Iowa City Weekend

We had a weekend full of emotions in Iowa City. Friday night we met up with everyone at the Sanctuary for a little dinner. Here's Clara showing off her new purse. We (I) couldn't resist buying the matching one for Eleanor as well. The kids also got some Hawkeye necklaces from a vendor down the street from the restaurant.

 The next morning Henry and I went to the football game. Uncle Rob predicted that there would be little, if any, rain. It started as soon as Pete dropped us off and barely ever let up. I was joined for most of the first half by this friendly praying mantis. He sat on my head. I think he was too wet to fly anywhere. And where would he go? Henry and I decided to call him Marvin, after our favorite #7.

 I couldn't believe what a sport Henry was. He didn't complain once about the rain- even though I gave him every opportunity to cut out early. When we finally did go during the 3rd quarter I think we snuck out just before they called a rain delay due to lightning. But look at this face!!

 We had to hide out down below for a while once we left, because it was blowing and pouring pretty hard. Eventually we started walking and I was hoping we'd find a Cambus shuttle to get downtown. We didn't. But still, Henry didn't complain the entire walk to Java House. It may have helped that I promised him a hot chocolate when we got there. Pete showed up with several towels, per request. It was very nice to see him. We were wet all the way through. Look at my head.

 Sunday was a much sunnier day, if a little cool. Mom and I attended a memorial service for the son of her neighbor, someone I had been friends with in junior high and high school. It was an emotional occasion, but I was glad to have been there. (Frankly though, I would like the next memorial service I have to attend to be for someone significantly older than me.)
Later Sunday evening we went to the Hancher lawn to attend a farewell performance for the flood-damaged Hancher building. Again, it was a happy and sad event. The performers were Hubbard Street Dance, and they were fabulous. The kids really enjoyed it. There were even surprise fireworks accompanied by a song from Les Miserables, that somehow managed to feel just the right mix of corny and poignant.

 Here's a picture of the stage before it got dark out. Later we moved to have a better view. Obviously, Hancher has a lot of significance to Pete and I separately and together. We will be very sad when they start to tear it down.

The other sad note to our weekend was the passing of Oscar, Rob and Carrie's sweet dog. He had been ill for about a month, so it wasn't unexpected, but he was such a good boy. We will all miss him very much. As the world works, though, everything is life and death and life and death and life again. We loved having some time to hold little Penny and we got to spend some time with Amber and Jeff and their two little dears as well. We also are celebrating the birthdays this week of Anders (3!) and Vivian (1!) and Grandma Mary.

Summer Catch-Up

 Since the power can't be an excuse anymore, and the heat is keeping us inside, I thought I'd play some catch-up. Here are a few things we've been doing this summer. Not necessarily in order....

I took the kids to the Botanic Garden and let them loose with a camera and sketchbooks.  Now we have to get around to letting them do a blog entry with their photos.

 At the beginning of July we were in Iowa City for Jazz Fest. It was extra special this year because so many people were in town to enjoy it.

 There was also a new food booth with these hand-dipped ice cream bars. Amazing.

 We all gathered together for an awesome and loud display of fireworks.

 We had breakfast in Amana.

 Before leaving Iowa we spent a little bit of time with Adelaide, before she became a big sister.

 (Amber has since had her baby...another beautiful girl.)

 From Iowa City we drove up to Minneapolis for one night with Will and Sandy and then from there we went on to Hayward where we were welcomed by this little snake.

 We did lots of fishing.

 Clara spent lots of time communing with worms.

 Henry was trying to figure out what Franklin heard in the water.

 On the way back home we made our usual stop in Osseo at the Norske Nook. Clara and I shared this amazing piece of "moose pie".

 Oops....out of order. Henry caught a huge walleye off the dock. He's still telling people about it.

 

Before the heat got so crazy hot we spent some time playing in the pool in the backyard. We might need to graduate to a larger pool soon.

 

And, finally, we've had a couple of nights at Ravinia this summer. This picture was taken last weekend when the CSO was playing Brahms. Put Henry OUT on the blanket, and then they both fell asleep in the car on the way home.

