Mother's Day Weekend

May 20, 2016

 We are finally witnessing the start of Summer in SoDak!  The garden is in, but unfortunately we had some frost that wiped out my cucumber plants! We were in Iowa surprising our family for Mother's Day instead of tending to things here. I suppose they are worth it! *Wink*  This time around we stopped in Sioux Falls for the night and took Bradyn on his first  tube slide at The Dakota Inn. He is getting so tall!

Sidenote: He didn't realize it was such a fast slide! His face was priceless!

Perfect place for kids!

We later met up with Newt, Amira and their littles (cousins) for dinner, followed by a tour of Falls Park. The Falls are absolutely stunning and we can't wait to go back! It was so much fun to connect with them again and see our kids play together.

Falls Park Sioux Falls, SD

Downtown Sioux Falls

 Next stop was Iowa! Oddly enough, we have never stopped in the visitors center in Northwood as you enter. We have been to Diamond Jo's Casino plenty of times though! haha!

 

Most of my pictures from this moment on are of us hanging out with family, but none of them compare to this photo right here. Rahela and I laughing, while mom stands in the background observing Dad and my brother Joel try to get the cows back in their pasture through the creek. The story we have to tell about this day is priceless. What a typical Meier way to spend our time together on Mother's Day; chasing cattle in the field. That's not all! Later that day they got spooked again and ran across I-35 towards oncoming traffic. Luckily, there were no accidents, just a lot of upset people who had to wait for 20 head of cattle to cross the interstate. Only in Iowa!

 

Our return drive home was nothing short of Amazing! We decided to stop to see the Badlands. What a gorgeous place and a perfect way to spend our afternoon before heading home. 

 

Badlands National Park-free for us and only 45 miles away!

Just believe.

April 8, 2016

Breathe and Believe. 

Anything can happen if you open your mind, believe in yourself and have patience. I truly believe that what we think, we are and what we think we can, do opens the doors for new possibilities. I have loved staying home with Bradyn and I amso lucky to be able to do so, but time is flying by and he will soon be in preschool and I needed a plan. So, I prayed and prayed. Lord knows I prayed! I asked him to give me patience. He always knows just what we need when we need it! So I am very grateful and proud to say I accepted a fourth grade teaching position in Rapid City for the fall. There are so many kids who need me there and I amm excited for this next chapter. 

You know I will really enjoy my days off until then though!

 God is good and all good things come to those who believe!

Knollwood Elementary 

March 4th-March Forth

  Today is March 4th -the only day of the year that tells you to do something. So "Do something" is our new motto! We are moving, getting outside, feeling the sunshine, breathing in all things new, enjoying the moment and nourishing ourselves from the inside out!

Happy Birthday month to me! May this be my finest year yet!

Look, Mommy! Clean Teeth!

February 2016

   Dental health month means you go to the dentist, right?  I decided to finally make a dental appointment at a new dental clinic in town since there is not a clinic on base for us to go to.  I happened upon Loftus Dental in Rapid City because I liked their location, plus the two men that own and operate the business are both graduates of U of Iowa. The staff is so friendly and I think we will enjoy going to see Dr. Ron twice a year....I know Btadyn will! He had so much fun looking watching TV while in the chair and he hasn't stopped talking about it. He now wants to brush more and show me his teeth! I won't argue with that!

2016-The Best Is Yet To Come!

January 7, 2016
 
   Happy New Year! We didn't even make it up long enough to see the ball drop, but we had a great party at Holly and Evan's house! It was especially fun to see the kids get dressed up and enjoy the evening. Bradyn loves his cousins.

  Looking forward to a new year and a year full of new adventures! Building a fire and drinking homemade Merlot while watching back to back episodes of "Shameless" is definitely at the top of my list this month! Darren did very well with the fire and the wine. I could get used to this! :D

At Christmas Time, All Hearts Come Home

December 28, 2015


What a special Christmas this was for all of us. Bradyn's first with all of his family.  He was spoiled rotten, of course. We loved being together with everyone again. There's nothing like being home for Christmas!  Six years have gone by since Darren and I were both able to be home. It was an unforgettable two weeks!

Christmas Eve

Meier Cousins

Check Us Out! Sock Exchange-New Tradition

Knotting Blankets for Ronald McDonald House- Oudekerk Family Tradition

Oudekerk Cousins

Boulder Tap with the Sibs- Minus 1

Winter is Here! Finally.

December 15, 2015

We have been waiting for some snow to stick and it finally has. Although it's powdery and not great for snowman building, we'll take it! Bradyn and I had a great time throwing it around, but we didn't stay outside long. The temps are getting cooler every day and 25 degrees wasn't much fun.