Luke turned 2 years old!

Luke turned 2 years old on November 25th. He is growing up too fast! He is a very sweet little boy. He can't really talk yet, but he loves to snuggle and give his brothers and sister hugs. He laughs a lot and is a very happy kid. We're very glad to have him in our family.

This little guy loves animals and making animal noises.

He also loves Daniel Tiger (a show on PBS), so he got a talking/singing tiger from Grandma Culwell. He smiles every time it sings to him. 

He was so excited after he ripped off a little bit of paper and saw the little picture of a barn. We had to encourage him to open it the rest of the way!

Luke got an Elmo cake for his birthday. 

He wouldn't blow out the candles, but he sure enjoyed eating the cake!

The aftermath of the decorations- balloons in the trampoline!

Callie is in there somewhere!

Halloween!

It's about time to get some updates on here!

We had a fun Halloween this year. Callie was a pony named Fluttershy, Luke was a zebra, Ryan was Superman, and Jack was a police officer. The kids got a ton of candy and had a lot of fun trick-or-treating with some friends. Dad was working a lot during this time, so we didn't do pumpkins this year. We'll just have to make up for it next year!

First Day of School

Early in September, Jack and Callie started a new year at school.

Callie started Kindergarten. She was very nervous, but excited. Her first day went very well and she has been enjoying school ever since.

Jack started 2nd grade. He knew just what to expect since he had previously been in a 1st-2nd combination class. He went to the same classroom with the same teachers as last year!

Callie initially did not want to ride the bus, but after talking to Jack and realizing she would get to sit with him every day, she decided to give it a try. So far, so good! 

We definitely miss having all four kids at home, but it has been nice to hang out with the little guys for a while.  With the way the schools work around here, next year we'll have kids going to three different schools (preschool, primary school, and intermediate school), so it's nice to enjoy this simple set-up for a while!

Iowa Children's Museum

While we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa Marshall in Nauvoo, we drove to Iowa to check out their cool Children's Museum. We took a lot of pictures since we probably won't go back any time soon!

This museum is smaller than the one by our house, but it was still plenty of fun and we were able to spend a lot of time there. The kids especially loved running around this giant room set up for plays or shows. 

Jack thought this see-through piano was very cool! He always asks how things work, and when we had visited Washington he loved playing the piano. He kept asking how it made music, and now he knows!

We had so much fun! It's great to explore new places wherever we go!

Nauvoo in September

Right before school started, we decided to take one last trip out to Nauvoo, Illinois to visit Grandma and Grandpa Marshall. The kids were great on the road trip, which makes things much easier!

Even though it was September, the weather was still plenty hot! We had a picnic in town while we played at the park.

When we were at Grandma and Grandpa's house, the kids got to play in the sprinklers and help water the lawn!

We also got to ride the boat along the "Big Muddy" and eat at a restaurant along the way! The kids loved it. 

It was pretty windy, so everyone's hair is all over the place!

Grandma was kind enough to set up a slip-n-slide and pool for the kids, too. They had a blast.

Callie wanted a picture of her completed puzzle. She was very proud that she finished it!

We also made some time to attend a local festival with some fun rides. It was so incredibly hot while we walked around, though. The kids were red-faced and sweating so we kept dumping water on their heads to cool them off!

Callie was very enthusiastic about the roller coaster before getting on. Afterward, she said she did not like it because it was too fast! The boys had a great time, though!

Jack was the only kid tall enough to ride the swings, so he was solo for this ride. 

Despite the heat, the kids had a lot of fun and would love to go back. We'll have to find a place around here with some fun carnival rides!