Catching Up...

I have enjoyed the fact that our summer seemed to slow down a bit, mostly in that we weren't traveling for a change! And we also had some cooler weather, which I am fine with but Dave always mourns much harder. He never wants to give up summer (and the boat) and I am always ready for fall and football way before him:) 

Our first weekend back at home, we hosted the Peterson's! My best friend and her family came up to us as it had been WAY too long since we had been together. We are all feeling the distance and schedules more this year and I would say we are not taking it that well. The sad thing is it will just get harder as the kids grow, but I know we will just continue to make it work! 

The big kids

The little boys

Waylon and Kate are 8 months apart (Kate older) and Collin and Lawson are 2 months apart (Collin older) so we parents get to talk a lot about our kiddos and it is fun to have them so close in age/stages/development. We also had a nice campfire outside after kiddo bedtime which was super fun. So much to catch up on, it is honestly overwhelming when Cass and I have phone dates. In person is so much better:) 

We were able to enjoy the nice weather on the back beach, at a park in town and in the front driveway riding bikes, etc. We have plans to all be together for our 10 year Luther reunion (what?!) in the beginning of October, so we will see them again then, if not sooner!

Just a little dirty from the beach:)

At the park after some ice cream

Our sweeties!

I guess we had a pretty full week after the Peterson's left. On that beautiful Sunday, we got the urge to take apart and re-organize the garage. This (as I expected) turned into a huge undertaking and it took most of Monday as well. It was messy but worth it, and I have to say that Dave did it all. I was manning children, though they were able to play out there and "help" more than ever before. We still have a ways to go with installing some storage structure, but it is better now! Wish we would have done that before we had our guests and spent so much time in the garage/driveway with toys:) 

On Thursday night, we unexpectedly hit the Juneau County Fair. I'm not sure Kate had really been to a fair before and it was fun to see her reaction. I am not stretching the truth in any way to say that the rides looked like the exact. same. rides. that Dave or I would have ridden on 25 years ago. It didn't look like they had even been repaired or washed. Awesome. We successfully avoided them all until very late at night when we were leaving and then all of a sudden Kate wanted to ride one. What?! No. 

Ready for the fair!

We had supper at the 4-H stand (ahh, memories!!) and then walked through the various animal barns. Fun and impressive. Then we walked through the 4-H building (ahhh, memories!) I loved it and again just felt like I walked back in time. We also saw all the entries for various food, plant, homemade stuff, etc. Since I am making more and more of that stuff, I told Dave I was going to give some of the ladies a run for their money some year:) We'll see. 

Our cukes look just as good!

Check out the corn the 4-Hers grew!

I think we then had some FFA shakes (Dave was all for us enjoying every aspect of the fair:) well, I think I had one sip of mine, Kate managed to steal almost all of my treats. There's a talent. There was also a new dairy barn dedicated at the fairgrounds and it was very nice. We went through and ran into some of Kate's dance friends. They had cattle there and we got to talk to them and see their calves, Elsa and Abacus:) 

Meeting Elsa (not in the picture) and Abacus

We then wandered over to the grandstands to check out the rodeo. It was 7:30 p.m and I wasn't too keen on paying the money to go in, assuming our children would start to show their need for sleep. And after a beautiful sunset, it was actually quite cool! We weren't exactly prepared for an evening outside. But, as usual, Dave convinced me it would be fine:) We saw some friends right inside the entrance and we ended up just staying right there, sitting on/standing by this tall divider thing. Kate could see and weren't stuck up in the grandstands. We also got to see the cattle and horses and cowboys on the side. She definitely warmed up as time went on and eventually was climbing up the fence and talking to the referee guy on his horse (with another girl her age)! Fun to see. She didn't want to leave, but Mr. Collin sounded the alarm. After more fair food on the way out of the fair(!), we finally got home and had a late bedtime. (sad sidenote: not sure if I had a regular 24 flu bug or ate something questionable at the fair, but I was definitely ill that night and the next day:) Thank the Lord I was better on Saturday and so far no one else has suffered. 

Time for the rodeo

A new fave spot for Collin

We didn't have plans Saturday. We were home. With no plans.  What?) And it was nice, well it was hot and humid, but it is August! I got up before the others and did some yoga and went for a walk (isn't it amazing how you feel after you've been sick? I felt so good and just wanted to do everything!) Collin took a long nap and Dave decided to powerwash the house and all kinds of things outside. It took awhile, but it was well worth it! The house looks great, it is amazing how dirty things get out here in the woods. Blah. 

