Warm and NO wind

I almost hate to post this regarding weather. It is just beautiful here in Phoenix but October is a great month in the valley! Mark said how awful it has been back in Iowa...windy, REALLY windy and very cool. I talked to Megan tonight and she said it was 45 degrees in Peoria. Yikes. It was 85 here and not even a whiff of a breeze. I will now quit talking about the weather before I lose midwest friends.

I hiked my mountain yesterday once again. I took the route "backwards" this time and it took me 25 minutes longer! I was rather surprised at that but uphill going the different route was very rocky so guess it slowed me down big time. I never have to stop to rest the original way but stopped several times on this route to catch my breath. The scenery even looked different going the different route so that was a pleasant change.

Tomorrow I need to think about sowing the winter rye grass. I have never done that before but have watched my son-in-law do it and it does not look like fun. Mow it down to a stub or nothing...sow the seed...fertilize...cover in smelly mulch/(poop) and water, water, water. If I have half the lawn he established I will feel successful!

Sister Sharon from Florida is coming to AZ next week. Her children, grandchildren and I are very excited about that. Should be a great time! After AZ she will fly to Albuquerque to see Erik, Kadin, Gracie and new son Jeffrey. I should have some pics to post after that visit.

Well, hope everyone has a fantastic week-end and GO HAWKS!!!!

Pictures for Drew

I went for a walk today to Megan and Andy's old home in Phoenix which is about 2 miles from our house. As I was walking I took pictures of all the sights that Drew, Kayley, Sox and I saw every day on our walks. I am curious to know if Drew remembers any of these sights! (So Megan, let me know.) :-) I am guessing that he will not remember them but perhaps he will.

I have been busy since my return doing all my yearly doctor check-ups so that has kept me busy. I also hiked to Shaw Butte which is about 3 miles from here. It is a 5 mile round trip hike...I made it up and down fine but I definitely had blisters! Need to get these feet back into hiking shape! (Months of flip flops with no boots!)

I heard the central U.S. was overwhelmed with ridiculously high winds. They even called it very unusual. Our weird weather continues.

Ok Megan, here are the pics. See if Drew remembers any of these! There are even some I dug out of my archives of his old house and pool.

Getting settled

I spent most of today running around Phoenix. Groceries, propane tank refill, Walmart and visited a good friend from our townhouse days. I was way over-dressed in jeans and a long sleeved shirt. Very beautiful and immediately came home and put on shorts and t-shirt. While talking to Mark tonight he said he was waiting for the furnace to kick on and I was waiting for the AC to kick in. That is what 1400 miles will do I guess.

Megan went to the Iowa-Wisconsin game today. It was a nail-biter and not a good outcome for our Hawkeyes. I had taped it and planned to watch it when my errands were finished but I peeked on ESPN.com and found out the final score and just could not bear to watch it. I am one who always identified with the "agony of defeat"! :-( The ISU Cyclones did have a huge victory over Texas, though. Glad some people are happy back home!

I am going to try to get my butt up and hike tomorrow morning. It has been a long time but that IS one of the reasons I came out here now so I hope I do it.

I wish I had updated video/photos of Drew and Kayley but that is rather impossible. I won't say how much I miss them but I will say it is way more than my sadness over the Hawkeyes if that gives you a clue... :-)

Have a fantastic Sunday.

Made it to Arizona

I am back in Phoenix. I arrived today around 1:30 P.M. This was a MUCH shorter day driving than yesterday and it was helped by gaining two hours on the drive! The first day I made it to Tucumcari, NM.


All is well and good with our home. No water leaks after sitting all summer in the heat so I was pleased with that. I got a little bit blue when I drove by Megan and Andy's old street and the parks I used to frequent with the kids and Sox. I just felt like they were still there and I needed to turn and go visit them. Being in AZ and not having them close by will definitely take some getting used to!

