Welcome summer clothes... sort of...

Trying on some new clothes. Elizabeth's legs are so long I'm realizing if we want the shorts to fit this summer, we'll be showing some leg...

Who does Alexander remind you of? Maybe his dad?!

Alexander's Bike!

How could we deny him his own bike when he spends all day staring at and talking about everyone else's bikes? He couldn't stand the excitement at WalMart and then having it in the car... Fun day for sure!

Helmet, not so much. Elizabeth always puts her helmet on before riding her bike. Alexander is not convinced he needs one. (Which is funny because he's more likely to need one!) Alexander is a dare devil on his new bike. He's already practicing supermans and other stunts I can only imagine where he's learned (**throat clear** Uncle Mike...)

Play ALL Day

Carrie and I headed to Sioux City with the kids for a day of play. We got to sit on comfy couches while the kids had a blast. Super mom and kid friendly - loved it!

Elizabeth, Conner, and Alexander played so well together the entire day!

Home Sweet Home

Whenever I'm driving on 190 headed west to Rapid, I can't help but be excited at the thought of going "home." The strange thing is, whenever I'm driving on 190 heading east to Vermillion, I am equally excited by the truth that I'm heading "home." This frustrates Andrew. I am intrigued. Unfortunately, my mommy brain is unable to make any logical philosophical thoughts.... Is it a dwelling place, residence? Or security, refuge, acceptance? Either way, its late and I'll just settle calling South Dakota my home... I'm sure a year from now, my perspective will be completely different.

Mini Vans, Carseats, and the Badlands

I'm not sure if it was the ride with Aunt Sharon and Talon but after returning home from Rapid, Elizabeth continues to ask me for a mini van. "Mom, we need a van like Conner and Laeton has."

Slept completely through being unloaded and put inside! Very uncommon for either of my children.

Funny, in the car all they want is out. Inside, all they want is in...

Grandma brought over the ancient trike we all grew up playing with and Alexander loved it!! We forgot to load it in the car but now have something to look forward to on our next visit.

Every time I'm asked about the tourist locations in the Black Hills, I'm embarrassed to tell people I've never been to the Badlands. No longer. The weather was beautiful! These pictures we're not enhanced; the sky was a brilliant blue. Not necessarily my favorite but definitely an odd and amazing place to visit.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Our family's national holiday just happened to be when we were back in Rapid! The kids and I met up with everyone for lunch at the smoke free pub downtown. Mom, Dad, Mike, Sam, Grandma, and Aunt Margaret and Rexanne opened the bars March 17th (yes, its the tradition). They were home for supper but not before the local evening news decided to do a 5-minute blurp they titled, "St Patty's Trivia with the Maloney's." I was rather nervous watching them live on television from home! The final tally? Mike and Sam beat out Mom and Dad with the trivia questions.

Family fun

Andrew had a scheduled week in Rapid City and we took advantage of every moment. The first weekend we celebrated Andrew's brother Michael's engagement. I had fun meeting Heathers friends and spending time with them. Before going to Rapid, I asked Elizabeth if she wanted to go see Kaylee (Heather's daughter) and Elizabeth's eyes lit up and she practically screamed, "Yeesss, my cousin!!" Super cute! Seems like I'm not the only one excited for the new additions to our family.

During our time in the hills, Andrew took advantage of the beautiful weather and went mountain and road biking with his west river classmates. He had a great time! The kids and I stayed busy visiting friends and family. I don't remember exactly what Dad and Alex were watching out the window but Alexander loves spending time here. We also found out he has a strange obsession with motorcycles... The kid is petrified of any loud noises except my brothers dirt bike! Makes mom a little nervous...

It was a ton of fun to take the kids on an actual hike (sorry, but its a completely different experience than east river!). Elizabeth loved jumping off rocks and climbing on the trees.

On to March....

Since I am over a month behind with my blogging, I'll just throw a ton of pictures at you from the month of March. March always seems like such a slow month but looking back at our pictures I'm realizing I need to redefine my definition of slow...

Trying to entertain the kids while I work on MOPS. Alexander is more interested in sucking the ink out of markers rather than putting it on paper... Elizabeth was making a jewelry box but almost melted everytime she accidentally painted herself rather than the box... (And in the back of my mind I keep repeating... "you will enjoy art, you will enjoy art")

Germ-infested or not, my kids beg to go to the play areas in malls. This day we ventured North to meet up with my Aunt Barb. She now lives less than 2 hours away and yet I still haven't made it up to visit. :( Sarah was making a pit stop in Vermillion before heading to Texas so we all met and chatted for a couple hours.

Watch out Texas... her she comes!

The kids and I loved having Mr Samson (and Sarah of course!) at our house! Elizabeth is more in to cats but Alexander loves to chase Sam around and try his best to push all of the poor dogs buttons... Sarah stayed for a couple days before heading to Texas. I enjoyed every minute!!

Elizabeth insisted on taking "funny" pictures with me and I can't help but share this one. Her smile of the month is showing ALL of her teeth! Cracks me up every time!

Like I said, Alexander loves bikes! If he's not climbing on them, he's "fixing" them.

What else do you do on a Friday night with your best friend but bake??

Seriously these two kids are such a joy and so much fun!

Love Letters from Your Maker

Could there be a more fitting weekend than Valentine's Day to spend with six amazing women? Our small group had its first (of many we hope!) retreats at Jannel's parents cabin on the lake in Madison, SD. The theme was of course love letters and I lead a few discussions on listening for God's love letter to you. Carrie talked about shoes... Which shoes are you wearing in your life right now? and Heidi shared a great devotional about friendship. Our honorary guest was Baby Grant who hardly made a peep! The week before, we decorated Valentines boxes to use for the weekend. We then all made Valentine's cards/letters for each other. Kim shared all of her amazing supplies and creative ideas. That evening was Spa Night and of course Mama Mia! The weekend was absolutely fabulous!

Checking in with my amazing husband who is home with the kids for the weekend. Yes, nice mask... until it wouldn't come off!! First I didn't realize it was a low-end (ie full of blue dye) formula and second I didn't read the instructions that advised to only wear for 2-3 minutes! Just call me Smurfette....

Here we are, sad because the rest of the group couldn't join us....

Next time!