Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Monday, January 9, 2012
Thursday, July 7, 2011
June... Where did the time go???
So, June is over. How the heck did that happen? Hmmm. It turns out that three kiddos keeps a family pretty busy. Plus, the weather's been warm and our weekends are filled with family fun instead of internet blogging. Enough excuses already. Here are some highlights from June.
Lots of outside kid time. Backyard pool parties, sandbox play. The babies are in the background of this picture doing pretty much what they did all of June. Ezra hangs out on his belly, hands, and knees, rocking without moving anywhere. Zadie lies on her back with her head up, ab-cruncher style. She doesn't care for her stomach, though she did finally start to roll mid-June.
We've been taking a weekly class called Financial Peace University. It's a program by Dave Ramsey that helps people become debt free and work their way to wealth. It's no overnight solution, and requires quite a bit of sacrifice and tough budgeting. Dave teaches us that right now, we need to "Live like no one else, so that later we can Live like no one else! " Currently, we're in the first part of living like no one else. Selling things on Craigslist, spending only cash, cut up all credit cards, very careful budgeting and planning... No huge secrets, but it requires a way of saving and spending that our generation isn't necessarily programmed for. We try to keep it fun though!
We like the small group that we meet with each week. The class involves watching the dynamic money guru, Dave Ramsey do a one hour video and then discussion with our little group and facilitator afterwards. It's been a nice way to get to know some sweet southern folks. Nana and Papa have graciously volunteered to babysit while we go to class, so we've also enjoyed having a grown-up activity to do.
For Father's Day, I took our special guys (Tom and my dad) to the annual Wing Fest in Fayetteville. I won a 4-pack of tickets on a radio giveaway, so it worked out perfectly to celebrate with BBQ sauce all over our faces. Yummy! Of course, I forgot the camera at home. (This was a very lucky weekend in which I got 4 free wingfest tickets, 3 free large smoothies, 2 free cloth diapers, and 1 free art print. Cool!)
In late June, we were so happy to have visitors! My brother, Chris flew in for some quality time, and the Zabell family (3 generations worth!) drove down from MN for the fun. My cousin's little daughter, Hannah, is also 2. She and Zeke had a blast together, however I have hardly any pictures to show for it! We went golfing, swimming, day-tripping to Eureka Springs, and loads of fun visiting.
Here is a cute picture of Hannah dancing with Zadie. Unfortunately, my finger created a little shadow when the flash went off, but I still think it's a cute pic.
On June 23, while the whole crew was still here, we celebrated Tom's 33rd birthday. Tom wanted to celebrate his day in style, so of course we took him to Chuck E. Cheese. There was digger riding and mole whacking. There were tickets, and of course pizza. Super fun.
Other than big family events, our days are filled with the "routine" things. Changing diapers, washing and drying diapers, feeding kids, chasing kids, picking up toys, applying sunscreen, feeding kids again, working, sleeping. Repeat. The days seem to fly by!
Lots of outside kid time. Backyard pool parties, sandbox play. The babies are in the background of this picture doing pretty much what they did all of June. Ezra hangs out on his belly, hands, and knees, rocking without moving anywhere. Zadie lies on her back with her head up, ab-cruncher style. She doesn't care for her stomach, though she did finally start to roll mid-June.
We've been taking a weekly class called Financial Peace University. It's a program by Dave Ramsey that helps people become debt free and work their way to wealth. It's no overnight solution, and requires quite a bit of sacrifice and tough budgeting. Dave teaches us that right now, we need to "Live like no one else, so that later we can Live like no one else! " Currently, we're in the first part of living like no one else. Selling things on Craigslist, spending only cash, cut up all credit cards, very careful budgeting and planning... No huge secrets, but it requires a way of saving and spending that our generation isn't necessarily programmed for. We try to keep it fun though!
We like the small group that we meet with each week. The class involves watching the dynamic money guru, Dave Ramsey do a one hour video and then discussion with our little group and facilitator afterwards. It's been a nice way to get to know some sweet southern folks. Nana and Papa have graciously volunteered to babysit while we go to class, so we've also enjoyed having a grown-up activity to do.
