Summertime is in full swing at our house, and with that came a birthday celebration, pre-school graduation and our LONG awaited trip to Iowa!! Running Man was asked to be a groomsmen in one of our closest friends wedding. So we have been planning and (not so) patiently waiting for this trip for a year now.
The weekend before our trip was miss Em's 3rd birthday. We kept it very casual and are so grateful to all of those who came for the party, and at different times throughout the week to celebrate with her!
Em hates any kind of attention so this is the result if you ever try smiling/complimenting her.
This not so little girl had her pre-school graduation. I could lie and say I handled it perfectly well...but we all know that's never the case with me. :) She is SO ready for Kindergarten. I am still having a hard time believing she is this old.
Right after graduation we hit the road. The first place on our list to visit when we got to Iowa was our favorite candy store. We usually let them get a few of the little penny candies and a chocolate. Well...I made the mistake of using the restroom, came back out and found that their dad had bought them these monsters. Holy mess! The girls were in heaven and are still enjoying the suckers today.
We could hardly wait to see the Mississippi!! The flood waters just recently receded so we were able to see all kinds of fish and foul. We loved it, but it was H.O.T. We got to D-Port just in time for the sweltering heat and humidity to kick in. Me and my preggo feet didn't fare so well.
Enjoying the sky bridge at Palmer. It felt weird to be back there as alumni. Running Man felt sorry for all of the frazzled students scrambling around.
Rocket Park! The absolute best park we have ever been to. Every city needs one just like this.
Running Man all dressed up for the wedding. The girls danced their little hearts out at the reception.
A spot by Palmer where Banana's teeny tiny handprints are in the cement.
Rainbow Bridge. We were so disappointed because it seemed to be stuck on purple the whole time we were there. Normally there's a rainbow of colors that works its way down the bridge...
Our final stop was the always delicious Machine Shed. I crave their french onion soup pretty much every day, and it did not disappoint.
Our closest friends Nate and Liz were gracious enough to let us crash at their apartment for a week. We had so much fun and are so grateful to them. I hope they survived our chaos and we miss them so, so much!
They have the cutest little puppy Penelope (who the girls call Penelopuppy). I'm pretty sure she didn't know what to do with herself with two crazy kids trying to love on her 24/7. Both of the girls sobbed when they said good-bye to her.
One last picture to show everyone why I had such a hard time moving away from Iowa last year, and why I still miss it every day. These amazing women threw me a surprise baby shower while we were there. They are so sweet, and so much fun to be around. I didn't want the night to end!
Thank you to everyone who made our trip so fabulous!! We can't wait to see you again!
Ignore my awkward posing! Neither Running Man or I could back up anymore so I thought crouching down would solve the problem...eh, not so much. :)
Ignore my awkward posing! Neither Running Man or I could back up anymore so I thought crouching down would solve the problem...eh, not so much. :)
