Memorial Day with the Thompson family (Part 3 of Major Update)

We were lucky to have the Thompson family close(ish) to us in Iowa, and we were also lucky to have them invite us over for Memorial Day weekend.

The drive was only about 6 hours and it went by pretty quickly thanks to the pretty scenery that Iowa and Minnesota gave us.

As soon as we got there we headed to the Mall of America and hit some rollercoasters!  We convinced some of the older kids to go on the "grown up" rides with us.  Some were successful, some were not.  But all in all, it was a blast and it's safe to say we were all driving back to their home pretty exhausted.

The next day was spent relaxing and watching the kids explore while Peter and Tyler were working on their car.

Maddie had no interest in holding the frog.

We woke up the next day ready for another adventure and spent the morning of Memorial Day getting ready for a fun time at the park (I can't remember the name of the specific park we went to, but it was pretty big!)  While the Thompson's were having fun at the water park, we stepped away and spent some time going on a little hike on a trail that was close by.

We woke up the next day ready for another adventure and spent the morning of Memorial Day getting ready for a fun time at the park (I can't remember the name of the specific park we went to, but it was pretty big!)  While the Thompson's were having fun at the water park, we stepped away and spent some time going on a little hike on a trail that was close by.

After we finished exploring, we joined the rest of the gang for some hot dogs and s'mores.

Couldn't seem to get a formal picture of the kids...still cute though!

Patiently waiting for food.

August's first s'more!

   This weekend was just another confirmation on how fun the Thompson family is.  We miss being close to them but we were excited to see them at the family reunion!

Turning 27 (part 2 of Major Update)

My 27th birthday was this year!  We spent it enjoying good food, getting spoiled with a new keyboard, and spending some time with the husband.  I didn't plan too much for my birthday but I was happy celebrating by relaxing and being with Peter and Murphy.

Turning 27 was interesting for me.  If there is anything that I learned from this birthday, it's that sometimes life never goes how you thought it would or how you wanted it to.  But while life has laughed at my plans, added some curveballs, and threw them at my face, one thing I know is that I turned 27 surrounded by love and support from family and friends.  Peter did a great job on my birthday and I'm grateful that I get to celebrate my birthday with him and our little chubby dog.

I am truly blessed.

Birthday Surprise, Happy Homecoming, and Lots of Cute Kids! (Part 1 of my Major Update)

Hello.  It's been too long.

These past five months have been nothing but a total blur (you can tell in some of the qualities of my photos).  And it started when I told my mom I could come about a week before my little brother Thomas came home from his mission.  But since I love surprising my mom, I decided to surprise her and come a week earlier than I anticipated on her birthday.  My older brother Michael knew about the surprise and came to pick me up from the airport that day.  Both my parents were very surprised and excited to have one more child closer for a little while at least.

Visser Niece #3 came just before Mom's birthday.  Daphne Jane is the sweetest thing!  And it's fun seeing Daniel as a dad.

Once the festivities ended, it was time to start helping prepare for Thomas to come home.  But not without watching the ever hilarious Lucy.  While Cambri is in school, my mom agreed to watch her a couple times a week and she absolutely loves it.   Who wouldn't love to watch this little face?

She was particularly fascinated by Mom pouring water into a bowl.  She made her do it over and over.

A mess and lack of new clothes caused this improvised 'outfit' until her clothes were washed.

Even though this trip was solely to spend time with my family, I had to make some time to see some good friends (wish I had pictures of my friend Heidi.  It was fun hanging out with her too!)!

Actually ran into this guy while waiting for Thomas at the airport.

Just a few days before Thomas came home, my grandparents showed up as well as Emily, Mike, and their sweet little Annie.  It was an exciting time for me, being in a familiar place filled with familiar people, and I'm grateful for Emily and Mike's patience as I took Annie and wouldn't give her back until they left.

A quick walk when everyone got here.

Sure missed the mountains!

Then the day finally came!  The last Visser kid came home from serving 2 years in Anaheim, California.  We all got busy getting last minute cleaning done and homecoming things together, as well as talk about how excited we were to have everyone together again (Well, almost everyone.  Poor Peter was back in Iowa working and Daniel and Cassie were still in Connecticut adjusting to having a newborn.  We all wished they could've been there.)

The girls didn't quite know how to feel about meeting their uncle.

Fun having cousin Jake their with us!  He was great at taking pictures for my parents.

 We missed a few members (Daniel, Cassie, and Daphne you were missed!), but it was a great time having most of our family together again.  After the reunion in the airport, we headed back home to catch up and play with the nieces.

Of course, the Sunday Thomas had his homecoming was also the Sunday I had to say goodbye to siblings and their cute mini-me's.  And I had to pack my bags and get ready for my flight the next day.

View from the airport.


I hate goodbyes.  I hate them a lot.  I was very sad to say goodbye to my grandparents, to my siblings, to my nieces, to my friends, and to my parents.  I'm looking forward to see my sister and my mom in just a couple of weeks, and we're very much looking forward to seeing everyone come Christmas time!