FIELD DAYS

Tuesday was Field Days at Jake's school. I volunteered to help set up, do crowd control for Jake's class & pass out Bomb Pops after the kids were done playing their games. Allie helped me do it all & was really good throughout the whole ordeal, in spite of the heat! She got to try out the games to ensure that they worked once they were set up. The games were done by 6th grade students & several of the girls know Allie pretty well from other volunteer things we've done, so she was on cloud 9 with all of the attention.

Tomorrow is the last day of school...I can hardly believe that Jake will be a 2nd grader & Allie will start Kindergarten. Where did the time go?? We are looking forward to a full summer...lots of time will be spent at the waterpark. Jake is playing baseball this summer & has a couple of Scout camps to attend. Allie is playing t-ball & preparing for her dance recital in June. We have a couple of weddings on the calendar as well. I'm guessing that school will be starting again before I know what hits me!

Jake tries out "Plunger Ball"
Allie & Ben work together during a relay race.
Jake balances a tennis ball while running.
Jake & Emily try not to drop their ball.

LONG WEEKEND

Scott was off during the long Memorial Day weekend, so we accomplished a lot over those 4 days!

On Friday, I finished up the Talent Show. It was a fantastic show, no glitches & TONS of fun. The teachers even complimented the committee for a great show! On Friday night, we went to a friend's house to grill out. The kids played baseball in the back yard and had a great time.

On Saturday, we got up bright & early to head to visit my family. Scott, Jake & Michael went golfing for the day. The rest of us went to Will's girlfriend (Anne) graduation party. After the party, we went back to my parent's house for some R&R. That evening we went to the Pierce's house and joined them & the Ericksen's for pizza. The kids (& Scott & Gopher) ran like crazy people in the back yard playing Freeze Tag & Ghost in the Graveyard. I'm not sure who had the most fun!!

On Sunday, we left early and went to Williamsburg for some shopping. It was a successful trip & we have the bags upon bags of stuff to prove it!! Once we got home, we decided to go see Shrek the Third & to try out dinner at a new Mongolian restaurant, which was great.

On Monday, Scott played with his new power washer & got our deck, patio furniture & grill shining. I worked inside all day cleaning & catching up on laundry. After Scott grilled out for dinner, we finally sat down & watched a little TV.

School is out this week. We had Field Days yesterday, a picnic & end of the year performance on Friday. On Thursday, we have a summer kick off party. On Saturday, Jake has a Twilight Camp & then we are into the next week, which appears to be filling up quickly!! Our summer looks to be full of tons of fun things...

This group was called the "Chicks with the Flips"...Jake thought that they should join the Olympics! This group did the Cha Cha Slide & was a crowd favorite!
This group of 4th graders danced to Thriller & it was AWESOME...
These boys danced to KC & the Sunshine Band's "Boogie Shoes".
Here are the Pierce & Ericksen kids with our kids. (l-r Allie, Grace, Jake, Ethan, Andrew & Isabelle).

THE CHICKS ARE HERE, THE CHICKS ARE HERE!!!!!!!!

Jake's classroom had an incubator & eggs in it for the past 20 some days. On Wednesday morning, the kids came to school & found 15 new baby chicks had hatched. The chicks will live in the classroom until tomorrow & then be taken off to a local farm.

SURFIN' USA WAS A HIT

Jake's group performed this morning in the Talent Show. They did AWESOME!! They were definitely a crowd favorite. Jake told me this afternoon that he had 2nd & 3rd graders stop him & tell him that they did great. The group is already looking forward to next year's act!

Mandy, Maddie, Ben & Kim came up to see Jake's performance. The cousins played really well together. Allie was really sorry to see them go.

RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY

On Wednesday, we had a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Phase 1 of our new playground at school. To see it all come together after years of planning & fundraising was pretty amazing. Jake got to be one of the 10 kids holding the ribbon (due to my fundraising efforts & Scott's installation help). Now it is on to Phase II....

Jake is on the far left end holding the ribbon. The rest of the kids are ones who had parents involved in the planning, fundraising or installation of the playground. Part of the new playground is in the background.
Jake is on the left end. He is chatting with his friend!
Here is our group by the National Program for Playground Safety sign. That group worked closely with us to help us decide on the safest equipment for our kids.

SCOUT PICNIC

On Sunday, we had our last den meeting for Tiger Scouts. We handed out awards, had a picnic & let the 14 Scout (& their families) play games in the yard. Next year, I'm leading a Wolf den. We split the den in half so I will just have 7 boys, which will be much easier.

CATCHING UP

I have done quite a bit of subbing over the last month. I enjoy it so much, so hopefully next year I can either continue to sub or get a job!

We held our annual garage sale on Saturday. I got rid of TONS of stuff & made a little money. The kids LOVE garage sale day. They get to run pretty freely, watch TV, eat snacks & do what they want (within reason). They were exhausted that night. I went out to dinner with some friends on Saturday night & when I got home at about 10:30, the kids AND Scott were sound asleep in chairs & on the couch with a movie in the DVD player. It looked like a rough night!

