Love that movie. And not just because Bradley Cooper is in it.

Yup. We’re starting a new adventure. In Maryland. Baltimore to be exact.

The purpose is mainly to eat every crab cake the state has to offer and spend the weekends on a sailboat wearing only Polo shirts. Just kidding. Well, not about the crab cakes. …or Shawn’s shirts (you should see his color coded Polo collection).

Shawn has been back and forth between Cedar Rapids and Baltimore quite a bit the last year and making the switch to being out there full-time is great for him. The company Shawn works for moved into the tallest building in Baltimore last year so he has a great view of the Inner Habor every day.

Last week we snuck away for neighborhood and house shopping . To make it a full swing shopping weekend we also hit up historic downtown Ellicott City and the Columbia Mall (where Shawn picked up some cologne – I’ll let him share that story with you in person). In between appointments we also tested out some of the restaurants because it is our duty to scope out the best spots to take each and every one of you when you come visit. We hit up Pure Wine Bar, Cocoa Lane, and Johnny’s Bistro in downtown Ellicotty City. We also tried Facci in Fulton, Victoria’s Gastro Pub in Columbia, and Alexandra’s at Turf Valley. All were amazing. We also scooted around to the local grocery stores which stock tons of seafood and health food options which is a total bonus. Have you ever been to the area? What places are your favorite??

My favorite find was Sweet Elizabeth Jane — it’s a lot like Anthro but local. They have endless eye candy.

That house in the bottom right picture is in a neighborhood with the Terra Maria Ruins smack dab in the middle. Though I can appreciate preservation, we did not pick that neighborhood — can you imagine staring out at empty windows of a vacant building every day? Yikes.

We saw many options for homes in Howard County including some with mob kitchens, sliding glass doors to death, and a few that our realtor steered us clear of in areas that he described as “cloudy with a chance of thug.” We have landed on calling this place home:

Doesn’t it look like the Cosby kids should live next door? I love the idea of having no lawn to mow or driveway to shovel! And don’t be fooled—it’s in a new suburban community 30 minutes from downtown Baltimore with a brand new grocery store, businesses and restaurants only a 5 minute walk or bike ride down the street. It also has enough space for our not-so-small family plus extra room for guests. That’s a win in my book. And with four floors, my bootay better be looking Ah-maaaazing!

In general, we’re thrilled about the opportunity and new experiences to be had in Maryland. I minored in history in college and can’t wait to learn more about the origins of just about everything PLUS Washington D.C. is only a short drive away. The endless things to see and do and, yes, shopping, have us pretty giddy.

As for me, I am taking a new job as a teacher. For our two kids. It’s a decision I went in circles with for many reasons that I won’t bore you with. Just know I value having a sense of self outside of my kids and Clickstop has set my expectations high in terms of company leadership and enjoying where you work. That said, I am planning to stay on with my company for a handful of hours each week for as long as they need me (insert happy dance!). This means I’ll still be able to keep up and stay relevant in digital marketing as well as see some new exciting projects through AND I get to keep up with the crazy crew.

Come August I may be pulling my hair out and itching to be full-time again but we will see!

This is the first time we’re moving with kids in tow. It’s a whole new ball game. I’m much more concerned with the quality of the schools and have become very familiar with the Maryland School Assessment Reports and parent reviews on GreatSchools.org. Howard County has some of the top public schools in the nation which makes this mama quite happy. It was our numero uno concern in finding a home and I think we did well.

At 6, Lindsay is very sad to leave her friends behind. At 30, so am I. I hear myself telling her just how awesome it’s going to be to be able to have friends here in Cedar Rapids AND make new friends out there. And I realize I’m telling myself the same thing. We have absolutely loved Iowa and we were so happy to have both of our children born here. I’m sure a sappy recap of our last 6.5 years in CR will follow soon.

So whatdoyasay? Will you join us for a few crab cakes and adventures??

Giggle Monsters with their cousins Lily and baby Bryant

The trip included taking GG (great-grandma Lil) out to lunch and forcing exhaustion on her as her five great-grand children scampered around her house at light speed. My favorite moment was standing at the kitchen sink and catching my dad swiftly doing circles around an SUV trying to find our 1.5 year old cousin, E. Her cute little owl clad head would come happily bopping around each corner of the car just as he went around the side she had just been on to find her. His face showed he was on the verge of panicking and I about peed my pants laughing. I’m a helpful daughter like that.