I have no pics or videos to post so will put these two older ones up for Drew and Kayley. Megan said Drew enjoys it when I post videos of him when he was "little". :-) Maybe Kayley will enjoy her video from when she so much younger, a few months back!

I lied...

My last post talked about my good-byes to Drew and Kayley. Well.....it has been so nice in Iowa that I didn't take off for Arizona as early as I anticipated. So, I had time to squeeze in one more trip to Peoria for another good-bye! I left Friday morning for Illinois with a two hour stop at the outlet mall near Iowa City. Arrived in Peoria about the time everyone was getting home from work and day care. It was so great to see Drew and Kayley one more time! We had a really fun week-end. Saturday morning Megan and I and the kids went to look at granite for their kitchen. We then made a few stops at different stores for some items and returned home in time for their afternoon nap. That evening we went bowling which is always a favorite event for Drew. He ran to his room for his "bowling" shirt when Megan said we were going. This time Kayley bowled and had a blast. She did very well thanks to some help from their friend Wes. Both kids scored over 100 so I was glad I wasn't bowling to get embarrassed!

Sunday was another beautiful day for mid October! We packed a lunch and headed to the park. Drew rode his bike all the way to the park. Grandma was in power walking mode to keep up with him! We carved a pumpkin in the afternoon and grilled chops for dinner. I hated to see Sunday come to an end but all good things must end. I left this morning after everyone left and made it back to the farm around 1:00 P.M. Mark is out doing field work so I haven't seen him yet.

I leave for AZ on Wednesday. I plan to stop at Matt's in Omaha that evening and then head out bright and early on Thursday for Tucumcari, NM. Long day, that one! If all goes as planned I should be at our Phoenix home late Friday afternoon. Here's hoping for a better winter for you guys staying in the midwest! So long...

Three videos from the week-end:






Kayley's tea party:



Pictures:

Goodbye Drew and Kayley

I drove to Peoria on Friday to spend the week-end with my daughter and my grandchildren and to say goodbye for awhile. I will be leaving for AZ in a couple of weeks and this was the only week-end they had open so I took advantage of that. We had a great time! We went out for dinner Friday night to a place called the Fire... something. :-) Here's a picture of the outside!


It looked a little bit (lot!) like a dive! :-) It actually had pretty good food and it had a beautiful view of the Illinois River.

Saturday morning Megan and Andy shopped for granite while I watched Drew and Kayley. That evening Andy grilled delicious marinated chicken breasts, followed by the Iowa-Penn State game. We won easily so it was a fun game to watch, nothing to get nervous about!

Megan bought Kayley a Super Girl outfit for Halloween and she is hoping that Drew will wear his Thomas the Train costume from last year that he refused to wear! Drew is not "in to" wearing costumes so I am betting he refuses, but I hope not.




Sunday afternoon we went to Tanner Orchard. This place was unbelievable! When we arrived there was a LONG line waiting just to enter their market. It was well over an hour wait. Thankfully we just wanted to take Drew and Kayley to their playground so that was a quick entrance. The playground cost $7 to enter, even the adults that are just going in to watch their children. They have quite a "racket" going on there. Fortunately old people 55 and over were free. I do believe that is the first time my age has worked well financially for me. :-) It really was a fun time for the kids but Drew would have been happy if we only visited the pedal tractor area the entire time. He does love riding those. We had a very good time and we were glad we took them.

Monday morning it was back to work and daycare so I said goodbye and headed back to Iowa. It was a melancholy trip. The longest I have ever been separated from them is two weeks and now it will be seven weeks before I see them at Thanksgiving. :-(

Two videos from my week-end:

Catching up

Mark started combining beans this week, the weather is cooperating and all is well in farm country...for now anyway! You know what they say about Iowa's weather!