The Hansen Talent Show is on Thursday & Friday this week. I have a ton of running to do to be sure all is ready. Jake's act performs on Thursday & he's really excited. We are having practice tonight here & again on Wednesday once we get the stage set up. Kim, Mandy, Maddie & Ben are coming on Wednesday & will stay for the show on Thursday.

NICK'S PARTY

Jake was invited to his friend Nick's party. It was at the Wellness Center & the kids had the ENTIRE pool to themselves. Nick invited 8 other kids & since the pool was their's all alone, he said that siblings could come too. Allie & Jake were exhausted when they were done!

MOTHER'S DAY

Allie & I went to Cedar Rapids to spend a girl's only Mother's Day together along with my mom, sister & niece. We had lunch & went shopping. It was a ton of fun & may have to be our new tradition. While we were gone, Jake & Scott made "meat" for breakfast & played golf...sounded like a manly kind of day!

Jake made me a clay bowl in art class. He also wrote me a very cute note, I will treasure it always. Allie made me some flowers at preschool, again a keeper. All in all a great day.

WOLF SCOUT

Jacob is no longer a Tiger Scout. He graduated to Wolf Scout on Monday night. They had a cute little bridge ceremony where he walked over & became a Wolf. I thought maybe he would say that he was done with Scouts after this year (I hoped)....he has decided to try it again next year...guess who the leader is AGAIN??? When will I learn to say "no"????

Here is a picture of Jake holding Maddie from this weekend...I can't get enough of her (neither can Jake).

Jake, Ben & Allie enjoy some popcorn at Nana & Papa's house. They had a sleep over & loved EVERY minute of it!

KIM'S SHOWER & BACHELORETTE PARTY


Allie & I went to another shower for Kim this weekend. Her sister & aunts threw her a great shower. She got tons of awesome gifts & we had a good time.


Mom & I went to dinner on Saturday night with Kim & her friends/family for her bachelorette party. We went home before the bus came to pick up the party goers...I bet that they had fun!! I am dying to hear stories!

It is just over a month until Kim is officially my sister in law & I can't wait.


Kim opens a gift at her shower.

Kim is all ready for a night on the town.

SOCCER SEASON

Another soccer season has come to an end. The kids were sad to see it end, I on the other hand, was NOT sad!

Allie will play Rec Center soccer again in the Fall & next Spring. That only entails going to soccer 2 days a week for one hour each time. This lasts 3 weeks. Games & practices are both held in that hour time frame. Not too much of a commitment.

Jake wants to play for the more competitive league and in a moment of weakness, I agreed. He will have practices 2 times a week and games every Saturday. This will last for 6-7 weeks in both the Fall and Spring. UGH!!

Allie gets into the game & has control of the ball.

Jake is ready for the ball?!?

Allie looks like a soccer player! Jake's soccer look.

WEEKEND

On Friday night, the kids and I went to Family Fun Night at Jake's school. The kids got to play games in the gym, then swim in the pool and have supper too. There were tons of families there & the kids loved it.

On Saturday morning, we got up early and drove to Mandy's house to spend the day with her & the kids. We took the older kids (Jake, Allie & Ben) to Nana's house so that Mandy & I could have lunch & run some errands. Maddie came with us & she was PERFECT! After our errands, we went to Mom's for dinner & playing. It was tons of fun.

This afternoon, Jake went to his friend Ben's house to have a water gun fight & play on the slip & slide. Jake is BEAT tonight!



Jake, Ben & Allie blowing bubbles from the top of Nana's swing set.
Ben, Jake & Allie having their favorite (& Papa's too) Push Ups.

Jake, Maddie, Ben & Allie pose for their 1st "grandkids" picture.

BEACH DAY

It was "Beach Day" at Jake's school on Friday. The entire school dressed in their beach attire. During lunch, they sat on beach towels and ate sack lunches. There was lots of fun music blaring too. A lot of the kids were dancing around as they finished their lunches. It was a riot!

KINDERGARTEN VISITATION DAY


Allie went to Kindergarten for about an hour or so this afternoon. She got to go to each of the 3 Kindergarten classrooms and meet all of the teachers. She did a project or played a game in each room. She had a fantastic time & is SO ready to go next year.

The picture is of Allie & her friend Olivia. It was raining so this was all I got.

ART SHOW

St. Pat's had an "Art Show" tonight. Every student at St. Pat's and Clover Patch did a drawing or another piece of art. They had a local financial center display the art in a gallery type format. They had students playing music and they had cheese and crackers to munch on. Allie did a marble painting that turned out very cute. I may have to find a frame for it to be hung up in my house permanently!

SLUMBER PARTY...KINDA...

