Decorah

Last weekend we made a trip to Decorah to visit Tony, Kelly, Davis and Bennett.  As always, we had a great time hanging out, playing outside, and eating a ton of good food.  We got into town around 6:00 on Friday and just watched the kids play after dinner.  We also had cupcakes to celebrate Kelly's birthday this week.

The kids were still awake at 10:00 on Friday night so you'd expect them to sleep in.  But no, Brynn was up at 5:45 and Bennett at 6:00.  So our day started early.  I always leave Tony and Kelly's house with a new decorating idea, recipe, or some sort of inspiration.  The take-away from this trip:  I need a Keurig coffee maker and a milk frother.  The frother has already shipped since I ordered one off EBay this weekend.  I mean seriously...look at that cup of coffee...all frothy and beautiful....doesn't it look like it's from some fancy coffee shop?  Think of the money I could save! So anyway, Saturday morning we sat around and drank coffee and lounged while the kids played "puppies."  It was so nice to see Carter playing something other than trains!

By late morning, the boys decided to go on a bike ride with the little boys, and Kelly, Brynn and I went shopping in town.  I bought some cute cookie cutters.  Here are some photos of our boys before and during their bike ride.  We also saw the famous eagle's nest and the fish hatchery.

After lunch and naps (for ALL of us), the sun decided to come out.  We played on Tony and Kelly's new play set and Davis and Carter played in some sand and dirt outside. Poor Bennett woke up from his nap not feeling too well and the poor guy ended up with an ear infection.  But he hung in there and played with the other kids. My good friend Amy and her kids Macy and Drew drove down from LaCrosse to see us.  The kids all played together and us girls chatted and caught up.  It was so nice to see them!  This was Amy's first time meeting Brynn.  Seems crazy!  We now have two arranged marriages....Carter and Macy and Drew and Brynn. 

On Sunday morning, we decided to go to Phelp's Park and let the kids play for awhile.  The rain held off and they all had a great time.  Carter and Davis loved the swings and the slides, and Bennett liked running away from the rest of the group.  Oh Bennett....he's too cute! After lunch, we hit the road and made it back to Des Moines around 5:00.  What a fun weekend!  Can't wait to go back!

And here are just two pictures of my kids from last week.  They make me smile! :)