The Bollmans

Day 39 - 42

2012-02-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

This past week it was a bit cold here. Thursday was only 10C and rainy, so we stayed at home playing Lego and play-dough.
Friday was nicer, so we thought we would go to town and do some shopping. As the boys and I were getting ready I heard a loud thud and Levi screaming. I ran into the boys room to find Levi's head squirting blood. He fell down the bunk bed stairs and hit his head on the side of the dresser. I pulled his shirt off and put pressure on his head right away. Surprisingly I didn't pass out. He has a very large gash on the back side-top of his head. We took him to a walk in clinic in Galveston right away. He needed 7 staples. The doctor thought staples were better than stitches considering the size of the wound and because he has SO much hair. He is doing fine now, he is being careful with his head, but overall he is pretty much back to normal.

Sunday we went into Galveston for Mardi Gras. Again it was cold out, so we all had to wear jackets!
There was a kids parade, so we thought it would be fun to check it out. The boys caught a ton of beads and Jakob kept calling it "party gras"!

The boys rode a mechanical bull, Jakob and Levi loved it and kept going back for more. Zack was scared and didn't last very long.

During the parade they were throwing beads and Jakob was trying his best to catch all of them! Zack loves Barney and on one of the floats he was right on top. Zack was thrilled! He talked about Barney the rest of the day.

Zack pointing to Barney:

I caught a few beads too!

In the car with their beads and free sunglasses.

Days 36, 37 & 38

2012-02-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

The boys outside in our backyard:

We have a great view of a pond with a water fountain on the back side of our house. From our balcony we can see the ocean! It's very nice and relaxing.

Getting ready to make another craft. I brought along a few different crafts for rainy days, or days that we just want to do something different. This craft is a crayon picture that you melt with a blowdryer. The boys loved it. It was fun, but kinda messy:)

Melting the crayons:

Finished product:

They are both planning on hanging their creations in their room when we get home.

Grandma & Grandpa left on Tuesday after hanging out with us for 2 weeks.

Wednesday we all went to the aquarium at Moody Gardens. It was fantastic!
Sharks, all kinds of fish and manta rays swimming in an open tank. The manta rays were splashing us.

Checking out the seals:

The penguins were a highlight for the boys.

Jakob loves penguins! He talked non stop about them and told us all the facts about penguins. He was very excited to see them up close.

Walking through a tunnel of fish!

Day 32 - 35

2012-02-06T09:00:00.005-07:00

Thursday afternoon we went to a part of the historical district in Galveston called "The Strand". It's a cute street with shops, restaurants, parks and old buildings. In the middle of Saengerfest Park is a giant chess board. The boys had a great time playing a couple games of chess!

After playing Chess and walking around a bit we went out for dinner:

Saturday we went to visit our friends Beau & Kristin. We drove to their house and visited for awhile and then went out for real Texas BBQ to a place called Tin Roof:

We arrived at the restaurant and we had to park in the field beside the parking lot, it was so full. We went inside and the line up was out the door. It was all worth the wait - the food was amazing! We had brisket, pulled pork and smoked turkey, so yummy!
The Cooking Channel was filming a TV show about great BBQ places that night. Michael was ordering his food and one of the guys filmed him, I wonder if he will make it onto the show! There was also a band playing and cotton candy for the kids. We had a great time with great friends!!

Day 29 -31

2012-02-02T09:00:00.002-07:00

Monday we went to Moody Gardens to look around and explore. There were tropical gardens with lots of flowers, fountains, parrots, a walk way along the harbour and all kinds of other fun stuff. We walked around and took some pictures and then the boys played on the playground for a bit. We are going to have to go back there to check out the Rainforest and Aquarium pyramids!

We've been spending so much time on the beach and the boys haven't played on a playground in a while. They were excited to jump, slide and chase each other around!

There is a special 4D Diego movie playing at Moody Gardens. We missed the showtime, so we'll have to go back another day, but the boys took a picture with Diego anyway!

Tuesday & Wednesday it rained like crazy, so we spent the days inside. We caught up on laundry, cleaning and schoolwork - nothing exciting:)

Day 26, 27 & 28

2012-01-30T09:00:00.001-07:00

Friday night Michael & I went out for dinner to Joe's Crab Shack. We had a BIG pot of crab to share! Thanks to Mom & Dad for babysitting!

Nice bib!

On Saturday afternoon Michael, his parents, Jakob and Levi went to the Seawolf Park museum to look at a WWII submarine credited with sinking a battleship and 1 of 2 remaining Destroyer Escorts.

Jakob was fascinated with the guns and sat on every single one.

Levi also enjoyed touching everything that was still somewhat operational.

One of the main cannons on the front of the Destroyer Escort ship.

Jakob and Levi played on this torpedo for quite some time.

Both boys on the torpedo. We all didn't realize how big they were.

Sunday night all 4 boys got haircuts. Zack sat so nice for his hair cut:

Our 3 little cuties!

