Thankful Thursday this week!

So busy the last few days!  It was my hubby's grandmother's 80th birthday party on Sunday and we had a big party for her in Amana where she lives.  We stayed that night at the farm, came home, unpacked, had friends over for dinner, Mickey helped a friend lay some laminate flooring at their new house, then Tuesday, it was on to Adventureland.  Due to the party, there was family in town from Philly and they have 3 kids so we thought they would all have fun at Adventureland.  And they did!  Wow...my kids LOVE rides!  Evan went on the Gallion 5 times with Mick.  Alea loved the teacups.  They both thought the Log Ride was pretty cool since you get soaked!  We stayed until 8:30-I know we are party animals, ha!  Finally, my hubby went back to work yesterday and had to work at the State Fair today as well so I took the kids to meet him down there.  I only did this because I had a free ticket to get in IF I got there before nine...well, I made it at 9:03 and they literally cut if off right after me.  Phew....I think the lady knew I might have a mini-meltdown after sprinting with 2 children to get there. :) 
Anyways, here is what I am thankful for this past week.
1.  Frozen yogurt creations
2.  Girls night out or as we call it "baby sprinkle"
3.  Memories of playing volleyball
4.  Easy, access to water even during one of the worst droughts in history
5.  Iowa summer sunsets
6.  Sunglasses
7.  Our little basement gym
8.  I got to watch all of the gymnastic girls for the Olympics-simply amazing!
9.  My kids weird sense of humors
10.  I get to be with my kids day in, day out
11.  Beautiful stories of real friendship
12.  Friends pregnant bellies (Kristy, you are still cute even though you feel so big!)
13.  Much needed rain
14.  Grilling out
15.  I get to teach my son for his 1st year of pre-K!
16.  Mickey's grandmothers (Oma as we call her) 80th bday
17.  Time with Willie, Wendy, and their 3 beautiful children
18.  Diet root beer
19. My kids love of the rides @ Adventureland, made it so fun and worth the time and effort!
20.  Every single book of the Bible-amazing how I can learn something from each one!

Sunset at Saylorville-ahhhhh...

Ankeny City Play Day

Our town is full of kids...everywhere you look there are children or pregnant women...and I am happy to say that Ankeny provides many fun activities, classes, parks, pools, etc. to keep all the kids entertained.  One really fun event the city puts on in the summer is the Ankeny City Play Day.  They have canoes set up on a pond in Hawkeye Park, dunk tanks, Big Wheel races, and much more.   Evan was able to do much more this year than last year so that made it much more interesting! The highlight of this year was the hose fight with the firefighters.  The Ankeny firefighters let Mickey do it with Ev and he got to spray his friends Kate and Conner-good times.  The pictures below will give you a glimpse of all the fun!

Big Wheel Race-go Ev!

Smoking the ball of the tee-Daddy never looked happier

Daddy and Ev during the hose fight

Alea just wondering around-she was a little young for most of the stuff!

Sack race

Thankful Tuesday...late again!

I know, I know, it is supposed to be Thankful Tuesday and I hardly ever get it posted on Tuesday.  I make my list every week and it is ready, but with a hubby who came home on zero sleep yesterday and 2 young kiddos who don't give me much time to be on a computer, it didn't get done.  Oh well, reminds me of another thing I am grateful for: this stage in my life!  Sometimes I get so frustrated when I don't get MY list done, but someday I will get my list done quickly but I won't have my two little loves around anymore to care for.  I am so thankful for the craziness and busyness of my life! 
On to my list for this week:

1. Peace, strength, energy, and endurance during the Bix 7 Road Race
2.  A much faster time than anticipated for the race!
3.  The feeling I get when I am done running. :)
4.  Seeing family I don't normally see (Uncle Ron, Aunt Janie, and cousin Hannah)
5.  Whitey's chocolate chip cookie dough shake
6.  My kids little legs
7.  Safe travels to the QC
8.  My dad and mom's generosity
9.  Fun times with kids and old friends at my old hangouts (Jungle Bungle and Willow Springs pool)
10. Strong representation of JESUS @ the Olympics with Gabby Douglas and Missy Franklin!
11.  My new comforter set since Ev puked on our old one...ewww...
12.  Sleeping in, thanks Momma!
13.  Our camera
14.  Freshly bathed kiddos
15.  Hubby has a good, steady job
16.  AMAZING, powerful testimonies at small group
17.  A great babysitter who even finds us backups when she is busy!
18.  The Smith's safe travels to Africa
19.  My hubby helps when asked
20.  Jesus loves me, EVEN ME!

2 Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!
  

Thankful Tuesday

1. Ice cream dates at DQ with my kiddos 2. Me and Ev's bedtime routine 3. Mickey's rough housing with the kids 4. Lots of laughs at community group 5. That I can call my mom anytime and she always answers 6. Mickey's cousin Brandi and all the clothes she has given us for Alea! 7. That Evan still says he will marry me when he gets older 8. Homemade pumpkin chocolate chip granola bars 9. Netflix (more for Ev than for me!) 10. Fun date night with good friends at the Home Show 11. Old photos 12. God's awesome plan being revealed for our community group 13. My sis in law is going to have a baby girl in December, so excited she will have 1 of each now. 14. Tank tops 15. Alea's cute painted toes 16. My eyelash curler, silly I know, but makes me look awake when I am not! Ha! 17. Good, solid, helpful Christian parenting books 18. Olympic hype-I love it all! 19. Titus mentor moms-their hearts and wisdom 20. Our home Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, Let us show gratitude,By which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.

