Preschool Orientation

Callie got to go visit her classroom for preschool orientation the Wednesday before Labor Day. She was so excited to meet her classmates. We really didn’t know many who would be in her class besides friend Mia. But really the girl knows no strangers. The day after orientation, Callie sat with her new friend Sutter, at the soccer game. She was so excited to play with a new friend! Callie’s class will have five girls and five boys! She can’t wait for the first day! 

Breakfast Time!

We have been trying out our own breakfast sandwiches! Callie loves having someone to eat with at the table and doesn’t enjoy breakfast without others nearby, even if the food is good! 

Football Practice

Cade’s football team had film out at the Vogel’s farm on Monday afternoon. Curtis couldn’t make it to practice (pouring concrete at church!), so Mom got to do drop off and pick up! When I arrived for pick up the boys were playing some form of  500 or scrimmage! Fun to see them out playing! 

Our First Football & Soccer Saturday

Joel had his first soccer game of the season and lost 0-2 on the 25th of August. The heat took it out of the kids. After Joel’s game, we quickly headed to Kewanee to catch Cade and made it in time to see the start of the game. Princeton came out with the win even with the miserable heat. 

First Day of School - August 23!

Off they go to 3rd and 6th grade they go! Cade is so happy to see 5th grade gone and 6th grade here. He is excited for study halls, and changing classes. He has some great teachers for the next three years! Joel is ready to see his friends again! Love you boys!! 

Callie and I went to visit Hans while the boys were at school. She can’t wait for preschool to start after Labor Day! She is missing her boys to play with and almost all her playmates from last year have gone onto kindergarten. Time for Momma to step it up and get in play mode this year! 

A Surprise and A Hike!

We had a surprise arrive for Joel on Tuesday evening, just a few hours after our hike to Starved Rock! Max and Kay Wallace brought back a blue Rocky Mountain NP hiking pole which Adam had picked up for Joel for us. We searched and searched for a National Park labeled pole for Joel on the second half of our vacation without success. Thankfully Adam was able to pole-off getting back to RMNP and got a pole for us! It was all a surprise for Joel and he was overjoyed when we stopped by Max and Kay’s to pick up the pole! 

We dropped Daddy off at church (his truck broke) and we headed to Warnecke Woods to test out Joel’s pole. We enjoyed the woods, hiking off the trail some (and we didn’t get poison ivy!), and some trail running. The kids did three timed runs on the path. They loved the challenge and want to go back to it soon! Another spot to add to the list to take Daddy! 

Illinois Canyon with Daddy

We took Daddy to the Illinois Canyon Hike at Starved Rock. We have gone on this hike a number of times but Daddy has never been able to join us. This was our last family hike of summer 2018! Daddy was so impressed with the beauty of this canyon and walk. So much to explore and see! We had a fun time skipping rocks all along the creek as we went! What a fun hike together to end our summer, and a great reminder of God’s beauty being right in our own backyard (even though we LOVE the mountains!). Thank you Lord for caring for us so well! 

The Last Days of Summer!

Summer is winding down. The public school is in session and we are enjoying our last few days of freedom. We also may be getting a little bored. But boredom makes imaginations work, especially when Mom makes you stay outside and play (even in the rain!). Look at what the crazies did today! 

Good Morning!

Look at the little birdie I woke up to asleep by my bed! 

6th Grade Football!

Cade has been working hard at football since the 23rd of July, and I have yet to get a good photo of him in his uniform this season!! The Tigers had their second game versus Sterling on week two at home and had a victory. It was a great change from the week prior at Rochelle. The boys looked alive and much more confident. The weather was still hot, but there seemed to be a bit more wisdom about the heat this week so they didn’t get too exhausted. Cade loves to play football. He could leave some of the yelling behind, but loves to be in every play and work hard. We are proud of him!! Way to go #50!!

Soccer Pictures!

We had soccer pictures for Joel’s team on Saturday morning, August 18th. Our team has had a handful of practices and we are having a great time. We came up with the team name, The Flames, so we felt a bit more like a team than just LCN/Allegion Orange. Callie and I, along with Mitch are coaching the team. The kids are good listeners, and Mr. Mitch’s man influence is so helpful with the boys. We are excited for our first game in just a week! 

A Quick Benny Hello!

