game.

Ike did a pretty good job himself with sitting through the game!







They didn't win (the other team had an amazing player who scored at least 10 goals), but we did score one goal.  The kids had a ton of fun and it was so awesome to watch Dave run around and kind of be part of a team-there was a lot of standing around, haha!

Ike being cranky one morning.

About 30 seconds later.  He is so emotional right now!








His sleeping has gotten a little better.  I do still find him often doing things he shouldn't in the wee hours of morning.  You know, like eating a granola bar in our closet at 3 a.m.  Fun stuff  :)  Also, Gamma stopped by on her way to Canada this week and last week for a couple of days which was awesome.  It is so nice to get a break!  They of course went on a "date" with Gamma to Marion and visited the park this time.





Look at these two getting along!








We head down to Evansville on Friday for Mother's Day.  Looking forward to seeing everybody and getting to swim!  Papa Charlie got the pool ready for us, woohoo!

April Showers Bring Mud Puddles!

We have been loving the warm(ish) weather lately!  It has definitely kept us busy...which explains my hiatus from the blog yet again.  I also picked up another small job on campus and we filled in as houseparents today so lots going on around here!  Oh, and did I mention the fact that we aren't getting any sleep thanks to a certain 2 year old?  :)  This post is super random, so bear with me.









Clown face.












So even though Ike spends most of the night sleeping on the floor beside our bed (don't worry, I did at least put a blanket down for him!), it's hard to be upset with his crazy antics.  The other day he brought me a tiny snickers bar to unwrap for him-at 1 a.m.!!!!  Turns out he had woken up and busted into our candy supply.  Unfortunately he did eat about 10 pieces of chocolate before that snickers thwarted his efforts.  And he was up until 4 with that sugar rush.  Ahhhhhhhh.  If you see me around and I am looking like a zombie, now you know why!  Of course he has also become impossibly hard to manage in the last couple of weeks (probably due to his lack of sleep).  He really enjoys sprinting away from me and pretending he can't hear anything I say, which is a fantastic combination!  Really cool Ike.

Dave started soccer this week and is so excited about it.  Josh went out and bought him a ball to practice at home.  And Dave slept with it that night!

This picture may have been staged.  But he really did sleep with it!

At practice.  It was a little chilly.












Ike has loved being outside, and he has taken advantage of any rain by playing in the mud puddles that it leaves behind.






Here is a video of him in action.













Posing with some pretty tulips.









Dave had a couple of kids over to play outside the other day.  I just loved that Dave and Kyson were outside in their super hero costumes.  And that spiderman is up in the tree.  :)   Kyson's sister Emma (they are our neighbors) is in the truck.





Love our neighborhood!

Playing horsey.

Chatting before bed.









Ike has really upped his conversation skills lately.  He is so much fun to talk to.  I took some videos of him yesterday, so here is one that I thought was cute.  In other news, Dave and Josh finally were able to get their Wii U the other day and have been loving it.  Dave's first soccer game is next Saturday so I am looking forward to that-I am sure I will have lots of pictures to share!