50th Anniversary Trip + Girls Weekend

 

This past weekend my Mom and sisters all got together to celebrate what would have been my parent's 50th wedding anniversary (May 31, 1975). Emily & I flew in to Des Moines, Iowa. Lindsay and my Mom drove down from Minneapolis. Emily even provided matching jammies for our weekend!

We visited my 92 year old grandparents in Newton, Iowa. They have been married 73 years. What a gift that they still have each other! We enjoyed conversation and dinner with them Thursday afternoon into evening. We also saw them again on Friday morning. 

We drove on to Pella, Iowa mid-morning on Friday. Tulip Time was just last week.

Had to take this picture for my kids.

The famous Jaarsma Bakery - it did not disappoint.

We also toured the Tuttle Cabin - this was very interesting.

After Pella, we headed to Ankeny to meet Aunt Ronda for lunch at Main Street Cafe. It was a wonderful but quick visit. We then drove on to Albert Lea, Minnesota to our hotel. This got us a few more hours down the road. Saturday morning we got up and headed to Stillwater, MN. 

Lunch at the Freight House

Exploring Stillwater

Saturday night we stayed at The Outing Lodge. This was so fun and rather memorable. 

No trip to Stillwater is complete without a stop at Nelson's Ice Cream. My Dad loved ice cream and we always stopped at Nelson's (Stillwater and St Paul) when nearby. The "kids" cup is like 5-6 scoops of ice cream - absolutely ridiculous.

We made it to breakfast on Sunday morning at The Outing Lodge - a hilarious story that I just can't include on here.  It was a lovely brunch. I really enjoyed the conversations and catching up we did over the weekend. It was a gift to all be together!

After Stillwater, we headed back towards the cities. We stopped in St. Paul to walk around, see some sites and enjoy lunch at Cossetta's. We then went to visit my Dad's niche and on to see Lindsay's family. Later Sunday evening I was able to meet up with Jen, Jess & Bekah. That was so fun! Unfortunately, I forgot to get a photo. Monday morning I flew back to NC.

Love these ladies!

Soccer

The girls had their last soccer game this evening. Lily & Ella were both of the JV team. They were a young team and did a lot of growing this season. Proud of all their hard work!

Ella with some of her 7th grade besties!

 

Mother's Day 2025

Today, we celebrated Mother's Day early. (I will be out of town next Sunday so today was Mother's Day at our house.) We had acai bowls for breakfast. After church we headed out for brunch at Amanecer. I am really enjoying this season of life. The kids are so fun to hang out with, play sports  or games with, have conversations with - all the things. I want to soak it all up! I am so grateful to be the MOM to these four, what a gift.

Benny + AIG

Benny is in AIG, again this year, for reading. Recently, Benny tested at the 8th grade reading level. This kid can devour some books and some content. Proud of all his hard work this year!

 

Easter 2025

He is Risen!

 

P R O M

Lily had her PROM on Friday night (9th-11th grades).

She had so much fun with her group of girl friends and she looked beautiful.

I enjoyed volunteering at it and watching them from afar. Such a sweet friend group.

School Dance

 

Benny & Wren had their school dance on Friday night; it was for 3-5th grade. They had a great time! Benny said he wasn't going to dance, just "play with my friends and eat as much food as possible." Ha - this kid makes us laugh regularly.

Besties Forever