August Things

We are well into September, and school is in full swing.  But as the summer fades away, I wanted to record some of our memories from the month of August.

The month started off in a spectacular way...my 38th birthday.  And Tod had a wonderful surprise in store for me- a birthday trip to Chicago.  We have been wanting to do this for a long time, and it took a lot of work plus some fabulous baby sitters to make it happen.  It was well worth every ounce of effort and planning...and certainly a birthday to remember.

Being away alone together is such a rare, rare treat, and we were both pretty excited about our get away.  We stayed at a great hotel and rode the L train into the city.  We had a good laugh when after only 1 minute of sitting facing backwards, we had to jump to new seats so that we could both face forward...both of us have some motion sickness..and we are getting older!!!
Exploring the city was fantastic.  There was so much to see and so much to take in...so very different from our usual surroundings.

We walked through Millennial Park and to Navy Pier for an Italian food dinner.  It was absolutely perfect weather and a perfect evening with my best friend.

The next day we had planned to go to the temple, but we didn't know it was closed!  Not to worry, we enjoyed a trip to IKEA instead.  We came home a little earlier than planned since Luke was not feeling well and had a yucky bug.  I really have to again give a shout out to our awesome babysitters who not only took care of 5 kids but put up with a sick, fussy baby.

Of course, we still had to celebrate my birthday with the kids.  They were so excited!  We had a birthday barbecue with our good friends after church and it was a great day to turn 38!

 This picture makes me so happy...of all the things I had seen and done in my life, I count these 6 people as my most important priority.  I am so very blessed to be a wife and a mother.

August is a great month for "corn" pictures and of course, I had to snap a few of those.  It is just so beautiful.

Cole was so excited to get to go to a football clinic at our local high school.  He has always loved football, and he was so glad to finally be the one to do something sporty instead of watching!

We had a few hot days that were perfect for putting water on the tramp.  The kids all had a blast...I had a blast until we got the water bill!  It really is the perfect summer afternoon activity, though!

We had a back to school bowling party for my Activity Days church group.

Jordan had another session of her mini-school.  It was a big hit, and she had great success with it this summer.  

Cole and Regan watched an episode of Curious George where he made a car wash from household items.  They decided to do the same thing, and it was hours of fun. I enjoyed summer most this year when I just relaxed and enjoyed without trying to keep the house too clean or entertain too much.
This simple activity was very creative and everyone was happy!

Of course, baby Luke is not such a baby anymore.  He kept us all our toes this summer and has really missed being entertained with everyone going back to school.

All in all we had a really great summer.  We did some travelling, did some staying home and enjoyed a bit of a break from our normal hectic schedule.  And soon, school was just around the corner...

Down on the Farm

With Grandpa Steve and Grandma Cindy home from their church mission, we were so excited to finally get to go down to the farm.  The kids had missed it so much for the past couple of years.  They could not wait to visit Missouri..especially our farm girl, Ashton.  After only being back from Texas for a week, we met Grandma Cindy half way, and she took Ashton with her down to Missouri.  (I was able to meet some dear friends in Nauvoo and spend a few hours with them which was just amazing. Love you, Jayna and Erin!!)

Well, Ashton had the time of her life.  She loved the freedom, the animals, the extra attention from grandparents, the cousins, and everything else.  Each night she would call me and tell me about her adventures...it was fun to see her becoming more independent, handling things on her own and just really loving her time in Missouri.  Of course, we missed her like crazy, and I loved seeing Grandma's facebook updates that would pop up every so often.  She especially enjoyed attending Young Women's with Grandma, learning to sew, working in the fields with Grandpa and Uncle Marc, driving the ranger, bike riding with Grandma, and making a beautiful jewelry box with Grandpa.

When we arrived to spend a few days, I think Ashton was torn about how to feel...happy to see us but not all that happy that 5 people were encroaching on "her" space and territory.  After a few hours, she got used to it, and we had an excellent time.

Tod wasn't able to make the trip with us, so it was just me and the kids.  The drive seemed very short after our Texas trek!  In fact, on our way down, we didn't even stop!

We spent the days relaxing and enjoying being back on the farm!  I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Spending time with cousins is always so much fun:

Look at this bunch!

It was baby Luke's first visit to the farm and he loved it:

This boy (Cole) was completely in this element...I just had to watch him carefully to make sure he didn't take off alone in the ranger...he is fully capable of driving it...if only he could reach the pedals.

Shooting bb guns was a favorite activity:

Just being together was the best part...we really missed our grandparents while they were gone...and we are glad to have them back!!

It is so fun to take walks around the farm at night...such a beautiful, peaceful place.

We also loved being able to hang out at Aunt Megan's and Uncle Jerimy's house...they have all the fun toys including my dream car...
A Suzuki Samari...I even got to drive it!!

Four wheelers provide hours of entertainment...Kayla and Leah are expert drivers.  My kids kept running into the trees.  The girls were patient with their "city" cousins!

Nothing like cooling off in the pool!

And then it was time to come home.  The drive back to Iowa wasn't nearly as pleasant as our drive down...some of the excitement was gone.  But we all dug deep and somehow we made it safely back.  I am thankful to have Steve and Cindy back home safely.  I am thankful for the sacrifices they made and the experiences they had as missionaries.  And now we are glad to know they are back on the farm, and we can't wait to visit again!!