Vacation Part II - Iowa State Fair!

On the second half of our vacation we went to the Iowa State Fair. Camping at the ISF is a big Bents/Sparks (my Mom's side of the family) Family tradition. Our families have camped at the Fair for over 40 years. I have not missed the Iowa State Fair in the 27 years that I have been alive, and I want to be sure that I pass this tradition onto my family. Curtis has only missed the fair one year out of the 8 years we have been together. He really enjoys this wonderful tradition and I hope that we can share this tradition with our boys.

Instead of camping this year, my mom made reservations for us at an extended stay hotel only 5 minutes from the Fair. It was a great plan and we really enjoyed our beds! What will we do next year when we are back to a tent? Hmmmm . . . Grandpa Bill when were you buying the RV for Grandma and us?

We spent 4 full days at the Fair. And you may ask, what do you do at the Iowa State Fair for 4 days? Everything - shows, buildings, food, animals, rides, and more! But I will let you know that we did not do everything at the Fair even though we were there that long!

Enjoy some of our highlights!


Joel meant Great Grandma Sparks for the first time!


Cade loved playing in the water fountain. Strangely, there was really only one hot day that we had to take this cool off break.


Grandma Glenna and Joel hanging out.


Cade got to meet Clifford. He gave him a high five and a hug.


Every day Cade ate a corn dog for lunch. We love Iowa State Fair FOOD!


We visited the Little Hands on the Farm. This is an activity where children learn about how the products raised on the farm make it to the grocery store. Cade's favorite part was using his soybeans to get his soydiesel for his tractor. This year he could reach the pedals on the tractor, which made it a lot easier to ride!


Cade chose an apple from the grocery store at the end of his work on the farm.


Curtis' favorite food stand - Polish Sausages!


Grandma Glenna is always hard at work to make our campsite the best place in the campgrounds. We always have enough food even when there are 30 eating!


These are all of the great grandchildren of Clyde and Genevieve Sparks. . . the children of the cousins!

Part I of Vacation!

Last week we went on vacation . . . our family's vacations consist of going to see family and friends. We love people and are not necessarily "place" driven (plus fun destinations cost a lot more money!), so this type of vacation fits us well.

On the first part of vacation we went to the middle of nowhere - Orange City, Iowa to visit our friends Joel, Emily, Ella, and Baby Boy to Be Penner. In May, Joel took the Offensive Coordinator position for Northwestern College. It was a lot of fun to see where the Penner's are at now. They were able to purchase a beautiful home, their church seems Biblically sound, and their community seems warm and loving.

We spent most of our time just sitting around talking and relaxing on Saturday after we arrived.





While Cade, Joel, and Curtis played baseball in the backyard, Emily and Ella enjoyed playing with Joel.


On Sunday we visited their church, and then Joel had to go to football events. Emily and Ella joined him for dinner, so our family decided we would go out to eat. We ran into a slight problem and were unable to find a restaurant that we wanted to eat at, open. We discovered that in Orange City and the next town closest that nothing is open on Sundays. These are very conversative towns and they stick to many conservative values - no mowing on Sundays, no stores open, etc. So we ended up ordering at Culvers in the next town over, and eating our burgers a nearby park. Not just a park, but a PARK! This was one of the biggest playground sets that I have ever seen. Cade really enjoyed his time, and Mommy and Daddy were bummed that a Pizza Ranch buffet was not open but we endured!















On Monday morning Joel headed out early for football testing, and Curtis joined him a bit later. Em, Ella, Cade, Joel, and myself went to the "castle" park in Orange City. There was a LARGE wooden playground to play on that looked like a castle. There were so many nooks and cranies to play in, therefore I did not have to chase him for him to be entertained.














Overall our time was fantastic. It was fun to catch up and talk about what we are all facing in life now. We pray that this new season of life at Northwestern will be full of excitement and joy! Thanks for the great fellowship, and just letting us sit around and relax.


Cade also loved playing with Ella's chalkboards. My new goal for a garage sale find is a chalkboard or eisel.

Tree Climber!

On Tuesdays this summer we have made great efforts to make it to a local park for a big play date with children from the MOPS group in town. Usually about 10 moms and their children come, so it is a lot of fun because this means there are plenty of kids to play with. Cade enjoys playing with his friends Eli and Hope, but often times he ends up chasing the "big boys" (Eli and his friends) wanting to play with them. These big boys are usually in 2nd grade or older. Well, one of the trees at the park has been the "hot spot" for the big boys. This last week Cade actually made it up the tree. Thank the Lord he could not figure out how to get any higher! I enjoyed taking these pics of him in the tree! I hope to do a fun collage with them or something if I can actually get some prints done!

