Time Keeps On Moving

When I looked back at my last post, I couldn't believe that was over 2 weeks ago. It is also hard to believe that this is the last full week of summer vacation for the girls. Abigail will start 1st grade next week and Bridget will start preschool.

So what have we been up to over the past few weeks? As always, Erin has been keeping the girls busy every day with trips to the park, Science Center, splash pad, and pretty much anything else that you can think of. Much of the first week in August was spent in the Quad Cities at my in-laws. While my mother-in-law and I took a trip to Wrigley on Thursday, Erin and the girls went with her dad to the Niabi Zoo.

On Friday we went to breakfast with Grandma Engelmann and a whole crew of Erin's aunts and uncles that were in town for the Cubs game as well. We then took a trip out to Eldridge to visit Grandma Weiler at work before heading back to their house to play for the rest of the day. On Saturday morning, while I was in Dewitt for a triathlon, Grandma and Erin took the girls to the children's museum in Bettendorf. The girls absolutely LOVE that place (as do we) because there is an endless amount of things to play with.

Grandma and Abigail at the vet

Bridget the firefighter

With cooler temperatures over the past couple of weeks, we have been able to spend more time outside playing. Last week we also spent an evening at Bridget's preschool information night. It was fun getting to meet the staff and other kids. In fact, we found out that not only is one of Abigail's friends from soccer last year going to be in her 1st grade class, but her little brother is also in Bridget's preschool class. 

This past Saturday we spent the morning playing at Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines. The playground there is awesome and there seems to be an endless amount of fun to be had at that park. I think we will be back again soon. On Sunday afternoon Abigail asked to go fishing, so after supper we loaded up the truck and headed to Big Creek. We found a new place to fish from shore and it didn't take long for Abigail to start getting bites. She caught a few small bluegills and we had a lot of fun enjoying the nice weather. 

Abigail wanted a selfie with one of the bluegills 

Variety And Last Minute Schedule Change

The past week was full of a variety of fun. Last weekend, Erin took the girls to "Thomas Day" at the Library on Saturday. They had a lot of fun doing everything Thomas and it was quite busy. On Sunday we got to attend the birthday party for one of the neighbor girls. Water play, pizza and a big house to run around in made for a fun afternoon for the girls.

On Monday, my mom stopped by with my niece, Jocelyn. Jocelyn lives in Kansas City with my sister and brother-in-law so we don't get to see them very often. I was at work for the day, but the girls got a chance to play and eat lunch together. On Tuesday, I decided to take Abigail out for a daddy-daughter date night. We went to see Despicable Me 3 and ate pizza at Sam and Louie's. It was a lot of fun, although I think too many M&Ms at the movie gave Abigail a tummy ache.

Pizza and Oranges!

A couple more trips to the library, along with a trip to Michael's for arts and crafts rounded out the activities of the week. We were all set for an exciting trip to Kansas City for the weekend to visit my sister as well as Erin's aunt and uncle. Sadly, storms moved through late in the week that resulted in a flooded basement at Uncle John and Aunt Susan's house. We were devastated, not only because we were looking forward to the trip, but also because we really like John and Susan and it is always hard to hear of issues that family members are facing. Hopefully they can get things cleaned up quickly and we can find another chance to visit. 

With our weekend plans cancelled, Erin quickly registered to run the Bix 7 in the Quad Cities and headed off to her parent's house on Friday. That left me at home with 2 crazy little girls. On Friday evening we headed out to Brenton Arboretum South of Dallas Center to do some exploring. 

Running and Exploring!

This morning, we attended the end of summer party at the library. A bunch of random activities, super heroes, shaved ice and a bounce house made for a good time. 

Chasing bubbles

Eating shaved ice

After the party we played at a park and stopped at McDonalds to pick up some lunch before taking a well needed nap. 

Fun at the park

Happy Meals

After nap we cooled off in our little deck pool and watched "Secret Life of Pets". It was a fun filled day and everyone went to bed happy. 

So much fun!

This next week the fun continues as I have a short week at work before all of us head to grandma and grandpa Weiler's house for a long weekend. 

