Funny Sayings

Here are a couple of funny things the boys have said in the last few weeks.

Spencer (upon hearing that we were going to the movies):
"Dad, can I get one of those 'flushy' things?" - (flushies = slushies)

Let's just hope that "flushies" are nothing like swirlies!

Dallan (upon walking outside from church to the car in 100+ degree heat):
"Mommy, somebody doing fire."

Carson (when being asked to say doggy):
"[[grunt]]" - yeah, Carson doesn't say much!

Our Trip to HOLLAND (sort of)

(****Sorry there are lots of pictures but we might not ever make it back to HOLLAND!)

This was the funnest part of our Iowa State trip. Ryan has always complained (maybe whined) that I have never let him go to Holland with me, so now he can never say it again! While we were in Iowa we went to a town called Pella. It is an old Dutch settlement in the middle of Iowa (of all places)! It was so fun. All the store fronts in Pella have to be decorated with a Dutch theme. Even the Walmart had a Dutch looking storefront (my Aunt Ellie would be so exited, when they come over that is one of their favorited places). So here is how the trip went.....

It was so pretty. They had the largest working windmill in North America (go figure), so of course we took the tour.

Ryan was very impressed! After our windmill tour we went to the museum where we saw the wooden shoe making process (kind of boring:))

LOOK!! We even took pictures together trying on wooden shoes (don't mind the fact that I am 14 years old and in the REAL Holland).

It was so pretty. We missed the Tulip festival by 2 weeks. We also went to a Dutch bakery to get lunch and of course got some Stroop Waffles to take home to my parents.

What a handsome dutchman!

Graduation Day!!!!!

For those of you that may not know, Ryan has been taking Distance Education classes (online classes) through Iowa State University since Fall 2004. He always took the summer off so as not to get too burned out. And now, finally, he is done. He received his master's degree in information assurance.
His classes were taught by a wide range of teachers including the stuttering Chinese man,

the near-monotone,

and the nice lady with a lisp.

To complete his degree, we flew to Iowa for his in-person oral examination.

In typical Ryan style, he was working on the presentation right up until the time he gave it. The presentation went well and the graduate committee decided that Ryan passed! It was definitely time to hit up the Iowa State bookstore and show our Cyclone pride.

We enjoyed the ISU campus and the scenery.

Due to some remodeling, the Computer Engineering faculty offices were located in the Nuclear Engineering Lab building, where a nuclear reactor had been decommissioned within that last few years.

Here is a picture from the back entrance. They certainly spare no expenses for computer geeks.

So, finally...the five year journey is over. Gone are the late-nighters and all-nighters. Gone are the days of taking the kids out and about so that daddy can study. As we look back at the long and arduous (Ryan hepled me come up with that word!) journey, we sure are glad that we are looking at it from this end!

GO CYCLONES!!

Of course, before we left Iowa State we had to get all the gear to remind us of our Cyclone Pride! The boys were so excited for their football jerseys. We went the Sunday we got home to my family's to Sunday dinner. It was pretty funny, because we were acting like this is how we normally dress. When we went to my sister's to see Mady's new cast, Jesse said the funniest thing. He just looked at us and said, "It looks like Iowa State just threw up on you!"- Yes, Yes it did!!

Summer is here...

Unfortunately this picture doesn't do it justice, but we learned the hard way a couple of weeks ago that the temperatures are soaring! Poor Dallan went outside to play and it had been so nice outside the week before that I forgot to tell him to put his shoes on before going outside. It was a really hot day, and before I knew it Spencer came running in saying Dallan burnt his feet. Apparently he went into the sand (without shoes) and it was so hot it burnt his little feet. (another reason besides the nasty cats to get rid of the sand-free sand anyone?). They blistered immediately and his right foot was just one huge blister! He couldn't walk for about a day but they healed nicely- always remember lavender oil on burns ladies :). And last but not least don't forget to PUT YOUR SHOES ON!!

Carson's Surgery

Last month was kind of crazy! The day after we got home from Iowa (post coming soon), Carson went in for his surgery. He had a hernia repaired in his abdomen that was causing his testicle not to descend (I am sure he is going to love that I typed this for everyone to always remember!). It was probably the longest 45 minutes of my life but I am happy to say that everything went well and he is recovering fabulously. They had to take him away crying because we were not allowed in the operating room. We went into the recovery area when they brought him out of anesthesia. He looked very peaceful and was excited to see us, and very thirsty- he wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after 6 pm the day before- his surgery wasn't until 12pm :(. He was definitely a trooper. When we got home, it was so funny because his legs were still numb, like an epidural, and he was trying to roll around on the couch and looked like a little fish- sad but funny. Anyway, all is well and we have our post OP appointment this week to give him the go ahead for normal activity. Carson, you are an amazing little guy!

Monster in the Living Room

For the longest time, Spencer has been scared of the "Monster in the Living Room." He always says that it is by the window. Finally, after I asked him to explain it a little more, I got it...

There IS a monster in the living room!