I have been winterizing my flower beds and decided this year to chop everything to the ground. We will see how that strategy works out next spring! I am totally done with everything outdoors but I might mow one more time. I sprayed both lawns for weeds, twice, so there better not be one dandelion next summer. :-)

Since I have nothing left to do I may head down to AZ pretty soon. I am going to Peoria this week-end to say good-bye to Drew and Kayley. That should about kill me off! Thank god for Skype. I know I will never make it the entire winter without seeing them so already have a ticket back here for Thanksgiving and I am sure I will fly to see them in January and probably March! They are at the age where changes occur too rapidly and I don't want to miss out.

I won't have any pics or video until this week-end so I will re-post a couple of old ones. Drew looks so little in them!


This video shows Drew starting to get very mobile!

Great visit in Des Moines

I drove to Des Moines this morning to visit my good friend Sue who babysits three days a week for her 3 month old granddaughter Lily. We had such a good time and laughed a lot like days from our past! Her daughter Karen and husband Gabe came home during lunch so I was able to see them, too. Karen, Gabe and Lily make a beautiful family and they have a great home with a big beautiful back yard. I am glad I took the time for this visit! Below are pics of grandma and Lily and one of Karen and her daughter.

The weather has been rather crappy these past few days. Zero sunshine and rainy with wind. These are the kind of days I recall hating about Iowa weather. The lack of sunshine is the worst for me. The rain, of course, is not helping Mark get into the field for harvest. I do believe this state has had more than it's share of moisture this summer so it can quit now...

Pics from DM:

Drew finally rides Thomas the Train!

I spent last week in Peoria painting the inside of Megan and Andy's home. I can definitely say they have a huge home after painting there! :-) Friday night when they got home from work we all took off for the farm and arrived around 10:30 p.m. We had to wake grandpa up and tell him hello!

Saturday morning we had tickets to ride Thomas the Train in Boone. The day was wet and very cool but Drew was thrilled to finally see the "real" Thomas and more thrilled to ride on his train. They had many activities to do besides the train ride but the weather did not cooperate one bit. The weather got even worse in the afternoon when Megan and Andy were to golf in a charity event at the Boone golf course (Cedar Pointe). They didn't get to play many holes unfortunately. They returned to the farm in the late afternoon to get Drew and Kayley and returned to the country club for the dinner and dance that evening. Drew and Kayley had a ball dancing....sure wish I would have been there to capture that on video! Late last night we started watching the Iowa game. I was tired and not impressed with Iowa's play and went to bed at halftime. I was sad to hear they roared back the second half only to lose it in the end.

They left a bit before noon to head back to Peoria. It is so quiet when they leave. Too quiet. I have been spending the afternoon going through my clothes and deciding what I want to take to AZ for the winter and bagging items for Goodwill. This weather makes AZ look very inviting right now. I hope it returns to some sunny days as the clouds and misty rain are rather depressing. Guess I am too used to non-stop sunny Phoenix days! Have a good week everyone.

Happy Birthday Megan!

In honor of Megan's birthday I bought Drew and Kayley bicycles! (I couldn't think of anything for her but knew the kids would like bikes!) We did go out this evening for dinner at Peoria Pizza Works, though. They even had a small band playing which reminded all of us of Fatso's in Phoenix which we loved. Kayley and Drew really got into their groove listening to the music. (Video below...of course!)

I am spending the week with them and helping them paint the inside of their home. I thought I had a big house on the farm....ha! This place never ends. Miles and miles of trimming. :-) It is a good thing I like to paint!

Video of Drew on his new red bicycle:


Peoria has a fabulous bicycle park for kids complete with roads, signs, working stop lights, etc. It is really awesome and I know Megan, Andy and the kids will spend some hours here. Very safe environment for riders and very educational. I can think of some adult drivers that would benefit from learning what all these road signs mean!



Kayley enjoying the live music at Peoria Pizza Works:

Back in Peoria, Illinois

Mark and I left Friday morning for Megan and Andy's home. They were lucky enough to get tickets to the Iowa/Iowa State game so we agreed to babysit for them. What a great game it was...if you were an Iowa fan! I am staying here through the week to help them do some painting. The weather is beautiful so cannot complain a bit! Not a lot of news on this end. Just busy playing grandma and grandpa and having fun!