Jake & Allie have been begging to have a slumber party in one of their new beds. So, Saturday night they conspired and ended up asleep in Jake's bed. Next week, it is Allie's turn.

HOSPITAL TOURS

We went on a tour of hospitals today. We stopped first and saw Scott's step father who is recovering from surgery. He is doing well and going home tomorrow.

We then went to visit the newest member of our family, Maddie. She is so pretty! I can't wait until next weekend when we can spend more time with her. I forgot my camera so here is a picture that my mom shared.

MISS MADDIE HAS ARRIVED

Madeline (Maddie) Terese Thiel arrived tonight at 7:12 p.m. She weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. Mama & babe are doing great! Mandy arrived at the hospital at 5:30 & she was here in about 1.5 hours. Yeah for a quick delivery!!

Look for some pictures tomorrow night after we visit her in the hospital.

IT'S TIME...

Mandy is officially in the hospital as I type this. Mom called awhile ago & she is dilated to a "5" & waiting on her epidural. So, hopefully the rest goes quickly & Miss Maddie will make her grand enterance soon! We can't wait to meet her, hopefully tomorrow!

QUICK UPDATE

Jake's group tried out for the Talent Show yesterday. So far, they are probably one of the best groups to try out.

The kids had soccer on Tuesday and both did well. We go again tonight.

My sister Mandy is due to have baby Maddie anyday now. I put in my request for her to deliver tomorrow so I can come visit my new niece this weekend. Mandy is doing her best for me :)

My nephew Ben is 3 today. My kids always call Ben on his birthday and sing the b-day song into the phone. So, at 7:00 this morning, we tried to do that...they were already off to work & the babysitter. We'll catch them tonight!

Walt's surgery went well yesterday & he is recovering now. Scott left here at 4:00 a.m. to get to the hospital, he didn't return home until almost 7:00 last night. Needless to say he was beat! I didn't get a lot of information out of him, maybe tonight??

ANOTHER WEEK

Another week has flown by, so I'll attempt to recap what has gone on here since my last post.

Last Wednesday, we got about 4 inches of snow. Just enough to let school out early & cancel all evening activities! We still held Talent Show practice for our group, it just started early and since none of the moms had anywhere that they had to be that night, we let the kids play later than usual.

On Thursday, we were all geared up for soccer and that had to be cancelled due to the snow on the ground. The kids were disappointed.

Friday brought sleepovers. Jake rode the bus home with his friend Adam. Adam's dad took Jake, Paul & Adam to the hockey game that night and then the boys slept over. Judging by Jake's mood on Saturday, I'd guess there wasn't much sleeping involved! Allie had her friend Jordyn spend the night on Friday night. They watched videos and played so well together.

Saturday, we spent the day recovering from the sleepovers (we were all tired & a bit crabby). We had a Scouting event at Panera that afternoon and the kids learned to make their own bagels. That night we settled in for family movie night (Narnia) but we all dozed in the chairs!

We spent Sunday running errands. We found Jake a new double bed and bedding. We also got a ceiling fan for his room (it isn't installed yet). His room is coming together nicely. Hopefully, today or tomorrow I can get it all in order.

Last night, Allie had her ballet pictures and we went to Texas Roadhouse for a fundraiser night for our school. The kids had a great time seeing their friends and teachers out.

I have spent the past few days subbing. I've been working one on one with a great kid. Talent Show auditions started yesterday and go for 2 weeks. Jake's group has their audition tomorrow. They can't wait.

Scott's step-father, Walt is having open heart surgery tomorrow. Say an extra prayer that everything goes well. Scott, his siblings and step siblings will be at the hospital tomorrow waiting.

The pictures are of Jake in the snow last week. Who gets snow in April?? Allie & Jordyn watching a movie during the sleepover. Makenna & Jake during Talent Show practice last week.

EASTER

We spend most of Easter Sunday in the car traveling home from Kansas City. We did stop at McDonald's in Missouri for an Easter lunch and we ordered Pizza Hut for our Easter dinner. Not the traditional Easter meals, but we were exhausted from traveling!

The Easter bunny left the kids chocolate bunnies at the hotel & a note telling them that their baskets & eggs were at home. When we got home their were eggs hidden & baskets that were filled to the brim. We had a quick egg hunt & all crashed for the evening!


We still haven't colored our eggs yet. Maybe this weekend?? Better late than never!

SWIMMING, A B-DAY BASH & A WEDDING

We went to Kansas City for Scott's sister Kelley's wedding this past weekend. The kids enjoyed swimming on Friday night...we had the whole pool to ourselves, which was cool!

On Saturday, we celebrated Alex's 8th birthday (Scott's sister Tracy's son). It is hard to believe that he is already 8!!

Kelley & Mike's wedding was beautiful. The kids enjoyed dancing and playing with their cousins. Allie really enjoyed meeting Mike's daughter Francesca, they hit it off immediately & she's been asking every day when she gets to see her new cousin again!