Granny Nanny comes to life once again!

  I officially have that title since August 20th, when I came to Peoria, IL to babysit our newest grandson, Ryan.  He is a sweet little thing (aren't they all?) and I am loving my duties.  Megan had to return to work after maternity leave ended and we decided a couple more months at home before day care began was just what Ryan needed.  :-)

It has been a hectic two weeks.  Kayley (age 4) started Pre-K and Drew began his school days as a Kindergarten student at Hickory Grove Elementary.  He was a little "iffy" about Kindergarten and the whole bus riding thing, but after two days he was in the groove and loving his new role as student.  They are growing up quickly!

Megan and family and I took off for the farm for the Labor Day Week-end on Friday.  It was fun but too short.  Matt also drove to the farm for the week-end. We did our usual golf cart rides, lawn mower rides, picking tomatoes, hitting baseballs and ending with the rodeo parade.  The kids had a great time and look forward to another visit to the farm next summer.

Some pics and videos from our past couple of weeks....

Uncle Matt with two of his favorite kids!

Drew waiting patiently for the bus

Ryan waiting for his dinner

It took him a LONG time, but Drew finally made 20 baskets

Kayley playing on Grandpa's big tire

Matt and Drew hauling in the candy

Kayley and Drew loved the parade.  So did Andy....

Their candy waves

Kayley discovered a very old rocking horse in the shed and fell in love with this horse

Marvelous time at Lake Okoboji

The weather wasn't the greatest, BUT, anytime we go to Lake Okoboji and a visit with Jim and Nancy it is always great fun!  Megan, Andy and children arrived at the farm late Wednesday evening and Thursday morning we left for the Houchins on beautiful Okoboji.  We arrived after lunch, unpacked and it was time to head straight to Arnold's Park for rides, games and ice cream.  Kayley and Drew dearly love that place, just like every child has loved it for decades!  Friday the weather was much nicer (less wind) and we put in a full day at the lake.  Matt took the kids and I out for a fishing trip in Jim's boat in the morning.  Fishing lasted about 3 1/2 minutes when Drew started asking if we could go fast!  So, Matt gave us a good ride and let both Drew and Kayley "drive" the boat.  They had a great time doing that!  Then they heard the rides cranking up at the park and it was back to land for more roller coaster, bumper cars and log rides.  Mark and I managed to get a good visit in with Jim and Nancy during all this chaos!

We took a break from the park and the kids went swimming.  I thought it would be too cool but they did not care and had fun.  Matt and Andy went to a free concert in the park that night but the rest of us opted for bed!  The day had worn us all out!

Matt drove from Omaha to the lake on his new purchase, a Harley.  It is a beautiful motorcycle but the "mother" in me was nervous.  He is very excited about his bike and I wish him many happy and safe miles on it!

Thank you Jim and Nancy for a great 3 days.  You are the best to put up with this big crew.  We really appreciated it and it was so fun to see you again!

Pictures from our little vacation and a few short videos:  (Megan has more pictures on her blog at Kayley's Story on my favorite blogs listing)


                                 Drew was NOT impressed with Kayley's boating skills!

Drew and Kayley didn't care if it was cool, they wanted in the water!



Kayley going down the slide at Arnolds Park

Jim and Matt traded bikes...I do believe Matt made Jim's tire go flat!

Captain Drew gives Matt, Kayley and me a ride on Jim's boat.

Another week with Grandpa and Grandma

I have had a great two weeks with my grandchildren!  I spent Monday-Thursday in Peoria enjoying baby Ryan and visiting with Megan while Drew and Kayley were at Pre-K during the day.  On Friday I headed back to the farm with Drew and Kayley.  They stayed with us until this past Friday, when we met Megan and Ryan near Davenport and I returned Drew and Kayley to their mother.  We had so much fun during the week, never leaving the farm!  They picked up sticks, drove the golf cart, picked cherry tomatoes every morning, played on Pirate's Bay daily, rode on the lawn mower and cart, played baseball, played pool, etc.  Never a dull moment (or a moment to sit, for that matter!)  They were so good and Mark and I are so thrilled that they enjoy coming here.  That will end soon enough as they grow so I will take advantage of it while the time lasts!

