Flat Patricia

Trinity, a first grader in Washington, sent us a paper doll named Flat Patricia. She asked us to take Flat Patricia around with us and send pictures, postcards, souveniers, etc., from where we live. So we took Flat Patricia on an adventure! Last night we rode the carousel at the mall:and visited the Herkey's at the playplace. I think Herkey is the best way to represent IOWA! This morning we headed out to the Cheese Factory in Kalona for some deliciously fresh cheese curds! Can you see them mixing?

Then we stopped at a nearby trail and had a nice hike.

This is about as exciting as it is out here in Iowa in March. Still cold and windy-waiting for spring to come!

Happy Easter

Can you believe we actually had snowflakes today! Just when you think its spring.... No big egg hunts for us this year, but the kids enjoyed Easter Baskets filled with goodies from all the Grandmas and Grandpas. It was cute how fast Gabe picked up on the fact that eggs that make noise have goodies hidden inside. He would shake his eggs and say "open" until you did just that!

Thank you Grandma Victoria for the cute Easter outfits. Lorili loves her twirly-pink skirt and Gabe looks handsome in his chinos and sweater vest.

Quick Trip

Two Saturdays ago my Mom called and invited the kids and I to come out for a Girls Weekend and to surprise Juliann (my little sis') for her babyshower. So, we bought tickets and flew to Las Vegas on Wednesday. Jeanna (my oldest sister) picked us up and took us to her home outside of Vegas. Then on Friday we drove the 6 hours down to Yuma to surprise Juliann and hang out with the girls. Most of the grandaughters were there too, so Lorili had a blast! One of my three sisters-in-law was there with her two daughters, but we missed the other two sisters-in-law and the two other granddaughters. On Sunday we headed back to Jeanna's house for a couple of days before flying back home. We had a great time! Thanks Mom for such a great trip! It was exactly what we needed! A nice warm trip away from the snow, wind and freezing weather!

Here are some highlights from the trip:

Jeann, Katie, Mom, Juliann, Kendal
The neighbor boy brought over his horse to show the kids. You would think we were from a big city by the way my kids reacted to it! They were scared to death! It took a while (and a few threats) to get them on the horse. Gabe wasn't happy on top of the horse, so we settled for a picture of him petting it. Lorili had her first sleepover. They stayed up until 11pm watching High School Musical and building with Legos. When the Mom's finally said it was bedtime the girls drifted off to sleep one by one. Lorili was, of course, the last to close her eyes. Gabe's hair has been getting long and we have put off cutting it. Somewhat because it's a pain, but mostly because I have no idea how to do it. While on our trip, more than one person made the comment "oh, he's ready for a haircut." So I gave in and asked my sister to cut it. All it took was 2 suckers to keep him still while she went to town. He looks like a different kid now! Thanks Aunt Jeanna! Jeanna's family has an inside dog named Fraddie. He is a very cute and well behaved puppy. Not a lot of jumping and not a lot of barking. It took a few days for the kids to get comfortable with him. We taught the kids to tell him "no" or "stay down" or "sit" and Gabe's favorite "go away." It was really cute to see the transition. I think it finally clicked for Lorili when Jeanna explained to her that she can be the boss of Fraddie, that she could tell him what to do. Lorili is my little bosser, so she was thrilled!

Hawkeyes Overpower Gophers In Iowa City

We went to our first gymnastics meet on Friday. We thought it would be good for Lorili to see what "big girl" gymnastics is all about. She (as well as the rest of us) was quite impressed to see how high they jump and flip and twist. We were lucky enough to run into some friends while there, which added to the fun. I was selected to do the ball drop during "half-time." It was quite an impossible task: basically I had to drop a ball from three stories up into a bucket that was only 1 foot wide. If I got one of three balls in I would win $100! Sounds easy enough right!?! Well, apparently no one has ever made it, so when all three balls missed completely I didn't feel too bad! I did get an Iowa shirt and a free event ticket for trying! After the meet the Lady Hawks signed a poster and posed for the camera. Overall, a very fun family night!

Abbi~Lorili~Molly