More Pictures!

August 10, 2009 - Joel is 3 weeks and 3 days old. He is more alert when he is awake and is getting somewhat in a groove of when he is awake and asleep. He is awake for a couple hours in the morning, and then a couple of hours around dinner time. He does wake throughout the day, but he is not as alert and dozes!

Happy Birthday Aunt Kim, Uncle Everett, Cousin Andy, Cousin Aaron, Cousin Joan, and friend Eric! - August 12, 2009!

Joel is 3 weeks old!

Can you believe it? Joel is 3 weeks old!


Cade is so proud and loves his little brother. Unfortunately the love is a bit scary at times with Cade's strong muscles. He seems to squeeze Joel rather hard and kiss him until Joel is smoothered. We are definately glad he is not mad at Joel or upset that he gets lots of attention, but we must constantly remind him to be gentle!

Cousins Visit!

Cousin Caleb (8 years old) with new baby Joel.


Aunt Kim with baby Joel.


Alyssa Joy (now 6 years old!) and baby Joel.


Pop took Jake and Cade for a ride in his BIG postal truck the last night of the Lambert's time here. It was so special and the boys loved it!


While the boys were taking their ride, we enjoyed the beautiful weather on Grandma Bev and Pop's front porch.

The Lambert cousins were here for a few days to meet Joel, visit Pop and Grandma Bev, and spend time with Nana. We had a great few days full of intense play!

Cade loves to play with Anna, Jake, Aly, and Caleb. He calls them all his friends, not just cousins. Jake does the same. If the two of them have "lost" each other in Pop and Grandma Bev's big house, one of them will ask, "Where is my friend Cade (or Jake)?" They played really well together. All of us were definately tired after the third day of such intense play time!

Thanks for coming back for a few days. We appreciate your hard work Aunt Kim to make the drive!

Happy 31st Birthday Curtis!

On August 4th we celebrated Curtis' 31st birthday and Alyssa Joy's 6th birthday. Kim and the kids were back for a few days this week, which made the 4th a special day. I believe 2009 was the first year that the uncle and niece were together on their birthday. Though the day was not perfectly according to plan because of Curtis' evening softball game, I believe both birthday people were happy with their special day.



















Grandma Bev made a delicious animal birthday cake for Aly, which tasted fabulous! And Ken bought Curtis a cake for his special day! Aly received money and a few other gifts, which was so exciting. I remember those days when getting money was so exciting because you could really spend it on something you wanted, and not just put it in the bank account for bills!

Curtis got a new pair of Crocs from Cade, a new pair of catching shinguards from Mommy, a funny t-shirt and hip shorts from the Lamberts, and a awesome CUBS pullover jacket from his parents. Though Curtis' summer softball season ended on his birthday with a loss, I think that he still had a great day! LOVE YOU!
















I know that this softball season was a great one in the win category, but I know that Cade loved the season. He will miss not being able to go to the games. He especially enjoyed playing on the field after the games; plus getting as dirty as possible was always a must!

Life is Off and Running!

As you can see we are pretty much back to a normal pace of life - nonstop moving (except for our 2-3hour nap in the afternoon, which I am so grateful for!). Cade will not let us stop and keeps us laughing day after day!

We have been busy playing at home and at the park, just like life before Joel! At Cade and Mommy's first trip back to Jefferson School playground (Eli's Park is what Cade calls it after his friend Eli), Cade caught a grasshopper! I kept trying to catch it, but he/she would jump out of my hands. Cade walked right up and picked him up out of the grass - amazing. We used our waterbottle for his cage!















We have also been sharpening up on our drumming skills. Cade LOVES the drums and anytime we are near drums he wants to play them! We got some chopsticks from the chinese restaurant for him to use as drumsticks; I believe he thinks these are real drumsticks because they look somewhat like the sticks used by our drummer at church! I also got him a new pair of shoes at a garage sale and he really enjoys the shoes. Don't his feet look huge - size 11! He is doing the drum foot pedal in this picture with his new shoes!
















Joel is growing! Curtis' Mom was gone for 5 days out to Kansas, and when she returned she could tell he had gotten bigger in just those 5 days. I still have a few newborn diapers left, but I think that we have moved into size 1 for the most part. We got his newborn pictures taken this week, so I am hoping to have his birth annoucements out by the end of August.



When Joel is awake he is so bright eyed and watching everything around him!
July 31, 2009 - Joel is just over 2 weeks old!



Resting with Daddy before bedtime!



I caught him right with his mouth open!
July 29, 2009 - Joel is 2 weeks old!