The weather has cooled a bit and we even got a bit of rain.  Too late for our crops but it did start to give a hint of green to our brown lawn.  I still don't have to mow, though!  Mark continues to do well with his new knee and can bend it to 131 degrees which we were told was very good.  His biggest complaint is not getting a good nights sleep.  The knee "nags" enough to keep waking him up, thus he is so tired during the day.  We have to fix this sleeping thing!  I so enjoy seeing him walk without a limp!!!  The last several years that is all he was able to do when he walked but I hardly ever notice him limping anymore.  So glad he had this surgery!  I am assuming he is, too.  :-)

Some pics and videos of our week at the farm:

Evidently we watched a little too much Olympics during their visit

Sliding down Pirate's Bay

Playing in the dirt where our deck used to be

Yum, Grandpa's sweetcorn!

Kayley taking Drew and Grandpa for a ride.  Scary.....

More fun in the dirt.  Bath time!

Drew was such a big helper with all our sticks

Trying to find some green beans in this parched patch

How come I never smile when I pick up all these sticks?

I found a huge one, Grandma!

Drew and Kayley arriving at the farm last week

Saying good-bye to Ryan before we left for Iowa

Add caption

She just wasn't "into" stick pick up today.  You are on your own, Drew!

All comfy for the lawn mower ride

Cooling off after all their hard work

I won!

This could be a tie

Oops!

Kayley singing in the loft of the playset:

Drew loves baseball!:

Trying to get up that very wet slide: 

 

i am officially done with this summer

Mother nature or climate catastrophe, whichever, but I am through with this Iowa summer.  I have struggled to keep my garden, sweet corn and flowers green since our last rain the end of June only to see it all basically destroyed in a vicious windstorm that brought exactly .1 inch of rain!  I am going to let everything make it on its own....or not.  One exception will be my tomatoes as they basically had less damage and I do LOVE fresh tomatoes.  I will keep watering those!  We are also starting to worry about our well so I think it best to stop all the endless watering of everything.  I have spent all day cleaning up sticks and branches from every single INCH of our property and still have several hours left to do.  My back is killing me.  Thank goodness Craig came over and sawed up the bigger branches and helped me get them on the burn pile.  Mark picked a good time to have knee surgery and miss out on all this fun!  :-)

Well, this wasn't a very positive post, was it?  Ha!  I think I am just very tired of it all right now.  On a brighter note, we are going to Lake Okoboji in August with Megan and family and Matt so that will be a glorious time with our very dear old friends Jim and Nancy.  Cannot wait.  As soon as we return from our lake trip I am heading to Peoria to babysit our new grandson Ryan when Megan goes back to work.  Doesn't that sound much better than raking up sticks and trying to keep dying plants alive?  Yes!  There is a bright light at the end of this tunnel.  :-)

Rain please

It is very hot here and it sounds like it is so most everywhere!  Day after day of this extreme heat with no relief in the forecast coupled with absolutely no rain makes for a grumpy farmer and his wife!  It was good timing to get a knee replaced because you absolutely don't want to be outdoors doing anything!

I watered our sweet corn this morning and this afternoon it appears to be dry as a bone again.  I don't think it helped one bit.  I water my garden daily but cucumbers and squash could care less.  They want to die and wilt no matter what I do.  I really love cukes so this makes me sad!  The tomatoes, peppers and green beans look good so that is something, I guess.  I believe grocery shopping will be even more expensive in the near future.  :-(

Mark is doing incredibly well with his new part.  He faithfully does his exercises twice a day and yesterday morning was his first meeting with the physical therapist.  She was amazed how well he is doing and with the extension and bending that he could do with that new knee.    She said there was no need to see her as often as they had scheduled so we cut out one day per week so now he will go on Tuesdays and Fridays instead of three times.  The goal is to get the knee at 0 degrees extension and 120 degrees bending and he is already at 0 and 118 six days after surgery.  Yay!  Next Monday he gets the staples out and she said he will be able to go even further after those are removed.

