Happy Father's Day

We spent Sunday doing just what Randy loves to do: boating! The kids love it as well and were all smiles while floating in the river!

Because it was really buggy out, we did not sit on the beach like we usually do. Instead we got out the tube and Randy attempted to take each of the kids for a ride.

Reese went first and did pretty well. She started to lose her grip and fell from Randy's back to a spot next to him on the tube. At that point she decided that she wanted off and back in the boat.
After seeing big sister try the tube, Aidan was all excited for his turn. We got him up on Randy's back, but as soon as the boat started to move, his face showed complete terror! We stopped and pulled him back in almost before he got started!

Randy then spent a few minutes tubing by himself and the kids thoroughly enjoyed watching him. We spent some time driving around the channel and finally stopped at a little island. We were the only ones there and the bugs were almost non-existent. Several hours later we packed up the boat. We ordered a pizza for dinner and spent the evening just relaxing together as a family.
Randy recently heard this song by Rodney Atkins on the radio and told me that it reminded him so much of his relationship with the kids that he started to get a little bit teary eyed.
Recently, it has really become apparent how much the kids adore their father and want to be just like him! They worry about him and ask about him constantly from the time that he leaves in the morning until he returns home! This past weekend, Aidan was all too happy to sit on the potty for daddy and show off that he is officially a big boy and no longer a baby!
The kids and I are so lucky to have such a fun loving, hard-working, loving, giving husband and father! Thanks for all that you do! We love you!

Boating

We recently picked up our new boat, a pontoon. Since picking it up and taking it out, the kids have wanted to do nothing but go boating!

We spent all day Saturday boating and playing at the beach. The kids had a blast!

Aidan enjoyed co-piloting the boat, while Reese stayed busy playing in the sand.

They were so tired when we got home, that they napped for a few hours. Unfortunately they woke up at 10pm and stayed up for a few hours watching tv. In order to prevent a repeat sleepless night, we decided that the kids would take a nap before going out on the boat. I put the kids down for a nap at home, while my husband and his family got the boat out. A few hours later, they were hoping that the kids would be up and ready to go out. I checked on Reese first and she was just waking up. She looked at me and immediately said, "I'm ready to go boating now mommy!" When I woke up Aidan a few minutes later, he could not get his shoes on fast enough!


I am so glad that our family has something that we enjoy doing together that keeps us active and spending quality time together.

Jam Packed 4th

We had a very busy 4th, as I'm sure most people did. Our weekened was jumpstarted early Friday with a family lunch outing and grocery shopping. Later that afternoon we took the boat out for a few hours with Aunt Steffane. We came in by 6 so that we could clean up and prepare for a bigger outing the next day.
We spent the day Saturday boating and playing in the water. We went out rather early, about 9 am, so as to avoid the crowds at the dock trying to put their boats into the water. We had planned on coming in around 2 pm or as soon as the kids started getting crabby. They were so good that it was around 3 before we actually came in. I washed the kids up and put them to bed at my in-laws so that we could swim a little at their pool while the kids napped.




On Sunday we went out for breakfast with Great Grandma and Grandpa Winslow like usual. Afterward we stopped back at Grammy and Grampys to visit with Great Grandma and Grandpa Freeman. Soon after we made the hour long trek to Dubuque for my families 4th of July/ Family Reunion. My mom and her sisters put together a mini olympics for the kids and the adults had horseshoe tournaments after lunch. I don't know who had more fun, the kids or the adults!


The kids were so worn out from the days events that they fell asleep early. I figured I could wake Reese up to go to the fireworks, but as I talked to her trying to get her to wake up, her eyes just rolled back in her head. I was a little disappointed, but Randy reminded me that there would be more fireworks for us to attend before the end of summer.
Monday we were so worn out and the weather was kind of dismal, so we ventured out to lunch with Randy's family and rented a few movies for the afternoon. It was nice to be able to just relax after such a busy and fun filled weekend.

Beach Babies

Though we have had a boat for the past several years and have enjoyed using it, I think that this year will be the most fun yet! Reese loves the boat so much, she asks me everyday if we can go boating. One day, as I picked her up from her grammys we went outside into a dark sky full of storm clouds and winds whipping us in the face and she asked if we could go boating! Both of the kids absolutely love to play in the sand and water. This past Sunday Randy and his parents got the boat out into the water while the kids took an early nap. When they woke up around 1, I got them sunscreened and dressed and Randy met us at the dock to pick us up. We got to the beach and the kids were so busy playing that they forgot to eat. About 2 hours later, Reese complained that she was hungry and finally sat down long enough to eat the lunch I had packed. About that time, Aidan started getting crabby. I tried for 30-45 minutes to get him to lay down and get to sleep on the boat, but to no avail. Finally, I got him some ice which helped to cool him down and soothe his sore gums and he calmed down. We played a few hours longer and finally came in around 7pm. Both kids went straight into the tub to wash out all of the sand and river water. Aidan was so tired he went straight to bed without any supper. After dinner I sat down to watch tv and almost fell asleep on the couch. I had to force Reese to go to bed at 9:30 so that I could finally get to bed! It was an exhausting day, but so worth it!