sneak peak

Okay, this picture is on our Christmas card (which I think will actually get out before Christmas this year...), but it is so cute I had to post it too...

All I want for Christmas is...

An attached garage...

We are beginning to experience our first IL winter... First, on the 1st, an ice storm that knocked out our power for about 4 hours. We had fun in the candlelight though, and Pizza Hut even delivered. Then, last week, we got some snow and it has stuck. Its beautiful, and I don't really mind the cold, or bundling the kids up a bit. But I do mind our long trek to the van...

Let me share with you my fun Friday morning... So, I'm supposed to be at the church at 9 AM for Mom2Mom... I'm already running late because all the kids slept in (imagine that)... but its not too bad. I get everyone ready, and then take Caleb and Aidan out to the van, trudging through the snow. Mind you, last weekend, our automatic door on the van broke (the one we load the kids through), and its not just normal manual opening now, but extremely hard, put all your weight into it while grasping the freezing handle, hard. Anyways, I get them in, and then go around to the other door to buckle Caleb, and that door is stuck. Won't even budge. Frozen shut. Well, I decide that I'm going to pull up closer to our back door to get the twins, who are still in their seats in the kitchen. I park closer, run into the house (going up and down the icy 5 steps), get the babies, and head back to the van. I have to put them in through the one door, and buckle Caleb from there, which is an acrobatic feat. Finally I get everyone settled, and I go to pull out, and the van is stuck in the snow. It won't move. Meanwhile, kids are screaming, I feel like screaming... I call Weston, he comes home. He pushes the door, it opens fine. He pushes a little button (TCS), which I hadn't even noticed before, and the van backs right out. Ugh. I get to church about 45 minutes late, but it's chocolate fountain day... so its all good once again.

P.S. Weston figured it out and fixed the other door too! Hooray, my hero!

so smart...

We had our first "Parent-Teacher Conference" for Caleb's preschool. I was so excited! It felt wierd to be on the parent side of the table for the first time... Anyway, he is doing really well. Ms. Graves (who we know from church) said that he is doing excellent in all areas for a 3 year old (He's the youngest in his class). We got a report card type form, but its pretty basic since its just preschool. The one area he got the highest 'adjective' for was his gross motor skills, which if you know Caleb, makes sense. He knows his letters (including many of their sounds, they use jolly phonics), his numbers, shapes, colors, can write his name pretty legibly, can count to 30 (for the most part) and so on. He's pretty squirrely, but follows rules and listens very well. We were also glad to hear that he doesn't whine in class, or let himself get pushed around by the other kids. Anyways, it was very fun to begin this part of our parenting journey.

Hope I don't sound like I'm bragging too much... He's not a whiz kid by any means, and we always will be more concerned with his character/spiritual development than his academic... But we are proud of the little guy!

One cute thing he said recently... somehow the number ten came up in our conversation, and he thought for awhile and said, "that's my both hands number!".

Helmet?

As many of you know, we've been concerned about the flatness of Ethan's head for awhile now. Our pediatrician diagnosed it as a moderate case of plagiocephaly, which is fairly common, esp. in multiples (due to cramped quarters in the womb). Well, our ped. in CA and our new one here, seem to lean to the, "you probably don't need a helmet, it might get better, and its not too bad" camp. But, they did agree there is ear misalignment, and a bit of forehead protrusion. (that sounds ogre-ish, doesn't it?)

We decided to see a specialist (pediatric plastic surgeon), and saw him 2 weeks ago. We hoped he'd have a stronger leaning one way or the other. But no, he was pretty much in the middle also. Basically, its your decision, he said. It might get better, and it might not. But now is the last window of opportunity if we wanted to proceed with the helmet.

We decided to proceed with the next step, an appt. with an orthopedic doc. to do a 'scan'. Hopefully we can find out if our insurance will cover any of it.

He'd have to wear it 23 hours a day for 3-4 months. I think they are kinda cute, and I'm not worried about that. I know he'll never look back at pictures and ask why we did that to him, but he might cry over being made fun of some day for a flat head, and I'll know we could've helped prevent that... Esp. being a boy, and not super thick hair endowed.

You'd definitely be able to tell them apart! (What if after the treatment, Ethan ends up with a better shaped head than Kellan? yikes)

Anyway, pray for us and our decision making. They couldn't fit us in until Dec. 13th. We will see!

So incredibly thankful...

We are amazed with the countless blessings in our lives... Often we reflect on how good God is to us, but on Thanksgiving it seems even more glaringly apparent. We are truly thankful for all the extras He has shared with us, but we do know that its His grace, first and foremost, for which we are to be thankful. His grace is sufficient for us...