Mom taking the pack for a walk at GG’s

The Omaha Children’s Museum also made the list of things to do with my mom, BIL (Toby), and niece (Lily). Binz was all over the art while Rex couldn’t get enough of the “city” exhibit full of real firetrucks, buses, and police cars to climb and drive. From an adult perspective, the best part of the Omaha Children’s Museum is the old Richmond Gorman’s Zooland Animals that were once a department store haven for burning off energy while mom shopped.

See that lady up there on the left? She’s my mom and she is an well-trained kid corraler – essential when visiting crazy busy places with kids. And that is Lindsay on a fire pole on the top left…probably should’ve taken that picture a few steps back.

The unexpected ending of our weekend trip involves myself and my two small children snuggling on two cots for the night along with 40 of our closest new friends at the Shelby Iowa Community Center. For reals. I now have a glimpse at what it’s like to be homeless with two kids and I gotta say I’d be pretty good at it (as long as I get to keep my 4-wheel drive).

Long story short, “1-2 inches” of snow turned into white-out conditions. A six semi pile up closed the Interstate and forced us off to find haven at a local gas station/restaurant.

Four hours in, it started to get dark. There was no sign of the blizzard dying down or the Interstate opening back up. With the two giggle monsters now loaded up on ring pops and suckers, we moved it on down to the community center (aka the emergency shelter) with other fellow travelers who weren’t quick enough to snag one of the few hotel rooms in town. By this point I had already decided this is an adventure and a challenge to keep ourselves entertained.

Sometime around 8:00PM I got this pool picture from Mr. Davis who happened to be in San Diego for a conference the company he works for was sponsoring.

…upon receiving it, I helped paint the picture of our situation by describing how this emergency thing is just like being on the Walking Dead without guns or zombies. We had built a mini group of friends and learned who to trust and go to for info. I’m really good at giving him peace of mind about his family while he’s away for work.

Our mini adventure was an interesting experience where I learned a few things, like…

1. The volunteers at the Shelby community center were genuine, giving, inviting and everything you would expect and love about small town Iowa people. If any of you read this, thank you so much for what you do.

2. On the other hand, Iowa’s senior citizens are full surprises. Before you “aw” at that picture of Rex at the table with group of  Q-tips, know that  they kept their party going until 3AM and had to be told to quiet down. Also, I aspire to be them one day.

3. I have the awesomest kids who know when to go with the flow. Lindsay was more easy going than I’ve ever known her to be. She was outgoing and danced on over to her new found friends — a group of Iowa State engineering students — to join in on their fun but also played the roll of helpful big sister without question. Whether they’re in a swanky hotel or  homeless-like conditions, these two will be just fine.

4. Being forced to play card and board games for hours with your kids is the best blessing. It’s so rare to get uninterrupted time where there is nowhere you have to be or things that need to get done. We should get stranded more often. In fact, I think I’ll be starting an annual “get stranded” family vacation tradition to ensure we get this quality bonding time.

6. I’m certain this experience earned me  a six foot long Michonne’s-style sword for the real zombie apocalypse. I’m a survivor. Totally a qualifying experience in my book.

Hope you had a great weekend too!

Lindsay (also now known as Binz or LG) turned 6 this month. That’s a whole hand plus a finger. Woah.

As all your Facebook & Instagrammers already know, we spent her birthday at the American Girl doll store in Chicago. Linds got her first doll (Julie) for Christmas and was all about this birthday idea. Kudos to the American Girl doll enterprise for getting little girls excited about a day of shopping on Michigan Avenue.

Chi-town is only a four hour drive from Cedar Rapids so the four of us hopped in the car on her birthday morning and made our way there. We checked into our hotel a few blocks away (& free thanks to an ever-traveling hubs) then hailed a cab to the store. This marks the first official city cab ride for both kiddos…and I didn’t even get a picture!

We arrived in time for lunch at the American Girl Cafe & found ourselves walking through a store with scenes for all the dolls, past the bitty babies section, up an escalator, through more dolls and accessories, past the hair salon, hospital, t-shirt shoppe, and pastry shop before arriving at the restaurant. I’m pretty sure Disney is kicking themselves for not coming up with all of this first.

The cafe seats everyone at the same time. They clearly have it down to a science. We, along with the group of 150 or so giggling girls and surprised parents, filtered on in to our seats.

The large room has an air of whimsy and luxury combined with style, a kid-friendly atmosphere, and, well, pink. Everything pink. Including the daisies on the lampshades and server’s aprons. Oh my. Huge windows frame downtown Chicago. We walked in just as tons of big fluffy white snowflakes began to fall outside make in feel like were in a very pink dreamland.

Julie (the doll) got her own chair to sit at the table as did Curious George. American Girl does not discriminate.

