Merry Christmas

Madelyn posing with her mittens and hat made specially for her by Aunt Cetta! Also sporting the High School Musical pj's from Cailey!















The dog enjoyed wearing Maggie's earmuffs after she opened them!


































Hats by Aunt Cetta!













The girls love "twirly" dresses!!





Has it really been that long since my last post?!? As with everyone else, the later you get in the year, the crazier it gets! Things are going well here in Iowa. The girls had a great night trick-or-treating for Halloween. We ended up having very mild weather which allowed the girls to wear their costumes without coats! (I remember never wanting to wear a coat on Halloween night when it was cold! What was the point of a costume if nobody could see it!) Amber chose to be Silvermist, the water fairy from Tinkerbell, Maggie went as a cheerleader complete with pom poms and pigtails! Madelyn started out wanting to be a ladybug, but changed her mind at the last minute and wore her costume from last year, the Cool Kitty! This was the first year that we have ever handed out candy (we lived at the end of a dead-end street in OH!) so Rob stayed behind and I walked the girls around. They gathered more than enough loot and we handed out around 5 bags of candy!

November brought my parents for a nice visit. The girls were able to enjoy an early Christmas with them and we had a nice, quiet visit. Rob and my Dad installed a hood over the kitchen stove, complete with light! I don't know how I've cooked without one for so long! :)

Thanksgiving was very quiet here. We enjoyed a nice meal and lounged around. The girls loved watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade too.

We decorated for Christmas early this year. Last year was so rushed, we only had time to put up a tree. I got my wish and we got a REAL tree this year! It smells wonderful and I can honestly say that it has lasted quite a while! We don't have too many needles on the ground! The girls really like it too. We had fun decorating it even though the tree kept "biting" them!














Santa came!! Decorations over the mantle and in the dining room.

















Papa drove out on Christmas Eve and spent the holiday with us. (We're so happy he actually made it out because the weather has been downright crappy!) The girls loved waking up on Christmas morning knowing that Santa had been here and that Papa was here! We enjoyed a nice prime rib (yum!) Christmas dinner complete with my Dad's wine. (BTW Dad, that was our last bottle! :) ) One of the gifts that the girls got was a birdhouse/birdfeeder that they built with Dad and Papa and then painted. They had a great time doing that and Madelyn is quite the little painter! The brush goes in each color, just once!


















Maggie is loving pre-school and doing great. She had to miss one day before Christmas break because our garage door broke (frozen to the ground) and Daddy was out of town! She was bummed about that one. (Luckily we had two days left on our home warranty!)

Amber is doing well as a 7th grader. She went to the Christmas Dance and had a great time. She came home with two sets of Jingle Bells which hang (usually) on the doorknobs.

Madelyn continues to grow up right before our very eyes. One afternoon I was in the dining room talking to Rob and I heard her in the kitchen. I walked out there to find that she had pulled out a chair, climbed onto the counter, opened the cupboard to get herself some pudding! Stinker.

We hope that everyone has had a wonderful and safe Christmas. We miss being able to get-together with everyone but think of you all a lot! Wishing you all a safe, happy and prosperous New Year!

It's been a long time.......

Wow, how time flies! It has been a long time since our last post and quite a lot has gone on. The girls made good use of their Easter gifts of umbrellas and matching boots playing in a gentle rain one afternoon. It reminded me of the many times my brother and I spent with Lisa and Tim Rardin back in Marysville playing in the rain while our parents sat on the front porch watching us. We played in the rain all the time and sailed sticks and paper boats down 5th street "hill" all the time! What fun we used to have!



One of Maggie's classmates had a birthday in late September that was celebrated at his grandparent's house. Maggie and I were VERY happy to see that they had a horse!! Madelyn loved him too (Lucky Dollar is his name) but I think was a bit overwhelmed by his size. The girls had a great time celebrating not only Brock's 5th birthday, but his sister Jada's 2nd birthday. I run into Brock's grandmother when dropping off and picking Maggie up from pre-school and when she found out Madelyn's birthday was close to Jada's, she invited her too!








Having hot dogs, chips and lemonade! The boys ate at one end of the table and the girls at the other. They all played the games though! They had a balloon pop, pin the tail on the donkey (which I had to do since Maggie wouldn't put the blindfold on and Madelyn was too short!), a pinata, hayride and horse ride! They had cotton candy and cake too! The girls didn't want to leave, and if I would have had a pair of jeans, I would have stayed and ridden Lucky Dollar!




Holding on for dear life!!!













Amber's artwork in the garage. She is very talented and creative. We had to get a picture of it before it disappeared from being rolled over!













