National Hippo Day AND The Shockers...

Yesterday (Presidents' Day) involved Luke being out of school.  I had seen on a website that February 15 was "National Hippo Day" -- yes -- there is such a day, apparently...

SO -- since Luke was out of school AND it was a hippo holiday, why not go to the zoo?

Marc had to work, but Miriam was able to go with us -- Yay!

Notice the cute penguin behind Luke and Miriam...

I like it when Kate insists on a picture with her brother, AND her brother agrees with no convincing from me...

We ALWAYS take pics with the tiger statue (as does every zoo visitor), and I'm pretty sure this is my new favorite!

Finally -- we get to the hippo exhibit.  AND -- one of the hippos just happened to be out of the water!

I guess it was a "Hippo Day Miracle"! (Name that sitcom reference)...

It was a great zoo day with nearly perfect weather!

*****

Way back on December 28 (I think), Marc & I had tickets to a WSU basketball game.  That day was icy, and it just so happened that the game was indefinitely postponed.

Several weeks ago, it was announced that the game was actually rescheduled for February 15.

Last night, Marc & I went to the game with Luke & Kate entrusted to the loving care of Miriam!

Just two days before (February 13), WSU had a TERRIBLE loss to the University of Northern Iowa.  It was sad and depressing and shouldn't have happened!

Fortunately -- the "Round House" (Koch Arena) was sold out, and the crowd was fun and loud!

Wichita State won by quite a bit (borderline boring at the end)....BUT -- it was still very fun to go to a game with my husband!

*****

On a completely different note -- today (and yesterday) has been overwhelming -- in the need for prayer sense!

I found out about several serious needs yesterday and today...a very sick hospitalized child at Luke's school, a friend in the hospital, another friend's sister in a marriage crisis, another crisis with a couple we know here in town....

Fortunately, we serve a God who us bigger than I can ever fathom here on earth...He knows about all of these needs.  And while it is my job to pray, He knows I'm overwhelmed.  SO -- when I forget or don't know about specific details, He does know.  I trust He knows what He's doing.  There is a bigger and glorious plan, though we don't always see the intricate details.

Buh-Bye to the Toddler Bed...

Last night, we had our family Valentine's Day dinner.

We went to church this morning and took naps/rest time this afternoon.

At 4:00 PM, our little family made the trek with our neighbors' truck, which they kindly let us borrow, into the big city near us to purchase a full-sized mattress set for Kate.  It was simply time for Kate to be out of her toddler bed.

We're HUGE fans of "Costco". They had a special on this set.  We went for it!

"Costco" employees provide fabulous service...today's big purchase once again proved that statement!

We then ran to "Target" to pick up Kate some new bedding for her BIG bed...followed by supper at "Qdoba"....followed by the trip home when Marc would put together her new bed!

As you can see, Kate was just a *wee* bit excited about her new bed.  Our kids are both great sleepers. SO -- I'm guessing I'll see Kate at an appropriate time in the morning, and she'll tell me how great she slept in her new bed!

At 8:30, both kids' attitudes went south which provided a not-so-fun ending to our family time.  BUT, as I already stated on social media, His mercies are new every morning!  Tomorrow will be a better day!

Because it's President's Day, Luke's going to be home as well as Miriam....

The only thing that would make it better would be if Marc were off work, BUT bills still need to be paid. Marc's an awesome provider.  He'll need to go to work.

Sugared Up....

I'm by no means a "clean eater". (If I'm completely honest -- I can't stand the term, but that's a whole other post which I'm not planning on doing). However, I do make at least a feeble attempt to monitor and moderate sugar intake in our home.

Valentine's Parties make that feat rather challenging.  BUT -- here in the good ol' USA -- Valentine's Parties are part of school cultures.  We all might as well enjoy them and make the most of them.

Today, Kate & I spent a small part of our afternoon with Luke and his class of first graders (aka firsties) having fun with their party.

To accomplish this -- I had Kate take her nap early.  It was S.A.D. and rather challenging (in a good way) to wake her up to go to the party.

A mom of one of the girls in Luke's class lead some LOUD, but very fun for first graders, games.  Firsties like to pop balloons, in case you didn't know....(Luke's in the glasses)....