July Is Flying By

On the first weekend of July, I decided to take each of the girls out fishing. On Saturday morning, Erin and Abigail headed to the Des Moines farmers market, so Bridget and I headed to Big Creek.

Bridget being very patient

That afternoon, Abigail and I headed down to Lake Ahquabi for some fishing, a picnic, and playing at the park. We caught a few fish and had a really good time. 

Fishing hard

The first week of July, the girls spent a week at my parent's house while Erin and I spent a few days with my cousin and his wife in Madison. We then traveled to Waukon to spend a night with my grandparents before heading back to Evansdale to see retrieve the girls. 

Just prior to leaving on our trip, we received a phone call that Erin's sister had her baby. It was perfect timing as most of us were able to stop by the hospital to meet Ellie Sophia Korf before we left. She is just about the cutest baby alive and all of us are super excited to have her join the family. Bridget got her first chance to meet Ellie after we returned from our trip.

Since that times, things got a little busy and crazy. Last week, Abigail spent 2 mornings at a volleyball camp and LOVED it.

Abs at volleyball camp

Other then volleyball camp, the last 2 weeks have been filled with swim lessons for both girls every evening. It was Bridget's last year of parent-child and both girls did great! It was also a lot of fun for me as I love spending time in the pool.

So cute and independent

Bridget jumping into the pool

Last weekend, on Saturday we took a trip to the Science Center and went out to eat at Legends. The Science Center was a lot of fun but Bridget had a meltdown at the restaurant. I ended up sitting with her in the car until our food arrived. The rest of dinner went much better. 

Having fun with the green screen at the Science Center

Nothing will slow down from here as in the next 2 weeks we are travelling to Kansas City and to the Quad Cities for even more fun!

Continued Summer Fun

Bridget has been doing very well at potty training this summer, but she finally overcame her fear of going anywhere but home. Erin sent me a text on the 15th that Bridget had used to potty while picking Abigail up from theater camp. I wanted to make a big deal out of it so I took her to her favorite place for super, Pancheros.

Cheese!

Last weekend was Father's Day. On Sunday afternoon, Abigail and I hooked up the boat and headed out to Big Creek. The weather was nice and I'm pretty sure every other dad in the area must have had the same thought because the lake was BUSY. I'm glad we took the boat because I'm not sure there was an unoccupied shore fishing spot. Abigail started catching fish in the first spot we anchored. She caught several small bluegills as well as a 14 inch drum.

Ready to fish

Waiting for the fish to bite

Caught one!

After about 45 minutes Abigail complained that her arm was too tired from catching fish so we cruised around the lake for awhile before loading the boat to head home. 

Driving the boat

Abs helping to unhook the boat

This past weekend went by very fast and I ended up spending a lot of extra time at work. The weather did get a lot nicer so I planned to spend Saturday playing outside. Erin was gone to a women's retreat so it was just me and the girls. I showered quick after getting home from my morning run and we headed outside until after lunch. My sister stopped by with her kids later in the morning to play as well. 

Abigail beat me in bags twice

The Bridge heading down the slide

Snack break

After an afternoon nap, we headed back outside for more fun, this time with Aunt Jess and Uncle Ben in tow. It was a picture perfect day to be outside and a lot of memories were made. I hope that we have a lot more days like that in the future. 

Fun with Jess and Ben

This coming week brings vacation bible school for Abs along with a planned trip to see the ICubs on Tuesday. It also marks the last week of June (how did that happen?), which means that I will officially be off work when I leave next Friday!

Big Changes And Summer Fun

Erin's last day of school was June 5th and as of June 6th she is officially a stay at home mom. I don't plan to go into details in this blog post, but it is an understatement to say that we are all very excited for this new adventure.

Abigail spent June 4 - 8 at my parents house in Evansdale with her cousin Aubree. It is my understanding that they both had a great time although I don't know all of the particulars. What happens at grandma and grandpa's house, stays at their house. During those days Bridget got a lot of one on one time with mommy and loved every minute of it. They went to the zoo, walked to Casey's for donuts, and spent time at the library.

