Family Boat Cruise

The parents weekend continued with a boat cruise off of Navy Pier.  The weather threatened to derail my jammed-packed outdoor activity filled weekend, but my dad is a very optimistic man and he said it wasn't going to rain... and it didn't!  Smart man. :)

Precious Time

I can't express how much I love these little humans.  Time with them is so precious.

...even if they are more interested in Coach's ipad then me...

Happy Mother's Day!

Strike a Pose

Anna + Gabe hamming it up for the camera - 

What do you think?  Do we have a future actress on our hands?

And this little man is Hudson.  LOVE him (and his hair)!

Cartwheel Time!

Watch Anna do a cartwheel (or maybe a roundoff).  Not to shabby for my first attempt at a gif file.  

Happiness

Entering this adorable shot of Avery, Anna, and Alex into this month's I Heart Faces April Photo Challenge.  This month's theme is "Happiness" and although I don't get to see these little ladies very often, they certainly bring a smile to my face every time I'm back in Des Moines.

Go Ash Go!

Had to show two photos videos of my cousin, Ashley.  I'm so proud of her!  She won at the Big Tens and she is competing at the NCAA Championships this weekend.  Go Ash Go!

Madison

We got to Madison in January to see my cousin swim on her senior night.  She rocked it out, as always.  She's the one in the middle

Sweet helmets of all the Big 10 schools.

Random bar & grill...

Most amazing wine I have ever seen!

3 Little Monkeys...

These adorable little cousins (Avery, Alex, and Anna) are kids of my Des Moines cousins (well half of their kids - can't believe they have 6 total!).  They are so darn cute and get along so well.  I really wish I could see them more than I do.  They pretty much make my heart melt.

Our Little Graduate

Sarah (Eric's sister) graduated from the University of Northern Iowa last month.  We made the trip to see her get that important piece of paper.  

Is it really December in Iowa??  Sarah and her rents.

Close up!

That's more like it...

Schuldt Drive

When December rolls around each year, it's time to start thinking about Christmas gifts for the family.  We had ideas for most of our family, but were having a tough time coming up with something for Eric's mom.  Eric had once done a google search to see if a "Schuldt Street" existed (fyi - Schuldt is our last name) and sure enough, a "Schuldt Drive" did indeed exist AND it was in Illinois!  So we had the idea to go to this Schuldt Drive and take a photo and frame it for his mom.  So one Sunday morning, we got up super early and drove 45 minutes to Lake Zurich, Illinois.  I took about 50 photos from all sorts of angles in hopes that we would find one we loved.  We printed the photo and got it framed just in time for Christmas.  We hope she liked it, pretty crazy that we were able to find this street.  Schuldt isn't the most common name in the world.  Now if we could only find Marcouiller Drive...

Work Holiday Party

Eric's work party was held at the Museum of Science and Industry again this year, but we were excited to see the big tree nonetheless.  This year, they have a Grinch theme because they have a Dr. Seuss exhibit going on right now.  The decorations were beautiful, the exhibits were open to walk through, they had a great band playing, and the food and drink were amazing (highlights: potato bar and s'mores!).  There were 50 smaller Christmas trees from around the world (decorated how that country would decorate their trees and their various holiday traditions explained - very cool).  They do a great job with this event.  Excited to see where it will be next year!

 

PS - You won't be seeing photos from my Holiday work party because it was a pot luck lunch!  Ha, got to love the difference between the non-profit and for-porfit worlds...

Gobble Gobble

Cute little turkey that Eric's grandma made (so precious!) - 

Gorgeous tables at Aunt Margaret's - 

Crazy Uncle Dave - 

Cute Turkey cupcakes that the Schaffer's made!

Dave & Margaret's Family (getting so big)! -

Kelli, Avery, Dave, & Ella - 

Michelle, Alex, Hudson, & Brian - 

Kristin, Anna, Gabe, & Mac -

Luke, Ali, & Matt -

Scott & Abby's Family - 

Hudson!  Love him to pieces.

They were switching off giving each other back rubs... maybe the cutest thing, EVER!

And people wonder why I am a Packer fan... (yes, this is real carpet)