Okoboji 2010

It is that time for our annual trip up to Okoboji... only one change was made this year. We traded Zach in for a younger girl!!! LOL

Due to Zach's busy summer schedule and also having a basketball camp the same week that we were going to be in Okoboji, Zach decided to stay home so he wouldn't miss out on all these things. This was a big step for both Zach and us (his parents!) to leave him home ALONE for a whole week!! Needless to say, he followed the rules and earned himself a higher notch on our trust level!! It probably helped that all the neighbors and friends were "looking out" for him and his schedule was so busy that he didn't have time to find any trouble!!

Since Zach wasn't going with us, we let Brianna bring her best friend, Madi! It worked out really great - the girls got along great all week, and the bonus was that I actually got a little free time to myself since Brianna had someone to entertain her!! They spent the week going to the movie theater on the resort, shopping in the souvenir shops, and lots of swimming!! We also spent a day at Arnold's Park towards the end of the week! This is always a great time for us up there and it always seems so short... before we know it, it is time to come back home. (Actually, this time we really did have to cut it short -- we came back two days early because Brianna really wanted to go camping with her Girl Scout troop on that Friday night!) I didn't get the camera out much while we were there, but I am posting some pics from Arnold's Park...


Madi and Brianna posing by the Boardwalk:

Brianna and Madi on the Log Ride:

CJ is "hanging around" with his new friends!:

School's Out!

The kids got out of school on Friday, May 29th!! Look out summer, here they come!! Of course, not sure if Zach will get to enjoy much of it... he has a full plate. Every day consists of weight lifting for football at 7am... then basketball practice/workouts at 8:45am... followed by baseball practice at 11am.... there are even going to be some weeks where he has a sports "camp" in the afternoons, and we can't forget about the baseball games in the evenings!!

Back to the school note... both kids brought home awesome report cards and will be advancing to their next levels... 11th grade for Zach and 5th grade for Brianna!!! GREAT JOB KIDDOS!!! Keep up the awesome work!!!

Congratulations, Jessica!

Congratulations and Best of Luck to my cousin, Jessica!! Now that you have graduated from High School, we wish you the very best of success in the rest of your endeavors!! Love you!!

History Project Reception/Ceremony

Brianna completed a 4th grade Sioux City History Project back at the beginning of the year. This is a required project for every 4th grader in Sioux City. Once the projects are completed, they are judged by people from the Sioux City Public Museum. Out of the 800+ projects around the city, 91 of them were selected to be displayed in the Public Museum! Brianna was one of them!!

These selected projects were on display for two months. On the final day, a reception/ceremony was held and each participant was awarded with a Certificate of Achievement from Tom Padgett, the mayor of Sioux City. Here is a picture of Brianna getting her award:

Mother's Day 2010

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!!! We had a great Mother's Day weekend... my niece, Avery, was baptized... and we also spent the weekend in Laurens with Mom!!! We had a nice Sunday dinner and I had Sydney and Brianna help me clean the kitchen and dishes so Grandma could relax!! I got cards and letters that Brianna made at school for me (those are the best!!) and I also got a card from CJ and the kids, with the "promise" to get me flowers and plants. I want to plant flowers and get some color going in our yard, so this is my gift! Now I just need to find the time to go pick out what I want!!! Hopefully soon!...

Avery's Baptism

My niece, Avery, was baptized on Mother's Day weekend!! My sister had her baptized back in our church in Laurens, to make it easier for the godparents and other family members to attend. Avery's godparents were her great-aunt Barb and great-uncle Rich. The baptism ceremony was held just before the Saturday evening mass at church. Afterwards, we went back to mom's house for supper, gifts, and cake! God Bless Avery!!

Avery getting the holy water poured on her head:

Grandma Joan, Sydney, Father Riecks, Jen, Avery, Matt, Grandma Phyllis:

The Godparents -- Rich and Barb Larson:

Congratulations Kayla and Toby!!

Last weekend, we went home and attended the wedding reception of our friends, Toby and Kayla!! Both have been friends of the family for as long as we can remember!! It is so nice to see them finally get married!!! Congrats and best wishes to both of you!!! Love ya!!

The reception was great on many levels!! My brother, Derek, was able to make it home to attend, which was nice because we haven't seen him since Thanksgiving!! It was also nice to see many friends that we haven't seen in a while and get "caught up" with each other's lives!!

The DJ for that dance also had karaoke!! Brianna and all the other kids LOVED this!!! Whenever it was open for karaoke, you could be sure that all the kids were over there belting out tunes!! It was a great way to keep them entertained!!! Just wish I had my camera with me and gotten some pictures...