DNO

That's short for "Dudes Night Out." J and the fellas went to Omaha for a They Might Be Giants concert. Ernie proudly declared the following day that his dad had "FOUR BEERS!" the preceding night.

Probably somewhere between beer 2 and beer 3.

Lenora has a bit of a crush on the two Johns of They Might Be Giants. Jeremy made sure he got her a picture of them performing.

Poultry Field Day

Since we are officially chicken owners, we thought it would be a good idea to get some experience in the full cycle of chicken ownership. The kids had a day camp with Ms. Christina and we went to a field day to help a small farmer process 50 8 week broilers.

Here's Jeremy at the processing station! He was really quite good and did at least six birds.

He was also complimented for his humane work at the slaughter station. I decided to spare blog readers any more detailed pictures than this. Honestly, the killing was extremely humane and painless for the birds, as well as efficient for the processors.

Summer kick-off

Cure summer vacation! Where you begin the delicate dance of doing fun and special things and also keeping the kids somewhat regularly scheduled so no one goes completely crazy.

Ah, the Ding Ding Man. Purveyor of fine frozen treats. Ernie was a sweetheart and Mom was a sucker, so he bought both himself and his sister a Batman pop with gum eyeballs before dinner. Mom was somewhat amused to read the warming on the package: May contain trace amounts of dairy products.

First summer visit to the Children's Museum. Ernie's in his favorite spot: the control panel for the stage area, i.e. his rocket ship.

Jeremy did the painting, but Len instructed exactly the subject matter and composition.

First swim in the Hall pool! We're lucky this one opens so early in the summer.

First mow had not yet occurred in the backyard, but all the kids and all the critters enjoyed playing in the sunshine and shade of the grass.

Last days of school

It might not seem bittersweet to them yet, but the end of a school year is a pretty big passing for the parents at least.

Len with her awesome teacher Mrs. Reitz at the Dimensions Family Picnic.

Len playing in one of her favorite areas for the last time . . . until summer camp at Dimensions in July.

Ernie revisiting one of his favorite areas from when he was in preschool, way back a year ago.

And Ern with his amazing teacher Mrs. Kile.

Mother's Day weekend 2013

Fun stuff to celebrate the Moms in our lives. We made the fun last all weekend.

Laura and Shaun prepared a delicious lunch to grill at Mahoney for G-ma Chris, and then we all went paddleboating. The kids LOVED boating.

We met the Halls for a delicious brunch buffet in Omaha the next day.

Ernie showed off his reading skills by reading a Grandma questionnaire he and Len had filled out as a gift.

Then we went to Pioneers Park for a family picnic and hiked up to the Smoke Signals statue. Aren't they cute?

Aren't they immature? Just like their Mom.

A beautiful wedding in the great state of Iowa

We recently traveled out to a gorgeous bed and breakfast for the union of Jen and Meghan, Connor's two Mommies. The kids are fans of a good wedding, so even though Ernie got sick on the way out they still had a fantastic time.

Mom had the honor of reading "I Like You," a fun and heartwarming piece selected by the brides.

Len photobomb. She's really good at that. Don't worry, Jen also got some pictures of just her and Connor.

Best integration of a child into a wedding AND into a marriage, I have to say. One happy family. Also, salted buttercream frosting. These guys make good decisions together.

And a fun prop photobooth area! They know how to treat their wedding guests!