Papa, an octopus, and Grandma

I think Summer Camp has brought out a new creative side of Leah.  Some of the counselors seem to love drawing and encouraging this creative side.  Love it! 

So, she is constantly bringing home drawings and papers galore!  It seems every night we have to discuss "what should we save and what can be recycled?"  Thankfully she is mostly agreeable to recycling her work but occasionally there are some special drawings she insists on keeping...which I sometimes do and sometimes don't.  We can't save everything, especially when there are multiple sheets that look exactly the same.

Anyway, one day, she brought home the above drawing and it certainly gave me a good laugh.  I asked her what it was like I usually do and without hesitation she said, "it's Papa, an octopus, and Grandma Nancy".  It took all my strength to not laugh out loud.  There are some clear similarities between this sea creature and her grandparents!

KC weekend

The weekend after the kids were in Iowa and I was already in KC working, we decided that Jason would stop in Iowa to get the kids and then head south so we could spend some time with his family.  We were lucky that the Royals were in town, so we decided to spend a hot, sweltering day at The K.  It's also a good excuse to sport our Royals gear and be part of the majority vs. the minority we always face in Minnesota.

 

Grandma Cheryl loves it when Levi spills water on her pants on a hot day.

Taking pictures at ballparks with home team themed animals/characters is now a THING!  Earlier in the year we took pictures in Milwaukee and Minnesota with Mickey Mouses in the home team gear.

 

The kids love riding the carousel while at the Little K.  It was really hot so we didn't spend too much at the Little K in the outfield, but still a good break from watching a not so great game.

 

The best park around!

 

Mandatory family selfie!

 

Since the game was so H-O-T we decided to take advantage of the 7-11 free slushies on our way back to the hotel.  Delicious and the kids thought we were the best parents ever for letting them each get one.

Look how big he is getting!  He is so cute!

Jason regularly throws Levi in the air (safely) and decided to throw him up in the air while in the pool.  Levi loved it!

While driving back to Minnesota we needed to stop for lunch and always struggle with an effective and efficient choice.  Knowing there are quite a few Casey's in Iowa, we decided to order a pizza while driving into Des Moines.  We timed it perfectly and the pizza was ready by the time we arrived.  There was a park a short distance away so we ate our pizza outside and let the kids play.  It was almost too hot and the equipment was scorching so it was a pretty short stop, but helped us get on the road back home after a reasonable break.  It's a long drive especially after a busy week and not awesome sleep in the hotel room.

Overall it was a good trip!

Vacation at Grandma's

The kids were able to spend an entire week at Grandma's house this summer while Mommy was busy with work.  I love how much fun they have when I have to be in the office late into the evenings.  I don't have to worry about them because I know they are eating well, sleeping well, and having a blast...not to mention being spoiled "just a bit" according to the kids.

She always wants to send her mama photos while she is away.  Love her!

The girls helped Grandma arrange (and rearrange) the fairy garden.  They even got to pick out a few new pieces to add this week.

I was also told that Levi got put in time out a few times because he kept throwing the pieces into the grass.  Grandma says he was jealous the girls were so focused and got to handle the breakable pieces.

Visits to Great Grandma of course!  And, it looks like they took her some fresh garden produce.

I love this photo for many reasons.

Notice the shoes - Leah is wearing fancy "church shoes" that they always fight over when at Grandma's.  Leah may be the only girl that they fit now so hopefully less arguments.  Levi has his rain boots on which I guess was a staple this week with all the trips to the garden and jumping in puddles.  And, Lesley is wearing her trusty tennis shoes.  She complains about them often because she just wants flip flops, but these work so well in all types of situations.

The push-ups!  The kids love these treats while at Grandma's.  After they got back home from their trip to Grandma's, Lesley said to me "Did you know that push-ups heal bug bites?"  She was so serious and when I questioned her, she said, "Papa told me so it has to be true."  Too funny!

According to Grandma, Levi wasn't in time out he was just pouting because she made him come inside after spending 2 hours outside in the chilly temps.  Poor buddy, he just loves being outside and exploring at Grandma's.

The kids all sleep in the same room while at Grandma's.  Apparently this time Lesley had the bed, Leah had a spot in the corner on the floor and Levi had the pack n play.  During nap/rest time one afternoon, Grandma said it was taking Levi longer than usual to settle down and then all of a sudden it was quiet in the room.  After she went to check on the kids, she found BOTH Lesley and Levi sound asleep in the pack n play.  When asked what she was doing in there, she told Grandma that Levi was upset and wanted her to lay next to him.  Too cute!  What a sweet sister.

Healthy snack time!