For Father's Day, I took our special guys (Tom and my dad) to the annual Wing Fest in Fayetteville. I won a 4-pack of tickets on a radio giveaway, so it worked out perfectly to celebrate with BBQ sauce all over our faces. Yummy! Of course, I forgot the camera at home. (This was a very lucky weekend in which I got 4 free wingfest tickets, 3 free large smoothies, 2 free cloth diapers, and 1 free art print. Cool!)
In late June, we were so happy to have visitors! My brother, Chris flew in for some quality time, and the Zabell family (3 generations worth!) drove down from MN for the fun. My cousin's little daughter, Hannah, is also 2. She and Zeke had a blast together, however I have hardly any pictures to show for it! We went golfing, swimming, day-tripping to Eureka Springs, and loads of fun visiting.
Here is a cute picture of Hannah dancing with Zadie. Unfortunately, my finger created a little shadow when the flash went off, but I still think it's a cute pic.
On June 23, while the whole crew was still here, we celebrated Tom's 33rd birthday. Tom wanted to celebrate his day in style, so of course we took him to Chuck E. Cheese. There was digger riding and mole whacking. There were tickets, and of course pizza. Super fun.
Other than big family events, our days are filled with the "routine" things. Changing diapers, washing and drying diapers, feeding kids, chasing kids, picking up toys, applying sunscreen, feeding kids again, working, sleeping. Repeat. The days seem to fly by!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Big Cedar
On January 28-29, Tom and I headed north to Branson! Well, actually it was just outside of Branson, MO. The Wilderness Club at Big Cedar is a place my parents head often. Big Cedar is a part of the BlueGreen Vacation Club, and it's just under 2 hours from us. This beautiful vacation lodge overlooks Table Rock Lake. My parents gave us a little getaway weekend up there to enjoy. We really lucked out on the weather- it was a glorious 68 degrees!
We loved the 2 hour walk we took around the resort and the twins loved the sunlight!
You'll notice that Zeke isn't in these pictures. That's because he opted to hang out with Nana and Papa back in Rogers, AR. We took advantage of this time to get to know our babies in a slower-paced environment. Our weekend complete with a prime rib dinner overlooking the lake from our room's balcony.
And then there was the photo shoot... We had nothing more important to do than snap some pictures of our quickly growing babies. It's amazing to us how fast they are turning into little people!
We loved the 2 hour walk we took around the resort and the twins loved the sunlight!
You'll notice that Zeke isn't in these pictures. That's because he opted to hang out with Nana and Papa back in Rogers, AR. We took advantage of this time to get to know our babies in a slower-paced environment. Our weekend complete with a prime rib dinner overlooking the lake from our room's balcony.
And then there was the photo shoot... We had nothing more important to do than snap some pictures of our quickly growing babies. It's amazing to us how fast they are turning into little people!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Bunch of Hippies Sitting on the Hearth
Every year the kids make tie-dyed t-shirts. This year Zeke wanted a yellow one so he could be like his cousin Sam.
Sam, Ezekiel, Allison, Jessica, Natalie, Christopher, and Megan.
Sam, Ezekiel, Allison, Jessica, Natalie, Christopher, and Megan.Saturday, July 17, 2010
Megan
Here is my niece Megan, up early and still rockin' PJs. We had just come in from fishing and she was waiting for a full report. She is the youngest of my brother Doug's girls.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Karen, Serious
This is my little sister Karen. She looks pretty serious in this picture, but that's only because it was around 6 AM and we were fishing for walleyes. She didn't catch any walleyes this trip and neither did I. Our older brother Doug caught tons, though. He is an expert. He watches fishing shows on TV and learns a ton about how to get 'em in the boat.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Sweet Boat
This is my brother-in-law Jon's boat. It's pretty sweet. He took me wake boarding one day and it was great except that I couldn't really walk or lean over and pick stuff up for two days after. Jon is really nice about giving all the little nieces and nephews rides in his sweet boat. The lake is called Long Lake and it is outside of Park Rapids, Minnesota.
The sky is courtesy of God. No charge.
