Blank Park Zoo

We went to the Blank Park Zoo here in Des Moines with Moms Club.  The kids had a great time and it actually felt like summer - yay!!

Sweet Silhouettes

I recently made these silhouettes of the kids.  It was a super easy project and they are a really cute & fun touch to my living room decor.  

So easy - take a profile picture of the kid, print out an 8x10 copy, tape the photo to a piece of card stock (I chose a cobalt blue, since I am obsessed with this color lately), cut out around the profile, adhere to another piece of card stock (I chose white) and frame!  The hardest part of this project was getting to the store to print out the photo - that shows you how easy it is!

Weekend Away

Nate's good friend and fellow John Deere-ite, Seth Crawford, married his long-time girlfriend Tricia this past weekend in Kansas City.  My parents came up to watch the kids in DM, so it was a great excuse for us to get away by ourselves for 3 days and enjoy the festivities with some of our great JD friends.  We had not all been together in ages, so it was quite a treat!  

We spent Friday in downtown KC on the Plaza with the Mezvinsky's who were up from Dallas.  Saturday was spent with the whole group, enjoying a beautiful beautiful wedding and reception just outside of the KC burbs.  A little drama did ensue, as around 10pm tornadoes were sighted in the area and we had to take cover in the horse stalls that were a part of the ranch where the reception was taking place!  It was wild, but actually really fun!!!  Luckily, the music kept playing, the bar stayed open and the bad weather passed after about an hour - so not the end of the world at all ;)   

The bride & groom busting a move!

"Deere" friends

Sarah & Tara 

Some of the girls

Did I actually get 2 pictures with my hubby??!!  All the pics these days seem to just be of the kids!!

Riding the storm out!

Sarah's Garden

Nate recently built me a small raised garden in our backyard.  We planted tomatoes, green peppers and jalapenos - perfect for making Nancy Dyer's famous salsa!  I thought it would be fun to get the kids involved in the growing and harvesting of our own veggies...so hopefully my green thumb won't fail me!! :) 

Fire Station Tour

We visited the downtown Des Moines Fire Station #5 with Moms Club recently.  The kids had a great time climbing on the trucks and hearing about the fire dept. operations from the firefighters.  It is a huge station and still has poles that the firefighters use to get down to their engines quickly.  Nate's family comes from a long line of firefighters so we especially enjoy these trips.  Mia told the firefighters "thanks for keeping us safe!!"  Love it.

Teacher Gifts: Chalkboard Pots

I made this little chalkboard planters for Mia's preschool teachers for an end of the year thank you gift.  Just painted the base with chalkboard paint and trimmed it out in bright teal craft paint.  So easy and cute!  The final touches are the potted plant and "thank you" written in chalk.  I think they will love these homemade gifts!!

School's Out for Summer!

Mia had her last day of preschool on Thursday!  Sad for her, but even more sad for me!! ;)  We celebrated the end of the school year at a preschool family picnic and had a great time.  Nate even joined us, so it was extra special! 

Mia got her end of the year report card and she did great.  There were about 35 skills listed and she got the highest marks on all but 2 -- picking up toys consistently and waiting her turn while speaking in a group.  Guess what we'll be working on this summer?!!  Her teacher said that she just loves to share during circle time and they have to remind her to give other kids a chance to talk.  Oh Meemers, my little chatterbox,  can't imagine where she gets it??!!  Miss Cathy also wrote that she is a very fun and happy little girl.  Always willing to help out the teachers, loves playing with her friends and they love absolutely hearing her stories!

Mia with her awesome teachers - Miss Cathy & Miss Joan

DIY Pom Necklace

While in San Antonio visiting my sister last week, we decided to make these Anthropologie-inspired pom necklaces.  They were easy & cute and we had a great time crafting them (while drinking margaritas of course)!  I find crafting much more fun when a fun drink is involved and my sister's company didn't hurt either!  She highlights our first jewelry-making adventure on her blog at http://www.lifelovelarson.blogspot.com/, under DIY: Fabric Pom Necklace.

I wore my necklace yesterday and got about a million compliments on it! Everywhere I went, people were seriously obsessing over it! So fun getting to tell them that I made it myself!!!

Mother's Day

I had an awesome Mother's Day, spent with all of my favorite people!  Nate gave me some BEAUTIFUL flowers and planned a picnic lunch for all of us - complete with chicken salad from one of my favorite restaurants!  We spent the rest of the day constructing my new raised garden and planting flowers in the beds and pots in the front of the house.  My kind of day!!

I'm obsessed with this plant - a fuschia, which gets beautiful huge pink and white blooms on it! Love how whimsy it is!

Front tree is in full bloom!

Touch A Truck

Last weekend the Junior League of DM hosted its first a "touch a truck" event for area kids.  There were many large pieces of equipment for the kids to check out (fire truck, police car, tractor, bus, crane, etc) and they had a great time!  I volunteered for a few hours, then Nate & the kids came and met me to play.  It was a huge success and we're already looking forward to next year!