Leah showing Grandma that she can climb up the trees.  Big girl!

Apparently Levi could not be stopped and went down the slide about a million times.

One afternoon they even convinced Papa to go with them to the zoo.  What a fun trip and so cool that Papa could leave the shop to join them!

They also spent time with Cousin Megan and Cousin Audra who were around for part of the week.

And, of course a trip to the Hancock park to check out the elk.

As if they didn't have enough fun, they also went to the Walnut splash pad to run around and play, followed by picking a special donut from the bakery to enjoy.

Grandma also mentioned that the kids were each assigned tasks to work on during the week.  Here is what she came up with.

1.)  Lesley - Her goal for the week was to always ask before doing something.  We have had some issues with her patience and acting on impulse.  This was a good "to do" for her focus on this week.

2.)  Leah - Our sweet little girl has been struggling with manners lately so her goal for the week was to use her manners.  Always.  Using manners also helps to cut down on whining and pouting.

3.)  Levi - Well, he was just short of 2 years of age so that's a tough one.  But, Grandma asked him to focus on sharing and using nice hands.  Sharing has gotten really hard for him so this was an obvious choice.

I think the kids did well on their goals and they were certainly spoiled this week.  We are just so lucky that we do have this option and the kids beg and beg to go to Grandma's.  They do get spoiled, but there are also boundaries, healthy foods, and rest time which can difficult to implement while "on vacation" at Grandma's.  It was a great week for the kids!

Farm on the 4th

We made a trip to Iowa on the 4th of July and it turned out to be a lot of fun for the kids!

We first stopped in Avoca to see Great Grandma and Great Papa.  Always a treat for the kids to get to give some hugs and kisses to their great grandparents.

Then we headed over to Aunt Aimee and Uncle Mike's house.  Usually we just stay at Grandma and Papa's house, but this time we stayed with the Anderson crew.  The girls have been begging me for months to go to their house and it finally just worked out since a lot of the weekend activities would be at the farm between Grandma and Papa's house.  Plus the kids were going to stay in Iowa for the week and would have plenty of time to hang out with Sam and Susie. 

  

We went to the local fire department's pancake breakfast on the morning of the 4th.  Grant is a super small town, but they would be the crew that help Aimee and Mike should they ever need it.  It was a tasty breakfast and the girls + Levi looked super cute dressed for the holiday on the fire truck.

Then we were off to the farm for the day.  My cousin Aaron is marrying Jennifer over Labor Day weekend so my aunts were having a bridal shower for them this weekend.  It was kind of a bummer that both the shower and the wedding were on long weekends preventing us from doing anything else....but no one asked us our opinion on when to plan things.  Next summer, we are determined to plan our own long weekend events!  Summer in Minnesota is the best and we hated to miss two great weekends where we could explore our new state.

 

The kids ventured out in the canoe.  It is quite humorous to watch them on the water and also to listen to the "lucky" adult that is with them.  Basically a one man paddling operation.....

  

I actually don't think anyone would drown if they fell out.  The pond is not very deep these days and there is a pretty thick layer of moss on top.  I suppose if you managed to get under the moss, that would be an issue....but I almost feel like you could just use the moss

 

Then, of course trips on the ATV's.  This is Lesley and Nora (without shoes I might add!  Who are her parents?!) enjoying a ride with Jason.

 

Levi was protecting the fish in the bucket.  They were probably Aunt Denise's.  She seems to be the only one who actually catches anything.

 

And of course about a million rides for Levi on the ATV.  We have to watch that boy since he knows how to make them work now - no leaving keys in the machines these days!

 

Brad is a brave (or stupid?) person!

 

The sand pile made a GREAT slide for the kids.  I think we continued to find sand in Levi's crevices for weeks.  That was awesome.

 

The hay bales were also utilized for the slides.  The kids had so much fun on the impromptu playground.

 

The sisters/cousins had so much fun!  I just really love when we can get together and they can be friends.  Only wish we lived closer and could make it happen more frequently!

Then there was a crazy dance party/talent show!  Crazy!

Completely blurry, but she was bound and determined to sing her songs from church school that had just happened the week before.  We couldn't get the CD player very loud, but she was thrilled she got to stand up there and participate.  We cheered and cheered, and all agreed EVERYONE's performances in future years, if the talent show remains, needs practice!

The kids ended the fun day sleeping soundly.  The next morning Mommy headed off to KC for a week of work and the kids ventured to Grandma's for a week of fun.  I think they got the BEST end of that deal.  We are so fortunate to have that option while I am working a ton of hours....and I think Daddy enjoyed his time alone at home.