Pics...

We are getting ready to go to Cedar Falls to see Nick's grandpa so we decided to take a couple pictures!

 

Wrapped!

The presents are wrapped and we are ready for Christmas to come!

 

Relax!

We are definitely enjoying this relaxing day!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had Thanksgiving at Peg's again this year and greatly enjoyed the meal and the company! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

 

Tree...

The big tree is up!

 

New Job!

Today is the first day of my new job at the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services! We decided to make a change... a BIG change, and it starts today. It will take some getting used to, but I am excited for this new opportunity! I will have to work on decorating my office!

 

Lights!

The weather was decent today so we decided to get some Christmas lights up outside!

 

Bettendorf...

We went to Bettendorf today to see Nana and Gramps and to celebrate our niece, Marley, turning 15! We did a little yard work, went out for dinner, opened presents, and enjoyed our time with Gramps and Nana!

 

School Pics...

School Pictures of our Juniors!

Benjamin

Conner

 

Smiles...

I was so glad to get a few stray smiles today! Ben and Conner are still hurting, but we are stocked up on applesauce, pudding, and ice cream!

 

Extraction #2...

Today it was Ben's turn to have his wisdom teeth out! I didn't get many pictures of him today because he was much more emotional than I was prepared for. He took this hard and had lots of questions. The good news is that the surgery went well and although the surgeon said there was more bleeding than normal, we were able to get it under control. We went to a specialty pharmacy to get a compound med that would help the clots in his mouth to stay put. Thankfully, Nick was able to take the day off today so I took Ben to the surgery and Nick was able to stay home with Conner. It has been a rough couple of days!

 

Extraction #1...

Our October has been flying by! Before we knew it, it was time for the guys to both have their wisdom teeth out! The first quarter ends today at school and they have a day off tomorrow, so we scheduled Conner's extraction for today and Ben will have his turn tomorrow. This morning, the boys said good bye and good luck and Ben headed to school and I took Conner to the oral surgeon. His surgery took about an hour and he was much more awake than I expected him to be when they let me see him after the procedure. Ice and meds for Conner tonight, but he is doing well!

 

Weekend...

My parents and my sister's family came to visit this weekend and we were able to attend our niece's marching band competition! It was so much fun watching some of the bands tonight. We also celebrated a couple of birthdays and the cousins had a fun sleepover! We all stayed up way too late, but we enjoyed every bit of it!

 

Addition...

We added some pretty fun furniture to the basement this week! We are going to enjoy this space!

 

Dance!

The guys went to the homecoming dance tonight! They were able to meet some friends and they enjoyed showing off their dance moves!

Parade!

We enjoyed the Linn-Mar Homecoming parade tonight!

 

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Nick today! He wanted to go fishing so we went out to Palo for a few hours. It was a little hot, but we had a great time. A few presents at home and a nice steak dinner completed the celebration today! We love you so much, Nick!!!

 

Rare...

I had an appointment after school today and this is what I came home to... Conner and Ben actually had their homework out without me having to tell them! I had to capture the moment since it rarely happens this way! 

 

Academic Letters!

We had the absolute honor of watching our guys receive Academic Letters today at their high school. It is an amazing thing to watch your kids accomplish something we have all worked so hard for. They are truly the hardest working young men. This accomplishment is special in many ways, and maybe the most important lesson to remember here is that when people tell you something is unattainable... go out there and prove them wrong! We are so proud of our boys!!!

 

First Day!

The first day of school for these two 11th graders went great!

 

Reunion...

We went over to the Saylorville Lake area today to celebrate the Hasty Family reunion! 

 

Big Day!

Today, Ben, Conner, and I took a drive over to Anamosa to the Jones County Courthouse so the guys could take their behind the wheel tests to get their drivers license! This was the last step before getting their license and we have definitely been dragging our feet a bit due to the fact that the boys haven't been all that interested in practicing their driving skills lately. But, we decided that the only way to get over this last obstacle was just to make an appointment and see what happens! It was almost immediately postponed when I discovered that the insurance card for the car was not in the glove box, where I thought it was! I made a quick call to the insurance company and they were able to email me a new one right away, so we proceeded with the appointments. The man they had to drive with was very nice and he took Ben first. Ben looked back at me as he was leaving the building and I saw his 3 year old toddler face when he would get scared! It was a hard moment, but Ben came back 15 minutes later smiling and the man driving with him gave me a thumbs up! He passed!!! Then it was Conner's turn and he made sure to give me the similar look of fear as he walked away from me. I had a few tears because I really didn't know if we could pull off two kids passing that driving test, but another 15 minutes went by and I was met with another smile and thumbs up! Conner passed!!! I was so excited for them! Our guys have their drivers license... I still can't believe it!