Milk and Cookies

Nothing washes down a Thin Mint like milk!

Simple Pleasures

There is nothing quite like sharing a snack in a Rubbermaid container.

Alstan with Grandpa Zielicke

Mother's Day

Here are some of mom's favorite pictures from Mother's Day. (Yes, we are a bit late with this.) We had gone to the Berres Busy Barns (the Crazy Farm according to Alstan) for the day and had a wonderful time.

Alstan Finger Painting

Recently, Alstan was doing some paintings for his grandmas and grandpas. (We'll try to get them in the mail soon.) It is fascinating to watch him make decisions about colors and placement.

Saudi Aramco World

Two summers ago when we were in Sioux Falls there was a man taking a bunch of photos when we went into a Middle Eastern restaurant to eat. He took a bunch of photos of Alstan, and we joked that he was the closest thing to Arabic in the place. Now Amie found a photo with us in there. It's the whole family with Alstan's cousin Janna too. Somehow Aunt Amie didn't make the cut! Go about 2/3 of the way down to page to find us. Thyme Travels

Bath Night Snuggle

Dad had the joy of snuggling with both of his little ones after their bath.

Bubbles

Playing outside with Dad

Nothing warms the heart quite like seeing and hearing the kids laughing and having a good time. Here dad has them both squealing with joy.

Car Rides

We recently got the toy car out of winter storage. They have enjoyed playing with their "new" car. Alstan is actually a bit big to fit in there, but he manages.

Beautiful day for a Picnic

We decided to have a family picnic at the park. Alstan and Elsie loved it. (Mom did too!)

Play-Doh Fun

Happy Birthday Grandma and Grandpa Van

It's kind of hard to hear, but Alstan is saying Happy Birthday Grandma and Grandpa and blowing a kiss.

Videos at the Farm

We are still way behind, but here are two videos from Easter Weekend. That is when Elsie just took off walking. She did a lot of standing before that and sometimes would take two or three steps, but would avoid it if she could. Starting around Easter, she decided it was a good idea to walk and has been doing it ever since. Alstan is playing with his new Buzz Lightyear Action Figure. It's so fun to listen to him create full conversations with his toy characters.

Spoon

We have been terribly behind on posting pictures to the blog. Here are a few to hold people over. Elsie loves to do things that everyone else does. Here she is eating her yogurt with a spoon.