Easter Fun

We realized we had not been back to Iowa for Easter since I was pregnant, meaning that Lucy had never celebrated Easter in Iowa. So we were looking forward to heading to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Somebody was so excited, she packed her bag a week ahead of time.

It did not disappoint! My parents hosted the White side of the family on Saturday afternoon/eve. We also had a very special event - the debut of Baby June! Kristi and I have been excited for our girls to meet, and it finally happened! I'm looking forward to many more pictures like this in the future (I have others with everyone's eyes open, just thought this one was cute!)

Following a wonderful dinner, the kids headed outside for an Easter egg hunt. There were six little ones in all, and although the ground was still a little soggy, the weather was gorgeous and it was so nice to be out in the fresh air sans jackets. It was great to be around all of the excitement again. Reminded me of Easter egg hunts when I was little! Lucy had a lot of fun.

Saturday night, my brother and his family stayed overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's too, so Lucy, D, and E got some extra playtime together. They destroyed a couple of rooms and didn't get to sleep until 11:30, but after all, what is Grandma and Grandpa's house for?

Sunday morning we all got dressed up and went to church, then came back to the house to search for our buckets filled with goodies. The Easter Bunny knows the way to Grandma's house, too!

After lunch it was time to head back. We had a wonderful time, as always!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We started our holiday on Wednesday with a special Thanksgiving lunch at school.

Then, Thursday we headed down to Storm Lake for Big Overmohle Thanksgiving. Always a big crew!

And of course, the family tradition:

We were joined by my sister-in-law and my nephews, D and E. All the kids visited with Santa at the end and received a special book. Lucy wouldn't sit on his lap, but was more than willing to have a conversation. I couldn't hear much of what she was saying, but they chatted for awhile.

Afterwards, Grandma surprised them with some little mice she found in her pocket, just like the ones at Santa's Castle!

It was a very fun couple of days, and nice to be in my parents' house again. Looking forward to Christmas!



Cousins + Pancakes = Priceless

Cousins

Every time Lucy gets together with her cousins, we try to get a picture, and it is never easy. As you can tell, this past weekend was no different.

What's so interesting over there?

Something must be very funny...

Hey, this one isn't bad!

But it didn't last long...

Monkey see, Monkey do!

They couldn't sit still, but what do we expect? We'll try again, maybe with our niece E in the mix next time!

Christmas 2009 Tour: Iowa Stops

We finally got down to Iowa to celebrate Christmas with my family. Lucy and I drove down the morning of New Year's Eve, and Husband and Brandon caught up with us the evening of New Year's Day. The little bug and I had a good solid day with Grandma and Grandpa O., and on New Year's headed to Grandma White's to see a lot more family. Even though it wasn't the traditional Christmas Eve celebration, which got thwarted by snow this year along with everything else, it was a nice relaxing time and it was so nice to see everyone.

Lucy got to spend good quality time with her cousins (and I with my nephews), D and E. Two-year-old D liked to be around "Wucy" and would pat her head or get on the floor with her. E is 3 months younger than Lucy but catching up fast. He's a big kid too! I'll be anxious to see if he has a growth spurt like she did between 4 and 6 months.

We are also grateful for members of the Overmohle side of the family braving the cold and coming over to visit. Lucy gave a few coy smiles to her great-grandpa, and had fun with Great Aunt Beth and Great Uncle Bob, and cousins Shelby and Blake. I think Shelby had a good time too; she created this photo:

The best part though, was that all of my brothers and I, and their spouses, were "home" at the same time. That hasn't happened for quite awhile, and we had a nice little Christmas celebration of our own. The kids (big and small) were spoiled by Grandma and Grandpa, and it was a messy, jolly good time. It reminded me of Christmas when we were kids...paper flying everywhere, laughter, the light in the kids' eyes. I hope that happens many more times in the future.