4th of July

We had a great 4th of July weekend! I was happy it actually fell on a weekend this year as it is hard to do stuff when it lands in the middle of the week. I am taking a break from playing in the municipal band this summer and since I did not have to play at that annual 4th of July concert we figured we better seize the day and head out of town for the weekend. We headed south to Scott's parents for a visit which included seeing his brother's family as well and a slight detour further south to visit a friend and her new baby! 

Here we are! 

Scott missed the patriotic message and then the next day he wore a Captain America shirt...yes, red white and blue. Yeesh! :o) We still love you, honey! 

Our friends we were visiting live about 5 hours from us but only about an hour and half from Scott's parents so we left the kids with his parents and headed down for a quick visit. Baby Charlotte was born this spring and we just had no had a chance to see her yet and wasn't sure when we'd get a chance again this summer so I'm glad we made the trip. It was especially nice driving with just Scott and no kids in the car...we stopped for coffee and breakfast pizza and enjoyed the scenery of southwest Iowa. It was really fun just talking and listening to music on the drive. 

Our visit was short but it was so fun to catch up and snuggle a tiny baby! I have really been living under a rock since my girls were born and it felt good to reconnect again. It was a fun morning and we even stopped at BWW's for lunch on the way home. 

When we got back to Scott's parents, we loaded everyone up and headed in to town for a parade, BBQ and then a concert and fireworks. 

My niece is doing marching band this fall (she's also in orchestra) and it was SO neat to see her in the parade (in the sunglasses) I am proud of her for trying something new and I hope that band provides as many great experiences for her as it did for me in my youth. 

We then headed to Scott's brother's house for a BBQ which was nice to see everyone and enjoy the beautiful weather outside. The girls lately have taken to begging for food as you can see from the next two photos. They are beginning to understand what goes on and they want a part of it!! 

"Mommy, can't you see this cute little baby here begging for a bite of your ice cream bar? hello? I'm right here, just put it in my chubby little fingers!"

The evening concluded with a concert on the river by the Muscatine Symphony Orchestra (with Scott's mom playing) and then fireworks. There were tons of people waiting for the fireworks to start all around the park but only a small crowd at the concert...it made me sad. It was a great concert and the director certainly programmed some hits- my favorite being a James Horner medley and also a Frozen medley. 

Overall it was a great weekend and we're glad we got the chance to visit some family and friends along the way. Bring on the 2nd half of summer! 

Double Trouble

Here are some peeks at our normal days at home together...enjoy!

Anna

Brynn

I love to catch them playing nicely together!

We love looking at touchy feely books together! Thankfully I have a pretty nice collection since Michael loved them too and I'm glad the girls get some use out of them. I haven't quite mastered the reading to two babies at once- usually one is off doing something else while the other is paying attention. Then they switch! 

Wondering if this book will taste good...

I love the girls in these denim rompers but haven't gotten a good picture of them yet! They are busy and just getting them in the same frame is a win in my book! :o) 

Everything is so much fun- especially trying to help me with my chores. I am never lonely with my two little puppy dogs always at my ankles, trying to pull up on my pant legs. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Insta-June

Happy July! Wow! June has gone by in a whirlwind. We haven't necessarily been busy but we have been trying to get out of the house most days and do something fun. I always feel a twinge of sadness when the calendar flips over to July...it means for us teachers that summer is about half over. However, we still have over a month left of time together and Michael has TWO months until he starts school since he doesn't go back until August 31st. So that makes me feel better. :o) 

Here's what we've been up to this month via my instagram feed. 

Library Time

Michael has been going to storytime at the library this month and it gives the girls and I a chance to read the board books and pick out new books for the week. They are just so cute and love exploring a new environment.We've also been meeting up with a friend at the library- it is so nice to be able to connect once a week at least for a little bit. 

Backyard Adventures

A group of friends and I have been trying to get our kids together each week for a playdate and to see each other a bit. The second week in June was rainy so we headed to Backyard Adventures for the morning and the kids had a blast. I loved seeing Michael run around and be happy! 

Zoo

We bought a zoo pass on our first trip of the summer so we headed back there again the second week in June. It was a drizzly and cool morning but it was nice as there weren't a lot of people around. I actually saw the lion standing up and walking around- I've never seen that before! 

Sick Baby

We had our first sick baby of the summer. Poor Brynn had an ear infection the first week of June but luckily it cleared up with a round of antibiotics. She was so sad and never wanted to lay down to sleep so we knew something was up. She only wanted to sleep while being held and it was nice to enjoy the baby snuggles!

Parades

We enjoyed the Grimes Governor's Day parade with friends and the next week we joined Scott in walking in the Johnston Green Days Parade. Michael thought it was an absolute blast to throw candy and to wave at people. I pushed the girls and had fun listening to everyone say how cute the baby twins were. It was actually a really nice day and I was happy we could help Scott out. I'm sure Michael has himself booked for the gig for the indefinite future!

Michael's View

Lately Michael has been wanting me to take pictures and videos of the things he builds with his legos so I let him use my camera for himself. The collage is what resulted from his point of view- pretty cute, I think!

Monkey Bars Champ

Michael finally conquered the monkey bars! 

Dean Park 

We met friends at this fun park in Ankeny for our weekly playdate and Michael had so much fun. I'd never been to it before...such a nice surprise!

 Union Park

We made the trip over the Union Park to meet Michael's daycare class for a morning of fun. The girls had fun crawling around in the sprinkles and Michael had fun playing with his classmates. We took a little picnic and enjoyed a carousel ride although Michael had to ride by himself so I could sit with the girls. 

Jurassic Quest

My friend invited us to attend Jurassic Quest, and interactive dinosaur experience, with her and we had a fun time. I was mostly excited to see the model of the gigantasaurus which was featured in an IMAX movie Michael and I watched. The boys had fun and it was so generous of my friend to take us! 

Other than those adventures, we've been having fun at home and trying to get a little bit of work done in between. The girls love exploring every little thing they can and pulling up anything. Michael has been plugging away at reviewing his letters and sounds and we've enjoyed getting a big bag of books each week to read through from the library. I finally convinced him to start a new chapter book and we are about halfway through the Tale of Desperaux...he loves it and it is fun for the reader, too. I'm excited to finish it so we can watch the movie. 

That's it for us- bring on July! I hope you all had a nice June as well! :o)