We are getting a little bored just sitting around here, even in the AC.  I can see a shopping trip somewhere in our my near future, just to get up and out of the house!  I need absolutely nothing but sure I can come home with something that cheers me up.  :-)

Some random pics in closing....

Mark feeling happy before surgery....must have been the drugs!

Taking a snooze while icing his new knee

Our lawns looking really streesed!

Same lawns in May looking much happier.

Why I didn't go into nursing

Lots has happened since my last post.  The biggest thing is Mark's full knee replacement surgery on July 10, 2012.  He is getting along okay but obviously has pain.  That pain will increase lots come Monday when he begins going to physical therapy to work that new knee.  Until then we are doing at home exercises to keep it moving.  I am trying to be a patient nurse but my personality might not be compatible with the word "patient", but I am trying!  Now he has swelling in the ankle and my first thought is blood clot!  We are icing it and if it doesn't go down we will call for suggestions on what to do.  On the whole, he is a great patient and I am a bit surprised as I thought he would be pretty cranky.  :-)  No matter what he goes through these next few weeks, he will be better off than he was with that old knee!

Before his surgery we travelled to Peoria, IL to spend the 4th with our children and grandchildren.  It was very hot there, too, so most of our time was spent indoors keeping cool.  New grandson Ryan is doing well and is very precious.  Kayley had been battling severe flu but was on the mend by the time we arrived.  Drew became sick while we were there but mainly fever and sore throat which motrin seemed to keep at bay and he still enjoyed our visit.  Matt came from Omaha so we had a good family reunion those few days!

We are still in a drought and have no hopes of having a bumper harvest.  I will be thrilled if we have anything to harvest!  Pray for rain!  We have been watering our sweet corn and garden so at least we will have some food!

Pics from Peoria:

Kayley throwing a popping fireworks onto the cement

Kayley, Grandma and Drew at Mickey's Pizzeria

Grandma and her three favorite people!

Drew loves going to Mickey's!

Uncle Matt and Ryan

Drew celebrating the 4th

Happy Grandpa

Very proud grandparents

Matt with his niece and nephews

Drew at T-ball

Kayley was given a drink by an admiring 5 year old boy......

Hit the ball to me!

Hmmm.....what should I order?

First attempt at catching the parachutes

Successful attempt!

Hot and dry

I am back on the farm after spending 17 days in Peoria helping out Megan and Andy get settled into their routine with a new baby and Drew and Kayley.  Like any grandma I adore my new grandchild!  It was very hard to leave them but it was made easier knowing that we are going to spend the 4th of July holiday there with them all.  Matt will be joining us so that makes it even better.

Mark and I have been very busy since I returned.  More rock picking was on the agenda and we are finally finished with that rather back breaking chore!  He is happy to have it done.  The weather is really hot and no rain in our foreseeable future.  Tomorrow we might hit 100 degrees.  It could be a long, hot and dry summer.  Our crops will not appreciate that.

This fall we are remodeling the outside of our home which includes new siding so we decided to tear down the deck.  It was old and weather worn but it was still very hard to see it go.  My extended family has lots of memories spent on that deck with Mom and Dad.  As sister Sharon said, nothing lasts forever, and I guess that is true.  I don't think we will put up another deck.  We are looking at putting in a ground level patio instead.  I like the view from my patio doors now with the deck gone so I think I will be happy with that option.  My biggest challenge, being blonde and all, is to NOT step out the patio door this summer!  That first step would be a definite leg breaker!  

Good-bye dear deck!

Getting closer. 

Megan said that Ryan is doing well but giving them a bit of awake time during the night.  I think that is common for most parents but Drew and Kayley really didn't wake up/stay up all that much as infants so this is something new for them.  As I write this he is probably already sleeping longer at night!  I cannot wait to see that little boy in one week.  He has probably already changed from when I saw him!  I think I better start looking at flights from Phoenix to Peoria a bit more often this winter!

Ryan Matthew very content

Drew and Kayley love holding Ryan when they get home from school

Drew ready to head to the diamond for his first t-ball game

I want to hold him!

Kayley checking on her baby brother

Megan is trying headbands to try to teach her scissors shorn hair to do what it is supposed to do!

One more of Ryan