After we did some work, we wanted to have some fun! I threw some chicken in the crockpot, made some cucumber dill hummus (cucumber and dill from our garden) and we hit the boat to go swim somewhere. After taking awhile to find the right place (and a new one, a beach over at the Buckhorn State Park) we enjoyed some time in the evening sun. Kate was having a blast and the weather was perfect, but again, our little timer Collin let us know it was time to go. He is really struggling with his naps lately, sometimes we get two a day, sometimes one, sometimes they are long, sometimes short. I have no idea what each day will bring and our busy plans don't help much:) That day, he didn't get his afternoon nap and at suppertime, he was not happy! So, we made a quick journey back and had supper. The little man ate like he had never been fed in his life! He is my picky eater and he had nearly a whole chicken breast and some wild rice. I was so happy:) 

Hanging at a beach at Buckhorn State Park (across the water from our neighborhood)

It was a beautiful evening...

And to cap off the day, Kate and Daddy had a campout in the backyard. I have been dying to go somewhere and camp, to explore a bit of Wisconsin, but it just hasn't worked out yet (and may not this summer, I guess!) So, I begged for at least a backyard campout. We decided Collin would stay inside and I would stay with him in case he woke up and Dave would go out with Kate (Dave's choice). We made a fire and Kate was very much enjoying the alone time with Mom and Dad and staying up late. Unfortunately, we had a very brief but steady rain that forced us prematurely into the tent. It did stop, but by then, it was probably time to just go to bed. So, I left them out there and went inside. 

She couldn't keep her eyes open for my flash

Goodnight, my campers!

I brought Dave some coffee in the morning and woke them up for church and I could tell instantly that Dave had not slept well:) It was just a little hard to tell him that Collin didn't make a peep the whole night! As I unzipped the tent to come in, I heard Kate say, "Mama!" She was on her cot and was beaming at me - I guess her night went well! (she has a nice cot, Dave and I....not so much)

And in very exciting family news, on Friday morning, I was informed of my brother's engagement to his long-time girlfriend, Kylie Kruse! Woo hoo! We have thought of her as family (and her family:) for awhile, but it is just so exciting to have it all official and to celebrate this couple. The fam is coming up this weekend for our annual summer vacation and what a wonderful time to be together. Love you guys! That's the next post! 

The happy couple! (at Collin's 1st birthday)

Hello Baby Quinn!

I will have to admit that I found it hard not to be able to see Tony, Tara & Quinn when they first arrived back in the states. And that we were going to miss Quinn's baptism. But, timing is not something you can have a whole lot of control over sometimes and after being emotional for a couple days, I was fine:) 

We finally were able to get down and see them Monday, Aug. 4. Yes, we drove straight back from Missouri on Sunday, Aug. 3 and arrived late at night (though we had a great trip back and made good time!) Dave had to get to work Monday morning and I turned us around and drove with the kids back to Iowa. I actually didn't even unpack, just did a little rearranging and put the bags back in the car. And it did feel good to be home for even 12 hours! We arrived at Mom and Dad's in the afternoon and Dave made a quick trip after he was done with work. He could only stay a few hours, but we appreciated that he did it so we could have the whole family together for at least those few hours! 

(Great) Grandma Oehlke made the trip down on Monday as well to see Quinn, so that was nice to have time with her as well. We also were able to do quite a few fun things even though we were only there for a short time. Monday night was our brief family time together, we had pizza and played cards. Tuesday we went down to Decorah and grabbed some yummy food at the Oneota Coop and had fun out at Phelps Park. 

I think these were the reason she wanted to come here so bad

Quinn also loved it:)

Collin had a great time!

Always trying to get a good pic of them together:)

Big girl

Loved getting splashed:)

Later that night, we all went out to Kruse's and had fun running around outside and getting a special ride on the tractor from Uncle Andy! (well, the little ones and Amanda!)

Playing outside at the farm

I think we all love it when these kids get together:)

Some new pals! Ivy and Collin liked hanging out together

Sweet Quinn enjoying the outdoors:)

They are not silly at all:)

Waiting patiently for their turn to ride

Wednesday we relaxed at home and said goodbye to Tony, who was heading back to Japan the next day. Tara and Quinn were joining him in the Twin Cities that night before his early flight. So it was time to soak them all up!

She's getting so big already!

Kate took this:)

The grandkids

After they left, we played outside in the nice weather and then the kids and I stopped by Wellington to see (Great) Grandma on our way home. She was sitting ready for supper about 45 minutes before they serve:) and it was rather tricky keeping Collin near us. I kept running after him and didn't get to chat that much with Grandma! Then Kylie walked by (she works there!) and she took Kate to go help get supper ready, which she thoroughly enjoyed. So, it was a short visit, but always a good one. Grandma always says how she doesn't see us enough, so I need to try and get there more often! 