Days 22 -25

2012-01-27T09:00:00.006-07:00

Monday the kids played on the beach in the morning. They boogie boarded, played in the sand and jumped in the waves. They all played so well together and had so much fun.

Tuesday Tracy and Georgia left and Mom and Dad Bollman arrived. Tuesday was a busy day of cleaning and laundry.
Wednesday the boys were so excited to see Grandma & Grandpa when they woke up! After breakfast we went for a walk on the beach. It was good that we went out so early, it ended up raining the rest of the day. So we stayed in and played Lego and games.

Thursday we woke up to beautiful sunshine! We again went to the beach to play and Grandma & Grandpa took a little stroll:

Day 21 - The Crocodile Encounter!!

2012-01-25T09:00:00.007-07:00

Sunday afternoon we went to a place called the Crocodile Encounter. We went with our friends Beau & Kristin, their daughter Avery and Tracy & Georgia. This place is really cool! We got a private tour featuring tortoises, alligators, crocodiles and a snapping turtle.

We started by learning about tortoises and then we got to touch them and play with them:

We moved on to the alligators. He was very tame and didn't move the whole time we were near him. This 10 foot alligator was found in the nearest town, roaming around the sidewalks - he was brought here to live.

The crocodiles were next, they were not very tame and snapped in the air to catch their food! We were always very close to the crocs - just on the other side of the fence.

Eating his raw chicken:

Holding a baby crocodile. We all got to hold this little guy:

And a snake too, Jakob was the only one brave enough to hold it:

This was a GREAT experience, we all really enjoyed it!

Days 18 - 20

2012-01-23T09:00:00.002-07:00

Thursday was another beach day! I thought after awhile the boys would get tired of going to the beach all the time, but they are still loving it and are always excited as we head to the beach each day.

Thursday night our friends Tracy and Georgia flew in to visit for a few days. Friday morning we went to the beach and Friday afternoon we went mini-golfing.

Ice Cream after mini-golfing!

The kids had so much fun mini-golfing on Friday, they wanted to go again Saturday!

(Sunday we went to the Crocodile Encounter, I took so many pictures that I'm going to do a separate post on it another day.)

Days 15, 16 & 17

2012-01-19T09:00:00.003-07:00

Monday was gorgeous out! We went to the beach and played in the sand and water. The boys brought along a boogie board and tried it out:

Jakob tried skimming closer to the shore, he got pretty good after a few runs:

School time! Jakob and Levi have been doing about 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day of school work:

Craft time!

Tuesday was nice and warm but very foggy. We decided to go to a "pirate ship" and ship museum. It was very interesting and the boys really liked it. They loved exploring the ship and museum.

This week is Restaurant week in Galveston. Wednesday we decided to try out one of the restaurants on the list. We went to a place right on the ocean called The Spot:

Days 11 -14

2012-01-16T09:00:00.003-07:00

Thursday was a colder day so we decided to go for a drive through downtown Galveston and check out the sights. After we drove around we stopped for lunch at Laundry's on the Seawall. It was really good food!

Zack being silly and eating salt. Gross.

(Friday I had to go to the post office and run a few other errands. Nothing too exciting happened that day.)

Saturday was nicer out so we went for a walk on the beach in the morning. There was a big storm earlier in the week and lots of shells, seaweed and jellyfish washed up on shore.

Checking out one of the many dead jellyfish we found washed up on the sand:

Drawing in the sand:

Saturday evening we met our friends Beau & Kristin for dinner at Lupe Tortilla. It was fantastic seeing our friends again and the food was good too!!
The lights were sombreros - Jakob pretending to put it on!

Sunday we drove an hour and a half into downtown Houston to go to Joel Osteen's church -Lakewood Church. It is a huge church, their building used to be a basketball arena! It was a great experience.

A random picture from last week - Zack wearing a matching outfit to his Curious George.

Day 8, 9 & 10

2012-01-12T09:00:00.002-07:00

Monday it rained all day. Not just a light sprinkle either - 2 inches! So we spent the day inside playing games and building with Lego. The boys were happy to lounge around all day, so it turned out ok. In the evening we went for a drive.

Tuesday was a nice day but really, really windy! Again we didn't go outside, I was scared the boys would blow away! The waves in the ocean were huge, the boys thought they were big enough to surf in.

Wednesday we were ready to get out and do something! It was sunny and 20C, so we went to the harbour and checked out all the incoming and outgoing ships. The boys were very interested in all the huge ships.
We rode a ferry from Galveston island to Bolivar Island. It was a 20 minute ride each way. It was a great experience for the boys, they had never been on a big boat like that before and they were excited!!

Waiting on the ferry in the harbour. It took about 10 minutes to load all the cars and trucks onto the bottom level of the ship.

The ride is actually really interesting, there is a WWII submarine and battle ship on one side as you drive by. There was also a sunken ship close to the shore:

Coming in to dock at Bolivar Island:

We were the only people on the upper deck of the ferry, the boys ran from the front to the back to make sure they weren't missing anything!

