Videos

Just a couple videos, we have done so much this summer and have jumped right into the school year.  Posting these videos and seeing that my last post was in May....so far behind!

That's our Noah, such a ham!

So proud of Levi, I didn't know he could count all the way to 10!

Summer Bucket List

Bucket Lists are EVERYWHERE, this is not a new idea for anyone.  I have been wanting to do a list for a couple summers now but just didn't feel like the boys would get into it or really understand it at all....not that there is much to understand.  I guess what I am saying is now that they are older we can all pretty much enjoy the activities as a family.  Noah and I came up with a majority of the list but we are also open to adding to our list (we have tons of space to do so).

* Campfire S'mores
*Swimming Pool
* Park
* Invite a Friend Over
* Tulip Festival
* Walk to get Donuts
* Backyard Campout
* Sparklers
* SnoCones
* Fishing
* Go the the Library
* Zoo
* Washington Vacation
* Swimming Lessons
* Picnic
* Plant Flowers
* Family Bike Ride
* Church (I thought this was funny of Noah since we go every week, but it still needed to be on the list)
* Farmer's Market
* Make Homemade Ice Cream
* Work on Our Garden
* Go Berry Picking
* Make Treat for Our Neighbors
* Go to a Space Museum
* Go on a Moon Walk (meaning a walk at night)
* Run Through Sprinklers/Water Balloon Fight
* Make Sandcastles
* Ride a Carousel
* Make Play Dough
* Make Bird Feeder
* Scavenger Hunt
* Go on a Color Walk
* Make Suncatchers
* Write a Letter
* Make and Take Flat Stanley Places
* Have Root Beer Floats
* Donuts at Jitters

The fun thing is that we have already accomplished a few items on our list...not that we won't want to do them again this summer but check out how we have started the summer:

SPARKLERS

TULIP FESTIVAL (I will have to post more on the Tulip Festival:-)
 

PLANTING FLOWERS

So what is on your FUN list this summer?!!

Grandpa Gubser

Sunday evening I got a call from my parents letting me know that Grandpa passed away.  It is hard to believe that someone who has been around all your life isn't going to be there anymore.  Grandpa was 94 and lived a good, long life.  And as many people say, 'he really lived life.'  I am so thankful to know him and know, in my heart 100%, that he is in Heaven singing with the angels. 

Soon after Grandpa's passing my sisters, cousins and I flooded facebook with memories, some I knew and some I didn't.  Grandpa's leaky laps, and his three wheel bike he would ride everywhere.  Eventually that upgraded to a motorized scooter and let's just say you better get out of the if you saw him coming.  Grandpa was always up for getting out and going places: ball games, campouts, drives to Nebraska City for dinner or just a drive to see the fields.  He could tell you about his first car, first horse, and first tractor and every one of them after.  He was always good for stories and memories.

The following is Grandpa's Obituary:

Robert Henry Gubser, son of Claude Henry and Bertha Belle (Moore) Gubser, was born October 12, 1918 in Atchison County, Missouri (rural Hamburg, Iowa).  He died February 17, 2013 at Garden View Care Center in Shenandoah, Iowa.

Robert graduated from Sunny Slope in 1931 and Hamburg High School in 1935. Robert was united in marriage to Monna Lee Morelock on June 1, 1944 at High Creek Baptist Church of rural Watson, MO.  To this union four children were born.  They farmed in Missouri until 1951 and then moved to a farm north of Riverton, until retirement in 1988 when they moved to Hamburg.  While farming, he was a truck and school bus driver.  He hauled grain, hay, gravel, lumber, and livestock.  While living in Hamburg, he cleaned his church, mowed yards and did farm work for his nephews Marvin and Marlin Gubser.

He attended  Lone Chapel Christian Church in his early childhood. He was baptized in 1935 and a lifelong member of First Baptist Church at Hamburg, where he served on several boards, was a Sunday School teacher, and sung in the choir.

Preceding Robert in death were his parents; wife Monna Lee, daughter Celia Ruth Gubser, brother Leroy Gubser,  brothers-in-law: Robert Hahn, Sr. and Herman Joesting, sisters-in-law: Judy Gubser and Elsie Gubser.