Here's our wacky family on Thanksgiving... Complete with Caleb and his 'pink eye'.

We have crawlers! 7 3/4 months.

Who would've guessed that they would start crawling on the exact same day? They'd been so close for awhile now. We knew it was just a matter of time. This morning when I put them down on the floor in the living room, they seemed to just get it, and off they went, after whatever they were most interested in at the moment. Kellan combined regular crawling with army crawling here and there the first couple days, but by day 3 (today), they are both regular crawling all over the place. Fun for me, eh?

Aidan crawled at 7 1/2 months, and Caleb was more like 9 3/4 months. Hmm...

Here comes winter...

We got our first real IL snow on Sunday afternoon after church. It was beautiful! The boys were very excited, but I think Weston was the most excited! After church, we noticed the first tiny flakes falling, and Caleb was amused when one landed on his nose. Once we got home, we opened all the curtains and watched it fall heavily as we ate our warm lunch, and then we bundled up Caleb and Aidan to play in it for a bit. Even Kellan and Ethan seemed to enjoy watching it fall as they looked out the window. Very fun! It melted off a few hours later, but I'm sure its just a taste of what's to come.

Riding the bus...

Caleb was very excited to finally get to ride the bus to school. Enjoy the pics!

Ouchies today...

First, Aidan fell outside, whacking his mouth good on the back stairs/and or concrete. Bleeding mouth, swelling, etc...

About 30 minutes later, Caleb fell inside, on the hardwood floor. Bleeding mouth, and very fat lip.

Yikes...

deep question

Yesterday Caleb was playing in the living room as Daddy was on the computer. All of a sudden, Caleb bounces over to Weston and asks, "Daddy, are toys real or pretend?" Deep question for a 3 year old!

Today he was singing "Our God is an Awesome God" in the minivan. So adorable, but we were amazed as neither of us has ever taught him that song. He said he learned it at church. So cute!

Here was Aidan last night as he went to bed. "Good night Robots", "Goodnight Light Saber", "I'll miss you". :)

and not to leave the twins out... Weston walked into the living room at one point today and noticed Kellan playing with/chewing on a light saber, and Ethan doing the same with a transformer. He commented, "that's my boys!"

Jumping Beans

We finally got the "Johnny Jumpers" set up for the twins. They wouldn't fit over the wide wood moulding, so we weren't sure just how to go about it. But, their brillant Aunt Robin noticed a place in one of the double door frames to set a dowel or rod (someone had already attached the holders). So we did, and now they can both jump together! So cute, and so fun... especially when their big brothers push them like swings...

Awana Cubbies

Caleb has been doing great in Awana Cubbies every Wednesday night. He's done a great job memorizing his verses. Last night he got his vest, and his first patches. So very cute! Had to share a picture. He's on the green team if you didn't notice.

First experience of a real fall... so beautiful!

The weather has been amazing! Clear blue skies with lots of sunshine, but a crispness to the chilly air, and beautiful colors everywhere you look. Wow. This picture doesn't do it justice, but you get a small taste.

"I'm not smart, I'm Jango Fett"

Just a fun title to catch your attention. Caleb said this last night to us and it made us laugh so hard. We we're attempting to build him up for his first day of preschool today. We told him he was so smart, and he replied with that. He said it with a smirk too, knowing it was funny. For those of you who didn't catch it, its a Star Wars reference.

Anyways, he, and I , survived his first day today. He cried, but they said not for too long. His teacher reported that he loved the computer, was very smart, and wouldn't paint".

Norman Rockwell Halloween

What an absolutely fun night to be a parent of small children! We had a blast dressing them up (thematically, from Toy Story), and parading them around as they walked around in awe of being in costume, seeing everyone else in costume (Caleb was particularly enamored by a homemade Jengofet (sp?) costume he saw at church), and loving that everyone was just handing them candy for being cute...

We first went to the "trunk or treat" at Bethel, which was well attended and tons of fun. And then we even had time to stroll down our cute little street, with the kids kicking piles of beautiful fall leaves as they went from house to house, meeting super-friendly neighbors. It was a blast.

Enjoy a few pictures... Caleb as "Woody", Aidan as "Buzz" and the twins as LGM's (Little Green Men)

"Frost"ing

So cute, I had to jot it down.

