Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to the best husband and father we could ever ask for! Nick wanted to go to Red Lobster for dinner. He and Ben enjoyed endless shrimp. Conner stuck to his cheeseburger but then surprised us by asking the waitress if he could try some crab legs! He ate them (after Nick cracked them open) and reported he liked the crab meat but it wasn't his favorite! It was a fabulously entertaining dinner, followed by a few presents! Happy Birthday my love!

 

RVTV...

Conner and Ben went to Conrad yesterday to spend a couple nights with Mama and Papa. Today RVTV was in Conrad for an event, so they went to check it out!

 

Saturday...

Nothing like some good down time on a Saturday afternoon!

 

Naptime...

Conner has gotten into a (bad) habit of taking an afternoon nap this summer. Every once in a while, Ben will get a picture of him and send it to me while I am at work. This is today's picture!

 

Finally!

We FINALLY made it out to Lake Delhi today! Nick and I took the day off work and we all headed out to the lake. We enjoyed exploring the area, did a little fishing, and had lunch in the boat. It was glorious! In the mid-afternoon, we decided we had enough sun, took one more ride down the river, and then we ran out of gas! It was a fiasco, but if you have to be stranded somewhere, the lake is the place to be! We eventually made it to a local marina, bought some gas, and were ready to be done. Unfortunately, the motor still would not start! We continued trolling back to the dock and luckily we made it back safely. We got everything loaded up and figured out that there was an air lock in the fuel line. (Nick got that fixed later!) It was an eventful day, maybe not as relaxing as we had planned, but still a wonderful day at the lake with our family!

 

 

Week Away...

Ben and Conner were able to spend the week with Nana and Gramps! Their cousins were also there, so Nana and Gramps had a full house. The kids all enjoyed their time together so much! Conner sent me a picture of himself climbing the rock wall which was very scary for him, so we were really proud that he overcame his fear to try this. Thank you to Nana and Gramps for showing the kids such a great time all week!

 

Lunch...

I was able to work from home today and was actually available to make lunch for these guys! They have been eating sandwiches and cereal for lunch all summer, so I felt like some homemade macaroni and cheese was necessary!

 

Celebration!

The birthday celebration continued into Saturday! 

Birthday Weekend!

We went to Bettendorf today to spend the weekend celebrating all the July birthdays! On Friday, everyone enjoyed outdoor and indoor games and relaxed at what we still call "the new house!" This was our first experience with everyone staying at Nana and Gramps' house since they moved. 

 

Happy Birthday!

Hard to believe but Conner and Ben are 19 years old today!!! We went out to Pregame for dinner and the guys opened presents after that. We followed that up with some ice cream lasagna. Happiest of birthdays to our two amazing sons!

Race...

 The guys made it to a race tonight in Vinton!

First Birthday Dinner!

I don't know how it is possible that these two will be 19 years old very soon, but it is happening! We went out for a birthday dinner tonight. Ben chose Frydae for some street fries and ice cream! Conner was happy with his root beer float and Ben got a Brookie with ice cream! 

 

Friday Fun Day!

I was pretty excited this week to have an extra day off work today, so I told the boys they could choose a couple of activities. Ben wanted to go to Best Buy and research good gaming computers, so we did that. He asked some questions and got a better idea of what he wants to save his money for. Both Ben and Conner wanted to go to Spare Time for bowling and games. We had a great time bowling and they loved playing some arcade games. We had a late lunch after all the fun. It was really wonderful spending time with my two adult sons. I have been missing spending time with them and I enjoyed seeing them out in the community interacting with people, making decisions, laughing, and having productive conversations. It was one of those moments where I could breathe and think that despite all the obstacles, my guys are going to be all right! It was the best way to spend a day!