Five.

Matt and I celebrated our five year anniversary this month! It was a fun day! We started out with runs. We took turns watching the boys at a park and running a few miles around the track there. Our 1/2 marathon is coming up in just a couple short weeks so we're trying to get our runs in whenever we can. :) Later we both got massages. So wonderful! 

A picture taken on the night of our wedding.

(We were off to our Alaskan honeymoon the next day so Matt had to leave his tux with family to return)

We went to a special restaurant called the Lighthouse for dinner. We've celebrated a lot of special occasions there. Our first date, Matt proposed there, we celebrated our first anniversary (and several since), we also found out both boy's genders there (we had the ultrasound tech write down the gender in a card and opened it at the restaurant). It's the type of place that just feels comfortable and homey. they even had live music this time when we went.

I bought Matt five gifts to celebrate five years. I planned on giving them to him throughout the day, but he decided he wanted them all at once. :)

I love being married to this man. He is the perfect one for me. I fall more in love with him everyday.

I really mean that.

He takes such good care of the boys and I. He is a great daddy who loves to play with the boys and really takes the time to slow down and appreciate all the little quirks that makes each boy who they are. He goes in multiple times at night to check them after they're asleep and tells me how precious they are. :) I also love his sense of humor. He keeps me laughing all the time!

Matt is a learner and he has a lot of patience and persistence. I'm especially thankful for his patience. I can be a bit bullheaded at times. :) He is my biggest fan and always is encouraging me to try new things and challenge myself. (Hence, the 1/2 marathon. ) He believes in me when I don't always believe in myself.

I am thankful for my sweet husband! God has blessed us so much!

Pella 2013

We went to Pella again this year to see the tulips. The festival was this weekend but the forecast was rain, so we went early instead. Not all of the tulips were up, but we had a perfect day and beat the crowds. We hit the bakery for traditional "dutch letter" pastries, went to a neat wooden playground, smelled the flowers, and did a lot of walking around. We're definitely getting our $$ out of the double stroller! :)

 And for kicks: Here is a picture we took by a tree last year...

and here we are again this year!

Such a fun day!

An Update.

Life is staying busy around these parts and we love it! I am so thankful that the Hubby's work schedule allows us to have so much family time. We really get to soak up time with our boys. 

C makes us laugh on a daily basis with all the cute and hilarious things he says! He's quite the talker now.

At lunch one day Gunther was in his high chair and Caleb climbed down and rolled him over to where he was and said, "Dunfer you're my best friend." My mommy heart almost exploded. C is such a good big brother. He asks to hold Gunther a lot. He also wants to include him. When we go out to run errands he'll ask, "Dunfer tum too?"

Thomas time!

Rocking Tigger and putting him down for a nap just like Mommy does with baby G.

Library trips have become a weekly tradition for C and Daddy. It's always a big hit with the "Big Tigger", new movies and books, and the "spinning money" (A make-a-wish coin collector.)

New alphabet board! He can match all of them now and the first time we did it he told me, "C is for Caleb."

C really wants to share things with Gunther, especially food, but I've told him Gunther can only have milk. We also talk about the things G can do when he's older. So, the other day C was eating a quesadilla (His favorite thing for lunch) and turned to Gunther, "Dunfer, when you olders you 'sposed to eat tase-adilla."

Hubby got C a Dalmatian stuffed animal which C calls "Dalmatian doggy."  The day after he got it he was carrying it around and told me, "I like Dalmatian doggy. He pretty cute boy!"

I have a bad record of things overflowing/splattering in the oven, smoking, and setting off the smoke alarms. This has not gone unnoticed by my oldest who told me a few days ago. "Mommy, smoke come out of oven. Beep, beep, beep!" 

 Chillin' with my toys.

Here are some other things he's said recently:

"Tigger you touch my face. My face smooth. I shaved. You touch my whiskers Tigger?" 

"It dark outside. I can't do my little lawnmower. That sad."

Matt was working on some plumbing and making some banging noises. "Did you go Bish, bash, bosh Daddy?" (A game that the steam engines play on Thomas the Tank Engine when they bump things with their bumpers.)

Said about string cheese; "Actually mom, you eat it. It has hair on it." (Hair being the little stringy pieces)

He often tells us, "Pretty nice day outside! Ride my bike?"

I got new washcloths recently and I went to wipe his mouth and he said, "New?" I responded that yes, I had just bought them. He then said, "I pretty like new ones!" ("Pretty like" is his way of saying "really like")

C has recently started to want to know what things are called. "What called for that?"

One night C told Matt that he wanted to "Rock and Talk Daddy." He then proceeded to tell Matt the day's events. "Stomach upset, go to grocery store...."

 Dr. Caleb

New jammies.

Sledding! C loved it except for the walk up the hill. :)

 First snow. It was windy and C was not a fan so he went and hid. :)

Looking at the snow.

It was a winter wonderland!

 Me and my boys!

 Silly faces!

Baby G:

Gunther started solid foods a week ago (at 4 months) and is doing really well with them! His favorite it rice cereal so far.

 Like his older brother, the bib is a toy and he makes more of a mess with it than without so we don't use one anymore. :)

Gunther LOVES his Daddy! 

 Learning to hold things.

 We've also started teething, so lots of finger chewing.

 How sweet is this smile? 

 Sleeping Angel

 A serious face!

Matt and I got to sneak away for a date a couple weeks ago and that was great! Thanks to my sweet in-laws for offering to watch the boys! This is probably the first nice couple shot we've got in several years.