Last Preschool Field Trip

Today I went with Anna on her last preschool field trip, ever.  Soon I'll be a mother of all school-age children {still taking this in}.  Anyway, we had a great time together.  First, the kids attended a program called, "Let's Get Buggy."  The program leader was great with the kids.  My favorite part was when she had them practice their "silent screams" before she brought around a large centipede {or was it a millipede?  I forget.}.  Afterwards, the kids could walk around with their parents or a chaperone and visit all the zoo animals.

Anna watching Sparky the Sea Lion

"Well, hello friends."

Anna:  "I love this giraffe."

Mom:  "Oops, did that sign say 'no climbing'?"

Wordless Wednesday: Dripping with Beauty

Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot)

Friday Night, Family Night

Tree climbing (Ehren)

And some more

Waiting for some good coals in the bonfire {Don't you just love the pink roasting stick?}

Dinner

The Silver Bullet

Here she is! My new-to-me Grand Caravan.

For about a year, Dan's been dreaming of a built-in DVD player, and I've been dreaming of swivel-n-go seating, where the two captain's chairs in the middle row swivel around to face the the third row bench, and a table pops up out of the floor in the middle -- kind of like driving a little RV, but with a lot better gas mileage.

But guess what? We got a lovely stripped-down model instead for two reasons.  First, since the boys are reading now, I'd like to encourage reading, not movie-watching on road trips.  Second, let's face it, the price tag was very appealing.  But hey, the back seat flips down for tailgate seating {the kids think this is so cool}, and the middle bench has two integrated child safety seats, which will be so convenient when the younger cousins visit.

Stay tuned for more about the used car lot that my driveway has become ...  Anybody looking for a car or van with 150,000 miles?

Omaha Easter Extravaganza: Day 3

We visited the cousins' church for Easter service, and then headed to Great Aunt's house for a traditional Easter egg hunt.

After a lovely dinner and a lot of chocolate, we got in the van and headed for home.  Thanks Aunt, Uncle and cousins for your hospitality.

Omaha Easter Extravaganza: Day 2

Saturday was zoo and shopping day.  Shopping for me,

and the zoo for everyone else.

It seems that some of the zoo animals...

might have been better posers than some of the kids.

Omaha Easter Extravaganza: Day 1

We packed up and rolled out of the house a little after 10:00 am, bound for Omaha in our new set of wheels {That' right. It's Caravan number three for a girl who said she'd never own a minivan.}. Auntie T rode with us in the "nanny seat" between the kids and me, or more accurately, between the kids and all the books/movies/snacks I had in the front seat. She was a good sport about her role as the human conveyor belt.

After five hours of trying to spot an Iowa barn quilt from the Interstate, but seeing only wind farms, we arrived in Omaha. We checked into our hotel and hurried over to Dan's cousin's house to get in position for a surprise party -- we were celebrating Dan's aunt and uncle's 40th wedding anniversary as well as their 60th birthdays, all happening this year.  Here's a fabulous picture of the birthday girl (center) and her siblings.

While the adults ate a lot of amazing food {did I mention there are professional cooks in the family?}, our kids had a great time getting to know their cousins... 

and their cousins' toys.

In total, there were eight kids age eight and under,

and a great time was had by all.