It has been getting pretty cold at night... below freezing in fact, and this morning, as we were walking to the van to load up to head to church for bible study, I pointed out all the frost on the grass to Caleb and Aidan. Caleb didn't really understand, so I stopped, and picked a blade of grass and let him look closer at it, and feel the little ice crystals... When we returned home later in the afternooon, he commented, 'hey, the frosting is all gone!'. So cute!

I also love the way he says 'this day' instead of 'today'. He's starting to get the concept of different days of the week, and anticipating when certain things will occur, and he gets very excited when he clarifies that something will be happening 'this day'.

Lately he has also gotten very clever with when to change his wording, attitude, tone of voice, etc, to make a request. He's learned that he's much more likely to get what he wants when he takes all those factors into consideration. On one hand, I feel scared he's becoming a little manipulator, but on the other, he's learning some important life skills. For example, "mommy, since I took a good nap and cleaned up my cars, do you think it would be a good idea for me to have a piece of Halloween candy?" (okay maybe not a word for word quote, but you get the gist.

our duplex

Finally got around to taking/posting pictures of it for those of you interested in seeing what it looks like. Here's the front and back, with two little munchkins peeking out the window. It has been treating us pretty well lately. We're getting used to it being 'home'. Still would love to find just the right house that could really be home though...

First Trip to the Dentist

I know, I know... it's been forever...

Today Caleb had a big day. I've been wanting to get him into preschool, and late last week I found out there is a good chance that he will be able to get into Headstart. They take some over-income families, and told us to go ahead with all the paperwork, and they will let us know when a spot opens up. Its great because it's free, and they even provide bus transporation. I'm a little anxious because its four days a week, 3.5 hours a day. And I'd been really praying about preschool decisions, and I feel that if God is going to provide a chance for him to go here, we should at least give it our best shot.
Anyways, they require many different things, like a dentist check, TB test, etc. So, today we headed to the dentist for the first time. I'd talked through the experience so much, Caleb was actually super excited to go. And, he did great! Granted, all she did was look in his mouth with a mirror thing, but still. I was very proud! (We'll see how brave mommy is next week for her appt., I hate the dentist!) Later, he had a doctor physical also, which concluded with a flu shot, TB test, and urinanalysis. He is quite the trooper!

Firefighters to the rescue...

with pizza! How's this for a fun small town thing... For "Fire Safety Awareness Month", firefighters delivered pizzas tonight. Here's how it worked. We called and ordered a pizza from a local pizza place, and an awesome FIRE TRUCK delivered it to our house with lights ablaze. The firefighters also brought goody bags for the boys, plus fire hats, and, they checked our smoke alarms. Since one was working, our pizza was FREE, and, they replaced and installed a new one upstairs since ours was a little 'touchy'. Caleb and Aidan were pretty enthralled, but who wouldn't be? Just another fun perk of living in a family friendly small town...

quick pics

So tired... busy last few days... here are some quick pictures from Saturday. Caleb riding a horse and he and Aidan with the pumpkins they picked out. And one of the twins; sharing a toy... More later, I hope...

Another reason God gave us twins...

Caleb and Aidan are at the stage where they are 'working really hard' at learning to share things. We're trying to encourage fair play, but also avoid the battles often by making sure we get 2 of certain toys, etc. Aidan has to do whatever Caleb is doing...

Anyways, the other day we observed this scene: Caleb was playing with one of the twins, who was in an activity center/walker thingy. (He loves playing with them lately because he's figured out that they are a captive audience to his silly antics, and they will laugh and laugh at him!) Well, Aidan wanted to join in, so he toddles over like only Aidan can (he winds up to run like a little cartoon man), and starts trying to be silly in his own little way. Caleb got annoyed left that baby and went over to the other twin. Aidan just followed. So Caleb told him in a rather frustrated voice, "no, I'm playing with this twin. You can go play with the other one." And he did. Thank you God for giving us two little babies to distribute to our other boys who have trouble sharing!

Here's a picture of Caleb entertaining his fans...

A bit overwhelmed...

We are settling in slowly. Now that Weston has officially started, its been hard to get much more done around the house. I try to do a bit during naps, and some after the kids are asleep, but its tough. He had yesterday off, and that was a very nice relief. He has been working a lot of hours and taking the van, so the boys and I have been going a little stir crazy. To top it off, Aidan has extremely bad diaper rash and an upset tummy, making it pretty much impossible to change his diaper (which he needs often) alone. That's been fun. We're all a bit overwhelmed this week, but realize its a natural part of the process. Glad tomorrow is Saturday.