Levi wanted a picture with this big ship:

Days 4 - 7

2012-01-09T09:00:00.003-07:00

Thursday was another beautiful day! We went to the beach in the morning and spent over 3 hours making sandcastles and playing in the sand.

Burying each other in the sand:

Jakob tried to shape Levi's sand around him like a mermaid:

Zack's nightly bath, in the "big" bathtub.

Friday it rained, so we didn't go outside at all during the day. The boys played Lego and watched movies, then in the afternoon did their school work while Zack slept. We drove into Houston in the evening to do a little shopping.

Saturday was another nice day and the boys were ready to get back to the beach! We went for a nice long walk down the beach and collected 2 buckets of shells. We found some really beautiful sea shells!

Zack loves to put his feet in the water:

Jakob giving Zack a ride when he got tired of walking. What a good big brother!

Sunday we woke up to this:

It stayed really foggy for most of the day. After Zack woke up from his nap it started to clear up a bit, so we headed out to the beach. Just as we got to there it started to rain, so we turned around and came back to the house.

The boys ended up playing games and Lego for the rest of the day. After supper we went out for ice cream :)

Day 2 & 3

2012-01-05T09:00:00.004-07:00

On Tuesday the boys and I went on a really long walk, about an hour and a half. It was not cold out, but it wasn't warm either and the wind was crazy! We walked around our neighborhood and checked out all the other houses, went to a little playground and walked to the beach club.

On the way back we walked along the beach, it was sooo windy and cold. Zack was really tired and refused to walk, so I carried him back most of the way. Jakob took a few turns and gave him a piggyback.

What a difference from Tuesday, when we woke up on Wednesday it was already warmer than the day before. We ate breakfast on the balcony:

Michael worked for a bit outside:

The boys and I went to the beach for a couple hours in the morning:

Building a sandcastle:

After Zack's nap, Michael joined us and we all went back to the beach until sunset.

Working on another sandcastle, with a moat (of course).

Zack is LOVING the beach!

Racing down the beach, Jakob won!

Our First Day

2012-01-03T09:00:00.007-07:00

We had an amazing first day here in Galveston! We spent the morning running errands, grocery shopping, washed the car, etc. Then we came home and went to the beach! It is so great to step outside into the beautiful warm air with the sun shining. We all loved it!

Our house:

On our way to the beach:

Jakob and Levi going for a jog!

Zacks first steps into the ocean:

Going back for more!

Jakob writing his name in the sand:

Zack coloring while I was unpacking:

The Drive to Galveston

2012-01-02T09:00:00.004-07:00

We have arrived in Galveston after 4 long days of driving!
The first day was a bit challenging, we faced all kinds of crazy weather, from freezing rain to fog to beautiful clear roads to snow storms and black ice! We made it to Bismarck ND in 14 1/2 hours.
Day 2 was much better road conditions, but the highway was single lane the whole way to York, Nebraska. It took us 10.5 hours, much longer than we expected.
Day 3 took us from Nebraska to Oklahoma City. This was a short day, only 6 hours of driving. We decided to stop and have a bit of a rest. We checked into the hotel and then went to the LEGO store. For dinner we went to the Cheesecake Factory and then went swimming at the hotel. When we arrived in OK city the temp was 23C, it was so nice.
Our last day of driving took us from Oklahoma City all the way to Galveston, TX in 7.5 hours. This was the most interesting day by far. We drove through 2 states, all with different types of terrain, plus 2 very large cities. It was exciting to finally make to Houston, knowing Galveston was just around the corner!! 21C was a nice welcome as well :)

A few pictures of our trip:

The boys played on their new 3DS, watched movies and read books the whole way. They were pretty good, but got really silly and bounced all over the place once we got to our hotel each night.

Our fearless driver! Michael drove the whole way, 38 hours in total, spread out over 4 days.

Zack slept about an hour each day. He did really well considering we were in the car for 4 days straight!

A quick stop at the LEGO store in Oklahoma City.

Staring at the LEGO in the window:

At the mall; Jake might be a bit too big to ride in there!

The boys playing with their new LEGO in the hotel room:

Crossing the bridge onto Galveston island. Almost there!

We're here!!!!

A Look Back at December 2011

2011-12-31T09:00:00.001-07:00

A Look Back at November 2011

2011-12-30T09:00:00.003-07:00

A Look Back at October 2011

2011-12-29T09:00:00.002-07:00

A Look Back at September 2011

2011-12-28T09:00:00.002-07:00

A Look Back at August 2011

2011-12-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Christmas!

2011-12-26T09:00:00.004-07:00

Merry Christmas!

It's hard to believe that another Christmas has come and gone already. We had a great Christmas with lots of food, family and fun. The boys were totally spoiled by their grandparents (as always)!!

The Omi's with the 4 boys:

Violin Duet:

Opening gifts:

Skype with Grandma & Grandpa Christmas morning:

Christmas morning:

A Look Back at July 2011

2011-12-23T09:00:00.002-07:00

A Look Back at June 2011

2011-12-22T09:00:00.001-07:00

A Look Back at May 2011

2011-12-21T09:00:00.001-07:00

A Look Back at April 2011

2011-12-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Church Christmas Concert

2011-12-19T09:00:00.001-07:00

Jakob and Levi were in our church Christmas concert on Sunday. They both sang and knew all the actions to the songs. It was a cute little production and the kids had fun!

