This is what the house looked like today.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Fun in the Sun
After a 9 hour drive, we arrived at my parent's cottage 'up north'. My Mom and Dad stayed with us over the weekend and left on Sunday night. Our family had the cottage all to ourselves Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. My parent's came back up on Wednesday night.
Enjoying the fire.
The kids having a snack on the beach in Elk Rapids (about 15 minutes from the cottage). The girls favorite spot to swim was where the Elk River emptied into Lake Michigan.
Celebrating my 32nd birthday! The girls went shopping with David and picked out some gifts for me. They got me candy and a hand painted turtle watering can.
A picture of Torch Lake. This lake is 18 miles long and the water looks like the Carribean - it is super clear and has a turquoise hue.
While we rode on the pontoon boat, the girls loved to watch the water go by.
Papa even let the kids drive the boat.
Toes in the water as we went up the Grass River.
Jett playing on the shore of the Grass River.
We had a great time and excellent weather while we were at the cottage. On Saturday we drove to my parent's house in Grand Rapids. We visited our old neighbors who had a baby after we left. It was strange (not sad) passing our old house and seeing others people's stuff there. On Sunday we attended Ada Bible Church. It was great seeing many of our friends again.
This was our first trip back to Michigan since we moved. We didn't know what feelings to expect. As much as we enjoyed seeing family and friends, we were ready to get back to our life in Iowa. This is where we are meant to be and have no regrets moving!
We had a great time and excellent weather while we were at the cottage. On Saturday we drove to my parent's house in Grand Rapids. We visited our old neighbors who had a baby after we left. It was strange (not sad) passing our old house and seeing others people's stuff there. On Sunday we attended Ada Bible Church. It was great seeing many of our friends again.
This was our first trip back to Michigan since we moved. We didn't know what feelings to expect. As much as we enjoyed seeing family and friends, we were ready to get back to our life in Iowa. This is where we are meant to be and have no regrets moving!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Last Minute Trip
John Deere has what they call "shut down" this past week and next week. I think it is a time where they clean and repair things in the shop. They encourage employees to take a vacation during this time. David thought he would not take vacation, but use this 'quiet' time to get more work done. Well, David decided yesterday that he would like to take vacation time next week.
This has left me scrambling to get a trip to Michigan planned. I called my Mom and she said we were welcome to come up to their cottage on Torch Lake. We thought about taking the ferry across Lake Michigan, but the convenient times were not available - go figure. I am currently doing laundry, so I can pack clean clothes for the kids. At least the cottage has everything else and all I need to worry about bringing is clothes!
We will be leaving after lunch and are not sure how far we will drive. We may spend the night at my parent's house in Cascade and then drive the rest of the way on Saturday morning. Thank goodness for dvd players in the car!
This has left me scrambling to get a trip to Michigan planned. I called my Mom and she said we were welcome to come up to their cottage on Torch Lake. We thought about taking the ferry across Lake Michigan, but the convenient times were not available - go figure. I am currently doing laundry, so I can pack clean clothes for the kids. At least the cottage has everything else and all I need to worry about bringing is clothes!
We will be leaving after lunch and are not sure how far we will drive. We may spend the night at my parent's house in Cascade and then drive the rest of the way on Saturday morning. Thank goodness for dvd players in the car!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The Fair
Today I met my sister-in-law (& kids) at the Dubuque county fair for a few hours. The girls have been itching to go ever since dinner on Monday night when Morgan said, "I see a ferris wheel." Yes, we can see and hear (mainly the races and nightly music) the fair from our back deck.
It was a typical fair... farm animals, 4-H exhibits, food stands, rides, games and fair folk. I love going to the fair to watch all the interesting people that attend it. The girls were entertained by a magician for about 30 minutes. I had to pull them away so we could go see/touch the animals. Jett was facinated by the cows and kept making his "et" sound which means he sees an animal. We watched a show by Dave The Horn Guy which I really enjoyed. We walked around all the rides so the girls could decide what they wanted to go on later. At some point Jett lost his pacifier and was not going to settle down without it, so we went home.
After David came home from work, we went back to the fair. Morgan and Carmen went on several kid rides together and had a blast. Morgan was tall enough for the swinging ship ride, so David went on that with her. They sat in the end row and he had to hold Morgan down when they went up in the air because she was lifting off the seat. Once we ran out of tickets, we went and watched the tractor pulls. This was our first time observing such an 'interesting' event. It was very loud! On our way out, we caught the end of the tiger show. It was amazing to see these large cats so close up.
Another day making memories with the kids.
It was a typical fair... farm animals, 4-H exhibits, food stands, rides, games and fair folk. I love going to the fair to watch all the interesting people that attend it. The girls were entertained by a magician for about 30 minutes. I had to pull them away so we could go see/touch the animals. Jett was facinated by the cows and kept making his "et" sound which means he sees an animal. We watched a show by Dave The Horn Guy which I really enjoyed. We walked around all the rides so the girls could decide what they wanted to go on later. At some point Jett lost his pacifier and was not going to settle down without it, so we went home.
After David came home from work, we went back to the fair. Morgan and Carmen went on several kid rides together and had a blast. Morgan was tall enough for the swinging ship ride, so David went on that with her. They sat in the end row and he had to hold Morgan down when they went up in the air because she was lifting off the seat. Once we ran out of tickets, we went and watched the tractor pulls. This was our first time observing such an 'interesting' event. It was very loud! On our way out, we caught the end of the tiger show. It was amazing to see these large cats so close up.
Another day making memories with the kids.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Construction Begins
Last week we signed the contract with the builder and closed on the lot. Our future home will be on Amber Ridge Drive in Asbury, Iowa. Here is a picture of the front of the lot:
Here is a picture of the back of the lot:
We are standing where our front porch will be:
Yesterday a hole was dug and the footings were poured:
This neighborhood is much different than the one we moved from in Michigan. There are around 300 homes in the subdivision. Most of the lots are 1/3 acre with some larger than this. We are building in one of the final phases and I think our lot is 1/3 acre. It will be so much easier to maintain this yard! There are bike trails that go around/through the subdivision. We picked our lot because it allowed for a walkout and it has a bike trail going along the back of it. This trail will be great for the kids to play on and will lead to a park that is currently being constructed.
Here is a picture of the back of the lot:
We are standing where our front porch will be:
Yesterday a hole was dug and the footings were poured:
This neighborhood is much different than the one we moved from in Michigan. There are around 300 homes in the subdivision. Most of the lots are 1/3 acre with some larger than this. We are building in one of the final phases and I think our lot is 1/3 acre. It will be so much easier to maintain this yard! There are bike trails that go around/through the subdivision. We picked our lot because it allowed for a walkout and it has a bike trail going along the back of it. This trail will be great for the kids to play on and will lead to a park that is currently being constructed.
Friday, July 18, 2008
A Tea Party
Remember last Friday I had to quit typing and check on Jett crying downstairs? By the time I got down there he had stopped crying and this is what I found.
How cute...a tea party. The girls were all dressed up. They had water in the tea pot and gold fish on the plates. The table was also filled with assorted plastic food. This brought back memories from my childhood in which me and my sister would subject our younger brother to stuff like this. At least Jett was not dressed up in 'fancy' girl clothes. He was loving the tea party and took it as an opportunity to drink from a 'real' cup and have a snack with his sisters.
Here is something else that I found this week.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Morgan is 7 Years Old
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MORGAN!
just born
one
two
three
four
five
five
six
seven
Morgan, it is hard to believe that God blessed us with you seven years ago. We are so proud to have you as a daughter!
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