After their teacher and the helper Mamas got them "calmed down" from the games (Ha), the kiddos exchanged their Valentine's from each other and WERE indeed instructed to only eat ONE piece of candy.  I *think* most of them obeyed that instruction -- at least while they were in the classroom.

The helper Mamas passed out the treats -- a cookie (more sugar), some "Chex" mix, some cheese/meat, and a juice...

Kate enjoyed being near her brother at this point....

Surely she's not yet ready for first grade...Sniff Sniff!

To "keep it real" -- Kate, though cute, wasn't the easiest to have at this party today.  During the 45-minute party, she managed to "need" to go to the bathroom twice, had to be put in the hallway to *unnecessarily* cry, and found her way into the "bus line" in the hallway (I discovered this when I couldn't find her in the classroom and had to go & look for her)....

Someday, I'll look back at moments like those and laugh and wish I were still in that phase.

I know that, and I get it....

All in all -- too much sugar was involved in our day, but it's ok!  Everybody survived and had a good time!

*****

This evening, we (all 4 Friesen people from this house) traveled back out to Luke's school for some basketball games!!!!

So. Much. Fun!

This school, from the young elementary kids to the high school kids, has some spirit!  The gym was loud (in a good way), and it certainly helped that the varsity boys & girls won!

And now -- I'm tired.  I will head to bed -- excited that tomorrow is a Saturday morning, and we don't have to be up early.

I'm Still Here...

I've said this many times before, and I'm sure this time will not be the last time.  BUT -- I've obviously been neglecting this blog.  I miss it.  Blogging just doesn't, for the most part, get the attention it deserves anymore. Social media has taken over.

I *could* in theory say that I simply don't have time.  BUT -- I will be honest.  I haven't made the time.

I wouldn't even say I have anything extremely deep to say.  I don't consider myself an excellent writer.

But -- I enjoy blogging when I do.  I will make a feeble attempt to get going once again with NO guarantees as to how long I'll keep it up.

*****

I read today (or should I say -- reminded today) that "I was made to reflect God's Glory"....

I have thought about that since I read it.  Had I read this statement (which I, with all of my being, believe to be true since there is indeed a verse in Genesis that says "Man was made in God's image") 10 years ago, there is absolutely NO way I would've thought that I could reflect God's glory here at home.  I would've thought that was only possible out of the home at work.  I had the mentality (and my husband & I were in complete agreement) that I was not made to be at home. 

Things change.  Fortunately, my husband and I have both changed together.  Simply put: I need to be home with our kiddos.

I'm not at all trying to start the current and not-so-current debate about stay-at-home mamas vs working outside the home mamas.

Instead, what I'm ultimately getting at is that I CAN reflect God's glory here at home.

Reflecting God's glory, in my opinion, is broad.  There are so many awesome facets to His glory.  His sovereignty and love are two facets that I think I'm grasping more and more -- which I will not fully grasp until I'm in heaven someday.

*****

Kate (now 3 1/2) enjoys walking her baby in the stroller. It was cold this morning; therefore, I took her to our church and let her walk the halls....Kate moves FAST. It's a bit of a workout for me to keep up with her.

Kate had to stop a couple of times to give her baby a kiss and make sure she was safe.  I guess the baby needed some simply "Mama Reassurance" -- much like Kate does herself.

After returning home after our walk, I ate breakfast since I hadn't yet.  While I was eating, Kate decided ALL of her toy dishes were dirty and needed to be loaded into the dishwasher.  She combined her dishes with our family's actual dirty breakfast dishes...just keepin' it real here.

After Marc got home from work, he took Luke to the florist very near our home.  The two of them purchased Valentine roses for Kate, Miriam (our exchange student), and me.  SWEET!

It's awfully sweet to see our son give his sister a rose -- especially when, 15 minutes before, he was rather unkind to her...sigh...

Back to reflecting God's glory...it's no easy task -- especially when the desires of my flesh are ultimately 180 degrees from God's desire for me (Hello Sin Nature)....

BUT -- I find that when my ultimate focus is on Christ -- it's a whole lot easier to want to be like Him.  Then -- I will reflect God's glory in my life here on earth.

South Dakota -– Part 3 of Who Knows....

Continuing on....