We did bring the kitchen island, and it helps a LOT! Sometimes I feel the house is not too bad (and actually love parts of it), and other times I want to cry. The only mirror we currently have is on the stairs, as the one in the medicine cabinet fell out and shattered everywhere yesterday. (I think it was about as old as the house anyways, you couldn't see very clearly in it). Plus, the bathrooms tiles on the wall the surround the big claw footed bathtub semi-converted into a shower, have been falling off, little by little.

We did finally find a dining table I love at a store last week. It will take a few weeks to get here, but I'm excited none-the-less.

We might be looking at a house tomorrow. Its fun to drive around the numerous nice streets and look for 'for sale' signs. Its discouraging to think that we could buy a dream house for $250,000 but that is way out of our price range. (I know that is unfathomable to you Californians). Something will turn up, I know. It would just be so much more comforting to have the CA house sell (as I paid both that mortgage and our rent today, yikes).

Caleb went to Awana on Wed. night... and cried. They had to bring him to me, but since I was free I asked if I could just hang out there with him, and he did okay. Not sure if that will be more or less detrimental... He told daddy afterwards that he cried because he loved mommy and missed her and wanted her. I relayed back to him that he couldn't cry next week, and he said, 'but if I do, you'll come'. Gulp. Also, he was awfully squirrelly... but the 3 year olds are mixed in with th 4 year olds so maybe that was partially what made him seem so immature? sigh... Can't wait until he gets to wear that cute little vest though... Still trying to figure out a possible two day a week half day preschool for him. But we also have to find doctors and get that all set up first.
On a positive note, the YMCA here looks great! There is even a pastor's discount... and one cost per family with free childcare! I think we will be joining.

Still on the lookout for another car... We'd love a truck, but now are thinking of maybe just trying to find a cheap car to not have a payment... But, our super nice neighbors actually loaned us one of theirs for the weekend since they are headed out of town.

I know this was a lot of venting... I'm sorry that I needed to get some of it out. I do love it here, and its beautiful. (We get to watch squirrels and bunny rabbits in our backyard everyday, and Caleb has seen some fireflies!) Its just the hard transition period that I tried to gear up for, but knew it was going to be difficult. Probably still my crazy post-pregnancy hormones as well, since my emotions are all over the place.

Hey, milk is more expensive here, crazy, eh?

Other updates: The twins are 6 months old now!!! They can sit up for short periods, and kind of "scoot" around. Doing a bit better eating rice cereal, but still not too fond of the idea. Aidan's vocabulary is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds, although he's picked up Caleb's bad habit of asking 'why?' all the time. He's 19 months old and when I tell him something, he retorts back with "why?". On the other hand, he's also learning to respond with "yes mam". And that, coming out of his sweet little mouth, almost evens it out. I've been trying to fit in some "learning" time with Caleb, and he is doing great! I can't believe his attention span! We've been working on numbers, and his Awana verses. He's amazing. Silly trains have still been freaking him out at night though... He's also on a "Transformers" kick, as Grandma Joy got him one for the trip, and he's a whiz at 'transforming' it. I can see how parents can so easily spoil their kids as we are tempted to go buy him more! ...Yesterday I told him at one point what a sweetheart he was, and he looked at me very concerned-like and said, 'but I'm not a heart". He said something else super cute today, that I was going to remember to blog, but now I can't think of it...

Bunk Bed Babies

Here are two quick pictures so you can visualize the twins' cool new beds.

Pod #2

Pod #2 was delivered yesterday, and unloaded today, with the help of many Bethel friends. It was a bit discouraging, as the downstairs was almost looking in order this morning, and now there are boxes around again. And where to put everything? We are so thankful for the big basement. Weston did a great job organizing that with our many boxes that we don't need access to. Caleb and Aidan were very happy to see their outdoor toys get unloaded. I was very happy to find my muffin tins (I wanted to make muffins with Caleb for a neighbor, but couldn't because I hadn't unpacked those yet). The only thing that won't fit anywhere is our soft tub spa; but one of the elders at Bethel has offered some storage.

We found another fun park where we had a picnic for dinner. It was so cute when we arrived and Aidan said, from the backseat clear as a bell, "we're here, yay!" (and then proceeded to clap) His vocabulary and enunciation are growing by leaps and bounds. The twins were adorable swinging back to back in the baby swing. They loved it too.

We got our double decker crib set up and they slept in it for the first time last night. I was a little sad to seperate them, but they need more room now.

I did make it to Mom2Mom yesterday, and it was great. (I'm starting to think, and have been advised, that the boys' allergies are just a reaction to the air here at 'harvest time' and its not a cold after all.) I'm so excited at the many things this church has to offer.

