Summer Countdown 5 to 1

 5. We went to the Iowa State Fair!  We went the year we moved here and were grossly underprepared for the crowds, the price tag, and the sheer number of exhibits and animals and shows there were to choose from.  This year we were much more prepared, and we had a great time!  

The kids all loved playing farmer,

and we saw baby ostriches and chicks and piglets

and spent plenty of time on the kids playground watching silly shows about flying rubber chickens and listening to bands,

we ate hard boiled eggs on a stick and bacon wrapped ribs on a stick and footlong corndogs on a stick and popcorn and ice cream and cookies and funnel cakes... 

 

Of course we saw the grand butter cow!  And while we were in the agriculture building in front of the blue ribbon corn exhibit someone legitimately brought their kid up to Jason and said, "Ask this guy anything about corn and he'll tell you!  He knows a whole lot about corn!" Made Jason's day.

We explored tiny dollhouses 

and rode down the giant slide, which was so bumpy that it jiggled one of Noah's crazy snaggle teeth right out!

We spent a good chunk of the day saying, "Oh, I'm not here with these fellas.  I got a piggin' competition down at the livestock pavilion, and I am gonna WIN that blue ribbon!" 

 We saw bunnies and petted horses and saw the biggest bull in Iowa

 and just when we thought we couldn't walk any farther we hopped onto the sky glider and rode back across the fair.   

We had a great time, and best of all, we quit while we were ahead.  That was a fun day!

4. We went kayaking at Grays Lake on a beautiful summer afternoon!

 

 

 

We switched back and forth between the peddleboat and the kayak so everyone could have a turn with both. 

Emma was our mermaid! 

 I just love dock pictures.

 And happy family pictures too. 

3. We spent an afternoon exploring a beautiful arboretum

 and finally found Emma her willow trees!  (She has a thing with willow trees- they are just magical!)

 
 This labyrinth... when we saw it on the map we thought hedges and secret passage ways!  But it was just a maze formed out of bricks in the ground.  I call that the Iowa standard (take what you're envisioning, lower it a few notches, and you won't be disappointed).
Did that stop these little cuties from having fun?

 Of course not!  It was the perfect place for a good "hum-bochi-booba" session.

 And Laney had a great time running after them!

More willow trees!

 Ever summer I feel especially grateful for the chance I get to witness the secret kids club that is these four babies of ours.  They have so much fun together, creating and imagining and making the best childhood memories.

Laney had the best time digging underneath this teepee we constructed. 

 And after a long afternoon of enjoying the arboretum together, we met up with Daddy for some ice cream!

Ice cream was definitely the treat of choice this summer.

 Jason biked with the kids to Orange Leaf another final summer day. I think it was the last thing to check off of our summer bucket list. 

I think that was the same day Leah was a magicians assistant!

2. We did another round of kayaking, this time without Daddy but with the pup!

 We rented two kayaks and a canoe, and once we scooped out two errant frog tagalongs, we had a great time paddling around the cutest little lake in Jester Park. 

 

 And Laney did great!  She knows her people and wants to be with all the kids all the time, 

so we passed her from boat to boat.  This might be my favorite picture of summer right here. 

 We only ran into this tree twice!

 Emma was my best paddling buddy, while Noah spent 28 of the 30 minutes we had in the boat asking if we could be done yet. 

 

 

 That was a lot of fun!

And, as a bonus, we followed a trail 

and found a new "hum-bochi-booba" place.  

 

I love when we find new adventures at home!

And lets just say... it's all fun and games until someone wets their pants.  I guess we were gone for kind of a long time. 

1. And finally, an impromptu night at a food truck fair at the church behind our house. 

 The girls got some super fancy face paint, which was fun because I never want to spend the time in line or the money on face paint anywhere ever. 

 And everyone got balloon art

 which Daddy carried around in a daddy-like manner while the kids jumped on all the bounce houses. 

We finally said yes to kona ice!

Adam's scar is from a super fun Harry Potter night at the library that he attended with Leah.  

 And then we walked our way back home, happy to live in such a great neighborhood in such a great state.

I've heard it said that Iowa is a terrible place to visit but a great place to raise a family, but I'm pretty confident that we rocked both this summer.  It was definitely the best staycation we've ever had, and we were sad to see our lazy summer days come to an end.