The sky is courtesy of God. No charge.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Fun with Nana and Papa
The past two weeks have been a blast! Tom, Zeke, and I enjoyed the first week all together here in Arkansas. Tom went back to Omaha last Monday, while Zeke and I spent one more week with Nana and Papa. It has been so fun to watch our little guy love spending time with his grandparents. Here are some of the highlights...
Helping Papa with watering and pruning in the gardens
A quick trip to the doctor's office to get some antibiotics for an ear infection
Playing with Nana at all the car dealerships while we looked at minivans
Wearing Papa's hats while sitting on his favorite seat in front of the fireplace.
Also, long walks and evening playing outside with Nana and Papa. I've got some really cute picture of this, but my camera battery ran out before I could upload it. More to come later this week!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Back in the U.S.A.
It's been a very busy two weeks since arriving back in the U.S. but we have been having a blast. The first week, we spent time in Omaha with Grandma Jean. We've enjoyed getting to know our neighborhood and new hometown (me for the first time, and Tom for the first time again since 1997).
Zeke was very quick to locate the broom at Grandma Jean's house, and has enjoyed playing in the yard, sitting on the patio, and of course sweeping the driveway any chance he's had.
We then rented a car and traveled to NW Arkansas to spend a week with the Nelsons. It's been so neat to see my parents' new home, and of course Zeke was welcomed with a few special treats as well! Papa put together a brand new Cozy Coupe for Zeke to scoot around in. Zeke says "car" all the time now.
After a quick one night visit to the house, we all headed 2 hours north for the weekend to Big Cedar Lodge just outside of Branson, MO. This beautiful resort is located in the Ozarks on a big lake and is just beautiful. Uncle Chris taught Zeke about Lincoln Logs. We all enjoyed swimming in the pools, floating on the lazy river, and eating some delicious food.
Now we're back in Rogers, AR for a week of R and R. Tom and I had a date night last night- Mexican food and the box office hit "Date Night" We had a great time, and appreciated the babysitting services from my parents.
Zeke was very quick to locate the broom at Grandma Jean's house, and has enjoyed playing in the yard, sitting on the patio, and of course sweeping the driveway any chance he's had.
We then rented a car and traveled to NW Arkansas to spend a week with the Nelsons. It's been so neat to see my parents' new home, and of course Zeke was welcomed with a few special treats as well! Papa put together a brand new Cozy Coupe for Zeke to scoot around in. Zeke says "car" all the time now.
After a quick one night visit to the house, we all headed 2 hours north for the weekend to Big Cedar Lodge just outside of Branson, MO. This beautiful resort is located in the Ozarks on a big lake and is just beautiful. Uncle Chris taught Zeke about Lincoln Logs. We all enjoyed swimming in the pools, floating on the lazy river, and eating some delicious food.
Now we're back in Rogers, AR for a week of R and R. Tom and I had a date night last night- Mexican food and the box office hit "Date Night" We had a great time, and appreciated the babysitting services from my parents.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Weekend in Roatan
Last weekend, we headed over to Roatan for one last weekend getaway before the packing starts! We stayed at the Henry Morgan Resort in West Bay, which we loved! We had stayed there one year ago when Tom's mom visited, and we liked it so much that we went back this year!
This resort is an Italian-owned, all-inclusive resort. Since it is a pretty hot time of year here, there were some great specials being offered, and we were thrilled about how affordable it turned out to be!
Of course, you just can't put a price tag on certain parts of the vacation...
Like sunset walks on the beach with your family
Like first steps in difficult-to-walk-on sand
Like Zeke's first bucket at the beach
Like the elephant in the room
What a great little getaway it was!
This resort is an Italian-owned, all-inclusive resort. Since it is a pretty hot time of year here, there were some great specials being offered, and we were thrilled about how affordable it turned out to be!
Of course, you just can't put a price tag on certain parts of the vacation...
Like sunset walks on the beach with your family
Like first steps in difficult-to-walk-on sand
Like Zeke's first bucket at the beach
Like the elephant in the room
What a great little getaway it was!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Vacation Part One- Lago Atitlan, Guatemala
Our epic holiday vacation began this year with a long bus journey from our little town of La Ceiba, Honduras all the way to Antigua, Guatemala. 