Look!! I'm three now! We celebrated Madelyn's 3rd birthday on the 22nd. Where does the time go? She got a Wonder Pets fly boat and her favorite things were her Hannah Montana doll and blanket. We still can't figure out where the obsession for Hannah Montana came from, we don't watch the show!












Madelyn loves lady bugs so I got creative with her cake.



It is amazing to see how quickly the landscape around here changes. What used to be so lush and green is now shades of brown and very dry. Our neighbor works for Pioneer and one afternoon we went with him to one of the fields they were harvesting. Maggie and I got to ride in a corn-picker and watch them off-load the corn. We really enjoyed ourselves and I'm still amazed that there is so much to learn about corn! Hopefully we'll be able to let Madelyn and Amber ride before all the corn is harvested. They are late this year due to the terrible spring we had.

The girls are excited for Halloween. Amber is going to be Silver Mist, the water fairy from Tinkerbell. Maggie is going to be a cheerleader and Madelyn is going to be a ladybug! I think that dad is going to take them and mom will pass out candy. This will actually be the first year that we have ever passed out candy. When we lived in Ohio, we lived at the end of a dead-end street and nobody came down there! I've been talking to the neighbors and there is apparently a lot of traffic on our street!

Amber is doing well in school. She brought home her interim report yesterday and had all A's and B's with one C. Maggie is loving pre-school and Madelyn (and Mommy) love their "Teensy Time" when Maggie is at school.

We went "antiquing" one Sunday afternoon and found some bargains. (Well, in our eyes anyway.) We went to a neighboring town called Eldridge where they had pumpkins, apples, a few vendors and much to my delight, three barns FULL of antiques! We got a desk (perfect for Rob's office and his laptop) for $1.75. We cleaned it up, painted the top black and it looks great! We also got a stool (not an antique by any means, but useful) for $2.00. I took the nasty fabric off, put some new on and voila` new seat that is perfect for the computer! We also got a metal and wood kindergarten school chair that I love, the girls do too. I want to go back and get a few other things I saw.

We hope that this blog finds everyone well (if anyone reads it :) ) and we wish you a Happy Halloween!

Goodbye August, Hello September

Maggie started her first day of pre-school on August 25. She is going to Campus for Kids and Miss Becky is her teacher. Miss Becky has been the teacher there for 17 years, so she knows what she is doing! Maggie is one of 10 kids in the class and only 3 of them are girls. Being in the company of so many boys has been an adjustment for her! She really enjoys pre-school though. The first week she was a bit nervous and didn't want to go and be without us, but this past Wednesday she was ready to go at 8:15! They get to do all sorts of cool things there like paint pictures and play with the Science center. It really is a good school and she is doing better each day she goes! (Madelyn wants to go too!)

While Maggie was at pre-school on her first day, we watched our neighbor's little girl Bailey. The girls absolutely love her and can't get enough of her. We love watching her because she is such a good baby! Here she is glamming it up for the camera!

We had been talking about camping "out" for a while now, so we took a trip to Farm & Fleet where they were blowing tents out and found this 7 person tent which is perfect for us when you factor in the dog. We set it up (easier than we anticipated) and the girls played in it all afternoon. We weren't sure whether or not they would sleep all night in it, but they did and they loved it. They strongly objected the next day when we took it down. (I am still amazed that we were able to get it back in the case along with ALL the parts!) That was the first time I had ever slept in a tent. (When I showed horses, we had campers and considered that "roughing it," though we slept in the barn several times.) I wouldn't mind camping "out" once more before the weather changes!

Blue slept in the tent with us because he had to keep watch over his girls. He absolutely freaks out if he is inside and they are outside.

Madelyn and Daddy played the guitar and we made smores once the sun went down. The night was beautiful and the stars were plentiful.

We celebrated Amber's 12th birthday on Sunday. She got Disney Monopoly, a new lamp, books, some makeup (which Madelyn found first as evidenced in the picture below) and the High School Musical DVD. We also went to Dairy Queen for some ice cream. (Now that we live in the country we have to plan these trips! The closest one is a 15 minute ride away!)

Flashback to 1980........all she needs now is pair of legwarmers and she'll be set.

Monday found us at a friend's house for a cookout. We ate good food, had great fellowship with our friends and the girls had fun. Madelyn found the desserts....and then a wet wipe.

Our weather had been stinky the past few days. It hasn't been over 60 degrees and Gustav found us. (I can honestly say that despite the deluge we received this spring, the crops really needed the rain.) We've learned more than ever about corn. Who knew there was male and female corn?!? Our neighbor Merrill is going to take us out when they start harvesting. Should be fun and a great lesson for the girls! The next week looks better in terms of temperatures and sunshine, but cold in the evening! Guess that it is that time of year isn't it? I've got tomatoes to pick and possibly can if I have enough. I've been getting creative with tomatoes when it comes to cooking. The kids and Rob just look at what I've created and go, "Tomatoes again?!" They are quite tasty though and there is something pretty satisfying about walking out your back door, picking a tomato and some basil and having dinner. Since the tomatoes and cucumbers did well this year and I managed not to kill everything, I'll think that we'll expand the garden next year. (Thanks for all the lessons while growing up mom and dad!) Amber planted eggplant and though the squirrels got the first two, there is pretty big one growing now. Should make for some good Eggplant Parmesan!