 

That about brings us up to this week. Mostly we've just been trying to handle the heat this week...going to the pool early in the morning or late at night, grilling instead of turning on the stove, spending time at the library....

Right now we're waiting for Pete to get home so we can go to the pool!

More Weekend

We had a great time staying with Amber and Jeff this weekend.
Amber is very good about giving Henry his due grown-up kid time. They like to play Trouble.
Clara and Adelaide enjoyed playing with the bola-wrap (hobo golf?) balls. I kept worrying they would whip them around and smack themselves or someone else, but everyone came out unscathed.
Tom came over for some grilling out and he and Henry played a little basketball.
The kids also played in the big box house.

Put the lime in the coconut

The kids and I went to Iowa for a few days last week for the sole purpose of helping my mom with some things at her house. We did find a little bit of time for fun though, too. The kids enjoyed the mini beach out at the lake.
Henry tried, earnestly, to figure out how he could catch a fish with a bucket. Later Mom got him a net, but that wasn't much more successful.
We made one quick stop downtown before heading home. We had to buy the new cousin (Liz and Van's baby-on-the-way) a Hawkeye onesie. I had the kids pose in front of the Old Capitol for a few pictures.
Henry was a little more enthused than Clara. She's still trying to figure out where she's going to apply.
Finally, before leaving town, Mom talked Rob into cutting open a coconut for the kids to enjoy. She had just bought it at the Co-op earlier in the week and hadn't thought about the whole opening-it-up thing. Rob was very enthused about the whole endeavor.
I think here he's saying "would you just let me do it?" and Mom's saying "I'm the Coconut Queen!" Maybe you had to be there.
The kids were pretty interested!
Here's Rob pouring out the coconut water while Carrie gives me the "what's with these two?" look.
Rob also enjoyed some special time with a giant fly. This is right before he tried to suck it up with the shop-vac.
When we went inside Eleanor drew a coconut face for me on her doodle pad, and then proceeded to make the same face herself.

Friends

Other happenings (happy-nings) over the last week revolved around great friends. On Thursday, after Obama's speech, we spent the night at Amber and Jeff's new house. It was our first time seeing it or being there and we had a great time! The house is lovely and comfortable. The kids enjoyed checking out Adelaide's toys.
And she was a great hostess!
After the kids went to bed we spent a little time watching basketball and Amber fixed up a little knitting project I had bunged up. I love how Jeff's pretending not to notice as I take this picture.
We spent the next couple of nights with our favorite niece. She and Clara have matching pj's again...totally by chance.
Mom stayed with all the kids one night so we could take Rob out for a belated birthday celebration. There was much back and forth about which movie to see or whether to go bowling instead....we ended up just going out for Mexican, but that was muy bueno.


We all especially enjoyed it when the guys came out to sing to Rob and put the giant sombrero on his head. Rob LOVES this kind of stuff...can you tell?
After leaving Iowa City and having a couple of quiet nights at home we had some overnight visitors. This is our (brand new) friend Jason playing ball with his daughter Sidonie and Henry.
Here are Sido and Clara playing in the sand.
And here's Mariah, the mama of Sidonie and wife of Jason. Mariah and I were good friends in jr. high and high school and just recently reconnected through the magic of facebook. She insists that we saw each other in Iowa City once circa 1998, but she said Pete and I looked like we may have been involved in a serious discussion. If it really was 1998 it is highly possible that that was the case. Aside from that instance I'm pretty sure we hadn't seen each other since 1993, and maybe only corresponded once or twice during those first few years of college.
I've been so happy to be back in touch with Mariah and it was awesome to spend some time together with our families. Jason was a very cool guy and Sidonie is very bright and fun. My mom asked if it was awkward at first, having not seen each other for so long. But it wasn't at all! We didn't have a pause in the conversation all night long. The kids were excellent about going to bed easily for us and the weather was lovely, so we stayed on the porch late into the evening drinking a little wine and eventually testing out the cinnamon rolls that I made for the next morning.
We can't wait to go out to visit them in Idaho!!
(Clara says thanks for "Tayto". She loves him!)