Don’t you dare try to take George’s food away though. That makes a two-year-old angry.

The American Girl Cafe menu is pretty straightforward. I set my expectations low and was pleasantly surprised. For the price, it’s not exactly what you would find at a typical upscale restaurant, but the atmosphere definitely makes up for it. The part that shouldn’t have surprised me was how often the staff sang “happy birthday” to different tables. Apparently this birthday idea is pretty common :)

They brought out a beautiful cake and we all sang.

After lunch, we headed back through the store to pick out her bday presents.

Lindsay had a set spending limit which was increased thanks to a nice gift card from grandma and papa. This process took at least two hours. I have to give them props for the set up for each doll—they each tell a story of a time and place. But where was Samantha??? The 1980s version of me doesn’t understand why they still promote Molly but not Samantha. This is the 70s doll, Julie’s, “room.” My daughter is a total hippie chic.

Linds opted for a new doll named…drumroll….Saige. And speaking of names…

I found that little gem when I was looking back at what we had on our list (by the way, I never ever delete emails. evah).

Binz also picked an outfit for Julie and a bag to carry it all in. If you stand around long enough, they invite you into the personal shopping area to checkout and give you a poster. Surprise surprise, there’s even more pink in there. Linds told me I had taken enough pictures by this point and refused to pose…oh my child – what about the MEMORIES?!?!?!

Afterward we hit up the lego store and stopped for drinks in the tower place cafe then proceeded to chair dance to the loud music knowing we would never again see any of those people ever again.

Back out on Michigan Avenue, I diverted my eyes from all of the places I wanted to go and we made our way to the less-than-impressive Disney store to spend the remainder of the bday girl’s dinero. Afterward, we popped the kids up on our shoulders and trucked it back to the hotel for a bit of downtime because that toy shopping stuff is exhausting! I’m pretty sure one of my favorite memories will be walking through the crowds on the street in the freezing cold with our little people on our shoulders :)

We did dinner a restaurant at the pretty dead-this-time-of-year Navy Pier.

Rex decided he’d rather run around the entire restaurant than eat so we did our best finding the highest bidder for him taking turns walking around and eating in between. (Sidenote: Once both kids are older, we will be repaying them the joy of dining with people acting like total a-holes. Mark my words.)

Back at the hotel Rex pretended to be an Asian visiting Kramer (name that sitcom).

Linds complained that this was the worst hotel room ever because it didn’t have a mini bar full of drinks (apple? tree?). Apparently these two have jaded opinions of typical hotel rooms and I have no idea why…

Snuggling up in our pjs, we hunkered down in front of the luxury (to us) that is cable TV, then proceeded to grind the leftover chocolate birthday cake into the carpet. We even ate some of it.

On our way out of town the next morning, we stopped at the “Bean” in Millennium Park mostly because the only way we ever get any full family pictures is if there’s a reflective surface involved. The Bean is great for selfies.

Happy-as-a-clam Lindsay ran around and played in the melting snow while Rex hid his face in Shawn’s neck. Two is such a young age to start being embarrassed to be seen in public with your parents but whatev.

Rex also got his picture by a fi-ah twuck (must be said out loud with big round eyes).

At home, Lindsay had a present on the doorstep for her and her dolls that she put on immediately. Thanks aunt Shan! These went right along with the other new American Girl doll outfits from Ami & Gpa and Jen & Toby—that hippie dolls is stylin’.

At 6, Lindsay has request to be called Linds. So much for choosing her name :)

I can’t believe how fast six years has gone. Instead of feeling sad about my kids getting older, I celebrate. Every year marks new experiences and a special time in their lives that we must enjoy to the fullest. It represents more opportunities to learn and grow. Lately, amongst the stress of day to day life (laundry, dishes, groceries, dinner, and everything in between), I’m reminding myself how this is all only temporary. Bad and good (like stressful mornings and watching Linds & her brother make each other giggle uncontrollably) this phase of our lives is going by quickly. Remembering this helps me keep a cool head in some instances and fully appreciate the wonderful moments. Shawn and I love to talk about how young we will still be once they’re out of the house and all of the things we will still be able to do…but that stance doesn’t help me live in the now which is more important. We only have so long with our little people that we need to make it count.

Enjoy your 6th year Linds!

Shawn’s sister and BIL got married in Riviera Maya just four years ago. We had such an awesome time then that we committed to going back for a not-so-far-off anniversary. The location even inspired the name for their first born.

Did you know the Cancun airport has a bar on the street directly outside of baggage claim? Location. Location. Location. We got the party started early with drinks for the road.

