Home Sweet Home

I do it every time.  When I become mentally exhausted, physically tired and ready for a little break...I can't wait to take a little 'mommy vacation.'  BUT...whenever I do, I miss the kiddos like crazy.  The past two weekends I have been in four different states and away from Drue and Lane.  It's funny how a mom wishes she could have a little time away and when she does all she can think about are her kids and how she misses them and how she can't wait to be back with them. 

Valentine's weekend Ryan and I were able to go to Galena, IL and Wisconsin with friends...ok...We made an accidental detour on our way, crossed the wrong bridge over the river and visited Wisconsin for about three minutes!  But hey. The girls traveled together and when we got to the house the boys were just getting there too.  How could that be?  We beat them AND went to Wisconsin?!  :)   We and three other couples rented a beautiful house in the Galena Territories.  We arrived on Friday evening and the girls wasted no time jumping into the hot tub while the guys fixed our dinner.  Saturday we headed into Galena for shopping and lunch with the boys...they got bored and when we girls arrived home a few hours later we found the boys had claimed their spots in the hot tub.  We had late reservations at Vinny Vinuchhi's where the girls were surprised by chocolates and roses from our hubbies.  What great food! I crave it still.  It was a great weekend that allowed everyone to relax and enjoy our company.

yeah...this was not taken while we were there but a hot tub seemed more of a treat in the midst of winter!

We thought we needed to make some snow angels after heating our bodies in the hot tub...only 2 of the 8 didn't do it *cough*Ryan&Brent*cough*

with Teresa, Sara & Maggie

The next weekend my newly-engaged sister-in-law, Trudi invited us Luiken girls to her house in Kansas City, MO to do some wedding dress shopping!  Once again, the weather was supposed to be nasty but he made the trek anyway.  The trip took longer than it normally would have but we're all glad we got to go!  Trudi picked out the perfect dress.  She looked beautiful and I can't wait to see her in it again in October!  Styles were much different than 8 years ago...we married girls had fun remembering things we had at our own weddings and laughing about things we thought were so important or so neat...only to look back now and think we were ridiculous! 

We spent all of Saturday in KC, Kansas at dress shops, site seeing places like the Plaza and the Station and making pit stops at several Targets looking for a Wii.  Ryan had hoped to find one before I left giving the kids something special to do at home while I was gone, but there were none to be found.  (I did get on a reserve list and will have ours by Friday)  We had planned to stay another night in KC but the weather was to be bad again and we decided to head home yet that evening but not before meeting up with the groom-to-be at the Cheesecake Factory.  It was a quick trip but Trudi accomplished her goal of finding a dress and we're all getting very excited for her!

I arrived back in Eldora about 11:45 Saturday night to a dark house.  I went to kiss everyone goodnight and found all three of them in our bed piled full of stuffed animals.  I didn't get a picture of them sleeping but here is the picture after everyone woke up.  I even found about a dozen cozy animals at the foot of the bed under the covers!  I'm easily replaced!  :)

 

Soles for Souls

After the terrible earthquake that devasted Haiti, the E-NP Elementary students took part in the Soles 4 Souls campaign to collect shoes to send to Haiti.  Drue came home from school and excitedly handed me a paper while explaining the purpose and describing what she knew about the natural disaster.  She had been watching coverage of the earthquake with me all week.  We spoke about how those people now had lost what little they did have.  How babies and children died.  How children no longer had parents or care takers, left alone to fend for themselves.  Drue was so excited to know she was going to be helping some of these people, even some her own age.  She ran straight to her shoe basket in her closet and grabbed her favorite cowgirl boots and her favorite pair of Sketcher tennis shoes!  I couldn't believe it. But, Drue didn't care!  She wanted to help. Her boots were like prized possessions to her.  She wants to be a cowgirl, she has to buy a new pair of boots every September for the rodeo.  She wears jeans everyday and they have to be long.  Like, not-a-smidge-above-the-bottom-of-her-ankle-bone-or-she-won't-wear-them, long because that is what cowgirls do.  She loved her boots...only problem was they still fit.  So I suggested we wait until they no longer fit before we donate them, but she proceeded to pick out 4 other pairs of shoes, plus her rainbow, sparkly Sketchers and put them in a grocery sack.  She also got Lane excited to share and he found 2 pairs of shoes he was able to donate.  Then Nanny found 3 brand-new pairs of flip-flops that DD took to school also.  I was so proud that the kids were excited to help and didn't think twice about giving something they knew other children could use.  The next day, I ran the bag into DD's classroom and explained how she chose her favorite shoes to give and Mrs. Hildreth ended up sharing the story with the school Principal who thanked Drue for her caring and sharing. 

