Bon Voyage!

Last night we traveled to Stillwater to celebrate two events:  Amy and Andrew's "Bon Voyage" as they depart for the start of their life in Norfolk, VA, where Andrew starts medical school next week (yay, Andrew!); we also celebrated my dad's birthday coming up tomorrow.  It was a small gathering of family and close family friends, but it was so fun to see Amy and Andrew before their big trip!  Despite living pretty close to them the last few years while they were in Woodbury, MN, we haven't seen them very often.  Of course, we are sad to see them move far away but we are excited for their new adventures and for a reason to visit the East Coast!

 My mom ordered a taco bar from Baja Sol and it was a hit with Logan.  

Not sure what kind of sign he is giving the camera here...

 Bennett was more interested in playing with animals than eating dinner.

Bennett claims to love ice cream, but this is his "ice cream face" with every taste, followed by a little shiver.  Happy Birthday, Papa!

 Logan enjoyed building his own sundae with no limits from Mom...

considering the hyperactivity later on, I am not sure it was a good idea to lift the limit!

 Guests of honor!

PS: Virginia is for lovers :)

 Logan helped A & A read their cards...

 Bennett hung out on the potty.  He is quite the little pottier now...

hoping that we can ease into training this year.

 It was so fun to all be together!

Logan and Bennett really love A & A.  They will be missed! 

Bennett wouldn't hand out many smiles...until he had Uncle Andrew all to himself!

Kyle was a busy uncle, too...the boys kept recruiting him for swinging, roughousing...you name it! 

Thanks for a fun night!  Good luck in VA!  We love you!

A Day At The Lake

We got to spend Monday at the lake with friends this week!  It was a last minute day trip that was just what we needed!  It was a perfect distraction from all that's been crazy and busy in real life.  The boys were so excited to return to "Grady's cabin" where we spent a GREAT couple weeks last March before John's switch to Jacob's Well.  Logan was especially excited to play with the awesome train table, but I spent the 1+ drive prepping the kids to outside play and getting in the lake instead of playing inside!

 The kids had great fun playing by the shore, playing on the water mat (so fun!), and letting the fish nibble their toes!

 Bennett had a great nap while the bigger kids kept playing.

 Shelly and I enjoyed some time catching up and getting more uninterrupted conversation than usual.

Of course, throwing anything in the water is pretty hard to beat.  The kids kept busy for hours (ok, maybe not quite).

Thanks, once again, to the Peters for great hospitality! 

Bugs Before Bed

Bugs are a big deal around here.  The boys could (and do!) spend hours in the driveway and on the sidewalks searching for bugs.  One night after bath time I spotted a caterpillar so we brought the boys out to see it before bed.  It was such a beautiful summer night so we enjoyed some time outside together.

 The boys quickly named the caterpillar "Speedy" - the name every caterpillar gets!

 Bennett was giving us a little show on the sidewalk...he is so silly.

 Sweet boy.

 Farewell to Speedy!

Spoiled by Baggie

We were lucky to have a visit from Baggie today!  She came with one mission: to spoil us all!  She came bearing tons of groceries and goodies.  We were so happy to have the time with Baggie.  

While Bennett, Logan and I napped, John mowed the lawn and Baggie cooked a few meals for our freezer and fridge.  How nice!  We also enjoyed a delicious dinner before Baggie had to go home.  Thanks for the wonderful visit and for all the special treatment!

Vacation Bible School!

Logan participated in Vacation Bible School at his preschool July 24-29.  I can't even really describe how much he loved it!  John dropped him off in the mornings by 8:45 and Bennett and I usually picked him up at noon.  He was happy to go each day and really excited about everything he got to do at VBS.  Logan is such a learner - he love school so much and VBS was no different.  He made fast friends with his classmates and knew lots of other kids from school at Noah's Ark.

 Bennett and I usually arrived a little early for pick up.  Bennett liked to run around - here you can see he is still wearing his pj shirt - it was one of those kind of weeks.  :)

At pickup parents were invited to join in on the worship with all the kids.  There were about 400 kids in VBS so it was a little crazy sometimes!  Logan's class of preschoolers always sat in the front row on the far side of the worship center, so I could always spot him right away.  He was so social: talking to his friends, teachers, dancing, singing, jumping around.  He really is such a great kid! 