Zack's First Time Skating

2011-12-18T09:00:00.006-07:00

Last night we went skating as a family. I love skating and so do the boys! They were all so excited to go!

Jakob did really well!

Levi flying by!

This was Zack's first time skating and he did pretty good. He was able to balance a bit and moved his feet while we were holding him. He really liked it and was all smiles!

School Christmas Concert

2011-12-16T09:00:00.005-07:00

The boys had their school Christmas concert yesterday. They both did really well!

Jakob's class sang 3 songs: Jolly Old St. Nikolas, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer & Do You Hear What I Hear?
Everyone thought Jakob looked so much like Michael, it must be the way he did his hair and the glasses he wore!

Levi's class sang "Up on the House Top", it was really cute. The kindergarten kids sang and played their instruments really well - they were the hit of the show!

A Look Back at March 2011

2011-12-15T09:00:00.001-07:00

A Look Back at February 2011

2011-12-14T09:00:00.001-07:00

A Look Back at January 2011

2011-12-13T09:00:00.001-07:00

Gingerbread House

2011-12-12T09:00:00.003-07:00

Decorating a gingerbread house is one of the boys' favorite traditions. We have done it every year and they both look forward to it for weeks!

Jakob explaining to Levi how they are going to decorate the house:

Ready, set, go! The boys act like it is a race and see who can finish their side first:

Levi telling Jakob a joke using his gingerbread man.

Eating the last of the candy:

All done!

Swimming Lessons

2011-12-08T09:00:00.002-07:00

Jakob and Levi just finished another round of swimming lessons. They both did really well and passed their levels. Jakob has always been a great swimmer, but he is learning new techniques and becoming even better! Levi also does really well in the water, he isn't afraid to go underwater or float (even if he sinks!) Both boys really improved and we are so proud of them!

The Boys and Their Christmas Tree

2011-12-06T09:00:00.002-07:00

The boys put up and decorated their Christmas tree this weekend. The tree is only 4 feet tall, but the boys are so excited to decorate it! They get to put whatever decorations they want on it and put them wherever they want. They love it!

Oma & Opa's 60th Anniversary

2011-11-28T09:00:00.002-07:00

My Oma & Opa celebrated their 60th anniversary this past week. On Saturday the whole family got together for dinner to celebrate this amazing milestone!

The happy couple:

That's us!

The whole group:

Busy Week

2011-11-25T09:00:00.004-07:00

It's been a busy week around here and I haven't really had a lot of time to take pictures. Michael took a few pictures of the boys last night to test out my new camera lens. He even got a few pictures of me too.

Our 3 cuties.

Zack waving hi to Daddy.

First Snowfall

2011-11-18T10:30:00.001-07:00

Our first snowfall has arrived! After a beautiful, long fall, we finally got some snow. I would be happy if it didn't snow until mid-December, but the boys could not wait for it to snow. They had been talking about snow for the past couple weeks and so when it did snow, they were sooo excited. All 3 of them rushed out to play and shovel the snow.

School Pictures

2011-11-14T09:00:00.002-07:00

This years school pictures:

Jakob - Grade Three

Levi - Kindergarten

2 Little Cuties

2011-11-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Out for a drive...

Trick or Treat

2011-11-02T09:00:00.001-06:00

The boys heading out for a night of "trick or treating". I'm glad that it was warmer out and we didn't freeze!

Fireman & Spiderman

Nemo

Spiderman, Hamburger, Nemo & Fireman heading out for some treats!

Pumpkin Day!

2011-10-31T09:00:00.001-06:00

Every year we spend an afternoon carving pumpkins. Michael and I end up doing most of the work, but it's worth it since the boys look forward to it each year.

All ready with our 6 pumpkins.

The boys were excited to get messy and clean out those pumpkins!

Ok, Levi not so much. He did not like to reach in a take out the "slime".

Jakob cutting out the face on his pumpkin:

Levi drawing where he wanted me to cut:

The finished product. Can you guess who carved each one?

Fall Photos

2011-10-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

A few pictures from our annual fall photo shoot:

Zack's Birthday Party

2011-10-24T09:00:00.002-06:00

Our baby is 2!!
Zack's official birthday party wasn't until the weekend, so we didn't really do too much on his actual birthday. But I did make cupcakes and we sang him happy birthday. Here he is enjoying his birthday cupcake!

For Zack's party we had the family over for dinner and cake.

Zack opening his gifts:

Blowing out his candle!

Finally getting to play with his toys!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Zack!

2011-10-19T09:00:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday to our sweet little Zack!!!

Painting

2011-10-17T09:00:00.002-06:00

For Thanksgiving the boys painted pictures for their grandparents. After they painted a bunch more pictures. Levi painted one and was done, he doesn't really enjoy crafts. Jakob and Zack each painted 4 pictures, they both could have painted all day!

