What Have The Cowsers Been Up To?!

We have apparently been very busy in 2014!  Sorry for the lack of blog posts :(  It's been a cold, nasty winter and it's making me feel like not doing much of anything.  The weather forecast is looking up though, so I'm going to try to as well!  Let's start back in January....what were we up to?

Cole and Livi are workin' on their fitness and push up form!

Livi is still being an awesome big sister, couldn't love these girls more!

Playing together after dinner <3

& Kendall is working on her cartwheels!

On January 1st, we celebrated our niece Reagan turning 6 by bowling at Uncle Buck's @ Bass Pro Shop.  We had lots of fun bowling with our family!

This pretty girl just hung out while we bowled!

This beauty was awesome!

This guy was having a rough day, but he had so much fun bowling!

Go Daddy!

Pretty Kinser, always a fashion icon :)

Go Brenner!

The birthday girl!  Happy birthday Reagan!

We also painted our main floor last month!  Good bye ugly creamy yellow, we've hated you since we painted 4 years ago!!

OLD yucky color

We kept my parents dogs while they went to St. Croix and had 5 dogs while we painted!  We might be crazy, but we got it done!  Kendall thought the yorkies kennel was a fabulous toy :)  You can see the new color of entryway in this next picture, loving it!

We also had a playdate with our friend Lizzie

Tea parties are so much fun!

And Kendall and Colson both got some sort of virus

Sickie Selfie

Lots of "jammie days" and playing tractor...which involves piling as many toys as you can on the couch!

This poor boy was sick with upper respiratory infection for almost a whole month :(
He got pretty good at doing his own albuterol treatements! 

At the end of the month, we celebrated our nephew Brooks' 1st birthday!  The kids had a great time because they got to ride their bikes around Denny's shop!

Happy 1st birthday Brookster!

Go Colson Go!  He was a madman on that bike!

Livi on the go on her new big bike!

Kinsley and Rylie

Reagan, Livi, Cole (hiding) & Brenner 

Brenner-man!

Silly Reagan!

It took quite a while, but this girl finally warmed up and played a lot!

It was a busy month!  We have been stuck inside A LOT and I think we are all a bit stir crazy.  Hopefully the weather forecast is right and next week we can get outside, even for just a little bit!  The month ended on a crazy note for me too.  I started a business, ahhh!!  I am now an independent consultant for Rodan + Fields skin care.  I'm super nervous about making this business work, but I'm giving it my all.  If you or anyone you know (for the 5 people that read my blog, lol!) need fabulous skin care, give me a shout!

The Last Days of Summer

 During our last days of summer vacation, we took 2 trips to the zoo.  The first was to Niabi Zoo in the Quad Cities.  Our membership at Glen Oak transfers to Niabi so we got to enjoy a members night for free! 
We went with our favorite monkey Lizzie Aigner!

They  had free train rides, free hotdogs and drinks, inflatables and carousel rides!  So much fun!

After the zoo, we stopped for ice cream in town, ppor Colson looks exhausted!

It was such a fun evening!  Alyvia's last day before school started, we went to Glen Oak zoo and had a picnic.  Always a fun time!

 These silly kids always want to climb on that lion statue...it's almost the most exciting part for them!  Colson and Lizzie got to feed the giraffe this trip too (Livi got to the last time we went).  Sidenote: I just realized I didn't have any pics of Kendall :(   Poor girl was stuck in her stroller!  It was a fun day to end our summer vacation with.  This summer flew by in the blink of an eye....again!  We're excited for what fall will bring with school starting for Alyvia and Cole, dance class, birthday parties, and who knows what else!  Here we go! 

Jump, jump, jump!

Colson got to have a play date today!  He has never had a play date just for him and "his friends".  So we met our friends at Monkey Joes and then went to lunch.  Colson wasn't sure about the inflatables at first, so I finally just threw him in one and had our friend Brittany throw him down a slide!  After that there was no stopping him, he had so.much.fun!!

Then we went to lunch at Avantis.  4 adults and 7 kids (3 and under!).  It was so much fun though, the kids were really good!

Liam, Cole, Sienna, Fletcher, Vivian, Lawson

Colson had a really good time and was actually playing with the other kids!  I'm so happy that he got to do something special.  And he maybe even got his first girlfriend too :)

Taking the animals to the zoo!

Today, Cheryl and I took the girls and Colson to the zoo.  We had a picnic at the playground first!

'

Well, we tried but this is what you get from a 4, 3, 2 and (almost) 1 year old!

We then walked over to the zoo.  Reagan and Alyvia had so much fun going thru the zoo together.  They held hands almost the entire time.  Rylie tries to keep up with them too and they are pretty good at including her.  Colson just sat in his stroller and took it all in, he's such a good sport!  We're so happy the Walsh girls are moving back to town!  The girls are (usually) such great friends....and they are cousins as an added bonus! 

Playtime!

Today with had a play date with LOTS of our friends-12 adults and 19 kids met at the Quirams house to have some fun!  We had pizza, mac n cheese, fruit and crackers for lunch and we played inside while everyone ate.

Laura, CiCi, Dominique, Jen (holding Ethan), Reese and Liz, Macie and Julie, Delaney

Colson and Lawson hanging out
 (poor Emme in the background with her broken arm!)

Lizzie and Alyvia cooking up some trouble!

After lunch we got the kids ready and went outside to play in the pools and on the slip 'n slide!

Alyvia jumping in the pool
Foreground- Makenna, Sienna
Background-James, Sydnie and Jameson

Colson playing with Delaney and Macie Bartlow

Lizzie, CiCi and Alyvia playing in the sand box

Nicole had ice pops and popsicles for the kids too-Cole almost ate an entire popsicle himself! We had lots of fun playing with our friends!!