Josh, Tori, and Ben were in town to visit Tori’s Mom. We stopped by for a quick hello! Callie was excited to hold Ben, and we discovered Ben and Callie are about the same size in this photo!! Many giggles and much laughter! 

Southern Home Cooking!

Mrs. Sue Smith came to Illinois to visit and we got some of her yummy chicken fried steak! She stayed with Tom and Bev for a bit over a week. We had a great time visiting with her over meals. She was so encouraging to the kids and sweet.  We are thankful she came to visit! 

Wednesday Hours At the Fair!

We only had two hours of time on Wednesday at the Fair before we needed to hit the road towards home! We still had so many things we needed to do before Fair 2018 was over! 

Our first stop was the Bungee Jumping! Joel couldn’t wait and we were really hoping Callie would weigh enough this year. We got there a bit before it opened at 10am and the line was already forming. Thankfully the kids were near the front and we didn’t have to waste too many of our moments waiting. And thankfully Callie was 36 pounds, so just over the weight mark. She ended up doing many circles in midair because she did weigh so little. It was pretty funny. We also did the petting zoo and camel ride while we were close. Joel really wanted to see The World’s Smallest Horse, so he used his own $2 and took the camera in and got a selfie!! He loved how little it was (of course!). Unfortunately we didn’t make it to Little Hands on the Farm this year for Joel. He was sad. But there are many other things we missed out on too. Next year!! 

We then went up to Fun Forest to try to catch a show and play on the playground before heading out.  Mom took the stroller and went down to the center of the Fairgrounds to pick up everyone’s favorite lunch foods. Callie got a Corn Dog, Cade a tenderloin, Joel a foot long, and Mommy a Polish dog. I also picked up some slushees for $1! We ate our lunch in Fun Forest and then headed back to the campground to load up. 

Our last ride on the trolley was in the back seat and we waved goodbye to the Fair as we headed out of Gate 5. 

We had a great year. Grandma and Grandpa are always a big help for Mommy. Having a nice camping spot, paying for our tickets, and providing an extra hand are always appreciated.  They make the Fair a reality for us every year. We have so much to be thankful for! 

Goodbye Iowa State Fair 2018!

Afternoon Fun on Tuesday!

We used more coupons from our Blue Ribbon Kids Club Book for lunch! Callie and Joel tried a pulled pork sandwich and fries from The Rib Shack! Cade and Mom ate tenderloins from the Watermelon stand. Always so yummy!! 

We headed to the tumbling, trampoline, and high flying iFlip show after lunch! The kids were well entertained with lots of flips, dips, and dives!

Callie, Celeste, and Grandma Glenna headed to go sew after the iFlip show, Uncle Jeremy took the sheep home to Boone, and Grandpa, Aunt Katie and Mom enjoyed the company of everyone else! We made it over to the Climbing Wall, and had another try at the Maze. Then the kids  jumped on a few rides again at the Midway with our unlimited wristbands. Mom went for some slushees to help beat the heat and get a little break from all the fun!! 

We headed up to Fun Forest stage to see what was happening and play on the playground equipment. It was a great choice because the kids got to participate in the Blue Ribbons Kids Club Chopped “competition”. It was all fun and games, but I loved Corbin and Joel’s excitement to create. One parent could help each team, so I helped Corbin and Joel create. We were making the main course of the meal, a wrap. The boys filled their lunch wrap with ham, lettuce, shredded coconut, M&Ms, Ranch, cheese, pickles. We even made side dishes to complete our “basket” with pretzels and a half s banana! We had a great time! 

Callie, Celeste, and Grandma Glenna were still finishing up their sewing project, so we started to wander towards them. We stopped for a few rides in the Midway before getting to them. Rain seemed pending! 

Thankfully we walked into the Varied Industries Building right in time before the rain started to fall. The girls completed a beautiful quilt! Callie was so excited to show me their hard and creative work! How wonderful!! Sewing at the Fair was a first for Callie and she loved it!

As we made our way back towards the camper, we had to stop again in the Midway. Callie and Joel really wanted a ride on the BIG Ferris wheel! Even though the rain was coming down at a heavy rate, the Ferris wheel stayed open and we got our ride in!! We didn’t make it back up to the camper till close to 7pm and made a quick taco dinner in the rain and close to dark! We had such a fun day!