Two of our favorite people, Jon & Trisha, were also able to join in on the trip. Cue cartwheels.

Mostly, you could find us all doing this:

And staring at this:

Every once in a while we switched it up and did this:

Then we tried to make friends with the locals in Playa Del Carmen.

[Not pictured: Best cabbie ever blazing Ja Rule & other rap music circa 2001. You made the 19-year-old ghetto-girl-wanna-bes in all of us so happy.]

Next we stepped it up a notch by getting lost in the Mexican jungle and tried to get killed by wild animals.

That’s Trisha’s “I love you but if an aboriginie with a machete jumps out, I can run faster than you” face.

After we didn’t die from machetes or wild animals, we all agreed that if a friend jumps into a dark hole deep in the earth, we will follow.

The next images show why the title of this post was almost “How To Make Your Husband Look Like a Pussy.” [Sorry mom, at least I said it here and not at the top of the page. No one is actually reading this far down anyway, right?]

Only three of us actually did these jumps. Shawn finally bucked up after about 45 minutes [love ya babe!]. Thank goodness for peer pressure.

Back to things that don’t make you second guess if you bought enough life insurance…

We ate. And ate.

One of the meals was from the seven course “fusion” restaurant which was more like art than food including the duck liver presented in a wine glass filled with cinnamon-flavored smoke. Yup.

Sometimes we practiced our zombie-eyed poses after we ate:

And then there were the fried crickets at the Mexican restaurant.

Just in case you’re ever in the area, the following activities are typically frowned upon at five diamond Mexican restaurants:

• Gagging at the table when crickets are presented
• Asking for chips and salsa
• Doing jumping jacks across the restaurant
• Spilling your alcoholic beverage on the table

We dubbed the dinner an utterly hilarious train wreck.

The final morning we dragged ourselves out to the patio to watch the sunrise with coffee in hand.

I soaked up all of the vitamin D possible down to the last minute.

…and realized how fortunate I am to get little breaks away like this.

Now we’re just hoping we’ll have a nephew named Riviera in a year or so ;)

Til next time Riviera Maya!

More pics from the trip thisaway »

Even just hours afterward so many stories about him have been shared—one from his little sister Neola about him convincing her to wash her face in sour milk to get rid of her freckles…twice. Another about him promising candy to his niece in order to get her to walk down the isle as a flower girl. The stories are hilarious and heartwarming. He himself though revealed some over the last few years that top them all.

I’m a big believer that instead of mourning, we need to celebrate his incredible life.

Here’s just a few things I always want to remember. Essentially, there are always “two” Tillman’s to me:

1. My Playful Grandpa…

…Who built me my first “office” (in my closet) and lit my fire for creative home improvement projects.

1989 Closet Office (aka my first DIY project).

…Who taught us life’s lessons during family trips to Estes Park (including letting me ride a go kart on his lap and “drive” one for the first time). These trips are invaluable.

Bpa & my sis Jen, 1981. A few years later she'd draw a picture of him with Bozo hair. I'm sure that was humbling.

Bpa fishing with my sis Jen...me, checking out tadpoles.

…Who was always “fun” grandpa (& grandma too) that our friends wanted to be around.

1991 In Estes Park

…Who was a skilled wood-worker, always making us things like Christmas reindeer, hand mirrors, table and chairs, custom shelves, toilet paper holders, and lots of personal Husker clocks (I even snagged a Hawkeye one from the house recently – he must have known I’d need it one day).

my little reindeer

A coat rack he made for my cousin, Renee.

On a side note, I’ll always remember how carefully I would keep my head focused on the fridge when going into his basement wood shop to grab a pop so not to look at the, ah-hem, scantily-clad calendar of the month girl. Guess grandpas are guys too :)

…Who the strongest guy I know, my dad, thinks is the strongest guy.

…Who always drove the most bad-ass new family sedans with the windows tinted dark black and had heavy gas pedal.

…Who humored me by partaking in my new Bailey’s shot concoction at Thanksgiving a couple years ago.

…Who always had a playful personality and a great laugh…gave great hugs, and so much more that I can’t articulate.

He’s also…

2. The Guy Who Had a Life Way Before Me & Even My Dad (this is the guy I’ve learned about through stories over the years)… 

…Who was always sharply dressed and was a bit of a ladies man before grandma Lil (& 66 years of marriage).

Bpa & gma in 1947

1973 Polaroid (aka "Instagram" before phones got involved)

…Who tried to pass his style onto his kiddos and was successful 75% of the time (my dad and aunt Jetty).