Welcome August! (though it is half over...)

The girls....















All in a row....















Watching the kiddie tractor pull.....















Madelyn and Tommy (and their daddies)














Jumping off the porch..

It has been a busy August so far! We celebrated Rob's 35th birthday on the 7th with cake and presents. The girls and I made him a carrot cake with yummy cream cheese icing! We also got him a nice watch and a shirt. We had terrific steaks and fresh vegetables for dinner too. The following day the Durant Fireman's Festival started. They had games, rides and food. They also hosted the Durant Dusk Hustle which consisted of a block run for the kids, a 1 mile run and a 5k. I ran the short race with the girls in the jogging stroller. It was me and about 40 kids under the age of 10.....at least I wasn't last. We didn't stay too long at the festival, they didn't have rides for the small kids, nor did they have games. Oh well, hopefully the Wilton (next town over) has a better festival next weekend.

The highlight of our weekend was having my friend Lisa and her family stop by for lunch on Saturday. (pics above) John's family lives in Wisconsin and they were on their way there for a visit before heading to the beach for a week long visit in NC. Lisa and I have been friends literally forever...our families grew up together in Marysville and I can honestly say that I don't have a childhood memory that doesn't include the Rardin's. :) Anyway, we thoroughly enjoyed their visit and getting to know Anne Peyton and Tommy. (By the way Lis and John, Madelyn said that she is going to marry Tommy!! We'll definitely have to stage a mock wedding when we visit!) Maggie and Anne Peyton not only share the same middle name, but have an uncanny resemblance, must be the blond curly hair and blue eyes! The kids really enjoyed playing together and I enjoyed getting to talk to Lisa! (Forgot how much I really miss you!) Their visit was much too short and we look forward to a trip to Colorado soon.

The next week found us finishing the girl's room, school shopping and getting ready for our next visitors! We (read Rob) finished painting Maggie & Madelyn's room. They chose the colors Fussy Pink and Drama Violet and boy do those colors work in their room! Madelyn has two pink walls and Maggie has the violet walls. It looks great and they really like it!

School started on Monday so we were getting the obligatory new shoes and last minute supplies. (The amount of things that kids need for school is CRAZY! Gone are the days of just pens, paper and notebooks! We could have opened our own office supply store just with what we had to get for Amber!) Aunt Cetta, Cailey, Melody and Grandma came on Friday and we enjoyed a nice relaxing weekend with them. We went to the park and played in the backyard and just enjoyed their company. We celebrated Amber's and Madelyn's birthday on Sunday with great Iowa steaks, potatoes and of course, cake! Oh, and many presents. Amber got some very nice sketching pencils and books on how to draw and many other crafty things that will most definitely come in handy when the snow flies! Madelyn now loves anything Hannah Montana, though we've only seen the show once! She now has Hannah Montana barbie dolls, doodle pads and a dress up outfit! If I would have let her sleep in it Sunday she would have! All three of the girls got t-shirts with the Eiffel Tower. Cailey spent the month of July in France and saw many neat things. She went to Normandy, Versailles, Italy and a ton of other places. Whenever we would look at Cailey's pictures the girls would always say, "Look, it's the Eiffel Tower where Cailey is living!!" (Madelyn made her own, see below!)














Enjoying a book...














Madelyn's Eiffel Tower....















Madelyn at the park....















Melody going up the slide....















Amber's Paris t-shirt...



















Our very own Hannah Montana....

















Wet hugs for Grandma!!!!
















Waiting for the bus....















Off to school......7th grade here she comes!!!


I cannot believe that is now the 19th of August. Happy 38th Birthday (yesterday) to my brother (Nerd), miss you tons. We are still enjoying Iowa, the beauty of this place never ceases to amaze me. I have never seen so many different shades of green! It truly is beautiful. The night sky is also something to see. We sat outside on Friday night just looking at the stars. We actually had a hard time seeing some of them because the moon was so big and so bright! What we enjoy even more is the quiet. Night time with the windows open is the best. No honking horns, sounds of tires on Route 2 or loud bass car stereos going up and down Vine Street. We now hear locusts, the occasional car, tractors during the day and the bleating of the sheep at Stan's farm. What a difference a year makes!