After eating a home cooked meal with friends (Yay), we got two tired kiddos ready for bed.  Our kids had the awesome opportunity to do something they don't get to do in our house: sleep in bunk beds!  They knew this before we left for our trip.  Kate, of course, had no clue what a bunk bed was, obviously.  Luke knew what bunk beds were, and he was pretty excited!  (If you can *sort of* see, Kate is on the bottom).

Our kids are pretty good sleepers, and they know to stay in bed.  The vacation was no exception, BUT that first morning, Kate woke up earlier than she has in quite awhile...uugghh!  This waking up early manifested itself later on in a crying bad mood.

BUT -- it was vacation, and there were things to do and see.

That first morning in the Rapid City area -- we went to the famous Mt. Rushmore....

I love all of the states' flags hanging along the walkway.  Luke *had* planned on bringing his state flag book to compare, but he forgot it at home.  (#booknerd)  But -- Luke did well looking at the various state flags without the book.

Honest Moment of Sarah: Probably because of being woken up by his little sister early, Luke exhibited a *wee* bit of an attitude problem at this point.  AND, to top it all off -- this Mama didn't handle it in the most eloquent of manners.

Fortunately, and I have to remind myself of this daily, we serve a God who pours a limitless amount of grace on us; therefore, I must move on and simply not beat myself up on it.

Luke ended up doing quite well and changed his attitude.  It ended up being a nice visit to Mt. Rushmore.

This next pic is obviously of our Kate!  Her "getting up early" really manifested itself at this point (it ultimately first manifested itself at breakfast that morning).  Kate was being stubborn and was crying quite a bit.  This was the best pose I got.

After a snack and a brief nap in the car (after Mt. Rushmore), Kate's mood did improve!

I *think* this was my 4th trip to Mt. Rushmore in my almost 40 years of life.  I KNOW it was my favorite, despite the bad start to it.  I KNOW that is because it's pretty awesome accompanying my husband with our own kids to such an awesome place.  There's just something memorable about watching your kids experience new places and things.

I need to remember to be grateful to our awesome God for our little Friesen Family of 4 as well as our awesome trip experiences.

*****

After Mt. Rushmore, we went and ate lunch at a pizza buffet, "Pizza Ranch," which totally and completely impressed Marc and the kids.  While I didn't think it was too bad, I didn't and still don't feel like it was a life-changing event (insert your laughter here -- that was meant to be funny).

*****

After "Pizza Ranch," we went to a "zoo" called "Bear Country USA"! This "zoo" is a drive-thru zoo, and at the end, we could park and get out of the car and briefly walk around and see a few more animals.

To say that both if our kiddos enjoyed this place would be an understatement.  It ended up being a terrific experience!

An arctic wolf on a rock (took the pic from my car window).....

Luke had his own map of "Bear Country USA". He had a great time following along in the car!

Bighorn sheep (also taken from my car window)....

Finally -- we got to the actual bear section...we saw probably 40-50 bears in a very large enclosed area with which we drove through.  Yes -- we followed the simple directions of keeping our doors locked and car windows shut!

There is a bear on the large log in the next pic!

After finishing our drive-thru adventure (around 1 1/2 - 2 miles taking well over an hour), we parked and went through the "walking" part of "Bear Country USA".  (The animals in this section were all caged -- like a typical zoo)...

Luke was VERY excited to see a live badger in person (badger underneath the log in this next pic).  We visited this badger display, I think, 3 times that day.

We also saw 5-6 bear cubs.  They were most certainly cute!

And -- another fun animal the kiddos saw up close was the beaver....

We splurged on ice cream at this point and went through the gift shop where we managed to only purchase one decent item -- a Christmas ornament!

At that point, our day was fairly done.  We headed back to our friends' house for yet another home cooked meal -- Yay!

That evening, Luke was brave enough to go to our friends' church for their last night of VBS!  Go Luke!

We then spent a bit of time at a park watching some church softball games!  It was so nice to be in warm, DRY (non-humid) weather!

Kate worked really hard at pushing her daddy on the swing!

Another fun day in the books....

Stay tuned for more South Dakota fun!

South Dakota -- Part 2 of Who a Knows....

On the second day of our lovely little Friesen vacation, we got up and had a nice breakfast in our hotel! Then, we packed up the car and started the long drive from east to west across South Dakota.

It was a long drive, and the kiddos did a good job -- even *without* DVD players (we travel the old-fashioned way).

