Sweet Little Date

This morning was super fun. Sweet friends kept the boys at their farm (having a wonderful time), so Ben and I went into Stillwater for some very fun hiking at Fairy Falls and a nice lunch right next to the river.

Talking, praying, hiking, eating, enjoying time together. A sweet gift.

Elliot's First Steps

Just look at the big man go!



Victor was there with me, and after being excited for a minute, he said sadly, "But I don't want Elliot to grow up!"

The perennial tug of a momma's heart, no?

Family Pictures

How blessed we are.

 

 

THANKS and photo credit to Betsy Banowetz, the lovely artistic sister...

Vacation Days

We are home.

Another sweet, crazy, fun summer vacation under our belt.

The highlights of this trip:

Friday: Arrived in Iowa, spent the afternoon hanging out and playing with cousins. After supper, we also went to a local creamery for some very good ice cream!

Grammy's Bible story time with all 10 grandkids! They learned different truths about "God is ..."

Saturday: We imitated a long-time Anderson extended family tradition (going to Rochester to meet up with our extended family for one afternoon/evening/morning at a hotel all together). Our destination was a bit closer, but it was just fabulous to enjoy swimming, eating, playing, reading, and hanging out without needing to run lots of different directions for a day!

Sunday: We wrapped up at the hotel and had a fun picnic at a park together. Headed back to Grammy and Grandad's for afternoon naps, and then the Laser crew, Katterson crew, and Grammy and Grandad headed to Des Moines for 2 days and nights of great fun and adventure!

Monday: Off to Adventureland! Our boys were so excited! Everyone had a ball, riding the train (Josiah, Silas, Elliot, and I went 3 times), enjoying other rides, and playing in the water park. We stayed until suppertime and then enjoyed the complimentary dinner at the hotel, which was super nice. The boys slept really well that night!

Tuesday: We headed to the Living History Farm for our Tuesday excitement. It was very interesting, a beautiful day, fun tractor rides, and lots of fascinating things to learn about. Afterward, we drove back to Cedar Rapids for the remainder of our vacation.

Wednesday: For lunch on Wednesday, Mom took Betsy (and Hadley), Krista, and me to a fun, quaint restaurant to eat and look at fun decor. In the afternoon, Kate and I prepared supper (mini meatloaves my Mom already had ready, potato wedges, berry and romaine salad, dinner rolls, and "Selfish Bars" for dessert. Then we headed out for an all-family photo shoot, with some special bonus Katterson family pictures. So sweet. My sister and brother-in-law are uber talented... (Photos here not from them. :) Separate post coming.)

Thursday: My parents gave Kevin and Krista and Ben and me a chance to head out for a breakfast together, which was so fun. It was a rainy day, so we spent a bit of time getting decorated for Grammy's birthday celebration in the evening.


Friday: We had a day at the farm! Uncle Arlan and Aunt Sue let us help harvest potatoes, and then we all had a big picnic lunch by their pond, followed by some very successful fishing! In the evening we celebrated Kevin's upcoming birthday.

Notice my dad photo bombing this shot...

Saturday: We headed for a nostalgic breakfast at the Amana's (though our beloved Brick Haus restaurant is no longer...). We used to celebrate my grandparents' anniversary regularly in the Amana's, and this time we went there to celebrate Grandma Vaupel's 95th birthday. It was a sweet time. Afterward we browsed some of the nearby stores, then headed home. Grandad and I took the kids to a park to play for a while, and then we enjoyed the typical Saturday night pizza dinner.

Sunday: We went to church and then packed a picnic to eat at a park. It was another beautiful day, and it capped off a very beautiful vacation!

Monday: We headed home bright and early, the travel made much more fun because we got to caravan with the Lasers! They will stay with us tonight and then launch off the rest of their epic road trip back to British Columbia.

It was a sweet gift to enjoy these days, and we are thankful for so many mercies from God sprinkled through every day!