Whatcha Been Up To?!

These last two months have seemed to fly by with the greatest of ease.  I was just at a meeting today and we were talking about the first of October and it was a harsh realization that we are approaching that much quicker than I care to admit! 

We have certainly been busy and once the school year got into full swing, it seems like you pick up on a rhythm and before you know it the weeks have sailed by. 

Here is a quick detail of what has been keeping the Eddins family busy recently...

Cheering on the Hawks!

This year we went to Kids Day at Kinnick!  We actually had dual purpose of doing this.  We went because we have never done it before, but more importantly we went to support our good family friends, the Holub's, and their son Dylan.  Dylan was picked as a University of Iowa Hospitals "Kid Captain!"  What a cool deal this has been for all of them.  Dylan and the other captains got to spend the whole day in Iowa City on Kids Day and did a ton of behind the scenes stuff with the coaches, the team, and were guests of honor that day!  Each child also has a game of their own during the season where they are honorary Kid Captain of the game.  Super cool!

Kids Day @ Kinnick!

 

Mom & Lila

The family!

Even puppy has his black & gold on!

To learn more about Dylan's story and his role as a Kid Captain click here!

For the Iowa vs. Iowa State game we ended up at my Dad and Laura's house for a family tailgate/birthday celebration for Cade/celebrating the their new pool & backyard!  The weather was very nice, so we were able to watch the game outside and the kiddos were even able to break in the new pool!  And to sweeten the deal, the Hawks pulled off a victory against our instate rival!

Breaking in the pool!

Enjoying the outdoor viewing!

Even though we went to Kinnick early this year to attend Kids Day, we were delayed in actually getting down to Iowa City for a game.  The weather was unseasonably warm for the first few games and sadly we weren't all that interested in sitting in 100+ degree temps in the stadium.

We finally made it to a game this weekend!  The weather has really turned around and we felt that the clock was ticking a little to get Lila to a game this season, so we took advantage of it while we had the chance! 

Hawkeye fans all ready to go!

We thought we might be flying solo to the game, but we were thrilled to learn later in the week that the Holub family would be attending the game, too!  So we made plans to meet up with them to do a kid-friendly tailgate!

Munching away!

You might notice that Lila isn't in black and gold?!  Yup, she wasn't interested, so for this game she was decked out in pink and white...no fear, she had a tiger hawk on her shirt, so she was still rocking her Hawkeye pride!

Dylan - a proud Hawkeye!

Sporting his Kid Captain jersey!

 

It was just the three of us in our seats, so we had three extra spots to spread out!  Having Lila with us, it was really nice to have the extra room for her to dance along with the music and have stretch her legs a little! 

 



Her Herkey fan/mask was a hit!

During the game Dylan was featured up on the Jumbo-Tron as one of the kid captains!  It was so cool to see him up there being honored.  He is so deserving of the honor and the Hawkeyes are lucky to have such a cool little kid to represent them!

After the game (I should mention that the Hawkeyes beat Western Michigan 59-3 -- WOAH!!!), we met the Holub's back at the car for a little more tailgate time!  The kids enjoyed playing "house" in the front seat of my car.  I would have paid to watch them a bit closer to hear what they were saying?!

Happy campers!

As we made our way home we looked back to see a very tired little girl fast asleep in her car seat!  I made Mike prop her back up, it looked so darn uncomfortable!

Wiped out!

We can't be too sure how good the Hawks are going to be once they start their Big 10 season, but they came out and really did a nice job yesterday, so here is to hoping they continue winning!!!


Riding Lessons!

Lila continues to love her riding lessons!  Awhile back she was introduced to a new horse named Jake since Bud had been sold.  While we were super sad to learn that Bud went to a new home, we were excited to meet Jake!  Jake and Lila have become fast friends!

Meet Jake!

Riding with great form!