Bridget with her donut

Abigail returned on Thursday and all of the real summer fun began. Erin took the girls to a program at the Urbandale library where the got to climb in and check out all sorts of trucks. 

Checking out a fire truck

Last Tuesday, I took Bridget fishing for her first time (with me at least). She did a good job listening and we actually spent much longer fishing then expected even though we didn't catch any fish. On Thursday evening I took Abigail. My initial plan was to take the boat but with the temperatures heating up I ended up deciding to just head to Big Creek and fish from shore. We caught a few fish, but after about an hour Abigail had enough of the heat and asked to go home. 

The temps kept on heating up, so on Sunday I got out the water table and our inflatable pool. Bridget was not behaving so she lost her chance to play in the pool, but I spent a couple hours with Abigail playing outside while Bridget and Erin played inside. Swimming was about the only thing worth going outside for with temperatures in the 90's and high humidity. 

This week Abigail is attending theater camp and absolutely loves it. They are planning and putting on shows which is a passion of hers. While she is at camp, Erin and Bridget have stayed busy by going to the zoo and playing at a splash pad. Of course, just because I'm at work all day doesn't mean that I miss out on all of the fun. After work today Abigail and I headed to the Clive aquatic center to do some swimming. We had a blast playing in the pool and floating on the lazy river. We even bumped into my nephew, Ethan, while we were there. 

I do hope we get some cooler temperatures in the next few weeks so that we can spend more time outside in the afternoon when I get home from work. 

Memorial Day, Dance Recital, And The End Of A School Year

After spending last Sunday working at the cabin, Erin and the girls drove down to spend the day with me on Monday. It was a beautiful day to play outside. I took several outdoor games with me to the cabin and had them all setup and ready to go when they arrived.

All ready for a fun day!

Rolling the ball down the slide

Hunter getting some attention

After playing for awhile, I grabbed a shovel and we headed down to the garden to plant some watermelons. I dug the holes, Abigail planted the seeds, and Bridget played in the dirt. 

Playing in the garden

Before lunch I hooked up the wagon to the ATV and we all went on a ride around the big field. Then the girls took turns taking a ride around the yard with me. 

Mommy and Bridget riding in the wagon

For lunch I cooked hot dogs over the camp fire. After lunch we started packing everything up before heading home. It was just about the perfect way to spend the holiday. 

It was a good thing that we enjoyed some relaxation time at the cabin, because the rest of the week was crazy. Abigail had her last day of Kindergarten on Wednesday. She also had rehearsal for dance recital on Tuesday and Wednesday evening followed by the dance recital on Friday evening. My mom and mother-in-law attended the recital with Erin and I. Abigail did a great job in both the ballet and on her tap dance performance. 

On Saturday morning Erin and my brother-in-law, Ben, ran the Dam to Dam half marathon. My mother-in-law, Mary helped me take the girls downtown to watch them both finish. It was a miserably hot and humid day but luckily we had a spot to watch that was in the shade of the buildings. Ben and Erin both ran great races and we had a great time cheering on all of the runners. Well, Abigail and I did at least. Bridget spent most of the time playing games on the Kindle.

All of us are very excited for the start of summer vacation!

Grandma Daycare And Surviving The School Year

With less than 2 weeks to go until the end of the school year, we are doing everything that we can to just hang in there. Things always get crazy this time of the year but relief is right around the corner with Erin staying home with the girls.

Last week our daycare provider was on vacation, so my mom graciously agreed to come down to watch Bridget for the week and take Abigail to and from school. The girls loved having grandma here for the week as she always does a great job of keeping them entertained. There was a lot of time spent playing outside, a trip to Burger King for Bridget and McDonalds for Abigail.

We also took the opportunity to start working on potty training with Bridget and I'm glad to say that she is doing great. She spent all 9 days at home wearing big girl underwear during the day with just a few accidents. The bad news is that when returning to daycare this week, she is refusing to use the potty there at all. We aren't quite sure what is up with that, especially since she is still doing great at home in the evenings, but that is just another reason to look forward to the end of the school year.

With more good weather on the way, we are looking forward to a lot of time spent outside in the upcoming week, including a potential family trip to the cabin on Memorial Day!