The Haiti incident also had us talking about adoptions at our house.  We aren't adopting...but we 'play' adoption.  The kids didn't really have a concept of what adoption was until the earthquake and are realizing what a gift adoption is.  My first Cabbage Patch Kid was an African-American (ok, I don't know that exactly, but she was black) and her name was Gloria.  My Grandma Larson would also make me home-made Cabbage Patch type babies, one of them was a little black boy.  Now Drue and Lane play that they adopted these babies from Haiti and explain to Ryan and I what happened where they lived, etc... 

My heart swells knowing Drue and Lane have it in their hearts to give and to care. I'm one proud Momma.

Wordless Wednesday

Party Girl!

Littlest Pet Shop cake

Waiting for chili

time to open gifts

KK made her a cozy blanket

Uncle Steve knows his girl!  When DD blew out the candles on her cake she wished for a horse!

Drue received so many cute clothes! No Spring shopping needed!

Uncle Shawn holding Dig down so cousin Cali can tickle him!

She's SIX!

I can't believe it, but Drue Kathleen is six.  Like every mom, I remember the hours leading up to, during and after her birth like it was yesterday.  We were in the midst of an ice & snow storm.  I had a regularly scheduled appointment set for Monday, February 2, 2004.  Ryan and I stayed home and watched the Super Bowl.  I had been on bed rest the week before.  We played a lot of cribbage, watched too much t.v. and mom brought us dinner every night.  That Sunday night the weather and roads got so bad Ryan told me I was going to have to cancel my appointment for the morning.  I was so mad at him.  Didn't he know I was starting to feel pretty miserable just sitting on the couch all day?  I wanted to see who was in my belly!  I was hoping the doctor would just say it was time to have him or her! So I went to bed without a bath knowing I had no where to go the next day.  In the middle of the night I heard a loud pop! It was so loud that it woke me up.  I stayed in bed trying to figure out what that sound could have been.  We didn't have any balloons in the house, no one cracked a bottle of champagne...hmm.  I remember the time on the clock said 4:17 am.  I decided that since I was awake I might as well go to the bathroom.  So I got out of bed and Guuushh! That loud pop was my water breaking!  Oh my goodness!  I looked at Ryan, who was peacefully sleeping, and didn't want to wake him...but knew I had to!  I remember thinking, "he's going to be so mad at me! He said there's no way I'm going to the dr. tommorrow because of the weather!"  yikes!  So I calmly turned on the little light on our dresser and tried waking Ryan.  "ryan.  Ryan.  RYAN. R-Y-A-N!!"  "what?!?" "My water just broke?"  "Seriously?"  "yeah."  And he was GONE!  He didn't say another word to me.  He ran downstairs while I tried to figure out how I was going to get down there without making a huge mess.  My calm, level headed husband I grabbed my suitcase and changed my clothes.  By the time I got downstairs, like 4 minutes later...Ryan had already called his parents to have them come help get us out of the driveway (remember the ton of snow that had just fallen and our quarter of a mile driveway were no fun!) He also had scooped the side walk and had the car warming up.  He was speedy!  He didn't talk much at all the way to Waterloo.  He even got so nervous that he decided to be a rebel and turn left on a red light!  I was not feeling any signs of labor so was able to fully enjoy the humor in watching him become a wreck.   At 4:24 that afternoon, our firstborn, our daughter, Drue Kathleen Luiken was born.  I didn't think I was going to make it through those first 3 months.  I was the one who was a wreck then.  But we made it! 

