Preschool Graduation

Lorili graduated from Preschool on Friday. It was just a short simple event that meant the world to her. Lorili has loved her preschool for the last two years and loves her teacher dearly. Lorili always lights up when she sees her teacher Mrs. Mejia. After the "ceremony" I had a chance to talk to Mrs. Mejia and she told me that no other kid has ever made her feel so special and loved every time she sees her. I love this about Lorili. She is always happy to see anyone and she is always sincere. Heavenly Father has blessed her with an amazing gift and I'm truly thankful that she is my daughter. I love you Lorili!

Lorili and Soccer

We decided to sign Lorili up for a soccer class. We've done several other classes (like T-ball, tumbling, and art) so she is pretty used to trying new classes. At first she wasn't really interested in the soccer class, but when I told her two of her good friends would be in the class she changed her mind quickly. So we signed her up, got her some gear and headed for soccer class. It was so fun to watch her out there, dribbling the ball and running around. She did a good job and tried really hard. But I think she is made to be a cheerleader instead. Whenever they would play games, she would stand outside of the circle of kids who were actually trying to kick the ball and would cheer them on saying "Go Caleb" or "Go Abbi." Enjoy the footage!

She's the one in the PINK with the big curly pony tail.

Happy Birthday Gabbers!

Gabe turned 2 on the 21st, can you believe it? It has been so fun to watch him grow.

Here are a few pictures of our little man...

Loves to carry a bat around
Loves choo-choo trains

"I two!"

Not very thrilled about the lighted candles

Snuggling with a blanket from Grandma

Born a Hawkeye

Just like Daddy

Yummmmy!

So I have to post this picture. I made this cake for dessert the other night and thought it was pretty enough to post on my cake blog. So I got out the camera to snap a shot of it. As I was taking the pictures I looked up to see both kids sitting close and posing for the camera. I said, what the heck! So here's a picture of the kids with the cake. And by the way...it was a good as it looks:) The funny thing is that its hard to get a good picture of both kids looking at the camera! I guess I need to make a cake next time we take family pictures!

Summer Buzz

Time for a summer buzz. Gabe's hair has been getting long so we decided to buzz it! Thor did a great job and Gabe sat still for the most part. He wasn't too happy when hair got stuck to his sucker, but a quick rinse under the water fixed that. I love this picture, it shows more than just his new do-it shows his personality as well. Such a happy, goofy kid!

Never a Better Time to see NAUVOO

One of the biggest blessings of living in Iowa City has been living 90 miles from Nauvoo, Illinois. We've made frequent trips and have loved going to the beautiful temple and enjoying the historic sites. We made our last trip to Nauvoo on Monday. It's nice to visit Nauvoo in the off season when the town is not quite so busy or packed with summer visitors. We had beautiful weather and loved our super relaxing trip. Here are some highlights:

Here we are with the oxen team. We rode in the three foot wide wagon that resembled the same wagons taken west. The oxen are named "Gabe" and "Gary." They are giant beasts! It was amazing how slow they walk. We had just driven 90 miles in less than 90 minutes. I can't comprehend how long and slow and hard the pioneers' journey was!

At the Pioneer Pastimes exhibit there are lots of old toys and games that the pioneers played for the kids to try. We had fun playing with wooden sticks, blocks, and dress up. The kids really liked sitting on the sheep and the horse.There are lots of other exhibits like the Bakery, the Blacksmith, and the Brickyard where they demonstrate how things were made and used in the 1840's. There is even a demonstration on how to make rope. Here you see Thor and Gabe spinning the wheel that is twisting the threads. Lorili and I helped at the other end with the braiding of the rope. Halfway through Lorili started yelling, I looked over and saw that one of her long locks of hair had gotten caught up in the thread and was getting braided into the rope. She wasn't too upset about it and made for a good laugh! Oh that hair!

We got to keep the chunk of rope that we made. We put it to good use:

We also stopped by the beautiful Womens Garden. It is a beautiful garden full of flowers and statues depicting the different attributes of women.
Gabe ran up to this statue yelling "mommy mommy." I'm not sure what he meant...is it because he thinks it looks like me, or is it because she has a book in her hand? (I have been reading an 18th century 600 page novel).

The kids passed out in the car on the way home and had a really hard time waking up! They were worn out!

We love Nauvoo. It has truly strengthened our testimonies of the Restoration of the Gospel, our Prophet Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon. We are thankful to have been so close to such a sacred and important part of our Mormon heritage. We will always look back with fond memories and will look forward to a return visit. We encourage all of you to visit this wonderful city and partake of all it has to offer. You will not regret it!

Preschool Spring Program

Today was the Spring Program. Lorili had been sick for most of the week, but was feeling great today. Here is a clip of one of the songs they sang. Pardon the shaking, I could really use a tripod!

This is Lorili's teacher Mrs. Mejia. She has been a great teacher and Lorili LOVES her!