Hannah Turns 11

Hannah was lucky enough to have her cousins in town for her birthday so it felt like something very special! She asked for a lunch date with me to Firehouse Subs and then she came home to find the house decorated by her siblings and cousins. The adults planned a Harry Potter themed escape room/scavenger hunt for her that led to a Pinata. Then she had her traditional ice cream sundae bar where she helps me cut up an endless amount of toppings to put on ice cream because she doesn't love cake!

She kept saying she was hoping the day would go slow because she was having so much fun. Clearly from these pictures she also loved her brand new robe so much she didn't take it off. This girl is the most gracious and well mannered. She is the first to say thank you for every little thing. She is growing up fast and I pray that she will stay as low maintenance as she is right now. I adore her!  

Cousins

While we lived in Minnesota we were so blessed to have Jeffrey and Debbie living just two hours away in Blue Earth. We saw them almost every other month and the kids grew even closer. 

Here they are at Hannah's birthday party.

Doing home church on Mother's Day!

Playing out back!

Exploring the river. That's Wisconsin on the other side.

Mallie and Knightley loved baking together. 

We love that the kids played all day together and never got tired. We adults would play endless amounts of board games into the wee hours of morning. We had to pace ourselves that we didn't need to stay up all night because we would be exhausted the next day. We love Jebbie and kids!

Turning 35

Mallie is always baking at our house and always wants to practice. When my friend Harmony (who is a skilled baker) heard this she invited the kids over to bake cakes for my birthday. She sent David and I off to lunch and to have some peace and quiet for a few hours in our home. The kids were especially thrilled because with the lockdown they hadn't gone anywhere fun for weeks. What a gift. I love getting older and having wonderful people in my life!

Eating out

So many pictures to describe the happiness of something so simple. We went on a family hike and then came home and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. These kids make stuff like this seem like an event with their enthusiasm. They were so grateful for Cheetos and for the whole family just being together. We're starting to count down our weeks in Minnesota.