Chevelle Concert

Saturday night while we were at my Dad's, Matt & I went to see Chevelle at the Myth Nightclub in Maplewood.  Chevelle was on Matt's bucket list and the timing worked out that we would be in MN that weekend.  The kids always love getting a little alone time (spoiling) from Grandpa and it was our first date since we moved from Cedar Falls.

Middle Class Rut opened for them and they were very good.  I may even have to buy one of their albums.  Chevelle played an amazing show.  They did not disappoint!  Unfortunately the Myth was so full that at times both Matt & I felt claustrophobic.  We were not feeling like being up close and ended up on some stairs - which was horrible.  We then moved to the back by the bar and although I couldn't see much thanks to the ridiculously tall drunk guys in front of me...I could hear them finish the show with a couple of favorites.

Our traditional concert picture!  

Easter Weekend

Normally we spend the Easter holiday weekend at home.  This year, I decided that I needed to go home and spend some extra time with my Dad.  The kids were off school on Friday so we were able to head up Friday late morning.

Saturday morning we all went to visit GG (my grandma/mom's mom) for about an hour.  They were setting up for their Easter meal.  GG was having a lazy morning and was still eating breakfast when we arrived.  I think that the kids were a little jealous that she slept in that long.  It is always good to see GG but Matt summed it up best when he said that it always makes him a little sad too. 

After we got home the kids and Grandpa started to make ham loaves for our Easter meal.  They helped him grind the ham and then mix it all together.  I think that my Mom was smiling down on us that day watching the kids cook with Grandpa.  Maxwell even got his hand into the ham mixture!! 

Leadership Night at school

Tonight the kids' school hosted Leadership Night.  Southdale Elementary uses "The Leader in Me" program which is based off of Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  Each habit was highlights with family activities that were lead by the students.  The kids and I were able to go tonight and I enjoyed being at their school.  I must admit it was weird to not run into familiar faces and to not know any of the parents -- I kept thinking, if this was at Ashland Ridge...

Anyways, one of the activities was working together to walk a noodle from point A to point B.  At first we struggled but then we all figured it out.  It was fun night for the kids and I!

Birthday Party fun

On Saturday while the boys were car shopping, Kaylee and I made a trip to Ankeny to celebrate Marissa's birthday. She had her party at the Animal Rescue League.  We had a great time at the party and it was so fun to see our friends!!

Goodbye Saturn Hello Honda!

It was a huge day at the McSweeney's on Saturday. 

We traded in our beloved 2001 Saturn for a brand new 2014 Honda CRV.  The Saturn was the first car that Matt bought when we were newly married.  We bought it late 2001/early 2002 and had it for a little over 12 years.  It was one of the best cars and virtually no hassle and very little in repairs.

Here is our new SUV!  This has been a long time coming for our house.  We saved up a big down payment and as much as it pains me to have a car payment for the first time in many years (sorry Dave Ramsey!), we know that we will get it paid off in no time.  Matt had been set for many years on a black car but we ended up getting Kona Coffee Metallic.  It looks black in some lighting and brown in others.  Maxwell went with Matt while he purchased the car while Kaylee & I were in Ankeny for a birthday party.

All we want is a yard Mom!

It may be a while before we actually get grass....until then my kids are forced to play in the rocks!

Baseball season has begun

One of the first tasks when we moved to Cedar Falls was to find spring baseball for Maxwell.  It's surprisingly difficult to find out information when you don't have anyone to ask or have not been around to "hear" what's going on in town.  After some digging we hope we found the right fit for him.  Some leagues seemed way too competitive and others seemed to laid back. 
Right now he has practice two times per week from 5-6:30pm.  Seriously, could they pick a worse time for practice.  My family is not a fan of eating supper at 6:45-7pm during the week.  But there is no way we can eat at 4:15pm before practice.  Especially since the kids don't get home from school until 4pm.  We will make it work though! 
The joys of baseball season is that we get to experience all weather!  The first practices were freezing and right now they are about perfect.  Pretty soon it will be HOT!

Beautiful weather weekend

I'm a little behind and now that we are bundled back up in winter coats - the beautiful weather we experienced this past weekend seems like a distant memory.   We took full advantage of the nice weather and got outside as much as possible Saturday and Sunday.

Before we soaked in all the warm weather, we did a few other fun activities.  First, we signed the kids up for a Growing Up Giving United Way event.  It focused on ways to give our time, talents and treasures to others.  It was a good program but definitely aimed at younger kids.  I think that the kids did gain some good information and it is always important to talk about charity work and how we can give to others.  The kids made some gifts that they will be giving to others soon too!

After the United Way program, we went to the Muppet 2 movie.  It was cute but the opening song about how sequels are never as good was true.  :)   We all enjoyed it and never turn down an opportunity for movie theater popcorn.  The kids even tried the Cherry Pepsi and liked -- definitely a taste acquired from their dad!  

Finally, we were home and able to play outside.  The kids got out the scooters and were so excited to go up and down the sidewalks and around the neighborhood.  Matt grilled brats and hot dogs and we soaked up all the warm weather.

Sunday we got back outside and this time we walked over the park (the kids rode their scooters).  We played at the park for about an hour and Matt & Maxwell played a little catch.  Maxwell starts baseball practice this week, so we needed to get out that glove and warm up him arm.  

The park is about a 5 minute walk from our house and on our way home, we walked a different route to check out the unfinished part of our street.  It's going to be a long time before they finish the road!  :(   But we did find out, thanks to some friendly people outside, that there is an entrance to the bike trails down the street from our house.  We have heard great things about the bike trails in Cedar Falls and we are anxious to try them out.  Once we got home from the park, the kids got out their bikes and rode around for a long time.  Kaylee even remembered how to ride without her training wheels!!  She is ready for a new bike and helmet soon.  Girl is growing like a weed!