Wise Old Visitors

My 83-year-old Uncle Glenn and 82-year-old Aunt Lynn stopped by on their way from their home in California to visit Grandma (his sister) and Grandpa on their mission in New Hampshire.  We were so excited to have visitors in Iowa!  Everyone stayed home for the morning to enjoy their company and hear their wisdom. 

Old people always have the best stories, and these are some of our oldest living relatives!  They told us about our relation to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Donny Osmond, 

and how Grandpa Gardner fixed Uncle Glenn's brand new 1957 Ford pick up when Aunt Lynn popped the door out of the frame, how Grandma Gardner was such an involved member of the community, and most importantly, the secret of a long life and a happy marriage- they've been together for 63 years!  

First Uncle Glenn said, "Well, try not to die," which the kids thought was hilarious, and then, more seriously, they said, "We grew up in an era where you didn't throw things away.  You took care of things.  And if something was broken, then you worked and fixed it.  It's the same with marriage.  You take care of each other and you don't give up on each other.  You say thank you, I love you, and I'm sorry a lot." 

That advice was almost as sweet as the tears that came while they said it.  The Gardner men, by my childhood recollection, were a tough and tender bunch.  

And then Uncle Glenn called Aunt Lynn a wimp because she doesn't walk his daily 18 holes of golf with him anymore (although it's actually because she had cancer and lost her grip on the club).  But the kids thought that was hilarious too. 

It was such a treat to have them visit, even just for one hour!  Family is our greatest source of joy!

The View

 I can't imagine ever getting tired of the views around our house. 

From my bike ride through the arboretum, 

to the early morning misty lake on the way to band, 

the sunrise on a walk, 

and the rainbow out the kitchen window, 

or the lake across the street, 

these views are incredible!

Emma and Her Cello

 One of the most exciting parts about moving to the WDM school district is the orchestra program! It's the only one in the area and we've had our eye on it for years.  And now Emma is officially part of the program!

After a bit of deliberation she decided to play the cello- a wild and fun instrument for this wild and fun girl!

Emma loves writing songs for her ukulele and composing short melodies on the piano, and now she's off to a pretty amazing start on the cello, too!  ;) 

School Trade Off

 

This school year will be so different from last year.  It's a return to what was once normal.  Last year is starting to fade like a dream as we settle into early mornings and long days of seminary, bus schedules, math tests, spelling quizzes, band, running club, science club, leadership club, watercolor class, orchestra and field trips. 

Right now the house is quiet.  There is a stark distinction between the calm and the crazy.

This year I won't get steady insights into all that is happening in their online classrooms, midday hugs, small stories about specific classes and classmates.  

I only get the information that they filter through and share with us at the end of the day. 

But I do get these beautiful little nuggets of their hearts during the day.  They come home and tell me they missed me and ask me what I did all day while they were gone (I love that they can't quite figure out what I might do without them around!), and I get to love them and feed them and fill them up for another full day. 

And I know that they're having experiences that I just can't recreate at home.  For better and for worse, they are finding their own places in the world. 

It's bittersweet, lonely, exciting, busy, calm, wonderful and heartbreaking all at once.  Just like motherhood itself. 

Just Life

This sad little trickle in the backyard is slowly being transformed into more of an actual creek, and Laney is loving it!

On nice afternoons we just hang out in the treehouse. 

Or in the front yard when it's raining. 

A good pup snuggled makes everything better. 

We're falling nicely into a back-to-school rhythm.  

Although some mornings are a little rougher than others, 

everyone is generally happy to get up and going every day. 

Laney has finally figured out what the bus is all about, and she doesn't like it one bit. 

She also doesn't like the voles that are streaking across our yard, and tries to dig them up every time she's outside. 

I found the perfect "thank you from our family" card. 

And we went to an I-Cubs baseball game! 

It's amazing the difference a few years can make in the ability to sit still and pay attention to the game (not that I did much of that- we went with friends and I was much more interested in conversation than the game!)  

We even stayed for the fireworks!

Labor Day Weekend

A few months ago we decided to take a big camping trip straight north for Labor Day weekend.  Seven hours "up" is Duluth, Lake Superior, and several beautiful waterfalls, hikes, and a national forest that we were excited to explore!  And as the weekend got closer and the calendar got fuller and the school days got busier and Jason spent the bulk of the week out of town.... we decided to shelve the trip and spend the weekend at home.  And it was an excellent choice!  We had so much fun at home.  

The annual family camping trip is a must, however busy we might be, so we went for year 2 of camping in our backyard. 

It had been gray and drizzly for days, but this night was perfect.  A big fire (there is never a shortage of yard waste that needs to be burned), all the classic camp foods (Noah was thrilled about the tinfoil dinners- "this is my favorite campfire meat!") and games, stories, and lots of laughs. 

Once it was completely dark outside I dared Adam to go down the zipline.  He said no way, even when Jason offered him $5, but he, Emma, and Leah all said yes when I offered them $20!  (I'm not very good at auctions, I guess.) So we all headed over to the familiar but pitch black darkness of the zipline, Jason headed down the stairs and across the bridge to the other side, and turned on his flashlight but pointed it to the ground.  It looked like what I imagine the Tree of Life scene to be like- plenty of darkness, fear of the unknown, but a clear path to safety right in front of you if you are only willing to hang on!

And hang on they all did!  There was plenty of cheering and hooping and hollering to make it even more exciting, and Noah cried with his face buried in my side for the whole six minutes we were away from the light of the fire, but they all did it!  

(And a few days later when Noah was wishing he could do something brave to earn $20, he happily rose to the challenge of staying in his own bed for a week, earning the money and a much better sleep for all of us, too!) 

The night was relatively uneventful- just two rounds of Uno and into bed.  I fell asleep while Jason told the tale of The Lego Ball, only to wake up in the middle of the night, once with Laney, once with Leah, and once with Jason, before rising early to take a picture of these snug little bugs and get Laney to her much needed grooming appointment. 

She didn't want to leave the kids!

I brought a big surprise back with me- friends! 

That made for a super fun Saturday. 

Which was followed by a birthday party for Emma, a full Sunday with Elder Morgan for Jason, and two back-to-back BBQs on Monday with several families from church- all things we wouldn't have been able to say yes to if we had taken our trip north.  Several times over the course of the 3 day weekend I said, "We could still be camping right now... we could still be sleeping on the ground right now... we could still be living outside right now", and we all agreed we were glad that we weren't! Overall, our Labor Day weekend was a great one- not as planned, but possibly even better!

Kayaking

 We squeeze it in as often as we can. 

Sometimes as a family, 

(Emma took these pictures) 

sometimes on a double date, 

always with an increased appreciation for this beautiful corner of the Earth!