…Who fought for the U.S. in WII, experienced life-changing things, and came back with some great stories. (He eventually wrote some of his WWII story on paper which my dad typed up and I hesitantly shared on this blog).

1942

…Who had to quickly find a place for he and his young wife to live because they were expecting a daughter and kids were not allowed to live in their apartment.

1949 with baby Aunt Jetty

…Who worked hard for the telephone company.

circa 1950

…Who carved out a great life for his family and left a great legacy.

Holding me in 1983 - one of my fav all time pictures :)

Holding my son, Rex in 2010. To date he has 5 great grandchildren.

…Who is so much more than can be included here.

Those are just a few of the things I’ll always remember. This doesn’t represent even a small blip of his life. He has so much to be proud of.

Back in the 90s when home video was becoming all the rage, my dad encouraged me to do grandparent interviews. At age 13 I felt way too shy to ask them questions about their lives from when they were younger. That’s so personal. Knowing that I could even broach topic of his time spent serving in WWII (something my dad couldn’t even get grandpa to talk about much) was frightening. It wasn’t until college or a little bit after that I finally started to see the people in my family and other “adults” as real people, all on this crazy path of life. At that point, I’d moved away and got busy starting my own adult life. I really wish I would have taken that opportunity.

About 15 years ago or so, Til got around to tracking down our family history from both his mother’s (Schlicting) and father’s side. I have two printed copies of all the information he found. There is family lineage traced back all the way to Germany including a picture of the family home I hope to visit someday (if it still exists, who knows). There’s also a bit of narrative that makes these dates and names come to life, making the people on the tree so much more than just a branch. I’m really glad he took the time to pull that together and I know someday it will be useful to next generations too.

I think one of the best things a person can ask for is to live to be old. And now I know just how much your body can start to weigh you down if you are that fortunate. The last few months have made a big impression on my life. Part of me that wishes that all of us (my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, my parents, my kids, my nieces and nephew) could have one night to all be equally 22 years old, enjoying a few beers together on a night out. I know it would be a wild and ridiculously fun night with this crew.

For about a month or so he’s been living in an assistant living community and I did get to go see him in his new digs. And all of the sudden I realize the quick weekends back home are never quite enough. Monday night I got the chance to talk to him on the phone. It was a hard call to make. My aunt Jetty and grandma Lil were in his room. I told him he sounded good and he piped up with a playful response that he’s not doing too bad. I told him I’m proud to be his granddaughter.

I really am. What an incredible pair of shoes to follow in.

Updated: Here is the obituary from Dugan. Keeping it here so we always have it.

Services will be Monday, September 17, at 11:00 A.M. at First Lutheran Church. Rev. Charles Axness officiating. Memorials have been established to First Lutheran Church and Fremont Low Income Ministry. Condolences may be left at www.duganchapel.com.

Graveside services will be held at Memorial Cemetery Monday at 10:00 A.M. with graveside rites by the Fremont Honor Guard.

Tillman Adolf Jurgens, 90

Fremont

Died at Shalimar Gardens in Fremont Thursday September 13, 2012. He was born September 17, 1921, near Cedar Bluffs, Nebraska to Adolf and Mary (Schlichting) Jurgens. He grew up on the Schlichting homestead in the District 61 area southwest of Cedar Bluffs and went to high school in Cedar Bluffs, graduating in 1939. Till was inducted into the Army Air Corp. at Fort Crook Army Base (now Offut Air Force Base). He attended B-24 airplane mechanic training at Gulfport, Mississippi. His unit first flew B-17s and later B-24s. He spent three years in the southwest Pacific during World War II. Till’s unit later received the Presidential Unit Citation from the Navy for a job well done, and by the war’s end he was a Crew Chief in charge of maintenance of a B-24. After completing his service obligations, Till went to work for Northwestern Bell Telephone Company, retiring in February 1981 with 35 years of service.

Tillman married Lilllian Mae Swanson of Wahoo on November 15, 1946 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Wahoo.

Till was a member of First Lutheran Church, Telephone Pioneer’s of American, American Legion, VFW #854, Fraternal Order of Eagles #200, and Masonic Lodge AF & AM #15. He was a lifetime member and past president of the 11th Bombardment Group Association now headquartered at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.

Survivors include his wife Lillian, daughter Jetty Rabeler (husband Russell) of Fremont, son Kurt Jurgens (wife Mary) of Omaha, sister Neola Thorsen of Holliston, Massachusetts, five grandchildren, Renee Schneringer (husband Mitch) of Fremont, Brandon Rabeler of St. Louis, Missouri, Rochelle Rabeler of Denver, Colorado, Jennifer Hottovy (husband Toby) of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Kati Davis (husband Shawn) of Hiawatha, Iowa, and five great grandchildren.

