Bowman Boys First Iowa State Game

Being an Iowa State University Graduate, I always wanted to take my boys to at least one football game. It never really seemed to work out. But this year, we were going. It was Homecoming weekend and I found a great deal on tickets that included a hotdog and a pop.

My brother recently moved to Ames and my boys always love to see their Uncle, Aunt and Cousins. So, they too bought tickets.

It was a beautiful day, the band dressed up in Halloween costumes which was really amusing and it was a Cyclone victory. I had some horrible things happen that were work related and ended up checking emails quite often during the game, but learned a valuable lesson from it. So as long as a lesson is learned, it's not a mistake.

After the game, we rushed back to Des Moines for trick or treating. Needless to say, the kids were exhausted. But it was a great day as a family.

We took a few pictures and now ALL of my boys can say they've been to an Iowa State game. I think we'll have to go to many more. They LOVED it. Go CYCLONES!

Baby's First Iowa State Game

Daddy and Sean--All smiles!

Can you find Waldo? He's in there!

Beautiful fall day in Iowa

Brendan started snoozing at Halftime. What a trooper!

Funny Foto Friday: Hairstyles of the 80's

The other day, I was google searching my name (don't tell me you don't do that) and came across a picture from my old days in Glidden. I believe it is from third grade.

I am the third one...yes, I had a crimper. And apparently it was cool to crimp hair.

Oh crimper. I don't miss you at all. But could I be any whiter? Sheesh!

The New Bunkbed

It's been time to get Liam into a "big boy" bed. He's had his toddler bed for two years, and while he loves his "Cars" bed, he's getting too tall for it.

I managed to snap a picture of all of our boys in the Cars bed, just before we moved it out of his room...

 Brendan does not look impressed.

A former co-worker of mine at Principal was looking to sell her bunk bed and I was looking to buy one. Having purchased it sight unseen, I was a little nervous, but I knew my former co-worker wouldn't fib about how nice it was. It is really nice. We got a deal!

Dave and I spent nearly all day setting it up and Liam kept trying to sneak in to see the progress. He was very pleased with the finished product.

 Sean was excited too!

 But this is a problem. Sean, having never climbed a ladder in his life, climbed right up to the top, no fear, no problems. So during the day we have to put the ladder up on the top bunk. We haven't officially moved Sean into Liam's room yet as we want to leave the ladder down at night, in case Liam needs to use the bathroom.

Maybe we'll wait a little bit longer to move Sean in...until he can understand that his bed is the bottom one.

Wordless Thursday...(because I was busy yesterday).

Mommy's Recess

It's been eight years. Eight years since Emma Rittgers and I have found a project we could come together on. We've been friends since the fall of 2002, when I was working for the Republican Party of Iowa and she was at the Treasurer's office. We ended up working on Scavo's campaign together and have been friends since. In the fall of 2004, I was working for Senator Grassley's re-election Campaign and she was working to get President Bush re-elected. While we were both working to get Republicans re-elected to office, and while we'd run into each other at dinners and parades, we rarely had time to hang out.

I've known Emma and her (then) boyfriend Tim longer than I've known my husband. Which tells you that Emma and Tim know some of my ex-boyfriends. But once David (my husband) had the approval of Emma and Tim, I knew he was a keeper.

Almost two years later, they visited us in the hospital to welcome our first son. They were recently engaged, but kept it a secret from us so it wouldn't "steal our thunder". We were engaged a month later.

They were married in August of 2006, David and I married in October of 2006. At that time, Emma was working for Nussle's campaign for Governor and I was the Co-Chair of the Polk County Republican Party. We were involved in their wedding, and they stood up for us (Bridesmaid and Groomsman). When David deployed in 2007, they were always there for me.

When David returned in 2008, we found out we were expecting. Emma was expecting a month after me. Our middle son and her son are only a month apart. After I decided to stay at home with our third child, Emma and I started a play date. Our oldest attends preschool near their home, so I take the middle child and baby to her house once a week to play and visit. We had been sharing tips and recipes and decided that we need to do a blog, for moms by moms.