In my haste to get the blog up and running, I neglected to mention Papa's trip in the middle of July! (Sorry Lloyd! I feel terrible!) Papa came on a Wednesday and the girls had a wonderful time with him. They played outside and just spent some quality time together. We had hoped that Rob would be able to take some time off, but he had to work Thursday and half of Friday. Lloyd rode with Rob down to Fort Madison (very southern border) on Thursday and got to see some more of Iowa. The picture with his girls was taken at a local restaurant called The Machine Shed. It can be compared to a Cracker Barrel, but this is a family-owned local restaurant that uses produce and beef from local farms. In other words, the beef is FANTASTIC. The first time that I had a steak here it practically melted in my mouth. I guess there is something to be said for corn-fed beef! Anyway, we had a wonderful time with Papa and hated to see him go. We look forward to his next visit!


I had to include a picture of winter. Seems appropriate on a day when it is 90 degrees out with 61% relative humidity. (It is moist out!) We had snow literally from the day after we moved in, December 22, through March. We felt like we were back in Cleveland with all the snow! Those that ride snowmobiles loved it though! The snow was so deep that they had their own trails, with stop signs and everything, running parallel to main roads. People use them as main modes of transportation in the winter. In fact it wasn't unusual to see a snowmobile or four-runner driving down the middle of the road.

We hope all is well with everyone and that you are enjoying summer!

We Finally Did It!!

Hello all! Well, I've finally forced myself to sit down and actually start this thing! It is so hard to believe that we have been here 7 months. At times it seems like we just moved in last week, and then it seems like we've been here forever! There is much to tell about our Iowa adventures so far, but that task seems daunting so I'll start with last weekend.

It occurred to me that I haven't seen much of this lovely state other than our little town and we haven't been that many places. Rob on the other hand, can drive most of the southeastern portion of Iowa with his eyes closed as he does it 5 days a week. Saturday we decided to drive north and take in the sites. Our original goal was to visit Dyersville where they filmed FIELD OF DREAMS. The field is just as it was in the movie and you can run the bases, etc. However, we took the scenic route and time just didn't allow it. We went to Anamosa, IA where we looked at several houses back in November/December. It is a quaint Willoughby-like town with antique shops, cafes, an acting theater and movie theater. It is also home to the National Motorcycle Museum which we decided to walk through. We saw many neat and very old bikes from the early 1900's to today. We saw Peter Fonda's bike from EASY RIDER and Evel Knievel's bike. (one of them anyway) The girls enjoyed it and we got a ton of pictures!

I should mention that Anamosa is also home to the Iowa State Penitentiary (picture above) which has housed some of the most dangerous criminals in Iowa. (www.asphistory.com for those that are curious.) This is also one of the reasons that we didn't choose Anamosa as our next home. One of the houses that we looked at happened to be right across the street from the courthouse which just happens to be right next to the penitentiary. On the flip side, the prison looks very much like a castle. The inmates built it in the 1800's and it is very majestic and regal.

Saturday afternoon (late) found us putting together a swing set for the girls. We had one in OH but left it there. (It was old and as I fondly referred to it, it was just a "tetanus shot waiting to happen.") Our new swing set has 3 swings (yea, no fighting for a swing), a merry-go-round for 3 kids (yea, no fighting to see who goes next), a slide, teeter totter and a trapeze bar. We lucked out because we not only got the last one, but it was on sale!!!!

We love our new house, pictures to follow, and have had many visitors so far. My parents were our first visitors in early April. We had lovely weather and went to the playground across the street and did some spring yard work. (It has been like Christmas for me watching our flowerbeds. I just don't know what is going to pop up next!) Memorial Day brought Bob, Tina, Josephine, Ryland and Kristin. We had a ball with them and Madelyn still asks where Kristin is! We were also able to celebrate Maggie's 4th birthday while they were here. Hard to believe the beginning of August is right around the corner and that will bring Cetta, Josephine and Melody!! The girls are totally excited for that one! I think their visit will coincide with Durant Days which is held in the park across the street!

School starts early this year, August 18 to be exact (and Uncle Tim's birthday!) Amber will be in the 7th grade and secretly I think that she is excited. Maggie starts pre-school on the 25th. She'll go every M-W-F from 9:00-11:30 AM. We went to see the school and it is very nice. They follow the Iowa State curriculum and the teacher has been there 17 years. Miss Becky is the sister of our neighbor and the aunt of Tyler who often comes over to play with "the girls." I did a lot of asking around regarding pre-schools, there are 3 here, and this is one everyone suggested. The pre-school also has a play group for kids 3 years old, but I don't think I can handle that. Sending one will be hard enough!

So much more to fill everyone in on, but I'm already being asked to go outside and play on the swing set!! Hugs to everyone, we miss you all!