The Devines

Levi

2009-04-30T12:35:00.003-05:00

I know you didn't want to wait! This is Levi taking pictures of himself with the web cam. He starts baseball this month - Jake is going to be his coach!!

Vallisca

2009-04-30T12:25:00.003-05:00

So these are my pictures from our trip to Vallisca. It was awesome and I do believe something is living in that house. It was a really interesting trip. I have some video of the crystal moving and changing directions - that was not on the original itinerary, but was one of the neatest things - I would like to recreate it and test it more, but I'm a little nervous I might find out something is in my house too!

I know you guys are wanting Levi and House pics, I'll try to do better. I'm going to go take pics of the yard - right now it's covered in purple catnip - it's pretty.

Wild Cat Den

2008-10-03T20:56:00.004-05:00

We took a walk a few weekends ago at Wild Cat Den. It was beautiful, and some of our pictures turned out fabulous.

More, More, More

2008-10-03T20:15:00.004-05:00

Around the house we've had some excitement.

My Cactus Bloomed

I bought this in Texas because of the flower, and am so excited it finally bloomed again! (twice actually and I just found new buds this morning!)

We Had the Most Interesting Visitor

I found this one night in our back yard. I'd never seen anything like it before so I was determined to figure out what it is. After searching for hours through all kinds of caterpillars, I decided it's not a caterpillar. I believe it is a sawfly larvae. I'm glad these pictures turned out fairly well, but you have to believe it was even cooler in real life.

Our Couch Finally Came

I suppose it was worth the wait, but err still probably won't buy from them again. We have a matching love seat too. The couch reclines and it's way more comfy than lawn chairs! (can you tell we live close to sonic? Happy Hour - gotta love it)

The Wait is OVER!!

2008-10-03T19:39:00.006-05:00

I've got pictures and I'm willing to show them off!! Yippee! Enjoy!
First, pictures from visiting IG in August

Levi and Taylor Enjoyed the pool

We got to see Grandma and John rip up the old patio (now a new deck - can't wait to see it!)

And of course spent hours in the car!

On our second trip to IG, Levi and Taylor got to celebrate Halloween a little Early

John brought us a few pumpkins from his garden. They obviously weren't ripe yet, but they worked for Jack-o-lanterns. (Surprisingly, unripened pumpkins smell like cucumbers.) This was about 2 hours after we'd made them - obviously it's a good idea to wait until it's chilly to do this, they barely made it through the weekend.

Menard's Already had their Halloween Stuff out, and the Kids liked trying stuff on.

Levi is so excited about Halloween, and loves the scary stuff.

This is Kind of Random

Jake and I watched Hallie and Reese one Saturday before they moved and I think this is adorable. She usually wants nothing to do with him, but at nap time she only wanted him (you can tell she's a daddy's girl)

Finally

2008-10-01T15:33:00.003-05:00

Sorry 'bout the wait. And then, maybe it's not THAT cool - kinda a let down here, sorry. We have 2 new pets - they are rats, and they rock. We also have a new computer - pictures should come shortly. Also, Levi will be getting his Red belt in Karate on the 10th - should any of you be in the QCA let me know, I'll give details and you can come watch (well, frankly, you should be letting me know anyway). I started working finally, and I made it through the two weeks of orientation - my butt hurts a little from sitting, but at last I'm out of the classroom and actually taking care of people.

Excitement

2008-09-08T13:23:00.002-05:00

Still no pics, sorry, I'll be getting this fixed soon, but I have to tell you there is some serious excitement coming our way very soon..... Not gonna tell you what it is, have to check back!! : )

: (

2008-08-25T19:57:00.003-05:00

Just for the record, I haven't been slacking. It's been a hectic last couple of weeks. I found a job and daycare for Levi, we both start the 15th. I returned to Ida Grove to be with Davida for a week after her husband passed away. Upon returning home, my computer crashed. So for the time being there will be no pictures - hopefully I can get the ones off my computer, but I'm not sure - Jake says the hard drive is fried. His computer has a different operating system - supposedly better than Microsoft, but dosn't support as much fun stuff, so I'm not sure I can put my pictures on here - I'm sure I can I just haven't had a chance to try yet. I don't want you all to think I've abandoned this - just having some technical difficulties.

It's Official!