As Lila continues to enjoy her lessons and her skill continues to further, we decided it was time to get her a pair of boots that she can use for her riding boots.  She had been doing some galloping and complained that it hurt her feet...that is what galloping in Toms will do for you!  So, we got online and ordered her an official pair of cowboy boots!  We were hoping that she could wear them riding, but also utilize them this fall with some of her dresses!  She was beyond thrilled to do a bit of a fashion show for us when they arrived!

Showing off her boots!

It is amazing to think we started these lessons less than 6 months ago!  She absolutely loves her time with the horses and her instructor, Carrie!  We look forward to seeing if this is a hobby that will last a lifetime?!

Jake & Lila!

Dance Class!

We also started up our first full year of dance class at The Dancer's Edge!  Lila wasn't so sure about dance last summer, but this summer proved to be successful, and I believe we owe that to her dear friend Henley!  Henley joined Lila this summer in their Tinies 1 class and they had a ball!  So, we are happy to watch the girls as they continue in Tinies this fall and will anxiously await to see them on the big stage during recital!!!



I think her favorite part is the twirly skirts!

Look how much these peanuts have grown up since our "Mommy & Me" days!

Supporting a Good Cause!

I continue to be involved as a board member for the Cedar Valley Humane Society.  The organization continues to make great strides in cleaning up its checkered past and I am proud to be a part of that!  We most recently have been involved in a fundraiser for the month of September called the $30k in 30 Days Challenge!  We knew it was aggressive to try and raise $30,000.00 in 30 days, but we were excited to be able to ask the community to participate and also be able to tell our story to the public!  We are at the 22nd of the month as I write this and we are just over $2,000 away from our goal!  I am humbled with the community involvement and can only hope that we continue to help the CVHS be successful in fulfilling our mission! 

Click here to learn how to donate!

You can see some of the great media coverage that CVHS has received while running our challenge!  Click here to see the story that one of our local news stations did. 


Baking & Cooking...Thanks Pinterest!

One of the things that Mike and I have always loved to do together is cook!  It has been so much fun to include Lila into the cooking and baking as she has gotten older, too.  I have to admit, I am a bit addicted to Pinterest when it comes to finding recipes to try!  We have had a ton of luck when it comes to preparing new meals and having them actually taste as good as they sound!

Helping to make breakfast!

Butterfly cupcakes!

She loves to whisk!

Some of our favorite recipes can be found by looking me up on Pinterest and checking out my board titled, "Delish!"  I have to say if it is on the board it is a hit at our house or it is still awaiting us to give it a try, but we have a great success record, so take a peek!  I should also note...did you notice that Lila either has a princess dress on while baking or a tiara?!  She just can't help herself!

To add to Lila's baking and cooking, she went to Strawberry Point with Jen, Celia, and Ruby to spend time with my Grandma Harvey, one of the best cooks that I know!  It was a special day as they made cookies, pie, homemade pizza, and so on!



Gram & her girls!

Enjoying the last days of summer and welcoming fall!

And lastly, we have been enjoying the weather we have had!  Granted there were several days in there where it was too hot to even be outside, but amidst those days there have been some really beautiful days that were meant to take advantage of!




Pool fun with friends!



Kite flying with Dad!

Carving out some time for sidewalk chalk!

 

Swinging with Sloan!

Even the pups enjoy the nice weather!

Pretty weather, pretty girl!

I could go on and on about what we have been up to lately, but that would just make this blog post even longer!  I promise to get better at posting this fall!  I am sure as the weather gets a bit colder, I will be more inclined to turning on the computer and dedicate myself to doing more frequent updates!

A Good _______!

A GOOD GIRL...

We have a little girl who is super sweet!  There are always smiles and snuggles waiting to be shared by her!  She keeps Mommy and Daddy on their toes, in a good way!

Dance Party w/ Daddy!

She just wants to be near you.  Not smothering you, not begging you to pay attention to her...just close!  So often times while I am getting ready, she can be found perched in our bed watching a show and peeking in to check on me and what it is that I am doing with this or that make-up brush?!

