Omaha Zoo or Bust!

Despite the kids having raging colds (call me all the bad mom names you want...) we headed to Omaha to visit the zoo and spend a night in a hotel. Elizabeth was excited to "check-off" seeing all of the animals she cared about (bear, lion, duck, monkey, cow) and then she was over it... The gorilla pictured was funny - he ran up in front of Elizabeth, sat down, and stared at her - she ate it up! He even stuck his tongue out at her which she thought was hilarious!

The kids enjoyed the pool (to be honest the pool was too cold and they enjoyed the warm bath with mom more) and we actually all slept well in the hotel together (voice tone: sheer amazement!).

I left the Omaha wondering what others thought of our two doped up, feverish, glazed eyed children riding around in our double stroller.... On the flip side, Andrew and I had a blast!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

March 17th is considered a national holiday by my family and I can't help but carry on the tradition!

DAD'S HOME!

After spending on average 12-14 hours a day studying, Andrew finished up an intense week of finals last Friday and is now home on spring break. I can hardly find words to describe how amazing it has been to have him home! The kids love it - Elizabeth has glued herself to his leg! I'm loving it too - he's been a sweetheart and has let me catch up on some sleep. I'd forgotten how great it is to have him around!

Playtime at the Van Osdols!

Yes, I refuse to lie - here is a picture of my children "plugged-in!" The computer (or rather Nemo...) was my baby-sitter this day so that I could get some much needed cleaning done....

February

We had a few nice days these past couple weeks so the kids and I ventured outdoors for some much needed fresh air! Elizabeth loves to go on walks. This day we walked to "Dad's school" to visit Andrew and to show Elizabeth where Dad spends his days.

This is a picture of Elizabeth's white board. Notice the two "stick figures" in pink and blue. Isn't it adorable how she draws Mom and Dad?

Look closely at this picture and you will see Casey-Tom in Elizabeth's stroller. Casey-Tom was my favorite doll as a child and somehow he was brought back from Rapid to Vermillion. It's fun to watch her play with a doll that I have so many memories with!

"Yee-Hah"

Elizabeth could hardly stand up she was laughing so hard at Andrew riding around on his "pony!"

Dare we say potty-trained...?!

YEAH! It's been two weeks and we've only had a handful of accidents. Way to go Elizabeth! She's so funny but stubborn. At first, I was not allowed to be in the room and she still has issues with me telling or even asking her to go to the bathroom... She loves her diapers more than underwear but I'm thinking with time she'll forget it was any other way! YEAH!

(To explain this picture - Elizabeth decided one morning that in order to sit on her potty she had to take off all of her clothes ... well she got cold so she got up and wrapped a blanket around herself... oh, to say motherhood is an adventure is an understatement with this child!)

Bowling!

Our small group had a get-together at the bowling alley. Elizabeth loved bowling! I kept telling her that Grandpa'd be proud.

A Vacation...Alone!!

Yes, you read it right, Andrew and I were blessed with TWO full days and nights alone - in a hotel - in the Black Hills. Did I mention we were alone?! My parents and my sister watched our kids while Andrew and I attended the SD Family Practitioners Conference in Spearfish. It was amazing! We were able to attend some lectures, do some hiking in Spearfish Canyon, spend some time with a few friends and my favorite, just enjoy being childless! I'll be honest, I did miss them a little but definitely enjoyed myself. I can't wait to schedule our next little retreat!

And we're off...

Here's a picture of what Elizabeth actually looked like in the car heading west. Andrew and I couldn't stop laughing at how she'd fallen asleep! Before we dropped the kids off, we spent some time together as a family in the hotel.

Swimming

Andrew and I headed to the dome pool with the kids one Sunday. Sam and Mike joined us to help with the kids. (Sorry the picture's so blurry.) Elizabeth wasn't too sure she actually wanted to get in the water at first but eventually got the hang of swimming. We knew it was time to leave when her lips turned purple..!

Mr. Handsome

The MANY faces of Elizabeth!