Services will be Monday, September 17, at 11:00 A.M. at First Lutheran Church. Rev. Charles Axness officiating. Memorials have been established to First Lutheran Church and Fremont Low Income Ministry. Condolences may be left at www.duganchapel.com.

Graveside services will be held at Memorial Cemetery Monday at 10:00 A.M. with graveside rites by the Fremont Honor Guard.

Dugan Funeral Chapel

402-721-2880

Could he be any cuter???

Excited to have a kid with a birthday during a warm month, I set out for an outdoor-type event and landed on a painting birthday party.

I doctored up some paint party invitations:

Yes, I casually strolled into Lowe’s and pretended to be interested in the most in-your-face paint sample colors available AND also that I needed at least 20 of each. I then headed home and printed out a quick design after a little trial and error to get it lined up in the right spot.

The night before the party I stayed up until midnight making my own homemade paint (okay, my fault for starting at 10:30pm). It was a disaster. I made gel, not paint…even though everyone on the interwebz claims cornstarch and water are the best finger paint combination. Don’t trust what you read on the internet. Thankfully, as I hung my shoulders and grabbed my purse to go load up on the store bought stuff the next morning, my sister-in-law swooped in with a much better recipe using flour. Happy dance! That woman knows her stuff.

I originally envisioned beautiful pictures of children painting along the fence out in the green, luscious grass. But well, I’ll let Linds show you how that afternoon was looking.

After the emergency hurricane evacuation from DC on his birthday last year, I’ll gladly take a little rain.

Plan B: garage party. That’s how we roll in Iowa. I suppose someone up there thought we needed a little extra water for our messy painting party. So be it.

We got the snacks set up inside including the paint sample birthday banner. The Lowe’s workers think I have the most colorful house ever.

I had planned to line the fence with colorful balloons. My sister-in-law again came up with a great idea for repurposing them. Could this be a better idea for a truck-loving 2-year-old’s party?

The “canvas” (aka a king bed sheet cut in half) got put up on the garage wall. The kids went to town making a beautiful piece of art.

P.S. How much do you love a four-year-old who wears feather earrings? I’m taking style notes from this girl now.

It eventually got so messy we moved onto the next sheet. At that point Maria showed me a great tension relief trick – tearing bed sheets in half. For her birthday I’ll be getting her white wife-beater tank tops a la Hulk Hogan. And maybe some new bed sheets.

One of the best parts of the painting birthday party was having Lizzy come in and do face painting. You may recall she is the go-to face painting booth at the Cedar Rapids downtown farmer’s market. She even tried out some new designs.

Grandma and little Maya got in on the face painting too. Is she not the sweetest little four-month-old with a butterfly ever?

With the sugar from cupcakes coursing through their veins, the kids headed to the trampoline once the rain stopped.

Even the mini super heroes got in on the action.

Dear Shawn, remember the dirty look you gave me when I drug this thing home a few months ago? You can apologize at any point…like maybe the next time you’re on it :)

What would a messy party be without silly string?

It’s not a party until someone loses their pants.

Here is the original Davis fam plus baby Maya. Between the set up and creative ideas, they will be attending all future parties if I have to drive to Missouri to pick them up myself.

We made an effort to get a group shot of all of the kiddos. Herding cats would be easier for sure. The older siblings are trained well in latching on and forcing the little ones to stay in the shot.

Freedom!

I love this pic my FIL sent of my boys—Shawn with his mini-me, backward hats and all.

At 2, Rex’s jabbering up a storm and repeating everything you say. He’ll even tell you how old he is and attempt to hold up two little fingers. He loves to go “outside” and “EAT!” among several other words.

Rex’s actual birthday fell during the week. That morning we did our normal hectic routine but had this little moment where it all stopped for a brief second. A balloon from the party had made its way into his room, not far from the shelf where we keep his favorite book …In the great not-so-green room, there was a telephone, and red balloon… #goodnightmoon

I can’t even tell you how excited I was to go get her little backpack and school supplies. So many moms act shocked that their kids are old enough to go to kindergarten. Not me. This one is ready for a new experience and I’m ready for her to get her learning on.

