Big Creek and Saylorville Lake

Who knew that Iowa had such a fun lake? We didn't until today! My family came in town for Lainey's blessing and we went to Big Creek at Saylorville Lake and had a blast! My sister surprised me by cominginto town! I went to pick up my dad from the airport and right after I hugged him, he said, I have a surprise for you . . . and Emily came walking out the doors. I was sooooo excited! I have so missed my sister, so I was so happy. So we decided to go to Big Creek and we had so much fun! We rented a boat for an hour and went for a fun ride around the lake. The girls loved it. It felt so great to be on the water and to be outside. What a treat!

Lainey Update

Oh, poor Lainey is suffering from 3rd child syndrome already. I have barely taken any pictures of her. If I remember to put all three kid in the car, I am doing good, forget remembering the camera. OR if I do remember to bring it, I don't have a free hand to get it out, so I am doing my best! She is a sweet baby and is changing so much already. She smiles and coos and we all love her so much! Her sisters take good care of her and love to watch every move she makes!

Happy Birthday to Me

Somewhere amidst the chaos in our lives, I had a birthday. A couple of my friends did nice things for me, like take me to a movie and make me a cake and Aaron stayed home from school and let me sleep in. That was the greatest gift of all! We just hung out and had cake and ice cream with the Kovacs outside. I love being outside.The waether has been awesome! The girls wanted to ride their bikes and I cracked up when they came out wearing princess dresses and jewels. Only my girls! Anyway, it was a great day. I remember my mom saying that she really didn't need anything for her birthday, that having her kids be good and tell her that they loved her was present enough. I always thought she was crazy, but I actually felt that way this birthday. I woke up to my my girls singing happy birthday to me and hugging me. They told me happy birthday ALL DAY LONG! I held my perfectly beautiful brand new baby girl and watched my husband play with my kids and just had this overwhelming feeling of gratitude and joy. That really is the greates gift-- my family. I know that I am so blessed and I am so grateful for what I hav been given.
So it was a truly HAPPY birthday!

Amanda and Jason and the Iowa State Fair

We had such a fun visit with my cousin Amanda and her boyfriend Jason. They came to visit from AZ. I am so happy that they decided to come out and see Lainey and the rest of us! We loved meeting Jason and spending the weekend with them. Amanda and I were roomies all through college and we know everything about each other, so it was only right that I should get to finally meet her boyfriend! He is such a great guy and is so easy going. I mean, we crammed a mattress on the floor in Lainey's room for him,(she slept in our room), with princess sheets and a Nemo pillow and he didn't complain a bit! We all went to the Iowa State Fair and had a blast. We ate yummy food, saw some of the local talent and livestock, the kids rode a ride and went to the petting zoo, and we saw the Shawn Johnson statue made out of butter! we loved it. By the end of the day, the kiddos were getting tired, so we took Lainey out of the stroller and Amanda carried her and Maggie rode in the baby seat. She thought she was pretty cool! Every evening that they were here, we watched the Olympics. We are Olympic fans and LOVE watching the competitions. Amanda hooked the girls up with new princess costumes just in time for a princess birthday party. They were so excited. We had such a fun weekend! Thanks for coming out!

Raccoon River

We love Raccon River Park. We decided to take a picnic there to "celebrate" Aaron's last weekend of summer. (I don't know that celebrate is the right word). Anyway, it was so much fun. It totally reminded me of summer days as a kid. The girls chased butterflies and waded in the creek. They ran through the sprinklers and did "underdogs" on the swings. We skipped rocks and I have to brag for Aaron. He skipped a rock that skipped 11 times! It was crazy! I have never seen a rock skip that many times. We had a great summer having Aaron home and we are so sad that he has to go back to school already. We will miss him, but we made the most of a great summer!

Balloon Festival

We made it out to Indianola again this year for the balloon festival. It was a ton of fun. The weasther was perfect and the girls loved it. They got to go out on the field and get up close to the balloons. Hallie loved it. Maggie was a little unsure. It was sooo loud! In years past, I didn't realize that there is a competition going on during the festival. It was fun to watch the balloon pilots try to earn points and do little tricks. Once again we had a great time enjoying one of Iowa's many festivals.