Iowa :: Boating + Hanging Out

The mornings were the most challenging part with the dogs since they get up so early to go out and eat. We found a nice rhythm of meeting their needs and then chilling on the deck or in the basement (with a chai for me!) until most other humans were awake. 

 Kenz stayed at the lake with us for a few days and it was great! One day we all went down to the dock and just hung out. The kids made a lot of anklets and talked.

 We tried out Master Detective Clue to go along with our recent Clue kick. It was fun, but really long with all those extra people, rooms, and weapons. We ended up all making a random guess so we could be clear the table for dinner.

 Hannah's new hat. She loves it. Little did she know it was about to fly off her head into the lake...but we rescued it with a fishing net.

 Mom was a master driver who turned the boat around and guided me to the hat so I could scoop it up on the first go around.

 Indoor s'mores were a huge hit! All you need is dipping chocolate, marshmallows, graham crackers, and pretzels or skewers. So good!!

Erica and Nick came back for a day and Nick took us all on a slow cruise to look at houses on the lake. 

 Ozzy likes to go fast. It's like sticking your head out the car window, but it's your whole body.

Hannah had some time on the float when we got back.

Paddle boat fishing expedition.

Mandatory cousin picture. Zane: 10, Nick: 15, Kenz: weeks away from 14, Hannah: weeks away from 8. 

 Ozzy enjoyed the deck.

 She was up to 32 by the time we left.

 Grandmama taught Hannah how to use angles to make pool shots. Always a math teacher :)

 Last boat ride before heading home.

 I like this pic because it shows that Ozzy is fearless in the boat, while Rue prefers to stay out of the wind. Kinda opposite of their personalities at home.

Thank you everyone for the great time!

Iowa :: Swimming + Tubing + Birthdays

A few days before we left, we had our neighbor come over and cut Hannah and I's hair on out deck. Hannah opted for a bob! She absolutely loves it and the semi-permanent color put it over the top!!

 We've been going back and forth on whether or not to go to Iowa for quite some time. Is it safe to travel? Will we expose our family if we're asymptomatic? How will we do the gas/bathroom stop? In the end we decided that now was the time and we just went for it, and we're so glad we did! We were able to HUG people again and for 6 whole days we pretended like there wasn't a pandemic and that's exactly what we all needed.

 Hannah was a fishing machine! I think she caught 8 or 9, but was reluctant to touch them.

 Ozzy found his dream partner. Someone who would carry him around in a pouch!

 Rue is a water dog! She would run onto the dock, leap onto the big float, then into the water, swim to shore, and do it all over again. Around and around. She was one happy, tired girl!

 This was the only time Ozzy experimented with being on the water. He's more of a dock guy.

 Grandma and Grandpa have a kayak now and it got lots of use!

 Uncle Adam was an expert tube puller/boat driver (Grandpa is too, but I didn't take any pics the first day). Rue does not enjoy being sprayed with water while riding in the boat and tends to keep close to the driver for protection.

 Making her birthday cupcakes!

 Just hanging out...literally.

Rue getting some loves. 

 Present time! Rainbow lava lamp? Yes please!

 Mason snuck this drawing that he made for Hannah down and my dad framed it up. It's beautiful!!

 Cupcake face smash!

 Nick and Hannah play her new favorite game: On a Scale of 1 to T-Rex.

 Just two weirdos chillin' on the couch.

 Grandpa helped Hannah give the fairy door a makeover.

 Birthday girls - 14 and 8 (soon for both).

MKT + Creek + Silks

The kids trade off who's turn it is to bake something delicious. We really like this gluten free brownie mix from Aldi. As is, it makes great brownies. Most of the time we follow the "chocolate brownie cookie" recipe on the back. This time we made the cookies and added some mini marshmallows for a little something extra. It was delightful!

They usually start their mornings with a snarly dog fight.

Play hard, rest hard...right Rue?

Over the weekend we went to the MKT trail. The kids rode bikes while Mason and I struggled to walk the dogs in an orderly fashion. We have since researched how to get them to heel and I'm happy to report that it's working...slowly. This was a cool little trail that was maybe only 100ft long but it ended in a neat little "fairy garden" that was nothing like the rest of the trail.

We found the old railway explosives bunker.

Rinsing her hands in the drips of water falling from the cliff.

We allowed them to go 2 benches ahead of us and then they either had to circle back or wait for us at the bench. This one was our favorite because of the view of the Missouri River and the shade. Zane is using my bike now! We tried to get him a new one, but we learned that there is a nationwide bike shortage right now because everyone is home. We have friends who own the local bike shop and they are on the lookout for us!

There was about a week of lovely weather where we enjoyed our back porch almost every day. The doggies loved it!

When it's too hot for outside, or raining, we play games. Our favorite right now is Clue. We started with Clue Junior (where you find out who ate the cake, with what drink, in which room) and then ordered the vintage Clue game. 

 Some friends asked if we wanted to go to their secret creek since we won't be going to the pool this summer. Apparently it used to be a lot deeper so you could drop off the rope swing without hurting yourself, but we still had fun.

 Rue is a swimmer!! She was hesitant at first, but really didn't like being away from her people and made her way in. She was also terribly snazzy and embarrassing with all the barking and inability to not lunge on leash. We have to remind ourselves frequently that she's a toddler that had a rough start to life. Patience!

Hannah enjoying the rope swing. It worked well if you managed to land on your feet.

Ozzy is a very reluctant swimmer.

 After a bit, we moved further down the creek to a deeper spot so the kids could actually swim. And so Rue would stop freaking out and I could let her off leash since it was more secluded. The day improved greatly once we were there. It was so nice to be with friends and talk in person!!

 On the walk back to the car, Hannah put her towel in the swim bag and I guess I was too distracted with the dogs to notice the weight immediately. This is the lovely selection of river rocks that came home with us. I did notice the weight as we were going up the steep path back to the car, but by then I'd already committed.

 Rue loves her new Kong.

Ozzy is a frog dog. 

 Ozzy often curls up into the smallest ball possible. He's very cat-like and we love him for it.

Back in March, Hannah's dance class was cancelled. Ever since Zane got a hammock for Easter, she has been using it to teach her self aerial dance moves! She has talked about "silks" ever since she and I went to see a Halloween performance put on by the local aerial dance studio. She reminds me often that the minimum age to take classes is 10. We were blown away by her backyard show, and her commitment to do this on her own! To see her routine, click HERE. Then we had a fun time taking some stills.