I had a good laugh over the following video. I have "tried" to put Kayley in time out if I thought the action warranted it, but have never had much luck with Kayley and time out. Drew, on the other hand, had NO problem! Grandma just had to shake her head and laugh!!!

What a FUN week-end!!!

Lake Okoboji...what a great way to end the summer!!! Megan, Drew and Kayley came to the farm late Thursday night. We left the next morning for Jim and Nancy's home on Lake Okoboji. It was so great to see them after several years. They were gracious hosts for our family and I thank them immensely! Matt arrived from Omaha about the same time we arrived at the lake. Jim, Mark and Matt put Jim's fishing boat back in the water and the guys fished all afternoon. We all had Casey's pizza for dinner that first night. Saturday was a gorgeous day. The men fished some more and Rick and Nadine and Nancy took Megan, the kids and me for a boat tour around the lake. Rick cranked up the power several times, much to the delight of Drew and Kayley. I think this was their first time in a boat and they were so good for the full two hours we were out there cruising. Jim and Nancy served us a delicious dinner that night. Chops, potatoes, sweet corn, bread...no one left the table hungry! I had almost forgotten how much fun and how beautiful Lake Okoboji can be. I am going more often next summer...if they will have us! :-) Of course we did the Arnold's Park thing and the kids loved that, too. Thanks again to The Houchins for a wonderful time!

We left the lake Sunday afternoon and headed back to the farm. Megan and Kayley drove to Ames last night to visit an old friend while Drew stayed with us and drove his tractor in the garage. This morning we went to Kevin and Julie's for a Bloody Mary and biscuits and gravy before the parade. This was Drew and Kayley's first parade and they filled their bags full of candy and I am thinking they like parades! They left for Peoria around 12:30 so it is very quiet in the house right now after such a fun-filled week-end! I hope you had a great holiday week-end, too! Several videos below of our week-end.

Video at the playground in Arnold's Park...they loved that "free" area!



Some more fun at the park:



The roller coaster...both Drew and Kayley hopped in, Drew immediately hopped off leaving Kayley by herself. Megan and I were crying/laughing at this simultaneously! We felt awful for putting her on it as she seemed too small once we saw it in action! She never cried but let's just say she did not beg to ride it again! :-) I will say she is a tough little gal.



If you missed the Dayton Parade this morning, this is a must see video. Ha!




A little bit of everything:

Busy in Omaha

Mark and I arrived at Matt's early yesterday afternoon. In the evening he took us to a Royals/Cub game which was a thriller and included awesome fireworks! Today Mark and I took in the Henry Doorly Zoo. Mark has never been there and I hadn't been there in years and couldn't believe how much it has changed. One of the better zoos in the U.S. would be my guess. If you haven't been we recommend it to everyone. Fun and beautiful!

Tonight we are taking him out for a steak dinner in honor of his birthday which was actually yesterday. Been a fun week-end so far in Omaha!

Just for fun

Acting squirrely....(Forgive my gruff voice...fighting a cold or sinus infection!)

Babysitting in Peoria

Mark and I left Wednesday for Peoria. Drew and Kayley's day care was closed Thursday and Friday so we babysat and had a great time with them. We stayed through the week-end and returned to the farm last night.

They had lots of over grown bushes around their deck so I cut them WAY down, probably too far down, and Mark bundled them for pick up. It was so hot and humid that even grandma was wishing for a crisp fall day!

Megan and Andy took advantage of having Mark's truck there and went shopping for patio furniture and a recliner for Andy on Saturday. They also spent some time looking for granite counter top but didn't find anything yet. Mark thought their home was big and very nice. I think it will be a great home for their family. Drew certainly loves his new house!

I finally got front and back yard pictures of their home and naturally some pics of my two favorite grand kids.