2008-07-31T10:24:00.002-05:00

I am a Nurse, that's right, Licensed RN here!! Now if someone would just realize there's a nursing shortage and hire me that would be great! The job hunt will have to be postponed until next week, we're headed to Ida Grove today for a long weekend and Barb and TJ's wedding.

Fair Time

2008-07-31T10:08:00.003-05:00

Candi and I took the kids to the Mississippi Valley Fair Tuesday. We stepped in poop, looked at lots of cow butts, got rained on, and spent too much money - what else are you suppose to do at a fair? We had a great time!! The kids got to pet a few cows, some goats, a llama, camel, feed an elephant and get pictures with a monkey - they usual fair stuff. You read that right, a monkey!

Yeah, he was that kind of monkey!

The elephant Levi chucked food at!

Levi Sharing his funnel cake with baby Reese

Bix Weekend

2008-07-31T09:56:00.003-05:00

This weekend was the annual Bix 7 marathon. Levi and Hallie got into the Jr Bix and both are very proud of their medals. Saturday Jake walked the Bix - 7 miles, mostly uphill - with his Uncle Mike, they finished in just under 2 hours - way to go guys!

If you look really hard in the Second picture you can see Levi (he's behind the boy in orange shorts, and may have been responsible for the girl on the ground - He told me this happened after the race, but I was surprised to see it on camera)

More importantly, the Bix weekend means lots of family! Levi had a blast playing with his cousins and we had fun seeing everyone we don't often get to see!

Play Time

2008-07-30T22:10:00.003-05:00

Recently Levi designed a cake from playdouh - I know I'm a little bias, but if this is his first attempt, we may have a future Cake Designer in the house... The black are candles with yellow fire and blue frosting stratigically placed.

Also, you know Levi's a big fan of Lego's and Spider man, but did you know there are Lego Spider man toys? Oh yes, and you thought your kids toys were hard to put together... I actually like building them if I didn't know they were going to be destroyed within minuets after they're put together!

45 min.... 75 Questions

2008-07-28T16:41:00.003-05:00

Well, I tested. This part is almost worse - I have to wait, and wait and wait to know how I did, hopefully getting done quickly is a good sign - I usually test fast, and I didn't get stuck on any particular problem, so it's probably good. I don't know, I just don't know........ But I will certainly be sharing with you as soon as I do!

Local News

2008-07-22T11:04:00.002-05:00

Just in case you're worried - we survived the storm with no adverse effects. Candi, however, is without power but managing well. They aren't sure when their power will be back on - it could be days.

Also, I got my ATT which means I can sit for my RN boards - I test Next Monday, the 28th - wish me luck - I am totally freaking out!!

Brookfield Zoo

2008-07-22T11:01:00.003-05:00

Saturday we drove to Chicago to check out the Zoo. It was lots of fun, but I have to admit we've been horribly spoiled with the Omaha zoo. Not that Brookfield isn't impressive - clearly we had a great time, but Omaha is amazing. The cool thing about Brookfield is are more opportunities for hands on learning and a dolphin show. I would recommend checking it out.

Patty Grandma!!

2008-07-22T09:21:00.003-05:00

Patty Grandma came to visit this weekend. We had a blast. She got to watch Levi at Karate Class and try out our pool. We also visited the Putnam Museum.

Levi Poses as an exhibit

Listening to information about water conservation

Making it rain

Taking a break in a boat

I didn't take a picture, but the museum actually houses 2 mummies. We also watched Kung Fu Panda in the IMAX. The movie was great and was our first IMAX experience - very cool (just don't get a pretzel - not so great)

Slumber Party!!

2008-07-22T08:43:00.005-05:00

You've all been waiting for it... The slumber party went fabulously, I was so impressed with how brave Hallie was. In fact, at one point she wanted me to call her mom to make sure she wasn't coming to pick her up.

Our festivities included a walk to the park

And a morning dip in the pool - just me and the kids, I was nervous, but they were both wonderfully behaved.

The next morning, Reese came over to hang out too.

Lego Mania

2008-07-11T14:39:00.003-05:00

One of Levi's favorite things is to play with Legos.

Today he made this awesome robot!!

Hallie is on her way to our house for her first ever slumber party!! She's never spent the night away from mom and dad - hopefully it goes well!!