About 70 miles east of Rapid City (our ultimate destination), we got off of I-90 to take the "Badlands Loop".  At the exit, we noticed a newer historical site -- the "Minutemen National Historic Site".  So, we made an extra impromptu stop.

This site represents a bit of U.S. history.  It is about the nuclear missiles that the U.S. started to reduce back in 1991.  This site represents the history and significance of the Cold War.

Since it is a newer site, it's still a work in progress.  I think I'd like to stop there again if we're up there in a few years -- when more is completed.  This particular day, it was more of a restroom/drink break for us.

After that brief stop, we continued on the "Badlands Loop" -- then heading on to Rapid City.

The Badlands are quite interesting and pretty to see.  We highly recommend seeing them should you make a visit to the area.

There were some areas where climbing was allowed, and Luke really liked that!  He and Marc climbed for a bit.  In this next pic, Marc's in the bright yellow shirt.  You can *kind of* see Luke in the blue shirt.

Poor Kate wanted to climb, but we felt (and knew) it would have been too treacherous for her.  So, she was stuck hanging out with her Mama near the parking area.  Fortunately, it was a quick climb for Marc and Luke as we really needed to get to our destination, and thunderstorms were coming! Kate did quite well despite not getting to climb.  Her "Nigh Nigh" (favorite blanket) helped!

After seeing the beautiful "Badlands," we continued on toward Rapid City.

We were rained on HARD.  I was driving, and it had been awhile since I'd driven in that heavy of rain.  It was the type of rain where we were slowed down to 30 mph for awhile.

Our Great God protected us.  We were/are so grateful for His protection.

Finally, after a long day, we arrived at our friends' house in South Dakota -- just outside of Rapid City.  After a yummy homemade supper (nice to have a break from eating out when traveling), the kiddos all went to bed.  The adults were able to stay up late and chat and catch up!

Fun!

Stay tuned for more South Dakota fun!

South Dakota -- Part 1 of Who Knows....

For our little Friesen Family 2015 Vacation, Marc and I made the decision to go up to South Dakota, specifically the Black Hills and Rapid City.

Marc and I actually took a trip up there 10 years ago. I had been up there as a child a couple of times. We figured the kiddos (especially Luke) would enjoy it.  We knew Kate, being only 3 years old, would merely be along for the ride but could certainly benefit from travel and learning to adapt to new and different situations.

To really make this trip hopefully awesome, we asked some high school friends of mine (who now live up there) if we could stay with them in Rapid City.  They most graciously offered their hospitality.  Admittedly, I was *slightly* nervous about staying with a couple whom I hadn't talked with in years (other than on "Facebook").  My biggest prayer was that their kiddos and our kiddos would do ok together.  Now, as I look back at our week, I can honestly say it all worked out -- Yay!

Anyways -- we left home last Tuesday morning.  Our family vacationing tradition is to stop at "Druber's," our little awesome donut shop, on the way out of town.

A little side note -- Last summer, we started a little thing called "renting a car for vacation to avoid extra wear and tear on our own vehicles and our big car has too many miles". (I hope that intensive run-on sentence makes sense).  It's as fun and exciting for the kiddos as it is for Marc and me to drive a newer car.  We ended up with a "Kia Sorento" -- a mid-sized SUV -- for this trip.

Rather than taking ALL of the 10-12 hour trip in one day, we decided to break it up into two days (both going and coming home)...we *slightly* veered out of our way and stayed in Sioux Falls, SD, the first and last nights.

Back to basic travel...

Luke lost another tooth in the car as we were approaching our hotel.

After arriving at/checking in the hotel and going to grab supper, Kate and I dropped Marc and Luke off back at the hotel to watch the baseball All-Star game.  Kate and I then headed down by the river in Sioux Falls so Kate could walk with her baby.  The baby's stroller actually was permitted to come along on the trip, but Kate thought her baby needed to be carried this particular evening on the bike path.

Kate had to show her baby the water....

And, as babies seem to like to do, Kate's baby had to have a diaper change RIGHT on the bike path....

Ohhhh, Kate and her #littlemama abilities and pretend play....  (Oh -- how I love watching this in her personality)....

AND -- more "normal" vacant pics are coming...I just want to document, for our family, even the seemingly mundane (though not mundane to me) aspects of our trip!

Stay tuned...South Dakota in the Black Hills really does have a lot to offer!