Fall Pictures

2011-10-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

A few pictures from the boys playing in the park by our house:

Las Vegas!

2011-10-03T09:00:00.002-06:00

Michael and I and our friends Josh and Amanda just returned from a great week in Las Vegas! We drove there and back, 22 hours straight each way, it was a long haul but really fun at the same time. We spent the week by the pool, shopping, going out for dinner and we walked a lot.
It was a relaxing and super fun time!

Dinner at Mesa Grill, we have always wanted to eat at a Bobby Flay restaurant and we were not disappointed!!

Walking up and down Las Vegas Blvd!

Dinner at Bouchon, they have the best quiche EVER!!

Levi's First Violin Lesson

2011-09-22T09:00:00.003-06:00

Levi had his very first violin lesson this past week! He was really excited about learning and playing. Michael didn't take a picture of him at his first lesson, but here he his practicing for the first time!

Fixing His Truck

2011-09-19T09:00:00.000-06:00

My Opa came over the other day to do some work on Michael's car. The two older boys were in school, so Zack and I went out to watch and keep Opa company. Zack watched Opa with the tools and ran around the car looking at everything. After we came in Zack went over to his truck, (he drives this truck around everyday, it is by far his favorite toy) he tipped the truck over onto its side and started "working" on it. At first he was using his hands, but then he got up and went downstairs, grabbed a few of his tools and then really worked on the truck. It was so cute how he was imitating Opa and using his tools just like his Opapa was doing.

Jakob & Mommy's Date

2011-09-13T09:00:00.001-06:00

Jakob and I went out on a date for his birthday. First we went mini-golfing, then Jakob did the batting cage and bumper boats.

Ready to go! Jakob was really excited about the batting cage!

He did great! He hit most of the balls. He loved it and wants to go back sometime to do that again!

Next was the bumper boats!

After the amusement park, Jakob and I went out for dinner. It was a great evening spent with my big boy!

Back to School

2011-09-08T09:00:00.003-06:00

The boys are back in school, Jakob is in grade 3 and Levi in Kindergarten. They both have had a great first few days and are looking forward to the year.

Levi in his Kindergarten classroom.

Both of the boys are taking the bus after school. They enjoy coming home on the bus and it's not too long of a ride.

Levi getting off the bus after school. Levi comes home in time for lunch and gets dropped off right outside our house!

And Zack is loving the alone time with Mommy!

Levi's Riding a 2-Wheeler!!

2011-09-06T09:00:00.003-06:00

This past week Levi learned how to ride his bike without training wheels. He was so proud of himself!! He practiced a few times and then on Saturday night, he really got the hang of it and took off. Sunday we went for another bike ride and he was already a pro. Good job Levi!!

Hermann Family Picture

2011-09-03T09:00:00.001-06:00

The Hermann Family!

Jakob's Birthday Party

2011-09-01T09:00:00.001-06:00

On Jakob's actual birthday, we celebrated with a family party. Both of the Omi's & Opapa's, Oma & Opa and Uncle Jordan, Auntie Kristy and Alex were here for the celebration!

Jakob choose an oreo cookie trifle as his birthday cake!

Happy Birthday Jake!

Jakob's Kids Party

2011-08-30T09:00:00.003-06:00

Jakob chose to go mini-golfing for his party with his friends. Jakob and his friends had a blast mini-golfing, then eating cupcakes, playing games and running around together on a beautiful, sunny day!!

Happy Birthday Jakob!!

2011-08-27T09:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday to our 8 year old today!!

(Jakob enjoying his special request birthday breakfast - chocolate chip pancakes!)

Happy birthday buddy! WE LOVE YOU!!!

The Rest of the Winnipeg Trip

2011-08-26T09:26:00.009-06:00

The Children's Museum!

Playing with Sophie.

One of the boys favorite things to do in Winnipeg is go to Great Grandma and Great Grandpa's pool. They love to swim!

We celebrated Jakob's birthday!

Grandma reading stories to all the grandkids!

Gimli

2011-08-24T09:00:00.002-06:00

Our whole Bollman family went to the beach for the weekend. It's about an hour drive to Gimli where there is a beautiful beach and a little playground. The boys loved playing in the sand and swimming at the pool in the hotel.

Here we are! All 10 of us!

"The boys" building a sandcastle:

Ready, set, go!

Winnipeg!

2011-08-22T09:00:00.005-06:00

What a great week we had in Winnipeg! We just got home from a little vacation to visit family in Winnipeg. The boys had the best week playing and getting Grandma & Grandpa's undivided attention!!

Everyday we went out and did a fun activity in and around Winnipeg. The first day we went to Assiniboine parks new Nature Playground, it was really beautiful.

Lots of interesting things to do and plenty of beautiful flowers in and around the park.

The following day was the splash park!

Playing the piano with Grandma!

(More pictures to come another day)

Best Week Ever!

