Blake and Clare

We planned our trip to Iowa with the intent of being present to celebrate in Blake and Clare's wedding.  The hardest part about living away from family is that you miss out on a lot of family celebrations, but we have tried to be able to be back for some of them.  Mr. Zeke rocked the ring bearer role and Hans made it back just in time for to be a groomsmen.  We were able to see lots of my extended family that we had not seen in a long time and celebrate with all of my siblings before taking off for Texas.

So handsome!

Zeke with Uncle Blake before the ceremony

A few of the cousins all ready for the wedding.  It is a chore to get all 6 in a picture.

Time with special friends at the wedding.  Zeke and his god-mama Tracy striking Zeke's choice of pose.

Time with this wonderful friend, miss Sara Jane.

Tennessee

For Christmas Hans and all his siblings gave their mom a trip to her choice of destination.  All she wanted was time with her kids and this is what we hoped to give her.  All of her six children and their families together for a long weekend.  It was wonderful to spend this quality time together.

All 8 Breitbach cousins together.

Some Time in the Country

Hans absolute favorite place in the world is just across the Iowa boarder into Illinois.  A horse farm that's a little piece of heaven on earth.  We all were excited to spend a night over there breathing some fresh air and enjoying the wide open.  Hans always says that riding a horse lifts his spirits.  I am not an avid rider, but I will agree that these animals create a sense of peace when you are in their presence.  Our boys, although enjoyed the horses, were most enthused with the tractors and farm vehicles.

Cousins and Aunt Gretch came to spend some time with us at the farm.

First shooting lessons for both boys.  Gun safety was a priority.  You couldn't wipe the grin off their proud daddy's face. 

Homeward Bound....For a Little While

Even though we were only passing through for an extended visit, we were heading home to the heartland.  Wide open spaces and endless fields were calling our names.  Our journey would take us to Iowa for about a month, on ward to Texas for a few months, and then to our final destination in Hawaii.  It has been nearly a full time job keeping up with the details and all parts of this move.  The blog seems to have become the very bottom of the to-do list.  A list which I never reach the bottom of.  While in Iowa we  were able to spend time with cousins, friends, and show the boys some of our favorite things about where we grew up.  There's never enough time to see everyone we want to see and to take quality time to visit with everyone.  Even when we do not have the opportunity to catch up with  someone while home, we always carry our friends and family with us in our hearts.

Here's a little bit of our time in Iowa in rewind:

We "moved into" my parents house for a month and increased the noise level there.

Celebrating Grandma's birthday. 

We can not go to Dubuque without going to the warehouse for a forklift ride with Grandpa Bob.

Time with Wallace cousins at Nana and Papa's.

Great Grandma Dorothy.

More time with Wallace cousins!

Tour of the brand new Cedar Rapids fire station.  They were in AWE.

Nana and all her grandbabies, it had been a while since they were all at the same table.

This boy took off on two wheels while we were in Iowa.

These two spent a lot of time playing in the back yard at Nana and Papa's with Papa's old red wagon.

This boy almost perfected the look of shorts and cowboy boots.  He was preparing for the hot weather in Texas.

Grandpa Bob and ice cream, you can't have a visit with Grandpa without a good chance of ice cream.

Last Few Weeks on The East Coast

At the beginning of 2014 we found out we were moving again and as soon as we were given this information it felt like time flew by.  There is never enough time to get organized and ready to move, because inevitably I put everything off until the last minute.  We met some wonderful people while living in Virginia, were blessed to be close to family, and found many opportunities to soak up some history.  This is a recap of a few things from our last few weeks on the east coast:

Jamestown Settlement Museum

In their Easter best.  We loved sharing Easter with my brother and his family. 

Easter with the cousins in NC, we miss not having you "down the road".

Bowling with Hans' brother and his wife.  It was so great having family so close for a year.

Hans' promotion day. 

Picking strawberries.  How we miss orchards to pick fresh apples and berries. 

Last family picture in Virginia.

Sunset donut date at a favorite NOVA location :)

Our Big News

These soon to be residents of Hawaii are also soon to be a family of 5.  We are thrilled to be welcoming a little on in February.  I had an ultrasound last week and the boys thought it was pretty neat that they got to see a picture of the baby.  Sam has very much enjoyed comparing the baby's size each week to that of different fruits.  It puts it all in perspective for him.  Zeke would just like to know when that baby is coming out.  They are both hoping for a sister.  I think they are feeling bad that their mama is greatly out numbered in our household.  Stay tuned for updates as we move from the continental United States to Aloha land and all the stress and adventure that shall follow.  For now we are content to be together as a family and are feeling very blessed.