Hidden Treasures

2008-07-11T11:40:00.004-05:00

As many of you may know, we moved here with very little furniture. We have graciously received a dinning room table from Candi and a love seat from one of Jake co-workers (as our sofa and love seat that should have already arrived won't be here until at least early August). We've also been searching yard sells and have found 2 book shelves. One is very practical, not that pretty and we've put it in our bed room. The other we paid 5 dollars for - it was a hideous maroon color - not just because it was maroon - which doesn't fit our house, but because it was an ugly maroon. We spent a few day sanding and staining it and now it's a beautiful bookshelf and holds our aquarium.

We also made a trip to the junk store with Candi and Reese.

We all found treasures that we couldn't live without, well, we could live without most of them, but did find a few goodies - such as a wonderful solid oak step stool for $7!! We were a little confused to find some of our finds labeled Not For Sale..... so you're just storing some stuff at the store??
We're constantly searching for more gotta have its and great bargains - I'll keep you posted.

Weekends Not Over

2008-07-07T21:56:00.003-05:00

That Post was getting out of control. Saturday, the fun continued with lunch by Grill Master Ryan (yum) and activities at Candi's. We made homemade ice cream and then it was time for a water balloon fight. It was all out war - Even Reese got into the mix!

And of course no 4th of July Party is complete without fireworks, we had lots of smoke, and little pop and after dark the sparks started flying!!

Let Freedom Ring

2008-07-07T21:26:00.006-05:00

Happy Fourth of July!! Always an exciting weekend, and this year was filled with excitement.

First, Thursday we went to Rock Island for their celebration and fireworks. The kids had fun on the bouncy slide and then we went to Carmel's loft to watch the show. Thanks for having us over - we toned it down so you didn't have to bring in Merry Maids.

On Friday Dad and Jessie came bright and early to go watch Hallie in the Parade. Thanks for saving our spots Candi and getting us real rock star parking!! We had fun watching the parade and gathering candy.

After the parade we went fishing (sorry no pics I forgot my camera). Then it was nap time

Followed by more Fireworks!!

Just to keep you attention

2008-07-02T21:01:00.004-05:00

The other morning I walked out of our apartment to get in the car and spotted something flying around. Like a dork, I took a picture.

We haven't been up to much. Lil' Dude spent the weekend with Patty grandma. I met her in Iowa City at the mall to pick him up. I'm not much for toilet pictures, but in the family restroom by the food court there was this wonderful restroom sized perfectly for Levi!

We have lots of excitement planed for this Fourth of July, so check back soon!!

Fun at Home

2008-06-26T11:17:00.006-05:00

We've been having some exciting times at home as well. We feed the Squirrels and Chipmunks that live outside our apartment.

Here's Levi and Hallie All Dressed up (Hallie put her Spider Girl costume together herself)

Even Jake gets in on the fun!

SO MUCH TO DO!

2008-06-26T10:39:00.017-05:00

I can't believe all there is to do here. Since we've been here we:

Went to the Greek Fest

Went to the Family Museum - So much fun, we spent most of the day there.

Hallie and Reese took us to their favorite beach.

The was a minor conflict, but Reese got it all straightened out.

We went to a Pow-wow with Grandpa Devine (pretty small, but it was still a good time), and then went and watched to Blue Angels at the Air Show.

Ketchup

2008-06-26T10:16:00.001-05:00

So I thought I'd play a little bit of catch up. Here's a slide show of the kids at Easter.

Here's a few more past pictures to share.

Quadcitians

2008-06-26T09:29:00.003-05:00

Well, we're done with school, we've moved and pretty well settled at this point. I'm really going to start doing this on a regular basis again, really, I am. No great graduation pics to share - as I was a little busy graduating - but check out my sisters blog - The Ladwigs for some. Here's a moving pic.

Wow

2008-02-22T18:31:00.006-06:00

Ok, so I've been just outright neglecting this, but I have no time. Things should slow down a little about the middle of March when every other week will be just 2 days of school and 1 day of work, so I'll only be putting in 24 hrs at school/work. Right now it's 64 hrs one week and 40 the next plus finding time for Levi and homework and everything else. So I'll be able to start posting again. And as a reminder MAY 10th is our graduation!! Oh, and we WILL be moving to Davenport shortly after that!! back to work.....

This is probably a little big to post, but it's so cute. It was taken in Texas.