2011-08-09T09:00:00.005-06:00

The boys claim to have just had the "best week ever!!" And it was pretty fantastic. We had a really busy, eventful week. First we went out to the lake for part of the long weekend, then on Wednesday we met our friends at the WEM Waterpark (super fun!!) Then back to the lake for a birthday party and time spent with great friends!

Jakob and Levi swam out to the yellow dock for the first time. It was a big accomplishment for both of them and they were so proud of themselves!

Jumping off the dock was the best part!

Here they are - Oliver, Jakob & Levi. These 3 stuck together like glue the whole week. Zack tried to join in when he could.

Zack lining up and playing with his trucks.

The boys were invited to Oliver's 8th birthday party. It was a whole day event and it was really fun!

Jakob and Oliver played this game where they would see who would get pushed off the end of the dock first, they both laughed and giggled the whole time!

It rained really hard one afternoon, but after the storm there was the biggest double rainbow!

Thanks Angi & Oli for a memorable week! We had such a great time!!!!

Jumping Through the Sprinkler!!

2011-08-05T09:00:00.006-06:00

The boys had a great time jumping through the sprinkler! Jakob and Zack couldn't get enough of it. Levi jumped through a few times and was done. The boys were all finished, dried off and ready to go inside, but Zack was still running through the water. He loved it and it was a bit of a fight to get him to come inside for nap time!

Summer Cuties

2011-08-02T14:00:00.000-06:00

Our little cuties enjoying the summer weather!!

Raspberry Picking

2011-07-29T09:00:00.001-06:00

We have been picking a ton of raspberries the past few days. Our little raspberry bush is producing an incredible amount of fruit and we are loving it!! Everyday the boys each pick one bowl full for themselves and then I go a pick the rest off. It is amazing how many there are for such a little bush!

Day at the Pool

2011-07-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

The boys love to go swimming! Here are a few pictures of our latest trip to the outdoor pool:

Michaels Birthday

2011-07-18T09:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we celebrated Michael's 30th birthday! We went to the beach in the afternoon and out for dinner in the evening.
We spent a great day together with our favorite 30 year old!!!!

Helping Daddy blow out his candles:

Haircuts

2011-07-14T10:00:00.003-06:00

The boys just got their "summer" haircut. They all look so cute!

Copy Cat

2011-07-05T09:00:00.000-06:00

Jakob was reading a book and Zack wanted to be just like his big brother. Zack saw Jakob reading, quickly grabbed a book and sat down. He kept looking over to Jakob to see what he was doing so he could copy him. It was really cute!

Gotta Love a Beach Day!!!

2011-06-30T09:00:00.004-06:00

Since the weather hasn't been the greatest this year, we haven't had many beach days. It was very warm yesterday, so we headed to the beach! What a great morning we had, playing in the sand and the park and spending time with good friends. It really does not get any better than that!
The boys love the beach and I am so thankful that we get to enjoy it!

Levi's Preschool Grad

2011-06-24T09:00:00.000-06:00

Levi graduated from Die Kleine Kinderschule preschool yesterday!! He was so excited! Levi loved preschool and had the most amazing teachers ever. Levi made lots of friends and learned so much this past year.

Levi with his class, singing one of the many songs they learned in German:

Levi receiving his diploma from Frau Doris:

Did I mention Levi had the best teachers ever?! Thank you so much Frau Erica and Frau Doris, you both are so wonderful!

Enjoying the snacks that followed the program:

Congratulations Levi! Now on to Kindergarten!!!

Levi's Field Trip

2011-06-22T09:00:00.000-06:00

Levi's preschool class went on a field trip to Fort Edmonton Park this past week. The whole class was really excited! First we rode a trolley car from the train station to the "town". Levi was very happy, he said that he had never been on a trolley car before.

Levi and his friend Lukas on the trolley:

Then the kids made lemonade and ice cream. Each of them took turns rolling and squeezing the lemons:

Putting the sugar into the ice cream:

And finally cranking the ice cream!

After ice cream and lemonade, the kids went on a little tour of the town. It was raining quite a bit at this point, but the kids loved it! Levi shared his umbrella with his friends and they enjoyed splashing in the puddles.

On the way out I took a class picture of the kids:

Levi had a really fun time and even though it rained the whole time, he said it was great!!

Father's Day

2011-06-19T21:00:00.002-06:00

Happy Father's Day to all the great Dad's, Opa's and Grandpa's in our lives!!!

Kids (Jakob) and Glasses Don't Mix

2011-06-16T09:00:00.001-06:00

Well, here Jakob is with his 3rd pair of glasses!

Jakob's first pair of glasses are still around, a bit beat up, but still usable. They are much too big for him and slide down when he looks down, but they work. He has been wearing those ones to school and around the house for the past couple weeks. We got Jakob's a second pair of glasses that we thought he could wear to church and have on hand as a "just in case" pair. Jakob preferred those glasses and wore them the most, even to school. He came home from school one day (a field trip day) and one of his lenses had popped out and they couldn't find it. I called the place where he had the field trip, thinking they might be able to locate the missing piece, they laughed at me. Oh well.

