And so it begins...

I sit staring out the window at the beautiful green corn fields of Iowa dotted with windmills of Herculean proportions.  My kids are regaling David with the hundredth verse of the camp song "If I Were A Grown-up, This Is What I'd Be".  You can imagine  his delight.  Time for a movie, kids!  Now be quiet.

So the trip has been enjoyable with only minor complications.  We performed orthodontic work on Grant to remove a wire that came loose from brackets again.  Have I mentioned how happy I will be when all of our kids have straight teeth?

Last night was spent in a KOA in Iowa near the quad cities.  Today we started our day at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library.  Very interesting.  I would enjoy seeing other libraries if they are all as educational as today's experience.

We are now headed further west to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  Praying for fun and safe travels.

Lots of time sitting in a truck seat coupled with the magic of modern technology means I have sorted and uploaded many pictures to "the cloud" (whatever that is).  Be prepared for a massive photo dump. I had pictures from back to March still languishing on my phone.  

How about a pillow to rest your head on while reading?

How about a cat to rest your head on while reading?

Yep.  Those two are best buddies.

Grant is already asking to go home.  When asked why, he told his dad he wanted to see the cats.

Cale, you have to love on those cats while we are gone.  Grant is relying on you!

Summer Camp

I cannot believe she is old enough. 

I never thought she would want to go. 

I worried she would not last the entire week. 

I should have known better. 

Our grown up little girl went to camp Sunday. 

And made new friends before I even got out the door. 

She'll be just fine. 

We pick her up tomorrow evening. I can't wait to hear about her exciting adventures at her first summer camp. 

Happy 4th!

Cranked some ice cream...

Baked some patriotic cupcakes....

And killed a tree....

It's a good day indeed.

Who else besides David could lie in a hammock visiting with his wife and suddenly become motivated to cut down the cedar tree I have hinted at cutting down for five years?!  

Yeah. That's what I thought. 

Nobody. 

Picked a few peas. Hay on the ground ready to bale tomorrow. Grilled pork chops and corn on the cob. 

Finishing the evening with fireworks, ice cream and cupcakes. 

Happy 4th everyone!!

So you had a bad day....

I couldn't help but think of the lyrics to that little song as I watched Cale change the tire on his new car tonight. Not only has he had a bad day, but he has had a bad week. First he got to replace the shattered screen on his phone that one of our little cherubs helped to destroy. Now tonight he is looking to buy a new tire to replace the one that the culvert grate in front of our house ate a hole in. Poor kid.  

I took john and Emily to the dentist for their turn yesterday. No cavities for them either. The dentist recommended braces for Emily. I left  her office quickly before I could no longer overcome my desire to poke her in the eye considering I already have three out of four kids wearing braces!

While I was feeling lucky (or just plain stupid) I decided to make a wonderfully exciting day much more exciting for the four kids.  We left the dentist office and headed straight to the optometrist. Four exams and two new pairs of glasses later, I was feeling about as lucky as Cale is this week. 

We can both "sing a sad song just to turn it around".

'Cause we had a bad day.

How do you like grace's new glasses?