Life's Been Busy

2007-09-09T15:48:00.001-05:00

So I guess I haven't posted for over a month (almost 2). We've been really busy - I started my new job at Mercy - I really like it - the hours suck (I decided to work 11-7s), and it's unbelievably busy, but it's good. Levi spent some time at Patty Grandma's. We went to the Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque with Candi and the girls and Patty Grandma. Oh, and we stopped at the dog track on the way home! And of course, Reese turned 1! Last weekend we ventured to Davenport and attended to Devine family reunion. On the way home we stopped in Des Moines at Agatha's Bridal shower and Smith family reunion. I'm sure there's a lot more in between that I'm forgetting. Anyway, here's a slide show, mostly of pictures from our trip to the Mississippi River Museum.

DAVENPORT!!

2007-07-30T13:04:00.001-05:00

We had a very full weekend in Davenport. On Friday, the kids ran the JrBix - they had a great time, check out Candi's Website for more info and pictures!

Reese, Hallie, Levi and Taylor in their racing gear!

Levi and Hallie running through the sprinkler.

Levi, Brianna, and Taylor with their metals after the race

We visited the Devine side on Saturday and had an absolute blast!

Grandpa Devine and Taylor and Levi singing their ABCs for Aunt Sue and Grandma Trudie!

Then we headed to Candi's house for dinner (Jessie was there too), but even the scrapbooking queen didn't get her camera out! We finished up Sunday with a big dinner at Great Grandpa and Connie's before making the 6 hour journey back home. We sure were glad to see everyone, and in spite of the long car ride, it's always worth it.

Not just for Bridal Showers Anymore!

2007-07-26T10:54:00.000-05:00

So what do you do when your toilet paper has been strung all over the house by a playful three year old? Play dress up, duh! Hopefully this doesn't reinforce the behavior (although I'm sure we'll have to have a discussion later about why we can't do it again) It was fun, and I'm totally bringing a case on Labor day, we can do boys vs. girls it'll be way fun!

The Amazing Spider-man!

2007-07-25T11:18:00.000-05:00

Grandma Carol had a great find this summer at a garage sale, A REAL SPIDER-MAN SUIT. I'm sure it's real - not your average Halloween costume - because since we've acquired the suit Spider-man has graced our house almost everyday! Thank you Grandma Carol for hours of fun!

Hairdos

2007-07-25T10:51:00.000-05:00

Levi came up with some wonderful hairdos for the wedding. Let me know what you think.

JULY

2007-07-16T13:00:00.001-05:00

I realize it's been a while since I posted, but honestly, not too much to take pictures of around here. I did get a new job!! YES!! I start August 6th at Mercy!! We haven't been doing a whole lot, we spent a weekend in Grandma Carol's pool - I was too busy swimming to take a picture though, and we visited Grandpa and Nana yesterday. I finally put some of Levi's pictures on to my computer and was excited about some of the results (Clearly, I took some of the pictures). Here's his slide show.

Happy 4th of July!

2007-07-06T12:30:00.000-05:00

I don't have pictures to post, but I wanted to wish you all a happy fourth (I know it's a little late, but the neighbors here are still celebrating with fireworks so I figured it wasn't that late). Tuesday Jake and I went to a Sioux City explorers (baseball) game - they're horrible, but it was kinda fun and I finally got a big pretzel - I've been craving one for weeks! We got rained on and wimped out in the 5th inning! Wednesday we drove down to Ida Grove and went golfing and then took Levi to the fireworks in Battle Creek - for being such a small town they always put on a good show! I still have absolutely no idea what we're going to do this weekend - Grandma Carol is coming up for dinner tonight, and I have to work at 11. Monday I have a job interview at Mercy - cross your fingers!

THE BIG PARADE

2007-07-02T18:39:00.000-05:00

Sioux City's Mardi Gra celebration was this weekend! There was a carnival and the BIG parade. It wasn't as big as Holstein's, but included giant balloons! We had fun watching it.

We also met Robi and Ashley at the Omaha Zoo on Saturday, unfortionatly I forgot to recharge my camera's battery after the parade. I did get one shot of Brandon (Ashley's son) and Levi looking at a gorilla.

Holstein Parade

2007-06-18T12:48:00.000-05:00

This weekend Holstein celebrated their 125th Birthday, and we decided to check out the celebration. Saturday was the parade and Grandma Carol and I took Levi and Taylor to go watch. WHAT A SURPRISE! The parade lasted almost 2 hours, and had minimal tractors and live stock! The kids really had fun and got tons of candy! We choose a really great spot, as before the parade started the Shriners came through and did their routine on the way to line up. They were Levi's favorite part.We even witnessed one break down!