She loves seeing the kids:) Always asks me to bring them more

Fun in the Sun in the Ozarks!

We had a week back home after the golf tournament to get ready for a long trip/vacation down to Missouri for Dave's family reunion.  I was actually looking forward to the road trip more than I have in awhile. A year and a half? 17 months? How old is Collin?  :) I think I was very much in need of a getaway and the weather looked good, we were going to have a nice extended visit with Dave's family - awesome! 

We broke the trip up going down (it has taken as long as 11.5 hours and as short at 9ish to make the trip from Wisconsin) Dave had a board meeting and commitments on Saturday so we decided to get to Cedar Rapids Saturday night and have a normal bedtime and then get up early on Sunday and head the rest of the way down. I think it was a good plan and we enjoyed spending a little time in Iowa (getting ice cream:), the kids loved the hotel room and we made Sunday a bit better by having some energy and not needing to recuperate from the trip. 

The kids did great on the ride, when Collin did get fussy, he was just bored and wanted Dave or I to sit back by him and play and it wasn't that often. We got to Lake Ozark right before 2 p.m. and had enough time to head out on the boat and really enjoy the warm weather! Laurie had already arrived and we had the whole family together again:) So fun and relaxing. 

Monday brought more boating and swimming, as well as pedicures for the girls - Kate's first one! She was a little hesitant at first and she wanted me right by her side. So, I waited so I could have the chair next to her special youth/Bear chair. While we waited and watched, she slowly got more and more excited. Surprisingly, she picked a blue for her toes. Lately, blue is also her favorite color. Because of Elsa.  :) She did great with the pedicure and the gal added some unexpected sparkles and art. I have heard much about it lately and she wants to get a pedicure "every day."  :) 

As it got closer to the weekend, there was more to do for the reunion (mostly Bobbi!) but we managed to find time to do a little shopping, Dave and I had a lunch date, Dave golfed and we had a gathering with the friends in the neighborhood at Rich & Robin's (dear friends) pool. 

Kate playing in the lake with Aunt Laurie

After watching a few of us go, Kate was ready for the Wave Runner! She loved it:)

Having fun at Rich & Robin's! 

Lots of quality time with Aunt Lou! Yay!

A pretty fun set up! 

On Wednesday, Laurie had to return to New York and Aunt Becky arrived from California. So sad to see Laurie go, but grateful that we got to spend time with her! It was also wonderful to share time with Aunt Becky again so soon! Relatives (the Claussen family) started arriving Thursday night, and we had a fun boat ride out to dinner with Becky and cousin Craig. 

From Friday through Sunday, Ron and Bobbi's house (our home away from home) was the gathering place for up to 40 family members to hang out - eat, drink and visit. The kids did well and went to quite a few of them! I will say that Bobbi, Becky, Dave and I spent countless hours tagging after Collin and going up and down the stairs with him. Thank goodness it is right where the action is and you can still talk with people. Kind of:)

Where we spent a lot of time:)

This drool-monster loves steps!

Highlights for Collin....anything that had a steering wheel or motor:) We knew he liked trucks and tractors and such, but he was completely obsessed with the boat and golf cart. He would throw a fit if he saw them and couldn't ride. He had to "drive" them and was only happy if he was helping someone drive. It was pretty cute, but we did have to take it into account when maneuvering around during the week! 

His preferred position

Collin is flirting with changing his nap schedule. Traveling always messes with it a bit, but he has been cutting a nap many days, which is.....okaaay....:) But I would much rather keep him napping well and often! The first couple days, he would take his morning nap and then we could get him to sleep on a boat ride in the afternoon. Not bad for all involved! Thanks Grandma Bobbi for holding the sleeping boy in his life jacket:) 

Best place for a nap - the boat!

Kate did really well swimming in the lake off the boat. She also used her life jacket a lot in the pool, which I had hoped would change a bit after some swim lessons, but she just loves getting around the whole pool in that jacket. She also met some friends, girls older than her, at the pool. So sweet to see them play so well together. They lived across the street and a few nights they would be shouting back and forth or visiting. Pretty cute. 

All dressed up for dinner. Kate had to have the hat:)

There was a more formal meal at Osage National Golf Course (where Dave golfed with his dad and some friends earlier in the week) on Saturday night, which was a beautiful spot and we had some wonderful photos taken, yeah!

The Heilmman crew at dinner -missed you Laurie!

It was a wonderful, summery week and I am already looking forward to another summer vacation down there next year:) I have a few more to add, but here are more photos from the week - click here.