More from the NJ Trip!

We took so many pictures on the trip that I need to keep posting them!! We spent 4 days with Tim's brother Andy, his wife Dana, and their kids. Nana (Tim's mom Marilyn) and Grandpa Terry came up from Virginia too! We went to a July 4th barbecue at a country club, where Lauren enjoyed the ribs! On Sunday, our niece Caroline was baptized. The kids loved holding Caroline.

NJ Trip

We are on a trip to visit our cousins in New Jersey. On the way, we flew into Philadelphia and saw some sights. We visited the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, and Betsy Ross's house. I also included a picture of the kids with our cousins Molly and Peter. We had lunch with Tim's Aunt Lois and Uncle Alan. The kids loved the beach!!

Easter

We participated in not one, not two, but THREE egg hunts this year. The first was held indoors due to rain and wind, at St. Francis Church. Then we went to one at a park near my parents' farm. Then we had an egg hunt on the farm on Easter morning. Drew really got a kick out of it this year!

Minneapolis trip

It's been a while since I updated my blog, so I'm going to catch up a bit with some older photos. Over spring break this year we went to Minneapolis. Drew stayed home with Grandma and Papa. We went to the Mall of America, including the American Girl store. Lauren had saved her money to buy Chrissa, the Girl of the Year, and Claire had saved for a Bitty Baby. They were running a deal where you could get free wristbands to the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park in the mall with purchase, so we spent a day at the park too. Lauren and Trent rode on the big roller coasters that suspend you upside down and everything! Our other day was at an indoor water park hotel. Very fun!!

Ballet recital

Yesterday was the girls' ballet recital. Their studio holds a noon, 3 PM, and 6 PM show to manage the length. We lucked out this year and they both were in the same one!

Drew is pouting in the bottom shot because he wanted to be in the picture and we told him to sit down.

We have a new cousin!

We are all thrilled to welcome our new cousin, Caroline Gilbert to our family. She was born yesterday, March 11, in New Jersey. Congratulations to her parents, Andy and Dana Gilbert, and big siblings Molly and Peter.

Trent wins regional spelling bee!

Trent competed in the regional spelling bee on Sunday. The top two finishers from each of the local bees competed from the region, which included Des Moines, Ames, and Boone. It was held by the Knights of Columbus, but was open to students from all the area schools, both public and private. The bee went 105 rounds, and advanced from the 4th grade word list to the 5th grade word list, and ended with the 6th grade list when they were down to two competitors. Trent finished first! Trent's classmate Kara, who beat him at our local bee, finished 4th. Trent studied for the bee, but didn't end up getting any of the words we practiced. The state bee will be March 22 in Ames. Kudos to Trent!