Weston's dad rolled through town yesterday, on his way back to PA from WA. We went out to a good Mexican restaraunt for lunch (yes they have those here!). It was good to see him, but will be even better when he can come back for a longer visit.

Weston's first "official" day

meant my first day home with all 4 for 8+ hours in a long time! I did have Michelle Kendall come help for awhile. She played with Caleb in the backyard (and they found a dead garden snake) while the other 3 were napping so I could do some more unpacking.

We survived just fine, and then went to a park after daddy got home.

I'm hoping to go to the Mom's Bible Study tomorrow, but Caleb and Aidan are a bit sick, so we'll see.

Here's a quick pic that shows off some of the beautiful woodwork in our house!

we have been blown away

by the warm welcome and friendly outpouring of support here in Galesburg. For example, Weston happened to mention at high school bible study last night that we were miserable from the heat... Well, this morning there was a knock on the door, and someone was there with two fans to loan us. A few hours later someone else brought another one. Tonight at church, we were informed that another friend was finding a wall unit cooler for us to borrow. Amazing! (get my blog title pun now?)

We've also had so much help and needs met in other areas as well. Tonight we had dinner with a neighbor, an older couple with 5 grown children of their own. They are new attenders at Bethel (though long time believers). Super nice people, who welcomed us into our home in spite of our 4 misbehaving children (you should've seen the mess Aidan made at dinner...)

Tonight was Junior High Youth Group and also Awana. I was SO excited to take Caleb... I've been looking forward to it since way before he was ever born! It was just a kick-off night, with pizza and carnival games, but neat all the same. What wasn't neat was that Aidan has a runny nose, so I didn't want to take him to the nursery. It was crazy hard trying to corral that guy and attempt to help Caleb participate.

Here are some recent pictures that really don't have to do with anything I've written about, but are fun all the same. They are from last night when I gave all 4 boys a bath while Weston was at bible study... It should be an Olympic Event.

Firsts...

As some of you know, I was waiting to introduce rice cereal to the twins until we were here. They are 5 1/2 months. It is recommended to start solids between 4 and 6 months. With Caleb, we were so excited we started the very day he turned 4 months. Aidan was about 4 1/2 months. Poor Kellan and Ethan... I waited almost as long as I could. I just didn't want to deal with the hassle of baby food on a cross country road trip. (Our pediatrician confirmed it was fine, and my chunky monkeys obviously weren't lacking in sustenance.)

So we put Ethan in the new high chair (hey, he's 2 minutes older, he has to have some privileges, right?), and got out the cereal. He LOVED it! He was opening his mouth wide and diving towards the spoon. He did pretty well too!

Kellan, on the other hand, gave us a look that said, "what in the world are you guys trying to do to me?". He was not as fond of the experience as his brother, but he'll learn to love it in time, I'm sure. (Unless he turns out more like Caleb, who still eats like a bird.)

Enjoy the pics... By the way, we discovered Ethan's first tooth about 2 days before we got to Galesburg, and Kellan's today!!! Bottom right for Ethan, bottom left for Kellan. Could they be mirror image twins? Time will tell... :)

Starting to Settle In

Spirits are much better as of today. We had a great day at church yesterday, and especially at youth group last night. Being with the staff and students was just what I needed. Weston and I also decided to nap along with all the boys yesterday and we all ended up sleeping for 3 1/2 hours! I guess we needed it.

We worked for a couple hours last night, and quite a bit today, and made a lot of headway. There is still a lot to do, but it feels much more surmountable. We also got the internet set up (hooray), and all the utilities transferred to our name. Two new friends came by this afternoon to help me unpack/organize all the kitchen items. They were a huge help, and the storage issue there doesn't even seem as bad as I first thought. We even made time for a very pleasant walk down our beautiful street as a family tonight.

The boys all did well today... Caleb had a rough time in his new Sunday School class yesterday, but hopefully will adjust. He also woke up last night and spent most of the night in our bed...

Oh yeah... when we arrived here it was pretty cold... a little scary... But today, it is REALLY hot! Weston is really missing his A/C.