Oh, we also had a Shrek encounter!

Mommy wow, I'm a big kid now.

2007-06-15T12:13:00.000-05:00

We've been working very hard on using the potty, but it appears that Levi has mastered it! Tomorrow we're headed to Holstein for their 125th birthday celebration. It should be exciting, and we'll see how well he does away from home.

Sorry for the Wait!

2007-06-11T17:58:00.000-05:00

So it's been a little while since I posted, I apologize. We haven't been doing a whole lot, but I do have some exciting news! Levi pooped in the toilet! In fact, he's pull up free today (he's only had one accident). We're very excited, and he's very proud of himself. Sorry for the delay and then the short post, but we haven't been up to much.

Memorial Day Weekend!

2007-05-31T09:36:00.000-05:00

This weekend we drove to Eden Valley - which is a little secluded campground East of Cedar Rapids - I'm still not real sure where it is : ) We met up with the rest of the Devines and had a great time. I brought my camera, but it spent most of the time in the tent. For those of you who don't live close enough to know what the weather here was like this weekend - it rained, and I mean rained most of Saturday. We spent most of the day in the van trying to stay dry. Thank god our tent rocks and didn't leak!! Here are a few pictures to show you just how much rain we got!Notice the large puddle around our fire pit - it went inside too - amasingly, the guys were able to restart the fire and most of that puddle dried before we went to bed. Also, notice the large puddle in front of the wood pile - Grandpa Devine got a little wet when Sam (the dog) tripped him and he fell into that one!This pictures a little dark, but not everyone was upset about the puddles. Here's Levi and Sydney playing in one of the many puddles. This one came up to Levi's knees.

Here's Levi playing in another puddle - he told me he was taking a bath. This one is in front of Trudie and Jerry's camper.

In spite of the rain, we had an awesome time and are extremely exited for our next camping trip. We'll keep you posted as to where and when! Not a whole lot planned for the next few weeks - gotta save some money and get the house in order - sounds like fun uh?

BEACH PARTY

2007-05-24T10:29:00.000-05:00

It's been raining here for a few days, and we've been kinda boring. Yesterday we decided to kick the day off with a BEACH PARTY!

First we set up the water (yes, that is a cleaned potty chair bottom),

then we had to change into our swimsuits

and of course a pool party is not complete without Friends!

Now we're getting ready for our first big camping trip of the year! We've got to dig all that stuff out, so check back next week to learn about camping with the Devines!

We're going to miss it, but Congrats Samantha for Graduating!! GOOD LUCK!

Dad's Birthday!

2007-05-21T18:32:00.001-05:00

My sisters and I bought tickets to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr. for my Dad's birthday. Notice the fantastic seats! Row 12! It was a little early, but a good time was had by all!

Pretty Toes

2007-05-18T13:44:00.000-05:00

So I'm probably going to catch some gruff about this, but I thought it was cute. I sat down today to do my toes, and Levi thought that looked like fun. He decided he'd help paint them, and then he decided he'd also like to have his toes painted, and even his fingernails. He knows it's a little girly, but he still thought it would be fun. (He decided to take it all off shortly afterwards).

A Surprise at the River

2007-05-16T14:34:00.000-05:00

Last weekend 'Patty Grandma' and Jessie came to visit, and grandma decided she'd like to see some of the Lewis and Clark things around town. Living here, you'd imagine I would know a thing or two about them - wrong. The Floyd Monument - I don't know, was he some military guy? Apparently he the first soldier to die west of the Mississippi on Lewis and Clark's expedition - Who knew? We didn't actually go to the monument, we went down to the river and the welcome center/museum and the Interpretive center. Tons of fun - for everyone! Here's a few pics of Levi enjoying our expedition.

Jumping on the band wagon.

2007-05-16T14:06:00.000-05:00

I thought it'd be nice to share Levi's adventures and let you all know what's going on with the family. I'm trying to figure this site out a little bit, so you'll have to be patient for a little bit, but I'm sure I'll figure it out pretty fast.
Here's Levi with his summer hair cut and his boo boo on his eye.
I should probably tell you about Daddy. He'll be working most of the summer, so he'll be missing out a little. He got a great internship that he really enjoys and has awesome potential to actually turn into a real job.