Cruisin' with Hans

I've figured that this was possible for awhile and tonight Nathan figured out how to make it happen. I, of course, won't be able to do this on my own for three to six months but I'll keep trying to learn so we can include video clips every now and then. Our new camera takes great little movies so it's a feature we'd like to use more and more often.

Hans got this trike for his birthday last year from us and has increasingly gotten better and better on it. There is a nice smooth church parking lot around the corner that the boys love to peddle to and practice riding their bikes. This was taken Sunday afternoon in the driveway of our house.

Great Uncle Joel

One of the family members we got to see over the weekend was Nathan's Uncle Joel. (Joel is pastor in New Hampshire.) Since SD and NH aren't in the same neighborhood our kids haven't gotten to meet Aunt Jane and the cousins yet. One of these years we have to make it work to meet up in WI during the summer. Lydia was a little shy to start but enjoyed going through Joel's planner as he showed her pictures of his kids.

(Jane, I'm not trying to make you jealous but just sharing the picture. :)

Tweet, Tweet

While we at Heidtke's the boys learned of some baby robins in a tree in the front yard. After being reprimanded for throwing pine cones at them, the boys were happy to sit on the step and watch them with Professor and Mrs. Heidtke. We have baby birds in a birdhouse here but the boys were thrilled to get to actually see the birds. Neat-ooh! :)

dating age

We haven't yet extablished a dating age at our house but we're sure it''l be older than 3. Evan was escorting his Auntie Kristi over to MLC and looking like quite the little man. :)

The Graduate

Saturday we attended the Graduation and Call Service at MLC. Michael was assigned to be the 4-8 grade teacher and principal at the WELS school in Hopkins, Michigan. He pointed out that although in the opposite direction (of us and Matthew and Kristi) it keeps Mom and Dad in the middle making it easier for everyone to come home for holidays. We figure we have a new vacation destination. Fun, fun, fun.

Over all the two days were GREAT! We stayed at the ever hospitable Heidtke Hotel (aka Kristi's parents' house) which is just few blocks from MLC. We were able to walk to campus for all the events there. The Heidtkes helped host a graduation luncheon for Michael for the whole family and a fun collection of friends too. The kids thrived on the constant attention and lived though "church" twice in one day. We didn't get around to leaving until about 7pm CST since we couldn't leave without a round of disc golf with the party goers.

Maybe it is crazy to spend 37 hours away from home and about 15 of them in the van but we wouldn't have missed it for anything. CONGRATULATIONS MIKE!!! :)

Passing Time

Friday after attending our school track meet we headed to New Ulm for Nathan's brother Michael's graduation. This is how Lydia kept from being bored during the 7+ hour trip. :)

Checking out Cowboy Hill

For those of you who haven't been to Rapid City, there is a giant hill that runs through town. Many of you who have visited have been on top of part of it at Dinosaur Park. Across the "gap" (where the road runs) there is M Hill and beyond that Cowboy Hill.

Next Wednesday Nathan is planning on taking his class hiking there as part of an end for the year field trip. Last night the five of us did some scoping out of those hills. They are remarkably green right now and there are flowers in bloom all over the hike.

The first picture is facing east over looking town. Hans: "Oh, there is Rapid City!"

The second is over looking part of Cowboy Hill. One of the caches is located in the upper left hand corner of the picture.

In the third there was an old rusty barrel sitting in a patch of flowers that the boys needed to investigate. It made a pretty springtime picture.

Have a fabulous day! :)

peek-a-boo America

We fly our flag everyday and it must have been damp when Nathan brought it in the other evening because he didn't roll it up but hung it from our row of coat hooks. Lydia discovered that while sitting on the bench below the coat hooks she could play a great game of peek-a-boo. From us to you, peek-a-boo! :)

Springtime Fun

We have had a beautiful spring with enough rain to make everything green, green, green and enough sun to let us be outside almost everyday. There is a $5 hammock hanging from the clothesline posts at kid height. The kids love to climb in and push each other like it's another swing. Earlier this week all three of them were in the hammock and I was doing the pushing. Silly kids were laughing away. Can you see a family resemblance?

Then there is Lydia who is always trying to keep up with the boys. She can climb up onto the tricycle but her legs are about a foot to short to actually use it correctly. It certainly doesn't stop her from trying though. :)

Choo-Choo

Technically this is a train set but it's lacking the train so the kids use it to make a "city". Many of our matchbox cars fit the track so we have roads in stead of rainroad tracks. We also have a few matchbox airplanes which were causing a problem: we were lacking an airport. A small piece of cardboard with a runway drawn on solved the problem. This occupied the kids for hours last week when we had a few dreary days in a row and they were stuck inside.

Centennial Trail Cache

The last weekend in April we headed to the Centennial Trail for the first time. Nathan had (of course) found a geocache along the trail. After we located the cache Evan was thrilled to get to be the one to uncover it and pull it out of the crevice in the rocks. Lydia's favorite part was when she was out of the backpack and discovered she can climb up cattle gates. She thinks she's BIG stuff. It was a lovely foretaste of summer with clear blue skies and temps in the mid 80s. Ah, are we looking forward to that! :)