So... we ordered Jakob another pair as his "just in case" glasses and here they are:

After talking to some of the other mom's who have kids with glasses, this seems to be very normal. Most are on their 3rd or 4th pair this year. Jakob is the kid who lost 8 pairs of mittens this year, so I'm just waiting for the day when he loses his glasses completely.

That being said, he does look really cute in these ones!

Michael had a pair just like them when he was in University. Apparently he lost them after 3 weeks though.... I guess it runs in the family:)

Playing at the Park

2011-06-06T09:00:00.004-06:00

The boys love to play at the park! We went for a walk with Kristy and Alex and stopped at the playground to play for awhile. The boys all had a great time exploring and playing!

U2 Concert

2011-06-02T09:00:00.001-06:00

Michael and I went with a group of friends to the U2 concert last night! It was really fun and a great show. We had pretty good seats and could see the whole stage. U2 really puts on an amazing concert!!

Amanda, Sabrina and I hanging out!

Zack's Funny Faces

2011-05-30T09:00:00.001-06:00

(Sorry, I know it's been a long time since I last did a blog post)

Anyway, here is a little video of Zack. I was looking at all the flyers and Zack came up and started looking at them too. He was so cute sitting there "reading" and singing, so I quietly got the video camera. As soon as I started recording he stopped what he was doing and just stared at me and then made the funniest faces. Funny little guy!

It's Soccer Season

2011-05-16T09:00:00.002-06:00

It's that time of year again... soccer. I love that the boys get to do something they enjoy and are having fun! Since both of the boys are on different teams, Michael and I are driving each of them to their separate fields, which is not so fun. (But we'll survive)

Jakob is playing like a star and really loves soccer this year!

Levi is a little powerhouse and really give 100% the whole game!

Zack & the Sandbox

2011-05-12T09:00:00.000-06:00

Zack really has been enjoying the sandbox in our backyard. This is his first year really playing in it and he LOVES it! Yesterday he played for almost 2 hours all by himself. He is so happy and content - I love summer!!

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T09:00:00.001-06:00

For Mother's Day we went to my Aunt and Uncles for lunch, almost all the grand kids were there (except for Alex), so we tried to take a picture of all the kids together. It didn't work so well, but here is the best shot I got, hopefully someone else got a better one!

Then in the evening our immediate family got together. Again we tried taking a picture of all us Mom's with our kids. At least everyone is smiling on this one :)

My Mom and the boys.

One of My Favorite Days

2011-05-04T09:00:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite days of the year is the day the boys play in the sandbox for the first time in the spring. We clean the sand, put some of the sand toys out and the boys play for hours! This year was Zack's first time enjoying the sand and of course he loved it. Levi showed Zack how to make sand castles and use some of the sand toys, they both played so well together! It was a great morning!

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-29T09:00:00.003-06:00

The boys before church Easter Sunday:

An Easter egg hunt at Oma & Opa's Sunday afternoon:

Blowing bubbles and eating chocolate after their egg hunt:

Our family picture taken in my Oma & Opa's backyard:

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T13:00:00.001-06:00

Levi's Birthday Celebrations

2011-04-22T09:00:00.000-06:00

Levi had quite the week of birthday celebrations!

It all started on Sunday with his family party. We invited Levi's Omi's, Opapa's, Oma, Opa, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Jordan, Auntie Kristy and Alex over for dinner and cake.

Levi blowing out his 5 candles!

Opening all his gifts.

Monday we went out with Grandma & Grandpa to Red Robin for a Birthday dinner. (no pictures of this event)

Next was the kids party on Wednesday, his actual birthday.
Another candle to blow out!

Levi's friends with him at Let's Play! He had such a great time playing with his friends. Levi told me in the car on the way home that it was the best birthday party ever!

One last cake the night of his birthday after dinner!

It was a great week, celebrating Levi turning 5 years old!!

Happy Birthday Levi!

Happy Birthday Levi!!

2011-04-20T09:00:00.001-06:00

Happy birthday to our sweet, kind, cute and wonderful 5 year old!

Welcome Baby Alex!!!

2011-04-15T09:00:00.001-06:00

We are so thrilled that baby Alex has joined our family!

My brother Jordan and his wife Kristy gave birth to this little cutie on Tuesday. We went to visit them at the hospital a couple hours after he was born.

Jakob loved holding Alex!

Levi wasn't too sure about holding Alex yet, but he sure loves his new cousin!

Jakob's Glasses

2011-04-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

Jakob got his first pair of glasses this week. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that Jakob was squinting a lot and so I took him to get his eyes tested. It turned out that he needed to get glasses. He has a pretty small face, so it's pretty hard to find glasses for him but we found a pair that he liked.
He was really excited when he could read the time on the microwave from across the room. Poor kid, all this time he thought fuzzy was normal!

Seriously??? So much Snow!

