There is No Place Like Nebraska

This past month has been such an exciting one. Jesse, the kids, and I packed up our stuff and headed out west to Nebraska on July 1st. Jesse took a little over a week of leave to spend with us out there before making his way back to Dayton. During the week he spent with us we hit up the Lake, The Lincoln Children's Museum, and Chuck E Cheese. It was great having the whole family spend time together. Jess had to report home soon there after, because he was due to start his new job he will be at for six months (starting with nights). I had made a prior commitment to help out with my 10-year high school reunion, so Jesse and I made the decision that I would just stay back with the kiddos and spend some much needed time with my family before the big 1-0 reunion (I'm doing a separate post about this...so stayed tuned).

It was great having the time with my family, because normally we would only probably get to see them twice a year if that. My mom set up a kiddie pool in the backyard, so W, P-man, and I spent a lot of time out there. We got to visit the Lincoln Children's Zoo, as well as an outdoor concert for kiddos put on by the Lincoln Children's Museum called Music and Mozzarella (there was pizza involved as well). If you can't tell, Lincoln is extremely family oriented with tons of stuff to do, hence the reason why I miss it so much. It was also great being able to catch up with our great friends as well, we miss you all so much! All and all it was a great vacation and we were able to spend the much needed time with everyone. Plus, P-man got to meet his great-great grandparents for the first time. Here are just a few pics from our trip. :)

Indianapolis Zoo

Patrick had his very first zoo adventure this past weekend. The family decided to pack up for our first overnight trip to visit family in Indiana. We picked a very busy weekend to visit with the Indianapolis 500 race taking place. Anywho, we decided to check out their zoo, which we have been hearing wonderful things about. It was a fabulous, yet hot day. W got to enjoy a train ride, while both him and P-man got to pet a shark, look eye to eye with a Tiger, and see our national bird. For all my friends here in Ohio, I definitely recommend taking a two hour trip to Indy to check out the zoo. We're hoping to add their children's museum to our list next time we visit.

Summer Fun

Wow, I'm so sore today. We spent the entire day yesterday at the lake, and I made my 2nd attempt ever at wakeboarding. We don't own a speed boat, so I invested some cash to take a wakeboarding lesson from a professional through http://www.wakeboardnebraska.com/. I had an absolute blast. Ronnie was quite impressed with my form, etc, so we decided to attempt a few tricks. First off, I've never ridden outside the wake, so that was my first goal. I was able to get out, but getting back in was a different story. I kept getting the front of the board caught on the wake, so finally after a few attempts, I was able to make it. Ronnie also had me practice a surface 180, where you have to place your weight over the center of the board, and in one smooth motion, you swing the board around leading with your rear foot. It was so fun trying to attempt and finally make the trick. I was so proud of myself. I made it through the lesson with only one pretty nasty fall.....which is why I think my upper body (back of my neck, arms, etc) is really sore. I am looking forward to the next time I get out on the lake....who knows...maybe I'll learn and make a tantrum... hehe.

W also had a blast yesterday with swimming and playing in the sand. He absolutely loves being out on the lake. I think one of his favorite things to do is going on the pontoon. He definitely enjoys sitting next to my grandpa (great-grandpa) trying to steer the boat. W was a little cranky yesterday during our boat ride, and I knew he was really tired. So, with his Nona's (my mom) help and mine, he fell right asleep. It was the cutest thing ever, and I wish I would've brought my camera onboard. However, I was able to take a few pictures of being out on the lake over the 4th of July:

We head out to Denver, Colorado this week, and I'm definitely looking forward to it. I'm so excited to embark on a much needed vacation. Plus, W will be able to enjoy his relatives company, and the sites around Denver a lot more, compared to last summer when he was only a few months old. My sister and I are planning on hitting Water World, which is a local water park attraction. Plus, I'm hoping to get W out to see the Denver Zoo. We're only there for four days, but I want to jam as much as we can in, especially since this will be our last trip out there for a while. I am sad knowing we're taking a vacation without Jesse, but I am happy to report he will be home on leave in 39 DAYS!!!! I'm getting so excited. Even though his plans to return home aren't on "offical documents", I'm pretty positive he'll be arriving home via United Airlines on Friday, August 29th. He will be home for around 25 days before returning to Korea for another 4 months. Feel free to join in the countdown with us!!!!