Big house for Drew and Kayley

Megan and Andy moved into their new home this past week-end. I arrived Sunday morning to help her clean before all the stuff in storage arrived on Monday. Monday and Tuesday we spent unpacking a gazillion boxes, doing load after load of laundry and load after load in the dishwasher. At the end of the day on Tuesday we had it pretty livable and the only stuff left to do is hang all the pictures, etc. Andy has a lot of trimming to do in the yard. Wish I could have stayed to help him do that because I love that sort of thing, more so than cleaning showers and toilets. Ha!

They have a lovely and big home. The kids were so excited to be in all that space after two months in a hotel room! They came home from day care on Monday and just ran all around the house.

I took a few pictures and one video but failed to take any outside pictures. Duh. I know they have some so maybe they will send them to me to post. Hint, hint....

Also put up two pictures of Kayley after she was bitten on BOTH cheeks at day care. Life with grandma was never that rough! :-) She was fine and the marks disappeared quickly. Kayley has been known to bite Drew once in awhile so I think Megan was relieved to hear that it wasn't her doing the biting at school. :-)

They have a really nice kitchen with "soon to be new" counter top and appliances coming. Lots of cupboard space, too. There's also a picture of Drew in his new big boy bed that has Thomas the train bedding. :-) He loves his new bed!

Airplane for Drew

Drew loves airplanes, almost as much as trains! Too bad he wasn't on the farm this morning to see one up close. We have a fungus in our corn from too much rain and had to have a crop duster come in and try to kill it. This was very expensive entertainment for Drew, but he is worth it! :-)

Another week-end with the grandchildren!

Megan, Drew and Kayley arrived late Friday night for a quick week-end visit to our farm. This should be their last week in the extended stay hotel so they won't be coming as often anymore. :-( They are very excited to move into their new home next week-end and I can't say that I blame them. Hotel living is great on a vacation but not much fun with two toddlers for the long term!

Yesterday Megan and the kids drove to Fort Dodge to have lunch with Grandpa Butch who was in town to attend a wedding in Gowrie. He came back to the farm with them until it was time to head to the wedding. After Butch left Megan and I took the kids to Ogden Fun Days because we read they had a model train set up in the middle school. We knew Drew would love seeing that. We were right. We walked around the park for awhile but not much to really do there. No carnival rides this year! Also, it was so hot and humid it just made it most unpleasant to be there for very long.

Last night we grilled chops and had MORE sweet corn and bathed the kids and got them to bed very early.

Next Sunday I will go to Peoria to help Megan start unboxing all the moving stuff. She will take a couple days off from work so between the two of us we can hopefully make their home livable in a short time! I am anxious to see the home. It looks very nice. The kids will be thrilled to have more space, for sure!

Fun-filled family week-end

Megan, Andy and the kids drove here Friday night from Peoria and Matt arrived about the same time from Omaha. We had a fun few days! Saturday Matt and Andy golfed at Honey Creek near The Ledges. Megan and I took Kayley to a baby shower for Karen Swanson hosted at Barb Peterson's home. It was fun to see everyone there. Grandpa and Drew stayed at the farm and played. Saturday evening we grilled steaks and had good old Iowa sweet corn. Delicious despite the field being attacked by raccoons a few days earlier. Mark always puts up electric fence to keep those critters at bay but all the storms left debris on the wire, shorting it out and the coons made hay in no time. Have I ever mentioned how much I despise raccoons? It is up and running again so hopefully no more damage from them!

Kevin and Julie and Dan and Katie stopped down for a bit last night, too. Was fun to see them.

Drew played all week-end on the peddle tractor that has seen a few generations on its seat! Everyone left this afternoon after Megan, Andy and Mark returned from golfing at Don Williams today. I fixed a brunch and they left shortly after that. It is really quiet here once again. :-(

We had WAY too much rain lately but this week-end stayed dry. Hope that trend contines!

A video of Kayley enjoying the farm:


Drew and his "new" toy: