Regan's Birthday

Our little Regan Roo turned 6 a couple of weeks ago!  She is growing up fast and is quite the girl.  We love her so much!!!  Since life was especially busy around her birthday, we kept things simple with a party at the park.  Thankfully, Regan is very easy to please and likes everything!  Several of her friends were getting ready to move away, so it was so fun to have them come and celebrate one more time.
In keeping with tradition we played some fun water games at the park (even though it was a bit chilly!)

We are so thankful to have wonderful friends to celebrate with!

Regan wanted a doughnut cake just like her big sis. I love how she is grinning at her silly daddy and his friend.

On her actual birthday, we went to Chuck E. Cheese and celebrated together as a family. Regan always gets balloons on her day...it's another tradition for her.

Can you tell that this girl doesn't mind a bit posing for pictures? I love it.

The one thing Regan really wanted for her birthday was a bigger bike...and she was thrilled to finally get one...along with some other surprises. Cole had gotten her an umbrella and had told her about it several times! He was so glad when she finally opened it!

 We love our Regan Roo so much!  Some things to remember about her at this age:
-I never thought I would describe her as this, based on her first few years of life, but she is really easy going.  Some days I kind of forget about her because she just goes with the flow and is willing to do pretty much whatever.
- Another surprise given her babyhood...she is an excellent sleeper and eater!  When she gets tired, she says she is ready and goes right to bed.  She can sleep anywhere and has even taken some turns in the basement bedroom.  She will also eat about anything, except for veggies.
-She is finally ready for kindergarten...having her do another year of preschool turned out to be a great thing. Her confidence has increased as well as her academic level. 
-This girl is social!  Having always been surrounded by people, she loves to play with anyone- siblings, neighborhood friends, etc.
-Regan is good at all things involving body coordination- dancing, bike riding, soccer, etc.  She loves to run and be active.
-She is pretty spoiled around here and has her dad wrapped around her finger.
-This girl can be stubborn...you don't see it much, but when her stubborn streak comes out, watch out!   The other night I asked her to pick up a baseball bat before we came in and she decided she wasn't going to do it.  I put her in the garage and wasn't going to let her in until she did.  That girl waited me out for 30 minutes!  In the end, she did put the bat away, but I was seriously gearing up for a long night!

Happy Birthday Regan!  It's going to be a great year!

Cousins from the West

We were beyond thrilled when we learned that the Andersons (my older brother and his family) would be making the trek to Iowa to come and visit us.  It was so much fun to see them and to get to spend time together.  Since we both got married, our families have always lived far apart, and so it was just great to really get to know them better.  Of course, I adore my big brother...he reminds me a lot of my dad and is patient, kind and hard-working.  My sister in law is amazing, too.  She is so fun to talk to and has had to put up with the 3 Anderson sisters for all these years!!  She is an exceptional mother, and I learned a lot just from watching her.  She can do dishes and clean faster than anyone!  They have 4 fabulous kiddos who were polite and helpful and entertaining.  The cousins had so much fun together! Seriously, I was so impressed with this family.  They were excellent house guests, and we would love to have them back at any time!!!!
We stayed busy with lots of different things while they were here.  We tried to give them a "snapshot" of our Iowa life.
Our first stop was a tour of the lock and dam on the Mississippi River.  Everyone (except baby Beth) found it to be very interesting.  Beth didn't appreciate not being able to get down!

Then it was on to the Arsenal museum.

Finally, we cooled off at the splash park...and got to watch some trains, too!

When we got home, everyone needed a break...these kids got a long really well and were so good at sharing and playing together. It was kind of unbelievable!

We love having this group join us to go to church and for Sunday dinner. Aunt Marieta had brought some games and crafts to keep everyone busy on Sunday afternoon. The kids loved playing "Mancala"...it's a new family favorite. Regan and Uncle Chris worked endlessly on a paper frame together.   And we finished the day with an Anderson family tradition...a long walk.

The next few days were a flurry of activity. Ashton had basketball camp, so we had to work around that, but we got to do several fun things. We rhode the Channel Cat water taxi over to see the John Deere equipment which we all enjoyed!  We had a picnic reminiscent of our Helper days complete with salami, pickles and cheese.

That evening we all got to go to Jordan's softball game...it was great to have family be able to watch one of our kids at a sports event. A rare treat! The next day we had another picnic this time at Wildcat Den State Park. We hiked and played in the creek and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery, weather and company. I had to keep pinching myself to make sure it was all really happening!

For our last night together, we dined at the Iowa Machine Shed...for a truly "Iowan" experience...we drank from Mason jars and the kids meals were served on toy tractors. The waitresses even wore overalls.

(And don't worry, Andersons, the Snarr's "awkward family photo" will be revealed at a later date!)
All in all, we had such a great time together and made some amazing, unforgettable memories.  When it was time to leave the next day, the kids (and adults!) were all wishing it didn't have to come to an end!  Andersons, thanks for braving the drive and being willing to come and see us.  You are welcome back anytime!!!

Miss Jordan's Preschool

Several months ago, Jordan asked me if she could have a "preschool" for a week during the summer.  I agreed on the condition that she would do the work, and I would be just the assistant.  And boy, this girl has teaching in her blood.  She started making plans and never looked back.  She enlisted Ashton's help as a teacher aid, and those two did a great job!  We have several wonderful family friends who we knew would be moving this summer, so we thought we could have the preschool and hopefully give the parents some time to pack.  It worked out really well.  Each day, Jordan had an organized schedule- centers (play dough, games, art activity), circle time, snack time, P.E. (Ashton was in charge), an art project, science, and recess.  She had thought of everything- from job helpers to discipline to assessments.  We had so much fun....I really got into it too, remembering how much fun (and how much work!) teaching can be.  We have grown to love these little kids so much over the past few years, and we are going to miss them a lot as they move on....so it was great to have some time to play and learn together before they left.   As for Miss Jordan, I think she is well on her way to becoming a fabulous teacher!!!
(Oh yes, and there was this one little boy who happens to be related to her, who gave her quite the run for her money...I told her, every class has at least one!!!)
Center Time:

Circle Time: (notice the calendar and the x's on the floor)

Time for a snack and then outside for P.E.

Art and Science!

We love this group of kids so much!!!