Thankful Tuesday

1.  The adorable way Alea talks right now-can she stay like this forever?
2.  Ankeny Summerfest parade-so awesome every year!
3.  Flip-flops
4.  Shade!
5.  The amazing examples of motherhood I have all around me
6.  Bedtime
7.  My kids' LOVE for reading
8.  Oatmeal with berries and honey
9.  Iowa made honey from my neighbor Tiffany-you keep making the list Tiff! :)
10.  Neck rubs
11.  Our comfy sectional sofa
12.  My mom and mom in law buying clothes for my kiddos!
13.  My dad's kind, thoughtful heart in sending me a note in the mail
14.  The fact I don't have to be sad that school supplies are in the stores-doesn't affect me now!
15.  A strong, healthy body
16.  A wonderful pre-school director at church-she loves each and every kid!
17.  The encouraging faith of Daniel from the Bible (would I trust God when even in the den of lions?)
18.  Kids laughing and playing in our backyard for hours with nothing but a sprinkler and a baby pool
19.  Reading a book about creation and how it is so clear that is how the world began as opposed to the theory of evolution
20.  Ev can put his own clothes on now-getting to be so big! (Thankful he accomplished this, but sad he is growing up!)

Again, love making this list every week, it helps me to be thankful even when all I want to do is whine about this or that.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

Colossians 3:15
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you indeed were called in one body. And be thankful.

Our RV trip!

In June, me, the hubs, and our kiddos had the pleasure of borrowing my in-laws RV.  We had tossed around several ideas for a summer vacation but we were coming up stumped, due to a low budget and trying to come up with something fun for all of us.  Flying somewhere (not much fun with a 3 and 1 year old), staying in a hotel (not much fun with a 3 and 1 year old), driving somewhere far away in our van (not much fun with a 3 and 1 year old), were our options....until my father in law bought this amazing RV!  We thought this might actually be fun! Kids aren't strapped into car seats, cable going down the road, a microwave, separate bedrooms, no potty stops, and the list could go on...So we quickly planned an unplanned trip!  ha!  This just means that for once we didn't try and see and do everything, we just enjoyed the time together and did the simple things like enjoying pop-tarts in the morning while watching cartoons, going on hikes, playing in lakes, visits with family, pools, canoeing, movies, fishing, and lots of just being together. 
We started out by staying a night at my in-laws farm to see them and learn how to work the RV.  Next stop was Coralville lake.  We didn't want to get too far just in case it didn't go well, but our kids just soaked it up and we had a great time hiking and swimming in the lake.  Next up was the QC to get the RV worked on a little bit and a visit with my parents (Mickey and I actually snuck back to Ankeny for a night too without kids to go to our neighbor's anniversary party).  Then we picked up the RV, my dad brought us our children, and off we went to Appleton, Wisconsin to see Mickey's cousins.  The whole family was up there to celebrate the baptism of the 1st grandchild on this side of the family.  It was a blast catching up with all of his family and meeting little Ella.  While there, we headed up to Green Bay thanks to a tip from a family friend about a permament carnival with .25 cent rides.  We went on a ton of rides and ate dinner for less than $20!  It was an awesome time. 
Next, we drove down to Baraboo, Wisconsin where we stayed at a campground close to Devil's Lake State Park.  What a beautiful spot in this country.  It was so peaceful and the water was so clear!  Evan got to go fishing for the 1st time on this lake. 
Finally, we headed down to Decorah, Iowa.  I grew up having my Evans' family reunions there and it is a place near and dear to my heart.  All of my cousins understand this!  We hit all the spots I used to go to as a kid: The Whippy Dip (ice cream place), the movie theater, beautiful Dunning Springs, Mabe's Pizza, and the Decorah Pool.  It was everything I hoped to be able to enjoy this town with my kids and husband. 
There is much more I can say, but just please enjoy the pics of our trip and I highly recommend an RV trip with young children-I couldn't imagine anything else being better! 

Taking a break from hiking around Coralville Fossil Gorge

Our humble abode and handsome chauffeur

Digging in the sand at Coralville Lake

At Ella Kinzenbaws baptism

Chasing butterflies at our little pond at our campground in Wisconsin

Having a blast riding the .25 cent rides at Bay Beach!

Hiking at Devils Lake State Park

Fishing for the 1st time-didn't catch a thing! ha!

Mickey making kettle corn over the fire, it was awesome!

Alea loved watching the horses at our campground in Decorah

Hiking up Dunning Springs in Decorah

Eating ice cream at the Whippy Dip in Decorah

Just love this pose by Miss Alea at Dunning Springs

Me and my lil man enjoying some Mabes pizza

Thankful Tuesday

1. Skype 2. Long, overdue conversation with my lil bro Nate on Skype 3. The AMAZING things about to happen in Nate's life 4. Pool time 5. Olympic trials 6. The best neighbors (and random hang out time with them!) 7. My hubby's Every Man A Warrior study 8. My son's hand movements when explaining something 9. Greek yogurt with granola 10. Flavored water 11. My church 12. How Alea wraps one arm around my neck like I'm her homie :) 13. Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal- I know I am 29 and I am not supposed to eat kiddie cereals anymore but I can't give theseup! 14. Karen Kingsbury books 15. Good deals on summer clothes for next year 16. Successful adoption stories 17. How the Word of God speaks to me and changes me like nothing else can 18. Hot summer days 19. Pinterest 20. Unexpected times when something is cheaper than what I thought it was going to be! Hope you are thinking about all the little and big things you are grateful for this week. I am loving the challenge of making myself aware each day of all the ways God is blessing me... Psalm 7:17 I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord! The Most High.