The Boat

The boat...it needs a name. We liked Kyle's boat so much last year, that we bought it from him to have for our very own. 

We took it out on it's maiden voyage last weekend at Saylorville Lake. It was just Chad & I and the 3 kids, so we kept our expectations very low. I haven't yet learned how to back up the trailer, so basically Chad did all the work, and I watched...and kept my mouth shut. The latter part there is the key, btw. 

 She hated her life jacket last year, but she's big enough this year for the next size up, which helped a lot. The upside down sunglasses just make the outfit. 

 All the rocking back and forth almost put her to sleep, right then and there. 

WDM Girls Softball Opening Parade

 Lauren is playing softball with West Des Moines Girl's Softball this year. They kicked off the season April 23rd with a parade. The parade route began at Valley High School, and ended at Holiday Park. The girls made signs and threw lots of candy. I think they enjoyed the riding in the back of Sammie's Dad's truck more than anything. These kinds of things are my favorite memories from being a kid, and it was fun to see them all having so much fun. 

Meet: The Cougars (minus a few). We have brown shirts and we are the Cougars. Hmm...

 Here they come!

 Now, it turns out the location we chose to watch the parade wasn't too popular. Which meant LOTS and LOTS of candy for Evan & Scarlet (and Mom & Dad?). 

 This girl was hustling back and forth to fill up her bucket. It was serious work. 

 All the teams then paraded across the outfield, and they threw out the first pitch. 

Go Cougars Go!

Cardinals T-Ball

 Evan played t-ball with SportsPlex West this spring. His team was the Cardinals, and Chad and another dad coached the team. There was some confusion about t-ball signups this year, and we discovered on Week #1 that we had all signed up for the wrong league. But, it worked out, and the boys had fun, which is all that matters. So, the whole season was indoor at SportsPlex West. When it was 40 degrees during the first game, we decided not to complain that it didn't feel like "real" baseball. 

The first 2 weeks consisted of drills and learning about the game. 

 This was followed by 4 weeks of games. There is just something so great about a team of boys in their baseball uni's. We were the oldest team in the league, so we won every game...if we had kept score that is. 

 He got a hit!

 There was a fair amount of the messing around and silliness on the sidelines. Read: this was not a serious league. And for 5 and 6 year olds, not serious is definitely appropriate in my book. 

 Team Photo

 After the last game, we celebrated with a pizza party at the Pizza Ranch in Waukee. This was our first team pizza party ever. We've really made it now, huh? ;) I love this group of boys and their parents, so it was a fun night. 

Gavin, Evan, and Ian. Love those happy faces. 

Evan's TK Performance

 Sacred Heart had Preschool Literacy Night April 26th. To kick off the night, the crowd enjoyed a performance by this year's TK class. They performed a rendition of There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. The only girl in the class, Halle, was the old lady, which was hilarious beings she is so tiny and cute. 

Mrs. Pigott did a great job keeping those 9 rambunctious boys under control. She has definitely earned a spot in my book under 'favorite teacher.' She is seriously the best. 

 Halle - who is just the sweetest little girl, and Evan definitely has a sweet spot for her. Being the only girl in her class didn't seem to phase her a bit. The boys were pretty sweet to her, and the Frozen valentines brought to her in February were abundant. In a few years, she may appreciate that more, lol. 

 Now that looks like trouble. 

Evan, " There was an old lady who swallowed some chalk. She didn't balk when she saw that chalk." I thought they did pretty great for being 5 years old speaking in front of a big crowd. 

After the performance, all the kids got to do lots of different literacy activities. We were excited to see my other cousin, Laura, running one of the stations. We then had to cut out a little early and head to softball. Chad was busy that night, so my Mom drove down to make sure Lauren had someone in the stands cheering her on. Awe. More about softball later. 

Kaitlyn's Bridal Shower

 Wedding season is finally upon us, and we have had fun the last few months planning and attending Kaitlyn's bridal showers, dress fittings, bachelorette party, and of course, the WEDDING. (My brother Scott, is marrying Kaitlyn, for those that don't know.)  

We had a shower for her in Humboldt in April on a gorgeous, but windy, spring day. My aunts and my mom's friends hosted it at Miller's Landing in Humboldt. We are just so excited that she is joining our family, and it has called for lots of celebrating. 

Soon-to-be mother and daughter-in-law

 Kaitlyn's grandma, Eleanor, who is adorable, her mom, Pam, Kaitlyn, and my Mom

 Kait is also getting a few nieces and nephew out of the deal, and Scarlet is pretty happy about that. 

 Party pics

Lauren, Carly, & Scarlet got Kaitlyn a special "Mrs. Julius" hangar for her wedding dress on the big day. It is totally weird that she is going to have that last name longer than I did (assuming Scott plays his cards right, that is.)

My aunts Carol & Jeanne and cousin, Leah. Marge was also hosting, and I'm pretty sure she was re-filling the cookie plates at this point, and missed the photo. Who doesn't love a Laritas cookie? 

