My boys

These photos are too cute not to post. In this first one, Daniel is setting his daddy straight about something. When he really wants you to pay attention, Daniel will take your face like this and pull it to his.

Here they are just giving some love.

In this last one, Daniel is "reading" a book to his puppet. Daniel absolutely loves playing with puppets. He loves any game that involves pretending. And, of course, he loves anything that involves playing with Daddy.

Family Vacation--Day 3

Thankfully, the weather was beautiful today, and we spent all of our time at the zoo. Despite having been there over six hours, there were still things we never had time to see. Our favorite exhibit was the aquarium, but we also enjoyed the desert dome, the night time exhibit (especially the fruit bats), the butterfly pavilion, and so much more. Here are some pics!

This one is for you, Melissia. We know how much you love cacti!

Up close with a sting ray!

Family Vacation--Day 2

Greetings from Omaha! We had a great day, though not exactly what we had planned. This morning was very overcast with an 80% chance of rain. So, we decided to postpone our zoo visit and go to the Omaha Children's Museum instead. Daniel had a blast there! He spent almost three hours racing from one activity to the next. There was an art center where we painted pictures, did face painting, and listened to a story teller. There was a science center where we learned how gears, pulleys, and air could move objects. There was an entire exhibit dedicated to Clifford, the big red dog. And there was an imagnition play area, Daniel's favorite place, where there was a child-sized grocery store, house, fire truck, water station, and climbing area. Wow!

This afternoon we went to a Cabela's, so that Brian could look for new boots. We ate a complimentary supper back at the hotel, and then went to the Heartland of America park. The fountain was beatuiful, and it was nice to walk around in the fresh air!

Family Vacation--Day 1

Brian, Daniel, and I left this morning for our first family vacation. Our destination--Omaha, Nebraska! Here are photos from our first vacation day.

Good bye, home!

Daniel with his first surprise bag. We bought a few small goodies and separated them into different sacks for him to open during the trip. I think his favorite surprises were the Cars fruit snacks and the crocodile dentist game.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at Gage park in Topeka.

Daniel and me playing on the caboose.

We made it to Omaha! Here we are at the Spaghetti Works in the Old Market District. Daniel ate his whole entire spaghetti meal. Perhaps it will make up for the fact that he ate almost no lunch! We came back to our hotel and went swimming for awhile, but the water was so cold! And now, it is pouring rain outside. I hope it stops tomorrow when we have our trip to the zoo planned!

Making Cookies

This is why little boys like to make cookies with their mamas. Yum, yum, yum! Cookie batter tastes so good, and since these are egg-free cookies, there is no reason not to eat it!

On an explore!

Last week Brian, Daniel, and I went fishing on the hill by my parent's house. Unfortunately, we never got even one bite, but we did have a fun time exploring. It is an amazing thing to see the world through your child's eyes. Everything is a new discovery. From dragonflies, to crawdads, to dung beetles, to lily pads...we enjoyed it all! Here are some photos of our outing.

Playing with a baby crawdad.

Brian swinging Daniel to the next rock.

Yes, we are both wearing mud boots and shorts. Will this perhaps be an upcoming fashion trend? Probably not!

Watching water flow from one lily pad to another. Very cool.

This last photo documents the funniest moment of our outing. Daniel had dropped his crawdad down inside his boot. Luckily, this crawdad was fairly small and could inflict little pain with its pinchers. Brian raised Daniel's leg, as shown above, to get the crawdad out, and the crawdad fell down into Daniel's shorts! Brian said, "We just went from bad to worse, Daniel!"

Summer Fun

The weather these past few weeks has been so, very hot. Frequent triple digit days have kept our family indoors for all but the early morning and late evening hours. Despite the hot weather, we have found some outdoor activities to enjoy. Daniel had his first round of swimming lessons this summer! He and I enrolled in a Parent and Child class together. Daniel learned many new things and enjoyed all of it except "being dipped." The instructor wanted the children to learn how to go under water without being scared. Daniel did not enjoy this part, and every time he felt that going under was likely, he would say, "No thank you, Mommy! No thank you!" So, we kept our heads above the water for the most part. Here are some photos of our lessons:


Brian and Daniel have also been enjoying snow cones this summer! We have a little snow cone machine that Brian fires up most evenings. Those two enjoy their snow cones while I have a little chocolate. In my opinion, ice chips with sugar syrup can't hold a candle to chocolate! Here they are enjoying their snow cones. Notice how we eat these outside. They are a little too messy for indoor consumption!