By the way, I just realized that the title of our blog; Our Incredible Journey, kind of sounds like I meant this trip/move... but I named it this a ways back, referring to the incredible journey of our life, the amazing trip God is taking us on! :)

Pod Race

It’s 10:30pm and Caleb is still awake… We put him down about two hours ago, but he keeps getting up or crying out… Its frustrating because we are trying to get things done in our precious ‘kid free’ time, but it’s also heart wrenching because part of it is that he doesn’t feel 100%, and a bigger part of it is the new surroundings and all the changes I’m sure. Part of us wants to spank him, and part of us wants to give in to whatever he wants and just hold him close… It was rather funny though this last time he came to the top of the stairs, with his hands covering his ears, “the trains are waking me up”, he says. He’s right, there are a lot of train whistles as constant background noise. I suppose you get used to it.
Today we had many AMAZING people from Bethel come and help us unload the POD. (and I’m not just saying that now that I know some of them have been keeping up with this blog J) They got the whole thing unloaded in a little over an hour. The fridge is working, the washer and dryer are ready in the basement. We were brought some groceries, and muffins, and even baby clothes by the nicest lady (Deb),who actually took Aidan off our hands for a few hours. She said she’s known for being a compulsive clearance rack baby clothes shopper. Awesome! J
We did a big trip to the store in the late afternoon for some needed things; vacuum, broom, cleaning supplies, etc. Its amazing how quickly it all adds up…
We are overwhelmingly surrounded by boxes, and so much to do. But it will get done… with a song in our hearts. Pray for amazing organizational techniques and discernment of what we really “need” for these next few months, and what we can pack back away in the basement.
By the way, I’ll try to keep up with this, but we don’t have access to the internet yet… unless we stand in just the right spot in the house…

Giddy in Galesburg!

We are here! We made it!
Today’s drive didn’t seem too bad, probably because of our excitement. We got into town about 4:30pm, stopped by the Visitor’s Center for a picture with the “big chair”, because it seemed the thing to do, then headed out to the house we are renting on Bateman St. When we pulled in we saw the POD had already been delivered. Caleb was VERY excited to see it! He said, “There it is, it went on a train, and we caught up to it!” He’s a little confused about the trains though. I’d been building his excitement for weeks about all the trains in our new city. He was a bit disappointed not to see them everywhere, including inside our new house. I had gotten him and Aidan train whistles and I gave them to them when we entered town… that didn’t go over to well either. Neither could blow into them correctly, and I was too far away to help. So much for my good intentions. As it was, I think all 4 of them were crying as we entered town…
We unpacked a bit (mainly to find our mattress to sleep on). Caleb (and Aidan a tad) was so adorable and diligent in helping tote things inside. We made our first trip to the Super Walmart for dinner, and to get a few necessary items. After we got the three younger boys down for the night, Weston took Caleb to the church to pop in on their 5th Quarter. Caleb had a great time!
I’m trying to remain positive about our new house, but it really leaves a lot to be desired… Its very old. Cute old in a lot of ways, but just old old in many others. And there is no dishwasher… and barely any counter space in the kitchen (and I’m not exaggerating). Its going to take a lot of clever organizing to get our things to work here, but I’m up for the challenge. It won’t look too pretty, but it will be livable. I’m just especially concerned about having to spend $ on things that will be necessary here, but maybe not at the house we end up buying. Oh, I’m probably just fretting to fret, but that’s what I often tend to do… I’m afraid of how much toll it will take on my spirits the longer we have to stay here… how shallow and materialistic is that? I know God does and will take care of our needs. He’s proven it over and over again…

SD, MN, and IA

We drove through a lot of corn today... and we're not even in IL yet! We left Aberdeen and travelled to Sioux Falls, SD for lunch at a fun cafe that overlooked the falls. Then we drove through part of Minnesota, and a tad into Iowa, where we settled for the night in Clear Lake.(which strangely has super booked hotels, a problem we'd yet to encounter thus far... we got a suite, but its not non-smoking... yuck )

Kids did super in the car today... we realized we have quite a few goodies left, to hand out pretty freely now!

Tomorrow we'll be in our new home town! Galesburg here we come!

the Ansiels in Aberdeen

It was nice to have a day off from travelling, and extremely nice to spend the day with our friends. Jeff, Melissa, Garrett, Danielle, and Josiah Ansiel moved to SD last February due to Jeff's job with 3M. Melissa is a close friend from college, and we had loved getting our kids together for adventures in So Cal. She had never even met Kellan and Ethan yet, and I had missed her Josiah becoming a toddler. They have a beautiful house, and we got to hang out around there and their cute town (although it is in the middle of nowhere). Caleb had a blast with Garrett, Aidan and Josiah got reacquainted, and Danielle loved 'taking care of' the babies. We visited 'Storybook Land' and had our first lunch at a 'Culvers'. It was good to see them, but will make us miss them all over again...