Robert is survived by two sisters, Verna Joesting of Tarkio, Missouri and Vada Hahn of Toluca, Illinois; brother, Raymond Gubser of Virginia, Nebraska; two sons, James Claude Gubser and wife Dorothy of Hamilton, Missouri, Robert Lee Gubser and wife Ruth of Lincoln, Nebraska, and daughter, Cynthia Sue Shelton and husband Gene of Farragut, Iowa; eight grandchildren: Gina and husband Bruce Baragary of Hamilton, Missouri, Kelly and wife Amy Gubser of Lincoln, Nebraska, Amy and husband Rob Basham of Cowgill, Missouri, Troy Gubser of Lincoln, Nebraska, Kimberly and husband Matt Martin of St. Louis, Missouri, Emily Shelton of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Rebekah and husband David Elder of Sioux City, Iowa, and Carla Shelton of Stillwater, Oklahoma; sixteen great grandchildren: Ryley, Bryce, Brodyn, Bryer, and Brady Baragary; Calvin, Katie, Kerri, and Cheri Basham; Maya Martin; Skyler, Dusty, Harrison, and Tobias Gubser; Noah and Levi Elder, many nieces and nephews and other relatives.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 23, 2013 at the First Baptist Church in Hamburg, IA with Pastor Tom Beutler officiating.  Burial will follow the services at the Hamburg Cemetery in Hamburg, IA.

The family will greet friends from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday evening (2/22) at the First Baptist Church in Hamburg.

Memorials to First Baptist Church, Hamburg.  

February: I Love...

to read and I recently finished this great read.

I am excited that we already have a trip planned to the Pacific NW this summer and I hope to see some of the historical locations mentioned in this novel.  David and I also had an interesting discussion about how growing up in our history classes we didn't learn much about the camps for Japanese Americans during WWII.  David also shared, as his 3rd year of being professor, that this was the first year that all of his students had been taught this part of our history.  (He teaches a course on war propaganda.)

Joining Kerry in her I Love series.

February: I Love....

My boys and cookies, can't get any better than that!

I am joining Kerry and others in an I Love...series.

My Heros

The boys got matching pjs for Christmas from Grandma and Bucko.  They love wearing them and whenever Noah wears his he always asks if we can put Levi in his too!  Fun times!

Noah Turns 5!

I couldn't believe it.  It has been so hard to think about Noah being 5.  It really doesn't change anything in our day to day but there are now big things to come and mostly what I think about it Kindergarten in the Fall.  It is so hard for me to think that we will have a kindergartener....yikes, but we will cross that bridge when we get there for now let's talk about THE PARTY!!

Noah requested a STAR WARS LEGO party, we pretty much all saw that coming but we have already done two Lego parties in the past and I wanted to come up with something different than what we have already done.  And thanks to Pinterest that wasn't too difficult.  What was hard was keeping it simple and not getting carried away with all those Pinterest finds.  We don't get to crazy with parties just a few friends of Noah's and family, this year only Grandparents were able to come.

FOOD:
Our big thing was the food, and Noah had fun deciding the menu:
Dagobah Dogs (pigs in a blanket)
Cheesabers (cheetos)
Endor Edibles (veggie tray)
Death Star Dip (ranch dip)
Hoth Balls (powdered sugar donut holes)
Yoda Soda (lime sherbet and sprite)
Bantha Milk (milk)

I made some simple tags for the buffet, you could get really creative with your tags.  I did simple solid colors to match the legos.

DECOR:
Simple, Noah, David and I spent the week before the movie assembling all of Noah and David's Star Wars Lego sets: Tie Fighter, Millennium Falcon, some pod racers.  We also collected and assembled all the minifigures, lightsabers and costumes we had.

GAMES:
At this age the kiddos still just want to play in the playroom.  But Noah did request a Star Wars Bingo and I set up a solid colored back drop to take pics of anyone in costume.

STAR WARS BINGO - Noah assembled his Star Wars Lego minifigures and let him and Grandma take pics of each one on a solid backdrop.  My wonderful and patient husband threw together some bingo cards which I then printed for each kiddo.  I put the minifigures in a bowl and that is what I used to draw and the kids used lego bricks as markers.  I found gummy Star Wars candy at Halloween to give as prizes.

PARTY FAVORS:  Mini Lightsabers
I purchased a tub of glow bracelets at Michael's for a $1 each (15 bracelets in each tub) and labeled them with stickers saying: "Jedi Noah May the Force Be With You" or "Jedi Aiden The Force is Strong With This One".

Here are some pics from our little family celebrating Noah on his actual birthday!

Super Hero's Halloween

A couple month have passed and a LOT has happened: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Noah's 5th Birthday and the list goes on and on....so I am starting off the new year looking back so I can hopefully move forward! :-)

 Noah of course wanted to be a superhero for Halloween, Iron Man to be specific.  I actually think we went to the store looking for Captain America and came out with Iron Man.  I planned on not buying Levi a costume hoping he could wear Noah's Spinderman from last year but it was too big and I couldn't pass up the little Hulk costume once I saw it!

 Oh! and I dressed up too for one of the party.  In case you didn't know I am Wasp from the Avengers.

  I don't feel to horrible spending the money we got lots of wear out of them: a playdate Halloween party, a family Halloween party, trick or treating in the dorms, our church's Trunk or Treat night, Halloween night of course and just everyday dress up so all in all a good investment!  And listing all that kind of makes me feel like this: