Blackstone...

Nick has wanted a Blackstone griddle for a while, so we finally decided to treat ourselves! Nick made French toast for breakfast and chicken fried rice for dinner!!! 

To the Lake...

We decided to take a little trip to the lake in Palo today for some fishing. It was a gorgeous day! Nick caught the only fish today, but it sure was nice to spend the day on the lake. We even saw some snakes today!

Happy Father's Day!

We had an excellent father's day here today! Nick enjoyed a few gifts and he spent the day smoking cheese, Cheetos (yes, Cheetos), and ribs for dinner! It turned out to be a great day outside so the boys played badminton in the backyard. Happy Father's Day to you Nick, and to both of our amazing dads!

"Nice Picture..."

"Let me get a nice picture!" I said....

Summer!

Summer is here!

Amazing news...

I was able to go with Ben today to Iowa City because he was going to see the doctor today in addition to having bloodwork and getting his med injection. The last couple weeks have been up and down with his platelet count. Two weeks ago, we received the news that the count had gone down to 50k. He hasn't been that low for a quite a while. Last week, the hematologist increased the dosage of his med again and the count went back up to 86k. Well today we got amazing news that this rockstar has a platelet count of 163k!!! We laughed, we cried, we celebrated! Praying that the count stays up for a while!!! 

Home...

This morning, the boys enjoyed one more time out in Papa's boat and they even got to help drive the boat! After some breakfast, it was time to finish packing up and hit the road. We took some family pictures, said our goodbyes, and started the journey home. About 20 minutes down the road, our two boys were fast asleep! We made it home safe, got unpacked, and relaxed at home! This year was a wonderful vacation for us. Thank you to Mama and Papa! It was much needed and we enjoyed everything about it! It was truly a magnificent time away from home! 

Last Full Day...

And just like that... today is our last full day at the lake! We didn't think the weather would cooperate today, but we were blessed with yet another great day! The early morning fishing trip resulted in some great fish, so the boys cleaned some more and the kids took more pictures. We spent much of the afternoon in the boat enjoying the lake and sunshine. The boys swam a little before dinner. Tonight we had our fish fry and we all enjoyed a big meal of fish and chips! After dinner, we headed back out in the boat to enjoy our last night of fishing before we put the boat back on the trailer.

Fish, Fish, and More Fish...

As usual, the boys started off their day with the early morning fishing trip! The guys decided it was time to clean the fish we had caught so far, so the kids all got their pictures taken with the fish! Ben picked up every single fish and wanted a picture. Conner is still working on being comfortable enough to pick up the fish on his own! It was another beautiful day and we spent the day playing yard games and fishing. We took the boat out for some afternoon fishing. We did more fishing on the dock tonight and I even caught a bullhead! (Everyone hates catching bullheads, so I think that's why I like them!) The kids got to make smores tonight and even celebrated vacation with some sparklers to end the night!