Home Again, Home Again!

We were able to spend last weekend in Burr Oak once again and get a little more time with T, T & Q! This trip was a little harder to get started:( Dave worked kind of late, we had two showings to get ready for while we were away and since we had come back Monday night the previous weekend, I didn't have us all packed and ready early enough. I started Friday. That may have been okay, but Ayden had an out-of-character day and wanted to be held more than usual and wouldn't stay asleep in his crib. So....I was behind. As soon as Dave got home, we were running around like crazy trying to get everything ready (including mowing the lawn) and we put the kids in the suburban just as a storm was rolling in. It was their bedtime and we still hadn't vacuumed or really clean-cleaned the house so we called in help and had the house cleaned Saturday morning before the showings started:) Best money we could have spent. I can't imagine trying to get that done too, we would have had to just leave Saturday morning for Iowa. 

Mom was packing, they were playing...

This big boy just wanted to eat and be held!
(that's a 4 month old you are looking at...:)

The rain was really coming down and Ayden was screaming as we started out. Again, not a fun road trip - we are not necessarily used to this! We were also starving and it was 7:30 p.m. I think, so we stopped at the first food place we could and decided to go in to eat so we could try and get Ayden happy/asleep. It would have been fine if it wasn't already past the kids' bedtime, the kids were a little ramped up sitting in a Hardee's -every new experience is exciting to them. Kate and I played I Spy for a long time - our current way to pass time when waiting. I nursed Ayden and he passed. out.  We loaded the kids back up in the rain and drove the rest of the way. Kate fell asleep right away, Collin fought it but eventually did as well. So then it was a quieter trip at least, but the rain in the dark on the new blacktop made it a little scary for me. I don't see very well at night anyway, so the rain made it worse. I'm getting old. 

Good thing our family is such troopers, they stayed up playing cards and enjoying some wine until we arrived:) (Great) Grandma Oehlke was there too! A surprise! So we said hello/goodnight and put the sleeping kids down - no fights there:) We didn't stay up much later and enjoyed sleeping in the next morning! 

The kids slept pretty well and we woke to a dreary and cold day:(  Not what we were wanting (and very much unlike the previous days we had!) We scrapped the idea of biking the trail in Decorah and decided to just be lazy at home. We played, ate...all the woman made an impromptu antiquing excursion to What's New (Newhouse's) and up to Canton. We came home with some fun finds and some Amish treats:) 

This gal loves her uncles - that's for sure!
We are working (so far unsuccessfully) on her not hanging on everyone she loves

Just a little antiquing fun!

Playing!

Cousin time!

Great Grandma got to hold Ayden quite a bit:)

The sun started to peek out as the afternoon went on. Our friend and Tony's high school buddy Travis Ryan and his family stopped by to say hello, it was fun catching up with them and their boys. Near suppertime, it was really pleasant on the deck and we took the kids out to play. Quinn loved crawling around (so fast!) and climbing under the patio furniture:) She is also drawn to Kate and Kate could make her laugh and we all enjoyed that! 

Tony & Quinn on the back deck

He sure didn't want to share the helicopter, but liked showing her:)

Having fun with her Daddy

She loved standing and hanging on to this - good balancing!

These two were really cute touching hands and kissing through the screen.
I have some great video, will have to see if it can load.
Probably need a new screen:)

Coloring outside. We love coloring anywhere.

Peekaboo Quinn!

Tara grabbed some pizza for us from Decorah and we bathed the kids and did bedtime. By the time I emerged from getting Ayden down, Shanghai was on! It was a pretty big hand, we subbed in a bit (Ayden woke up after just a little bit - again, not normal!) and continued to eat sweets! There were some record low and high scores in the game and again, there was talk of some sort of trophy or traveling prized (for both). 

We were the odd men out during a round of Shanghai.
After eating some buckeyes, we wanted milk. In mugs. 

Sunday morning, Mom and Dad greeted at church and we got ready for a big family picture. Yes, these pictures are painful to accomplish. Yes, they are completely worth it afterward. Maybe not everyone feels this way, but I know how much I like having a picture of my whole family together. And I'm not the only person who wanted this crew together. I just wish I had had a big ol' cup of coffee before we started. Or maybe a beer:)  We enlisted the help of Kelsey and Mary to get us all wrangled and thankfully we had beautiful weather! We coordinated our outfits and used the beautiful yard to get some good pics. I think we took merely 300ish frames:) It went very well, considering the temperaments of the four kids. (and some of the bigger kids:) We did cut the session after Quinn needed to get down for her nap and Collin refused to stay put (comical moment when he was trying to do some business which we first just assumed was a cute little squatting pose:) Ugh, we need to potty train him!! And help his occasional constipation issues - poor Bubba. We didn't get the grandkids picture, but luckily we have more time to get them all together! As of right now, I don't have any of the pics, so I'll just post some later when I get! 

After pictures, there were some short naps, a trip over to Andrew's place and tractor ride for Kate & Collin! Then back to Mom's for lunch and we changed to go hit the bike trail. I have been dying to get on the trail for a long time and though it is still not ideal with Ayden so little (well.....young, at least:) it worked to have someone back playing with the kiddos but still at the trail. So we started at the Fish Hatchery and first fed the fish, that was a lot of fun, haven't been out there in SO long! 

Heading out for some fun in Decorah

Q loves grass

and Kate's bike!

Riding the bike

She seriously loved this:)

Feeding the fish

Much of our crew

It was breezy and still a bit chilly in some spots. 

Tara and Kate feeding the fish, one last time...

Last stop before biking

After feeding the fish, Dad, Kate, Dave, Collin, Andrew and I went for a ride on the trail. It was really beautiful and it was amazing how well Kate did! She never needed a break and actually was out in front for most of the ride (granted we did ride to stay with her, but she went faster than we expected!) It was really fun and I am already thinking about when I can get back and bike the whole trail. I wish I could use Mom's new amazing bike for that though! 

Fun with Dad

Quinn and Collin are in the bike trailer, Dave took them for a little ride

Quinn preferred the grass:)
Love this pic!

When we got back, Kylie, Mom and Ayden were hanging out. Collin was asleep in the bike trailer (behind Dave's bike). We put sleeping Collin in the car, I nursed Ayden and then we got him asleep in the car seat. Mom and Dad went to bike the trail and Andrew, Kylie, Kate and I went to go see the waterfall. What a lovely place that we all remember we should visit more often:) 

Kate took this with my big camera

Just enjoying the falls...

My sweetheart

being silly:)

After that, we all parted ways. We stopped at Walmart and I insisted on Whippy Dip. However, it was a little chilly, the line was long and they gave us way too much when I said, "very, very little ice cream for the 2 year old!!" it was over flowing:(  Anyway, I think we'll only do that if it is hot, we are with others or biking/walking around...not just in the car. Lesson learned, Erin. 

We went home and packed up/played/said goodbye to Gma & Gpa who arrived home soon after us. This time, Ayden slept almost the entire trip. Kate also fell asleep:) And Collin did really well until the end. I did give him my phone for the last little part, I didn't want him to wake the others sleeping! We got home right at bedtime...perfect! 

Another fun and busy weekend! Hoping to see Tony one more time before he goes back across the ocean! (I'm having some issues uploading my videos lately..need to work a little at figuring this out..)