And that's how Mommy's Recess  came to be. A brain child of two political operatives turned mothers turned bloggers. Check it out. And we'll try to keep the politics to a minimum. :)

Bolton Family Day at Deal's Orchard

On Saturday we met my parents, my brother and his family at Deal's Orchard just outside of Jefferson, Iowa. We always try to make it on their fall harvest weekend. They offer hay rides, the Pork Producers are grilling, a tee pee set up by my cousins, pony rides, corn maze etc etc.

We all had a blast. It was a lot warmer than normal and we were all a little "sun kissed" at the end of the day, but I love seeing my kids playing with my nephews and my parents playing with all of their grandsons. All six grandsons. :)

And, of course, I took lots of pictures.

 Sean-crow is NOT happy.

 How tall this fall...next year we'll get Brendan in the shot.

 A picture of all six grandsons...attempt one.

 Attempt two

 Attempt three

 Annnnd we're done.

 I LOVE this picture of Brendan, my mom and Matthew. Too cute.

 Matthew playing with Brendan's hair.

And Sean with his favorite buddy, Papa.

All around it was a great day. The boys love spending time with Ma'am and Papa, Uncle Tom, Aunt Crystal and their cousins. We'll do it again next fall, that's for sure.

Funny Fhoto Friday

We went to Deal's Orchard on Saturday (full post to come) and captured some great pictures of my kids and nephews.

Here is my nephew Mason, 19 months old, frustrated after being unable to navigate the straw maze.

Pssst, Mason. Just climb over the straw. It'll be okay.

Wordless Wednesday...Beautiful Fall Day in Iowa

Bowman in the News

Last week I responded to a tweet asking for people who no longer used a land line. I spoke with Marc Hansen and told him about how we haven't had a land line since 2006. I told him about how Liam wants a phone to call his girlfriends at preschool and how we've learned how to get water out of the phones without damaging them.

And this is what the story ended up being...a great family picture with Liam in the center. Too cute.

Photo copyright Des Moines Register/Christopher Gannon

Four Years...

Four years ago on Thursday, David and I married. Since then, we've moved three times, survived a year long deployment to Iraq, had a total of 5 job changes and added two little boys to our family. What a crazy four years!

I do recall how I felt on our first anniversary. Dave was in Iraq and I was trying NOT to remember that it was our anniversary. I watched football with my sister in laws and tried to keep my mind off of the fact that my husband was thousands of miles away, in danger, and he'd be there for many more months. If you want to read that post, feel free.  One Year Anniversary Post

This year was different. While he still had to work, I didn't have to worry about mortars, gunfire or roadside bombs. I knew I could call him and he'd answer. He brought roses home after work and since the boys were in bed, we actually had a chance to talk in peace.

I think that our first year was our hardest. Surviving that deployment was so hard, but it made us stronger. I don't take it for granted that he'll be next to me when I wake up...because for a year, he wasn't.

It's been a great but busy four years...and I look forward to the next forty.

Mama's Got a Brand New Bag

After we made the decision that I would stay at home with the boys, and even though the cost of daycare that we're saving offsets me not working, I decided to get back into my original passion. Writing. I do have a Bachelor's Degree in English after all.

I started with associated content, seed.com and suite 101. I am a contributing writer to all three sites. I also maintain my monthly column with www.thesoapboxers.com.

Check out my profiles and columns by clicking on the links below. I am excited for what the future holds. Excited for upcoming projects that I am working on with friends...and as soon as they come to be, you can be sure I will share it here.


Suite 101 Profile
Associated Content
The Soap Boxers


So what are you waiting for? Check it out!

Date Night

Last night we had our first date night since Brendan was born. Since he's not taking a bottle yet, he came with us while the big boys spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa Bowman's house.

We went to Biaggi's and met Emma and Tim, old friends of ours. They have a child the same age as Sean and were able to find a sitter as well.

Brendan was pretty good during dinner, although he did fuss when the food came. I nursed him while everyone else ate...but that's okay. There were a couple of tables of teens going to homecoming, and we all joked that it would be good birth control for them to see a crying baby.

We need to plan more date nights with friends. It was good to have a glass of wine, talk politics and the occasional discussion about children. :)

And if every date night ends with a chocolate cake like the one we shared, it'd be great.

WANTED: Brendan A. Bowman

APB: Wanted: Brendan A. Bowman aka Cuddlebutt, aka Smiley Pie. Wanted for public intox of boobjuice, public urination and excessive noise.

Suspect should be considered poopy and dangerous.