All in all, a really fun morning. Lauren & I headed to the dress shop with Kait and her Mom after the shower for our fittings. Good news, they fit (whew!). But the photos will have to wait until wedding day.

Brain MRI

 Well, Lauren's migraine saga has continued, unfortunately. Our pediatrician referred us to a pediatric neurologist last fall. He was convinced that her migraine trigger is dehydration. He even wrote a letter to her school stating she needs unlimited water and bathroom breaks. We have spent countless visits going through what could possibly be causing them, and we have come up empty handed. Which, on one hand, is a good thing. However, he wanted her to have a Brain MRI just to be sure. 

She had to be sedated for the scan, so we checked in bright and early at Blank. It took 6 tries to get her IV in, which was horrible for her. I still feel like my job gives me so much perspective though, because my patients go through this all the time, and this is rare for Lauren. And for that, I am eternally grateful. 

 She was pretty goofy when she came out of the anesthesia. She must've told us 20 times how dizzy she was. We slept it off a little, and then Dad carried her to the car. I was so glad he took the time off to be with us, although I think I needed him more than she did.

 We then spent the afternoon resting up. 

Shortly after that, we received the call that the MRI was completely NORMAL. Praise the Lord. 

We celebrated with a trip to Barnes & Noble, one of Lauren's favorites. The shopkins tempted her, but she picked out 2 or 3 books instead. If she'd asked, I'd have bought her it all, ha!

So, for now, we will keep pushing the water and keep the Maxalt in my purse when needed. And I'll keep praying she will outgrow this. 

Kindergarten Roundup

 A few Tuesdays ago (April 12th) to be exact, it was Evan's turn for the big day - KINDERGARTEN ROUNDUP!!!

He was pretty pumped for the big day, and so was I. Lauren was at school, we dropped Scarlet off at daycare, and it was just the two of us for the morning. I am really going to miss my Tuesday mornings with Evan next year when he is in full day kindergarten. Every other week, Scarlet goes to daycare on Tuesdays, so it's just the two of us on those days. We usually have about 100 errands to do all in one morning, which usually involves a Target stop, and sharing a Jimmy John's #4. 

Evan wasn't one bit nervous for kindergarten roundup. He marched into Mrs. Jones classroom, and found his nametag (which was harder than it sounds because they misspelled his name "Evin.").

After roundup, we had some time to kill before TK started, so I let Evan choose lunch. His choice? Taco Bell. 

I feel that first-day-of-school lump already starting to form. 

Bailey's Surgery

Bailey had surgery April 12th to remove a growth on her skin. I noticed it a few months ago, but it didn't look too concerning, and didn't seem to bother her, so I didn't take her in right away. But then it started growing, and I figured we better check it out. I still wasn't worried. But 2 minutes into our vet visit, I got really worried. The vet tech went to get the vet right away, and I knew it wasn't good. They were pretty sure it was cancer, and it was in a bad spot (near the potty area). They gave me the chemo and radiation talk. It had to come off. So, we sent our 10 year old dog into surgery. She's old for a dog, but not ancient.  Those were the vet's words, not mine. :) 

Surgery went great, and Bailey recovered well. Her hot pink stitches didn't even seem to bother her.

4 days later, the vet called with the great news - BENIGN!

I should have listened to my intuition, but that's hard to do. So thankful for our healthy girl.

Sleeping off the anesthesia. 

Trip to Omaha

Chad went to San Antonio for work a few weeks ago, so the kids and I found ourselves with a rare no-plans weekend. When we moved to Des Moines, I honestly thought we would be back in Omaha all the time. It's not very far, and an easy trip. But, sadly, we don't make it back very often. We see Laurie, Cody, and Carly often but it's usually at the lake, or in Des Moines, or Humboldt. So, we took this weekend opportunity to go to Omaha. It is always bittersweet pulling into town. I'm doing better with it than I did 2 years ago. I can drive by our old house and while the lump in my throat is still there, it's not as fresh.

We had an awesome time there. The kids wanted to see Laurie's classroom, we ate Mama's pizza, played basketball in the backyard, and even included a quick trip to the outlets, what's not to love?

Rummaging through the school library on a Saturday? It's all about who you know folks. :)

And don't forget about the ice cream. 

Lauren's Cheerleading

Last fall, Lauren participated in a fundraiser for Dowling where she got to attend a cheerleading clinic, and then cheer at the Friday night football game. She had so much fun doing it, so when her friend, Kathleen, asked her to sign up for Upward Cheer this year, she was sold. Upward is a faith-based league that promotes spirituality along with athletics. We were very impressed.

 Team photos were taken while we were in Disney World, but we were able to get some candids of the squad a few weeks later.

 Lauren & her good friend, Anna

The girls practiced for an hour every week, which included conditioning and all! Running laps, sit-ups, you name it. They cheered at every Friday night game for 8 straight weeks. It ended up being a little more involved than we expected, but they loved it, and the Upward atmosphere definitely had a positive impact. Lauren loved seeing some of her friends from Sacred Heart there, but I also liked that she met some new friends from other schools and churches.