Logan even got this nice short haircut the week before VBS.  I went out to lunch with Mollie and when I came home, John had given Logan a buzz.  Ack!  In all fairness, poor Logan has his mom's super thick hair and he gets so hot.  I knew VBS would be a good time for a shorter cut.  He loves it because it is "just like dad".  Logan came home with lots of great artwork and projects that he is so proud of!  Thanks to all the VBS teachers and volunteers for a GREAT week for Logan!

Are we behind or what?!

Life is pure craziness and I never, ever, ever sit down at the computer.  Checking my email happens only on my phone and I rarely take the time to sit down and communicate...many apologies!  The blog is so backed up and behind...you'll have to scroll back through most of July to catch up on life with the Eiselts...I'll do my best to get caught up this week!  Enjoy!

The Royal Wedding, etc.

My sister in law, Jenny, has always been the "princess" of the house because she came along after her two older brothers.  That is why her wedding quickly earned the title of The Other Royal Wedding.  Her wedding was a summer highlight because we got to see many Eiselts from far away.  Scott and Jessica, Jenny and her fiance Mike, and more cousins, etc.  The boys really loved seeing their aunts/uncles and it made us wish we lived much closer to them!  John officiated the wedding, I was a bridesmaid, and the boys were both ring bearers....so, I don't have any photos of the actual wedding - we were a little busy!

Thursday night before the wedding, Eiselts hosted a dinner in their newly landscaped yard/garden.  The boys loved running around and exploring.

They found this caterpillar perfectly resting on a lily.

Soon the boys had everyone checking out their new friend, "Speedy" - especially the flower girls, Mike's nieces from Maryland.

The boys also enjoyed their new bikes at Baggie & Bopbop's house - they thought they were being so crazy because I let them ride without helmets.  Livin' on the edge.

The new paver sidewalk was the perfect track!

There was also time for bubbles - always a big hit!

The boys both enjoyed cake pops!  We celebrated one of the little girls birthdays with cake pops that night...surprisingly Logan tried one and said, "I LIKE it!".  But, he has informed me, he still doesn't want cake for his birthday.  Actually, I think he had about three cake pops while we weren't watching that night.  Maybe a little cake-overload?

I was unaware that the pool would be open that night, so we were terribly unprepared!  But as soon as the little girls jumped in with their dad, I knew it wouldn't be long before the boys were begging me.  Sure enough, they wanted to swim!  So, I recruited John and an extra pair of underware for Bennett to wear in the pool...and the naked boys began swimming (only this little boys were naked - not John.  haha!).

Bennett was a little unsure of the pool at first, but quickly regained his "dare devil" status.

Jumping in off the diving board! 

Bennett became a little obsessed with the diving board and it was a little freaky to have him hopping up there all the time.  The pool was a hit and just kinda a fun, crazy end to the evening.

Friday was the groom's dinner downtown Stillwater and that was fun, too!  The boys did a great job and were so cute...they always seem to humble us with their good behavior in an overwhelming situation.

We chose a seat by the window so the boys could watch the boats on the river and watch the life bridge go up and down.  It was great entertainment!  The next day was the wedding day so we went home early and went to bed!

The wedding day was great and, once again, the boys humbled us with their great behavior through the chaos.  We were lucky to have so much help from Papa and Nana so that was a lifesaver.  The boys were adorable in their seersucker pants, dress shirts, ties, and TOMS shoes.  The boys cooperated well for photos and by the time they had to walk down the aisle, Bennett refused to wear his shoes.  In true Bennett style, he walked down the aisle barefoot while Logan - all perfectly tucked, held his hand and guided him all the way down to mom and dad waiting for them at the front.  It was so perfect, so priceless, so cute!  Hopefully I can get ahold of some photos to post at a later date - its definitely worth recording!

Congrats to Mike and Jenny Fischer!  Thanks for making us all a part of your special day!