June evening at Glenwood Lake Park

 Aaron didn't have to go to work at QT until 9pm, so we decided to spend the evening at the park. Well, first we had a yummy mexican dinner at El Portal in Glenwood, our favorite place to eat(they give you unlimited chips and salsa.) Nona enjoyed eating the salsa with her hands - funny girl! We wanted to catch a free Summer concert at the park amphitheater, so we got to the park an hour early so that the kids would have time to play.

Ivy loves the slides!

We checked out the nature trails for the first time, and they were beautiful! 

Nona tried to pick every bloom of clover on the path. She was so pleased with her little bouquet.

It's wildflower season!

 It was perfect June weather. High 70's and just a bit breezy - a gorgeous night for a walk!

The prairie grasses were lovely.

Our nature trail ended up right at the amphitheater. We arrived with just enough time to pick up some popcorn before the show started.

The Offut USAF Vortex band was playing. They did a lot of jazz numbers, and some "oldies" from the 70's and 80's. We were really impressed with how great the band was.

We stayed for about half an hour before leaving so Aaron could get to work, and it was just the right amount of time for the kiddos to enjoy the music. 

 I feel so especially blessed on nights like these.

Star Wars Movie Night!

After a year or more of begging from Rylan, we decided to finally have a Star Wars family movie night. Watching Star Wars for the first time is a momentous occasion, so I made sure to take a few pics to document this important night. :)

We had popcorn!

We had Paleo Chocolate Banana Zucchini Cake! 

The boys were enthralled and amazed!

 The girls ended up watching My Little Pony on the laptop halfway through. In their defense, Star Wars is a long movie!

Kitchen Buddies!

I love having buddies in the kitchen with me! Today, Bree and Rylan helped me make a fresh Italian sauce puree go with meatballs for lunch. We had beautiful tomatoes, onions, and peppers from Bountiful Baskets, and we used fresh herbs from our garden. Rylan and Bree even plated up the food. They did such a gorgeous job. So proud of my kiddos!

Country Roads

Aaron finally had a day off from the College World Series this Sunday. We went on a date to the Old Market in the afternoon, and then took the kids on a walk in the evening. 

Rylan and Bree always bring their bikes along on walks now.

Ivy tried rolling down the ditch. :)

Rylan is loving the new bike he got for his birthday. Thanks Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Jeff, and Grandma & Grandpa!

Pleased as punch that I let him take his shirt off!

Aaron, demonstrating to the boys how the bike pegs work.

Nona stayed in the stoller for most of the walk, but ran around with us for the last 10 minutes.

Elle found a beautiful birds nest!

Happy memories on our country road.

Trains and Taco Bell

Well, it wasn't insanely hot(95 degrees,) but this pregnant lady was still pleasantly relieved when Aaron suggested taking the kids to the Union Pacific Museum in Council Bluffs. We hadn't been there for probably 5 years, so we were due a visit. They added a lot more exhibits since we were there last, and it is more kid-friendly now. My photos are REALLY poor quality because there is no flash photography allowed, and it is a seriously dark museum. Indoor photography is not my forte' to begin with, so I was really struggling to get my camera figured out while hanging out with the kids, and after a while I decided that I'd rather have fun with them instead of worrying about great shots. Luckily, we still got a couple of cute, albeit blurry, pics out of the day!

A fun old-fashioned dynamite box. They had a cool rock wall that lit up and made a huge boom when you pushed the lever down. Rylan really got a kick out of it.

Nona was NOT feeling friendly towards the Old West cowboys.

Party line!

Relaxing in a 50's era train car.

I love that Union Pacific bought the old Council Bluffs Library and turned it into a museum. What a beautiful building, and it's fun to tell the kids that Grandma Sargent used to come here to get books when she was their age!

History makes us hungry. We stopped for a not-so-healthy lunch at Taco Bell, for a special treat.

 This may or may not be a "please-stop-taking-pictures-at-Taco Bell" look.

Wednesdays at the Glenwood Farmers Market

Our little farmers market here in Glenwood is gaining momentum every year. We love spending Wednesday evenings there, at the beautiful Glenwood Lake Park. Hip Hip Hooray for farmers markets! They make our lives so much better. We just love local produce!

Tonight was our first visit of the year. Not too many tables out there yet, due to such a rainy, cold Spring, but we still got some great stuff.

Honey sticks, from our local beekeepers!

 Rylan was our money handler tonight. He did such a great job counting and sorting.

Rhubarb! Oh, the possibilities!

Pond Study

We love our Mills County Conservation Board! They offer great nature classes several times a month, and this last week the class was on pond life. Usually the classes are very well attended, but it must have been a busy week for everyone in the county, because Rylan and Bree were the only ones who showed up, so they got a nature class specifically catered to them! 

Aaron doesn't work until late in the afternoon this Summer, and I love that he gets to be more involved with the kids' schooling and make field trips a special date with the older ones. 

Here are a couple of pics he sent me from his iPhone.

Using nets to gather samples from Pony Creek Lake.

Catching tadpole and studying the life-cycle of bullfrogs.