The night before there was an open house at the school. There her teacher gave each of the kids “jitter glitter.” We sat in her room picking out her outfit for the first day and talking through it. I read the poem for jitter glitter and got all teary-eyed–why??? I have no idea. I like to think it’s because it made me realize that she has a teacher who really cares and considers that her new students might have a few jitters on their first day. It’s another person in her life who will guide her and help her grow as a person. *Tears*

So the point of jitter glitter is to put it under your pillow to help calm your jitters for the first day of school. My little Binz thought that would be messy (yeah, me too, but I was willing to do it). She even refused to put the baggie of glitter under her pillow. I’ve created a clean freak. I’m so proud. *More tears*

That night I proudly ironed her little yellow striped top with white leggings along with her backup outfit. The next morning she woke up and pulled a tank top and turquoise leggings out of her closet because she decided she needed more color.

A shot of the ever-important backpack. The school is only a few blocks away so I had visions of us all walking her that first morning. She thought it would be better to drive. Who am I to argue?

Her baby brother started a new daycare that day too. I made Shawn make a late night run to Target the night before and pick up a cute Skip-Hop backpack I had in mind for him. He wore it for about two seconds. Doesn’t he understand? It’s so cute! It looks like a dog! Come on Rex!

Even though we didn’t walk to school, we pretended with pictures. My daughter is great at humoring me.

Then Shawn discreetly kissed us goodbye, wished Linds luck, and snuck to his car to avoid Rex screaming out for “mommy!” (he’s a bit confused). Linds waved. Rex cried as he drove by anyway. Welcome to my mornings.

At school, we took even more pictures. I’m a paranoid parent who cropped out the name and address of the school (ps, there’s also video surveillance!).

And because she’s not old enough to be embarrassed, I also made sure to get a shot with her teacher who I am a big fan of so far. I don’t think this school could have found more perfect kindergarten teachers.

After the first week, I can report Lindsay loves it. She comes home singing songs about how to draw letters and numbers every day. Today she sang a song about primary colors. I’ve been trying to teach her that for a while now. From now on, I will be making up my own songs too.

I can also report she rolled her eyes at a bad joke I made at dinner tonight. My little girl IS growing up!

Yup, those are all done so instead here’s a little project the Binz and I did this last weekend. I deliberately stole the idea from here after seeing it on Pinterest. A new place needing decorated walls + quality crafting time with my girl = two birds with one  canvas.

I can’t do an art project with the kids without singing this Elmo rendition of Sexy and I Know It (hence the title). If you haven’t seen it, it’s definitely worth the watch … tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle, yah!

We went about the process a bit differently. Binz used the same paint for the stems and the grass but we watered it down for the grass. I also sewed the flowers directly into the canvas purely because I was too lazy to dig out a hot glue gun. I also modge podged a scrapbook circle to a beer bottle in the process—sadly that was the only circular-shaped thing I could think of to shape the petals. Do I at least get a few points for the bottles being the appropriate Summer Shandy and not Miller Lite? …And this is why I don’t craft regularly. We ended up just bending the petals after they dried and putting the glue covered bottles back in the fridge.

If you didn’t see the face painting pics I posted on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram (you’re not a very good stalker), you’re probably wondering about Binz’s face. She got her face painted during a trip to the Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market earlier that morning. It may also be what inspired us to get our craft on with supplies that have been waiting for over a month.

During the farmers market trip I also brought home a original painting from the girl who does the face painting—is she talented or what? I brought it home and showed it to Shawn who thought it would be going in Binz’s room but, nope, it’s hanging in our kitchen with all of the bright colors greeting us every time go through the door. The color makes me happy. It may make it’s way into another room of the house eventually but for now I’m enjoying it.

And for some random thoughts that won’t be making it into blog posts of their own:

• I’m becoming a hippy. Not in the we’re-going-to-start-living-in-a-VW-bus kind but the organic-loving kind. Between Netflix documentaries like Forks Over Knives and this TEDx speach by Robyn O’Brien about the effects of GMOs in the U.S., I can’t help but look at all of the food in our house as toxic (gogurt and fruit roll-ups anyone?) and now am on a mission to make organic work for our family. We even joined this Cedar Rapids organic food CSA. Wish me luck. And, actually, living in a VW bus would have its advantages like never having to pack another 50 bazillion boxes…
• Kristi got me really thinking about our family’s “normal.” With a hubs that travels a lot, there are many mornings and nights the kids and I are on our own. I’ve learned we have to keep consistent routines regardless. When he’s home it’s a bonus and we all get out the door a bit earlier those mornings (plus I have a personal chef those nights). Having consistency has been a big help. Don’t tell Shawn but I really enjoy having a few quiet nights each week to myself to read, work, or write ridiculously random blog posts. We also get excited to see each other—how many families get to feel that excitement?
• Professional bloggers are a professional bloggers for a reason. 10 points to anyone who actively keeps a successful blog up and running in addition to their full-time job and family—you should probably go get some sleep now. Me, well, if anyone is still reading, hi :)
• Let’s Pretend This Never Happened is a book that is making me wish I had dead animals in the backyard. Totally weird and hilarious. You have to read it. You will laugh out loud and want your own dead animals too. Did I mention that my sister got me a mini desk-sized Beyonce for my birthday? My sister is awesome.
• Summer is here and I’m pumped about getting outside to do fun things with the fam like the CRBT drive-in movies, farmers’ markets, swimming, splash padding, Brucemore children’s theatre performances, science museum, hiking through some of our local state parks.

