Samantha's Final Soccer Game

Samantha's final soccer game for the spring was last weekend - May 22nd. At the end of the game they gave all the players medals and Samantha acted as if she had won the World Cup Championship! It was so cute! She showed EVERYONE her medal the rest of the morning. She finished the season with 2 goals! She really improved over the season and I got to see her score a goal the last game! We are looking forward to soccer camp this summer and the fall soccer season. :)

Clair Loves To Swing!!

We finally got Clair a baby swing, so now she can have fun with the kids outdoors. We had to "temporarily" disconnect the Trapeze - much to Samantha's dismay! :) Clair loves just hanging there and watching the kids play around her. Samantha & Alden took turns pushing her, but we have to watch closely because if Clair is pushed too hard/fast, she will hit her head on the slide.

Preschool Field Trip to the Zoo

Samantha's preschool class had a field trip to the Zoo on May 14th. There wasn't much "staying together" with the class, it was kind of a "go where ever you want - you're on your own" kind of trip. We met up with Alison and Drew Moyer and toured the zoo together. We took Alden with us and he had a blast, but we left Clair at home with Doug's mom and I'm sure she had more fun with Grandma than being in a stroller all day! :) We met early outside the gates and snapped a few pictures with Samantha's preschool classmates, and then we never saw them again the whole day! :) Drew, Samantha, and Alden held hands most of the day and we thought one of them would surely fall down and skin a knee from being connected all day, however, it was Samantha who skinned her knee not once but twice that day! And neither time was from running while holding each other's hands. :) We saw the Giraffes, Zebras, Sea Lions, Gorillas, Lions, Tigers, Bears, Aquarium, and Jungle!! The new Madagascar exhibit was open, and we were able to walk through it. Although, I think the kids were a little disappointed to only see Lemurs, Lemurs, and more Lemurs....and no big animals like on the movie Madagascar. The exhibit was very educational and I even learned a few things about Madagascar! :) I think we were all amazed at how much ground we covered! After the Gorillas, we stopped at the picnic tables to grab a snack and see Samantha & Drew's teachers - Miss Janet & Miss Nancy. This counted as our lunch because they had so many left over snacks from the school year! After our snacks, we went to the Jungle by Drew's request. Samantha and Alden went across the rope bridge with Alison and Drew - which was a first for them! At about 2:00, we decided we were all done and needed to head to the car. Samantha slept the whole way home, which is very odd because she doesn't take naps, but Alden didn't take a nap at all that day. I guess he was just too excited to sleep! :)

Samantha's Preschool Picnic & Last Day Of 3 Year Old Preschool

Last Tuesday, Samantha had her last day of Preschool for this year. Next year she will be in the 4 & 5 year old class! Where has the time gone? She had 7 kids in her class this year, next year she will have a lot more. All of her friends except one from this year's class will be in next year's class. We also had a picnic on the last day of school, however the weather was too bad to be outside for it, so we stayed in the gym. Alden & Clair went with me and they both enjoyed running around and watching the other kids.

No Cavities!!

This was almost a month ago, but we took the pictures on Doug's office camera, so this post is a little late! :) We all had dentist appoints the week of Doug's birthday, and we all came out with NO CAVITIES! Alden, Samantha, Clair, & I!!

Mother's Day Weekend

Mother's Day weekend was not the most fun weekend for me this year! I spent Friday, Saturday, & Sunday - 27 hours total - at the gym, getting certified for Body Combat (a workout class that involves mixed martial arts and fabulous music). My mom came down on Friday night and helped Doug with the kids and then watched the kids on Saturday morning. She had to take Samantha to her soccer game at Rhylander Park and Doug's mom came in and watched Clair because it was very cold that morning. Doug and Samantha went shopping for Mother's Day gifts on Saturday afternoon and Alden and Clair went to Doug's parent's house. And after shopping, Alden & Samantha got to spend the night at their house because I had ALOT of choreography to learn. The next morning, Doug took Clair and met his parents and Samantha and Alden in Omaha at Auntie Debra's church for early church at 8:30am. Debra did the children's sermon that day, so there's a picture of Samantha and Alden listening to her during that time. After church, everyone went to Doug's parent's house for a BBQ and I continued to sweat it out at the gym. The kids planted flowers with Doug's dad that morning. Finally at 5pm - I was DONE with my training and found out that I PASSED!! They don't pass very many people after this training, so I was VERY excited and EXHAUSTED! :) I went home and showered and then headed out to Doug's parent's house for supper. I didn't do my hair or makeup, so I refused to be photographed! (That's why there is a picture of a cupcake mold in front of my face - that's what I got from Jim & Sandy for Mother's Day). We opened presents and headed home, as I was very tired! The kids gave me a Disney Gift Card that I can use on our trip in December and Doug gave me an iTunes gift card.

Morrill Hall

On April 25th, we went to Lincoln for Kathy & Nathan's new baby's baptism. After we left his party, we went to UNL's campus and Doug took the Samantha & Alden to the Morrill Hall Museum. We knew it would be a quick trip around the museum, so Clair and I stayed in the car. The kids were very excited about seeing Mammoths and Dinosaur skeletons. They keep asking when they can go back! Doug really enjoyed taking them. He knows I no longer care about his "rantings" about science and is excited to have a new generation who hang on his every word! :)

Samantha's Spring Concert

Samantha's school had a Spring Concert on April 20th. Grades Preschool - 4th Grade were included. Samantha wore the dress that Auntie Debra gave her. She loves it because she can twirl in it! Alison & Josh's son - Drew Moyer - was also involved as he is in the 4-5 year old preschool class. Samantha's class sang "Have You Ever Had An Orange?" and "I'm A Little Tea Pot". The theme for the concert was "food." Samantha knew all the words and sang very well! She thought it was pretty neat to be on stage! Alden watched the whole program in awe! We brought toys for him to play with, but we didn't need any of them! He was very proud of his big sister!

Samantha Swallowed a Turtle!

The day before Doug's birthday, Samantha was in her room playing during Alden's nap time. I was upstairs cleaning and I heard a scream that I had never heard from Samantha before. I ran down to her room and she told me that she had swallowed a turtle charm off a ribbon that Auntie Debra gave her for her last birthday. She had gotten it in Hawaii. Apparently, Samantha was chewing on the ribbon and it slipped down her throat. She said that she was in pain and that it tasted bad, so I called Doug's mom and she came over and watched Alden & Clair, while I ran up to the Acute Care Clinic on Hwy 370. I took Doug's grandma Holman with me in case I need morale support. Luckily, Samantha was no longer in pain when we got there and they took an x-ray and confirmed that she had swallowed it and it was already in her stomach. They told me just to watch for it to pass. I was very relieved to hear it wasn't stuck in her throat or somewhere else. I hope Samantha has learned her lesson, but for the time being, she is no longer allowed to play with jewelry that will fit in her mouth.