Lila loves accessories!  She is often found with sunglasses, a headband or a purse to accent her outfit!  Sometimes she wants all three -- trifecta! 

Don't let me fool you, every so often we have a hard day and the scene around the house tends to look more like this...

A GOOD WORK PARTY...

On February 10th we celebrated as a company!  We had a lot to celebrate this year!  We had a successful year in sales, we have welcomed several new employees, we moved into our new building and we hit our 10 year milestone!  Nothing captures a good party quite like a photo booth...

The party committee!

The "Amazing" Marketing Department!

A GOOD VALENTINE...

This year Valentine's Day was good to all of us, but Lila was spoiled!  Confession: I ordered her original Valentine weeks before and as of noon on V-Day the package had not arrived, so I found myself in a mad dash to not disappoint!  As I pulled in the driveway after picking her up that night, what was on the porch?!  Her original Valentine!  I guess it was a good year!

Her Valentine from Jason, Jen, Celia & Ruby was a hit!

Celia and Ruby loved their gifts from us, too!

Daddy got a bouquet at work...a cookie bouquet!  YUM!

A GOOD START...

We have been trying to conquer the art of potty training!  We had heard from a lot of people that we respect as parents that said, "just wait until they are ready or you will find that you are only training yourself to ask them every 30 minutes if they need to go the bathroom!"  So, we waited!  She is doing a really good job!  We need to have the potty mastered by August when she goes to preschool and I want this to be a non-stress event, if possible, so I wanted to get a good headstart so we don't feel like we are coming down to the wire!

She is SO proud when she has success!!!

We figured out that a Dora seat does the trick!
This seat was brand new, no germ issues!

If we let her, I am rather certain that her potty seat would be a welcomed toy!

We have a lot of time spent in just our underwear, notice even though there is minimal clothing, she still accessorizes!

A GOOD TIME...

Something to know about me is that I love George Strait, I always have!  He is wildly talented and quite frankly, I think he is very handsome for an older man!  Two years ago on my birthday my Mom wanted to send Mike and I to Minnesota to fulfill a "bucket list" item of mine -- see him in concert, but work interfered.  So, instead of getting me another gift, she said, "we will do this again, it is like a George Strait I.O.U."  This weekend I was able to cash in on the I.O.U. and we met my Mom and Terry in Des Moines on Friday to see George in concert!

One of his newest song lyrics is, "I'm not here for a long time, I am here for a good time..." and a good time is just exactly what we had!

The concert was fantastic!  Both Martina McBride and George gave an amazing performance!  It definitely secured a spot as one of the best concerts I have been to.

After the show we decided to continue our good time as we headed to a bar with live salsa music!  It was too much fun!  Lots of dancing, more drinks and even a second round of food (munchies) that would save us from feeling too bad the next morning!

Salsa beats!

Tequila shots!

I sent a text to a few of my friends that evening with a picture of this sign and the caption "It is time for me to..."

We definitely took the saying "a good time," literally!  The night is one for the memory books in several different ways!

A GOOD CAUSE...

While Mommy & Daddy were in Des Moines, Lila was with Grandpa and Laura spending some quality time!  My Dad was the executive chair this year for the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes in Cedar Rapids.  All of TrueNorth participated in raising funds for this most worthy cause and a lot of the employees all met at Westdale Mall to walk.

Lila was thrilled to learn that she would be going with Grandpa and that they would be meeting up with Celia and Ruby!!! 

Grandpa and his girls!



Lots of fun things to do for the kids!



Announcing the totals!  Way to go team!

The overall goal for the walk was $565,000.00 and they exceeded that with a grand total of $568,000.00!  What a wonderful thing to be a part of!  We enjoy exposing Lila to different kinds of philanthropy.  Granted she is little yet and doesn't totally grasp the concept, but we hope she grows up with volunteering being a way of life, as there are so many good causes worthy of our support in terms of donations and our time!