What other things are you planning to do this summer? Any suggestions for things we should check out? I’m thinking that since we’re in eastern Iowa a trip to the field of dreams is in order. How about any project you’ve tried or are looking to try this summer?

P.S. Check out a guest post I wrote about how we organize kids artwork over at Kuzak’s Closet today!

Look at her already posing. She couldn’t be more perfect. I could snuggle her all day. She’s named after the place where her mom and dad got married. It brings back many memories from the private beach shindig.

If you have any questions about becoming a new mom, I’m pretty sure Shanna has read everything. Her birth story is actually really interesting. Not only did she have a doula and commit to going all natural but she and her husband actually WALKED OUT of the hospital prior to the birth when they were ushering her in too quickly to start hooking her up to monitors unnecessarily. They did this after confirming there was no risk to the baby by waiting. It’s not my story to tell so I won’t go into too many details but I definitely think all ladies should check out this documentary (The Business of Being Born). It makes me want a redo for both kiddos births. Shan is an inspiration to ladies wanting to take control of their bodies and their children’s well being.

Off my soap box…

We spent Saturday at Shanna’s in-laws. She even managed to get us all coordinated for some quick family pics while we were in town. Here’s a sneak peak the photographer sent. I’m not sure how any will top this pic.

Rex enjoyed his first ever four wheeler ride. Yes, my blood pressure skyrocketed watching. Linds went with her uncle David like she always does — those two have such a blast four wheeling together. This is the same guy that made homemade playdoh with her last year while she was visiting for a week. He’s going to make a great dad to his new little girl.

That might be my favorite new picture of the little man and his dad.

Linds also worked on her back swing.

…while Rex worked on his Happy Gilmore.

This little trip was also a chance to buggify and back-seat-cracker-fy Shawn’s new hoopty.

Cheers to the kiddos being hypnotized by DVDs on all future family car trips!

Sunday was one of those days that Craig Morgan sang about. It’s a common occurrence in this part of the country to strip the bambinos down to their skivvies for a little MO-style pool party. I can’t wait to pull these pictures out of Lindsay’s first prom date.

There was also lots of quality time with Gma and Papa.

And what would a family photo be without a little duck face?

Little Maya is in great hands.  I can’t wait to have her running around our house and spoil her rotten soon enough. I’m looking forward to repaying all of those messy diaper changes and ridiculously early mornings Shanna took care of with our kids. Er, maybe we can take the night shift though? ;) I’m also pretty excited about someday helping her order her first bananas sucio in the place where her parents got married.

Congrats Shan & David!

This little bald man to be exact.

Welcome to the world my favorite nephew! Last weekend we made the five hour trek over to Lincoln to meet three-day-old Bryant. He’s numero dos for my sister and brother-in-law (BIL) who you may remember from here, here, and here. If you’re good at math or still have your 2011 calendar up, you may notice this is the second bambino for her in two years. And here she is making it look easy:

Then the kids got smart and decided to take over.

I’m thinking rope would be a fun Christmas present for these two soon-to-be partners in crime.

Bryant was a sleeping angel who probably didn’t even notice any of us were there, but that didn’t stop our fam from the shenanigans. My dad took on his roll of making us all giggle…

To which he got this reaction…

As is required anytime us three Jurgens’ ladies get together, we went shopping (yes, my sister who had given birth four days earlier enjoyed some retail therapy). It was a successful trip. We found some things to take home and a few things to bring a truck back for one of these days.

After deciding that cute aprons will surely make us want to cook, we snagged three of those babies from Pier 1 for us and mom. If anything we can wear them while holding a glass of wine in a complimentary shade of red this Christmas.

The weekend was filled with plenty of snuggles and even a few sips of BIL’s family favorite whiskey (also known as the “uncle” baby Bryant got his middle name from :-P).

I can’t wait until he’s up running around with his big sister and cousins. Congrats mi hermana and BIL!