A Day at the Children's Museum

So we ventured to the Children's Museum in Coralville the other weekend.  The kids had so much fun!  It is this amazing place that has a bunch of different rooms, each room is a different theme, grocery store, farmer's market, music room, etc.  Henry would not leave the grocery store.  When we picked him up to leave he threw a HUGE fit.  So enjoy all of the pictures of the kids playing.

They started in the grocery store pushing carts, weighing their produce.  They had real touch screen registers that the kids could scan items and pick the produce for you to pay.  That was Paige's favorite part (shocking for any of you who knew me when I was younger).

They then had a whole health area.  It had dentist items, an ambulance, etc.  Paige wanted to stay in this one the whole time.

The pizzeria was a good time.  You could put together your pizza, they had an "oven" you could put it in, a register for you to pay.

There was a music room which was probably Henry's 2nd favorite room.  Lots of drums, pianos, bell kits, it took me back to my band days.  Paige was impressed I could play so many of them.  She of course picked the piano like Grandma Greta.

This is Paigey in the post office while Rob couldn't get Henry out of the music room :)

One of our final rooms we went in was full of airplanes and everything flying.

She just kills me

Rob spent a lot of time going up and down the stairs

Cars and Crafts.  This is where we ended but everyone was so tired.  Henry liked the car room and Paige was having a blast in the craft room.  Tells you exactly who they are.  It's so fun to see Henry start to pick up crayons and color instead of just eat them.  He's doing it more and more.

Family Update!

Hey family and friends!!  It's been a bit since I've blogged on us.  Life as been crazy lately but thats ok!!  The kids are doing really well.  Both are growing like crazy and still learning new things at daycare.  Rob and I are doing great work is crazy for both of us so we're just trying to make it through life right now.  Here are a TON of pictures off my phone from the end of July!

Paige and I needed out of the house one night.  So we went to Mexican to have cheese dip.  It was funny to go out to eat with her by ourselves.  

Rob had a guys golf weekend a couple weeks ago.  He went to Omaha with all of his college friends.  Shout out to those boys for dealing with my million text messages and phone calls.  Henry decided to get the flu while daddy was gone.  His fever spiked up to 103.  Thank you to our neighbors Brittany and Justin for taking care of Paige so I could get Henry to the doctor and for bringing us all lunch.  Wouldn't have made it through that Saturday without you guys.

This is what he looked like most of the weekend

He is always happiest with Paige

Who needs to sit up to eat?

Paige and Henry were enjoying kettle corn made by a co-worker on a Friday.  They LOVED it.  It was also the first time I've ever seen Henry watch TV.

He has started to think he's so cool in sunglasses

I wonder where he gets it from?

Paige fell asleep in the car on the way home from Des Moines running errands one Saturday.  Rob and I had to laugh because she looked exactly like my niece Carly looks when she falls asleep in the car.

As you can see we're on the go.  I can't believe it's August and fall is almost here.  So much fun!!!

Holy Late Blog!

Ok I'm going to do one big giant catch up blog!  Well we've been so busy I just haven't thought about blogging.  I also apparently didn't take many pictures at these events.

Well we had our annual Vander Waal Olympics (My mom's side reunion, sorry Kate I don't know how to spell it in Dutch).  As many of us as possible went to my Aunt Carol's house.  We used to compete with brackets and the whole 9 yards, however now that our kids are getting older we spend most of the day just playing games with them, swimming, etc.  My kids had so much fun.  Henry went swimming in the little pools with all of the big kids.  He always was swinging with me on the porch swing.  Paige ran and played all day.  She was pooped out at the end of the day.

I also went on a girls weekend with two of the best girls I could ask for in my life.  Graham and Kelly and I went to Galina, IL.  My wonderful husband planned this for us back in April.  He saw that I was having a hard time keeping my head above water and of course not complaining or saying anything.  I was at work one day and Graham called me.  She said I don't even want to tell you this but you hate surprises and you are an over planner.  She told me Rob had planned a girls weekend for me and I stood at work crying.  Those of you who know me the best know I don't cry often.  It was a much needed weekend and we had a blast.  We stayed at my first ever Bed & Breakfast.  That was interesting and entertaining all at the same time.  I think the owner was thinking she was getting a bunch of roudy girls on a girls weekend.  We are the complete opposite.  But we played games, ate food, shopped and of course drank wine.  It was relaxing and great!!

Then over the 4th of July weekend we had a Chapman reunion (Rob's mom's side).  We haven't seen some of them for 2 years.  So of course this meant it was the first time some of them have met Henry.  Boy did he put on a show for everyone, or as my mom called it he was the belle of the ball for an entire weekend.  Rob's cousin Kyle and his wife Ashley stayed at our house and it was amazing.  They loved on our kids and it was so much fun to stay up late and catch up.  We did a lot of fishing, swimming, etc.  Of course I took minimal pictures as I was mostly chasing my kids around.

My nephew Tyler caught a HUGE catfish

Henry enjoying the pool

Kyle was such a good sport with my kids.  Boy do they love him!

The next ones are just a bunch of random pictures I took

Paige tried on a scarf at Target and wanted to take it home

Paige did a little working out with me the other night

She then decided to sleep in Daddy's shirt...so big on her

This weekend has been a crazy one.  We finally participated in Ankeny Summerfest.  It's a HUGE deal in this town and we've never gone in the 4 years we've lived her.  Paige's friend Hudson and his family are the ones who talked us into going.  So Friday night we went to the carinval.  This is basically a smaller version of the Iowa State Fair in Ankeny.

Oh these two

The told me to take a picture of their booty

So Paige and I decided we were going to ride the ferris wheel.  Yes I know a ferris wheel at a small carnival does not sound safe.  I thought it would be fine until I was at the top with two 4 year olds and I thought our chair was going to tip over.  I found myself trying to balance their weight out while they were so excited about what they could see.  Paige talked Hudson into riding with us and I'm so glad I was the one who took the two of them.  I had so much fun talking to those two when it was just us 3.  These are the pictures we took while we were stuck at the top waiting for them to unload people.

Saturday morning we decided to go to the zoo.  We hadn't been all summer and it's already JULY!  So we packed up and off we went.  It was so much fun.  Our neighbors even met us there.  Paige rode a camel!!  She's wanted to do that for a while but she's finally at the age she can do some of this stuff by herself.

Henry got a little bored and tired

Saturday night Rob and I went up to Summerfest with Tonia and Casey (Hudson's parents) to go to the beer garden with their friends.  We had a blast!  Paige and Henry got to see a babysitter they haven't seen in a while.  But it was rough this morning.  TODAY we went swimming at my Dad and Pat's pool.  It was a BLAST!!  Graham and Laek came and joined us.  Henry was just floating around the pool in his float.  Paige finally warmed up to the pool and even swam for a while in just her life jacket!

These are my watermelon lovers while I tried to pack us a picnic.

Life has been busy for sure!!  But it was one of the most fun and summer feeling weekends we've had in a while.  Our life slows down a bit from here on out.  Well I should say the kids and I do.  Rob still has two guys golf weekends and a STL trip with his brother to go to a Cardinals v Cubs game in August.  I'll try and take more pictures and update more often.  

Love to all!