2011-04-07T09:00:00.007-06:00

This morning it was so beautiful, bright and sunny. Zack and I went out on the deck to see how warm it was and I couldn't get him to come inside! It was really nice and warm, but there is still so much snow!!! Zack was still in his pajamas, but I let him play out on the deck anyway. Zack hasn't really played in the snow that much and so he was very interested in it. He shoveled a bit, picked up the snow, inspected the snow and threw it around. We were outside for about half and hour and it wasn't cold at all. I can not get over how much snow is still in our backyard in April!!!

Zack's Favorite Game

2011-04-04T09:00:00.000-06:00

Zack's new favorite game is to lay down on the ground and cover himself up with a blanket. He also puts the blanket over his head and walks around. He thinks it's really funny and we think he is funny while doing it, so of course he thinks it's even funnier!!

Playing in the Snow

2011-03-22T09:00:00.007-06:00

Levi's cousins came for a visit and they had a blast playing in the snow! They built snowmen, climbed the big mountain of snow in Oma & Opa's backyard, had a snowball fight and giggled a lot!

It sure is fun playing outside in the snow!!

Matching 3

2011-03-18T09:00:00.003-06:00

I don't usually dress the boys in matching outfits. Jakob and Levi pulled out striped shirts one day, so I thought I could put Zack in one too and take a picture.

Mexican Fighting Masks

2011-03-15T09:00:00.003-06:00

Michael bought these Mexican fighting masks for the boys while we were in Mexico. (here he is buying them on the beach)

The boys thought they were really cool and of course, pretended to fight right away.
Zack wore it for a few seconds and then was done, but Jakob and Levi love wearing them!

Cabo, Mexico

2011-03-09T09:00:00.005-07:00

Michael and I just spent an amazing week in Cabo, Mexico. We traveled with our friends Josh and Amanda and had the BEST time!

Our beach was beautiful! We could walk for miles if we wanted to, the sand was powder soft and it was pretty empty for the most part.

The resort we stayed at (the Barcel o) was amazing! Absolutely beautiful.

We spent most of our time on the beach and in the pools. It was a very relaxing holiday. The sky was blue and sunny everyday, not one cloud the whole time we were there!

Sadly we had to come home to freezing cold and snow, but we were excited to see our little munchkins!

The Boys

2011-03-04T09:00:00.001-07:00

Valentine's Day

2011-03-01T09:00:00.004-07:00

I know this is a little late, but I thought I would post it anyway:)

Levi really does not like to write or colour, but for Valentine's Day he was more than happy to write out all of his Valentine's for his class. He did a really good job, he knew all his letters and wrote them correctly.

The boys made heart shaped cookies with pink and red icing for a Valentine's Day treat!

Zack's First Haircut

2011-02-25T09:00:00.004-07:00

Zack does not have a lot of hair, but what he had was getting wispy and long. He is 16 months so I thought it was time for a hair cut!

This is Zack's "before" picture.

He was really good, he didn't cry or squirm at all.

All done!

After his bath, showing off his new haircut!

The Waterpark

2011-02-22T10:30:00.001-07:00

Last Wednesday we pulled Jakob out of school early, dropped Zack off at Omi's house and went to West Edmonton Mall Waterpark! Jordan & Kristy and a few of our friends came too. We had a great time in the waves and on the slides. The boys have been to the waterpark several time this past year, but this was my first time in years. We had a fabulous time!

Michael and Jakob racing down the purple slide (Michael on the left, Jakob on the right)

Jakob flying down the Skyscreamer.

Levi coming down the Howler.

Levi jumping in the waves!

Levi liked to sing while he slid down, you could hear him the whole way down!

Jakob's Ski Lessons

2011-02-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Jakob is taking ski lessons again and he really loves it! He has a 1 hour lesson and then him and Michael ski together for the rest of the afternoon.

Ode to Joy & Czech Folk Song - by Jakob

2011-02-10T18:45:00.002-07:00

Opa's 80th Birthday

2011-02-07T10:30:00.003-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated Opa's 80th birthday! We went out for lunch with all his family and several friends. After lunch we had a little program where Jakob played his violin, my aunt put together a slide show and there were a few speeches. It was a great day of celebrating our wonderful Opa!!

Jakob and his Opapa.

Zack enjoying some jello!

Jakob played "Ode to Joy" and "Happy Birthday" on the violin.

The whole Hermann family!!

Zack Loves to Colour!

2011-02-02T09:30:00.002-07:00

Jakob loved to colour, he could sit for hours colouring and drawing, still does. Levi did not and still doesn't. So when I gave Zack a piece of paper and some crayons, I really didn't know what to expect. Well... he loves it! He was so happy. He scribbled away giggling and talking to himself. So hopefully he continues and loves drawing and colouring!

Skating

2011-01-28T09:00:00.005-07:00

The other night after dinner we took the boys skating. All 3 loved being outside! It was the perfect night for skating. Jakob is skating better than ever and Levi is doing surprisingly well for only skating once or twice this year.

It was a very fun family night!

Zack was the king in the sled, he loved being pulled around!

Levi zooming around!

My cousin Amber came too!