After spending a quick night in Antigua, we loaded ourselves into a van and rode for 3 more hours to Lago Atitlan. This beautiful lake was created by a sunken volcano. Surrounding the lake are 3 volcanoes and several small towns and communities. We thought it was one of the most beautiful places in the world. No matter where we were, the background looked like a postcard.
We stayed at Lomas de Tzununa which we would highly recommend to anyone. The only tough thing about staying here is climbing stairs for 20 minutes as you climb from the dock up the side of the mountain to the hotel. The climb is worth the effort though. We loved it and would like to go back here some day.
In ou
This was the view from our room's balcony. It's pretty much straight down to the lake from the balcony. We could lie in bed and look out at the lake through the giant wall of windows. I loved it!
We brought a few toys from home, and Zeke loved playing with his buckets and spoon wherever we were!
During our stay near the village of Tzununa, we also took a few side trips to the surrounding communities. We took a water taxi and spent a day in the town of San Pedro. We hiked around part of the lake to the community of San Marcos (which seemed like a really cool place to go if you're ever looking for any type of retreat or meditation/granola-y type vacation). Thanks to our neighbors, the McCanns, for lending us this great backpack style carrier. Zeke loved being able to see everything and was comfortable and happy for hours. It made Tom's job of carrying him much easier too!
On Market Day, we took a 2 hour van ride to Chichicastenango, which was a bustling little town on market day. Here, we were able to see tons of stuff for sale. We even bought some family hats! (We'll be needing them next winter!)
We celebrated New Years in the hotel's delicious, intimate restaurant. There were only about 8 other couples staying at the hotel, so we got to know everyone and everyone got to know Zeke. The kind owners of the hotel remembered a trick they had used for their little boy when he was younger. Thanks to some chair engineering, Tom and I enjoyed a couple of late evening dinners in the restaurant. Zeke slept comfortably and peacefully right next to the table!
We were worried at first about traveling with a baby, but after our positive experiences everywhere we went, we wouldn't hesitate recommending travel with a baby in Central America. It was awesome! We know that we definitely want to take another (possibly many) trips to Lake Atitlan again someday.
After spending a quick night in Antigua, we loaded ourselves into a van and rode for 3 more hours to Lago Atitlan. This beautiful lake was created by a sunken volcano. Surrounding the lake are 3 volcanoes and several small towns and communities. We thought it was one of the most beautiful places in the world. No matter where we were, the background looked like a postcard.We stayed at Lomas de Tzununa which we would highly recommend to anyone. The only tough thing about staying here is climbing stairs for 20 minutes as you climb from the dock up the side of the mountain to the hotel. The climb is worth the effort though. We loved it and would like to go back here some day.
In ou
This was the view from our room's balcony. It's pretty much straight down to the lake from the balcony. We could lie in bed and look out at the lake through the giant wall of windows. I loved it!
We brought a few toys from home, and Zeke loved playing with his buckets and spoon wherever we were!
During our stay near the village of Tzununa, we also took a few side trips to the surrounding communities. We took a water taxi and spent a day in the town of San Pedro. We hiked around part of the lake to the community of San Marcos (which seemed like a really cool place to go if you're ever looking for any type of retreat or meditation/granola-y type vacation). Thanks to our neighbors, the McCanns, for lending us this great backpack style carrier. Zeke loved being able to see everything and was comfortable and happy for hours. It made Tom's job of carrying him much easier too!
On Market Day, we took a 2 hour van ride to Chichicastenango, which was a bustling little town on market day. Here, we were able to see tons of stuff for sale. We even bought some family hats! (We'll be needing them next winter!)
We celebrated New Years in the hotel's delicious, intimate restaurant. There were only about 8 other couples staying at the hotel, so we got to know everyone and everyone got to know Zeke. The kind owners of the hotel remembered a trick they had used for their little boy when he was younger. Thanks to some chair engineering, Tom and I enjoyed a couple of late evening dinners in the restaurant. Zeke slept comfortably and peacefully right next to the table!
We were worried at first about traveling with a baby, but after our positive experiences everywhere we went, we wouldn't hesitate recommending travel with a baby in Central America. It was awesome! We know that we definitely want to take another (possibly many) trips to Lake Atitlan again someday.
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