Fun On The Farm

The image to the left is something I had not seen in over 25 years, a view from the combine.  Riding in the combine with Dad and Hope was one of many highlights during our family weekend on the farm.  It just so happened that Hope was on Fall Break from her law studies and Heath and Amy were going to take the kids to the farm to ride in the combine, so Bailey and I made a trip up north as well.  When I asked Bailey if she was going to ride in the combine, her response was 'I'm not much of a farm girl Mom'.  But when she got out to the field and climbed into the combine with cousin Lauren, her farm girl attitude changed.  Now she wants to go for a ride every year...or at least until her teenage years like her mom did.  It was fun to have the family together for an impromptu weekend and we may have established an annual family gathering outside of the holiday and birthday gatherings.

Bailey after her combine ride

Bailey and Lauren having fun in the field

Austin ready for his combine ride

Graham has fun with in the corn stalks

Bailey in a tractor tire

Alli and Lauren in a tractor tire

   

Pine Lakes Scrapbook Retreat

The fact that I haven't had a blog post since the end of September is definitely an indication of how busy the month of October was.  The nice part is that now I have lots of new blogs to post.  That is when I can find time as November hasn't been much slower and the holidays are only weeks away.

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, there is one thing I've found over the years that can take all my cares away and remind me of what's important in life...pictures of those I care about.  I believe I started scrapbooking way back in junior high when my Mom gave me a scrapbook.  I'm not really sure why she did, but I am sure am glad she did and that now I have found a hobby I truly enjoy.  Over the years I would scrapbook when I could find the time or during my time off in the summer when I worked at Sumner.  Now I have a table set up in my bedroom all the time where I can escape and scrapbook for hours...or days which was the case when I was home last week for a couple sick days with Bailey.  Last fall my sister-in-law Amy invited me to a scrapbook retreat at Pine Lakes Christian Camp in Eldora, Iowa.  It was awesome!  A room full of women cropping away for 2 1/2 days interspersed with spiritual and cropping break out sessions.  Not to mention fantastic food and fellowship.  This fall's retreat theme was County Fair.  The weeks can't go fast enough until the next retreat at the end of March.

Our Cropping Table: Amy, her cousin Lindsey and Lindsey's friend Angie

County Fair Games: I found Wilbur.  My prize was a souvenir pig nose and a rice krispee bar on a stick

The following are a couple pages completed at the retreat. 

Me and My Mom page

My Favorite Things page

My Favorite Things page

Wapsie Pines page

Sunday Afternoon Photo Opps

Since purchasing a digital camera almost 2 years ago, I've enjoyed the luxury of taking pictures just for the fun of it.  It's also been nice for Bailey to get behind the camera as well and develop her photography skills.  A couple weeks ago Bailey wanted to show off her clean room.  She goes through these cleaning stages every couple months and to have evidence that she is capable of keeping her room clean, we took some pictures as proof.  Although we didn't get many pictures of her room other than her made-up bed, we had fun taking pictures anyway.  At the rate I take pictures with my digital camera, I'll probably never get caught up with my scrapbooking.  But that's a good problem to have. 

Yes, we have evidence of a tween-ager in the house with the tear out photos from Tiger Beat and Bop magazines hanging on the bedroom walls.

Barnum and Bailey Circus

After a very busy summer, we've been a little less active during the month of September.  We wrapped up our summer travels with a trip to the Quad Cities over Labor Day weekend to see the Barnum and Bailey circus.  Bailey and I have been to a couple smaller circuses through the years, but I think the last time I remember seeing a circus on a larger scale was when I was Bailey's age and went to the UNI-Dome with my 4th grade class.  The acrobats have always been my favorite and they still were after 25 years.  Bailey being an animal lover enjoyed the elephants, dogs and tigers.

Ready for 3rd Grade

Monday marked the first day of 3rd grade.  We've enjoyed our summer together, but both Bailey and I agreed that we were ready for school to start and the learning and daily routine to begin.  She's already been talking to some of the kids at the daycare who are older than her and have told her about all the homework she is going to get.  Last Thursday we were able to meet Bailey's teacher, Mrs. Olson, at Van Allen's Open House.  My first impression was that it is going to be another great year.  Mrs. Olson has already sent a couple notes home explaning how she is really going to be working with the kids this year on personal responsibility.  That is music to this mother's ears.  Bailey continues to love reading chapter books.  Her favorite series is Katie Kazoo.  She has the same love/hate relationship with math that her mother did. Although the other day when I asked her what the best part of the day was, she said 'you're going to think I'm crazy Mom, but it was math'.  Yet another sign of a great start to the school year. 

Saint Louie Louie

In high school band, I loved playing the song 'Louie Louie'.  My love for visiting Saint Louis has grown just as fond.  With the city only 3 hours from Mount Pleasant, Bailey and I took another weekend trip this summer to enjoy some of the sights.  One of these years we might get up to The Arch, but with Bailey claiming she is petrified of heights, I thought it safer to stay on ground again this year.  Other than the occassional ride at Six Flags that took us high in the sky (the picture to the right is just before taking off on the ferris wheel), we enjoyed riding the lazy river at Hurricane Harbor, seeing almost all the animals at the zoo and spending a couple hours at The Science Center.  It was a fun little getaway just before the start of the school year.

These little red pandas look like stuffed animals.  We watched this little guy and his buddy play for 30 minutes.

If you ever get to the Saint Louis Zoo, you have to see the sea lion show.  It is great entertainment.  Robby and RJ were actually born at the zoo and are very funny and talented.

We did make a stop at the Build a Bear store at the zoo and Bailey chose a puffin just like those at the penguin and puffin exhibit.  This exhibit was a nice break from the heat since it was 40 degrees inside.

Our first stop at the zoo was to pet the stingless stingrays.  The first hour in this area was free so yet another lesson that getting to places early can pay off.  Stingrays are very smooth and little slimey.

Our final stop of the day, and what has been one of our favorite exhibits the last 2 times we've gone to the zoo, are the hippos.  This huge hippo tank has about 4 hippos that swim by you and they will also peek their eyes above the water which is fun to watch.

This is Bailey's impersonation of the mechanical dinosaur in the background at The Science Center.

This picture says it all in how much fun we had once again at Saint Louis.

Nephew's Birthdays

Summer 2010 has been filled with lots of family get-togethers.  A couple of those were to celebrate the birthdays of the special little guys in our lives, Austin and Graham.  We celebrated Graham's 1st birthday in Des Moines on June 19th.  As first birthdays go, he took in all the people and new toys to play with.  And also enjoyed his own piece of birthday cake.  A couple weeks later, we gathered again in Cedar Rapids on July 4th to celebrate Austin's 3rd birthday.  When we pulled up, he was giving sister Alli a ride on his new woo-woo (4-wheeler).  This kid is all boy with his love of things that go and spending lots of time outdoors.

Graham's Birthday Cake (Dirt Cake)

Animal cupcakes for the kids

Austin's Cake

Fun kid photos