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 She had her first friend party.  She invited 3 friends she has had her entire life, and 3 from her kindergarten class.  They had fun in DD's make-up vanity and singing to Hannah Montana while jumping on Lane's bed.  The girls also played school in the toyroom while Lane showed off his basketball skills...with no shirt on, I may add.  He was in hog heaven with that many girls around!

Each girl ordered her own mini-pizza and we enjoyed butterfly cupcakes.  Drue received so many cute gifts from her friends.  She was so excited to give them goody bags full of Bubble Tape gum, Littlest Pet Shop magnets and stickers and a lip-gloss. 

We are so blessed that God chose Ryan and I to be Drue's parents.  I love her more everyday, if that's possible.  I am amazed at the things she has learned in these 6 years and am so looking forward to the woman she will become.  But for now...I'm lovin on my SIX year old!!  Happy Birthday, DD!  Ubba!!

Workin' Calves

It happens every winter.  I've always enjoyed watching.  I'm obviously no help.  Truthfully, I'm probably in the way.  It's not always pretty and sometimes the words you hear are not very...shall I say...appropriate.  Occasionally, someone is hurt.  Occasionally, a fence is jumped.  Usually there are snacks...this year, donuts and pop.  I don't know what it is, I just love being there when Dad has the vet come work calves.  I have always loved being a 'farm-girl.'  I love that my Dad lets me 'pretend' like I know what I'm doing or talking about.  I clearly don't.  I love the smell of cow manure.  I love to watch the steam rise from the backs of cattle on cold mornings.  I love having 'farm-boots.' I am proud to be a Farmer's Daughter.  I honestly want nothing more in life than to be a mother and farm-wife.  I would be perfectly content helping Ryan farm and raise cattle just like my Grandma Mary helped Grandpa Harold for years and years...However, I love living in town.  I have to see people.  I need to see people or I go a little crazy. But, I love spending time out at the farm.

 

Preparing the chute.

They have no idea what is in store for them...they just think my Dad is being nice giving them an extra snack this cold winter afternoon.

Dad and Ryan were the sorters.  This is a perfect job for you if you like having your feet stepped on by 600 pound animals, or if you like being pinned between gates and the 600 pound animals.

Dig was getting tired and DD made sure I took her to watch after school.

 Uncle Shawn does most of the work.  He gives injections and applies the Pour-On. Dr. Steckleburg does the 'underneath' stuff! 

 Someone's not too happy...He's getting "banded," (a nice way of castrating, use your imagination what gets banded) ear tags if they are being kept, Green Tagged meaning they were properly vaccinated and can be sold at a sale barn, Pour-On for bugs, Wormer and implanted with hormones under the skin of the ear...I'm probably forgetting something, but I think Dad will be pretty proud I caught as much as I did! 

Us Balvanzes can always find something to celebrate and a reason to go out to eat.  So the next night we Luikens headed to Conrad to eat at That Place with Shawn and Kelly and Mom and  Dad to celebrate the completion of Workin' Calves!

More from Lane

Another quick post, but more cuteness I don't want to forget...

From Lane Ryan:

*  "Hey!  Let's shut the lights off and play BEDNIGHT basketball!"  or "I'm staying up 'til BEDNIGHT!"  (midnight)

*While wathing basketball with Daddy, "Mom! Guess who's playing?  The GUITAR-Heels!" (Uncle Shawn plays the guitar and the kids have enjoyed watching him play Guitar Hero as well.)

* During a library story-time Lane learned about the Guatemala Worry Dolls, little stick doll figures that the kids in Guatemala tell their worries and fears to.  Each child made there own out of pipe cleaners, wrapped them in yarn and made paper faces.  After school that day, Lane helped his sister make one and told her all about the "GUACAMOLE Worry dolls!"  That's now what both kids call them!