Very quiet here...

Yesterday Mark and I drove Drew and Kayley to meet Megan in Iowa City ending their week long stay with us on the farm.  It was hard giving them back!  We had such a great time with those two cutie pies.  Drew is now going to be a farmer when he grows up and I think Kayley will want to be retired like me and play in the gardens when she grows up.  Ha!  When we returned to the farm last night and walked into the house the silence was deafening and I did not like it.  I sent a text to Megan stating this and she laughingly replied that they were saying how loud it was at their house!  :-)  I think I prefer loud...

I started mowing today and gave up after an hour.  Too dang cold!  Gloves didn't even help.  So, I came in the house and started sorting stuff to take back to Arizona!  It won't be long now if this weather keeps up.  I see it is 98 in Phoenix today and that sounded just about perfect.  I will be sticking around long enough to help Kayley during her recovery from surgery on Oct. 3rd.  I plan on staying in Peoria until she feels well enough to return to daycare.  As much as I hate to have her go through the surgery, I am glad to get to see them one last time before heading to the desert.

I have one short video of them getting a ride on grandpa's combine and dumping one last load onto the "pile".  They thought the combine was pretty awesome.  Grandpa doesn't call his very old combine awesome so he was glad someone thought it was!  :-)

Still having fun!

Drew and Kayley are still with us on the farm.  The weather was a bit iffy for a day or two but the majority of the time it has been just about perfect.  We have spent many hours outdoors riding on tractors and  Clayton's home made car and digging up all the bulb plants in my garden.   They dearly love doing that and I realize that in a year or two they will NOT be nearly as enthusiastic to help me get them out of my gardens!  They both have "work" gloves at home and Drew was wishing he had brought them here.  Kayley wanted to run home and get hers....a mere five hour drive for Walmart kid gloves.  Ha!   We have one more day with them and then I drive to Iowa City on Sunday to meet Megan and return Drew and Kayley to their rightful owners.  :-)

While it is the last time they will visit the farm this year, I will be seeing them again and very soon.  Kayley gets her tonsils and adenoids removed on Oct. 3rd so I am going to help by babysitting during her recovery period, however long that may take.  I hope she gets through this with very limited pain!  I hate seeing them (or anyone) in misery.  :-(

Some videos of all the rides on the farm:

A week with the grandchildren at the farm

I left Friday morning for the drive to Peoria.  I was originally going to meet Megan and Andy in Iowa City and we would "exchange" the kids there because they had tickets to the Hawkeye game on Saturday.  But, their dog Sox had ACL surgery so I volunteered to drive to Peoria and spend the week-end there watching the kids and the dog so they could have an extended week-end in Iowa City with no worries about Sox.  We had great weather in Peoria and spent a lot of time at the park and playing outdoors and the Hawks won so all was good.

I loaded up the kids Sunday morning to head back to the farm and Grandpa.  We were going to meet Megan and Andy along the way but we crossed paths about the time we were calling to meet!  So, everyone just went their merry way as there was no place to stop when we met.

The kids are having a good time here.  Drew cannot get enough of driving the golf cart and Kayley wants to ride the lawn mower and cart non-stop but Drew thinks that is too noisy.  :-)  I agree!  I also pulled all my flowers from the front garden and they are having a blast getting down and dirty in the soil.  Baths and hard scrubbings will be a nightly ordeal, I can see!

I am going to meet Megan on Saturday or Sunday for the exchange back.  Looks to be a fun and busy week for us here on the farm.

Some pics and a video from our time in Peoria.  Andy had built Sox a ramp because she is not to do stairs for several weeks.  As you will see in the video, it didn't take Drew and Kayley long to make use of her ramp!  I told Andy to keep the ramp there so when I move in with them in my golden years I will have a way to get outside for some fresh air.  I am guessing the ramp will be HISTORY the minute Sox is better.  :-)  

Drew with his "fishing pole" at a Peoria park

Kayley in one of her Disney dresses

She's happier to be at MacDonald's than Grandma....

Varmints....

We have creatures on our farm that we really like....and we have those not so likeable!

Okoboji for one last time this summer!

We spent part of Labor Day week-end once again at Lake Okoboji, this time staying with friends Jim and Nancy.  Megan and the children drove to the farm Thursday night, arriving around 10 p.m.  We left for Okoboji on Friday morning, meeting Matt there around noon.  For a rundown on our trip getting there in Megan's Tahoe, please see her post on the right at "Kayley's Story".  Very amusing!

The weather wasn't nearly as nice as our last stay at the lake but we all still had a great time.  The wind off the lake made Grandma colder than she wanted to be but I wouldn't have traded the week-end for anything.  :-)  There is lots to see and do there during this particular holiday, which is the end of the season for all the resorts, parks, etc.  Lots of people show up for one last lake adventure.  After this week-end the boats start coming out of the water, docks get put away, etc.  :-( 

We left for the farm on Sunday afternoon and Labor Day we went to Kevin and Julie's home in Dayton for breakfast, bloody mary's and parade watching.  Drew and Kayley learned quickly that if you wave and act cute you will receive LOTS of candy.  LOL 

It was a great end of the summer.  Some pics of our time together:

Kayley with her bright pink sunglasses

Kayley loved petting Frosty and Warren the cat at Rick and Nadine's

Uncle Matt and Drew walking to Arnolds Park

One more ride on that roller coaster

Drew thought this ride was a bit too tame for him

Kayley chose a red fish this time!

Lots of old cars and hot rods lined the street by Arnolds Park

Looking out at all the boats on the lake

More Okoboji pictures

Nancy, Barbara, Nadine and Marla at "Grape fest" (Local Milford grape farm)

Live music, wine, food and flea market...FUN!

Megan, Kayley, Drew and Matt on the log ride

Daddy and Kayley in West Lake

Enjoying the beautiful blue water

Drew and Kayley at miniature golf

Drew and Kayley on the house deck.  I was going to buy them a Hawkeye cover but thought better of that idea!

Some grandpa holding his....grandchild's toy banana.  Priceless picture!  LOL

Mark and Jim on our way to Rog and Pam Ferris home

I was so excited to see the "real" Maxine at Grape Fest!

Kayley was too small to ride the go-carts and was not excited about this replacement ride....

Megan and the kids loved the log ride

Jim washing his new best pal, Buddy. 

Having a hot dog roast with the Houchins

Jim is a volunteer "sheriff" for the bike trail and gets to ride this while on duty!

Frosty...the reason we were blessed to stay at Rick and Nadine's!  She's a good dog and quite beautiful.

Andy and Drew on the go cart.  A bit blurry as they were going about 100 mph when I snapped this.  Ha!

Okoboji=good times!

We are enjoying Lake Okoboji.  Mark and I are house/dog sitting for friends who have a  gorgeous home on the lake.What a wonderful place to be in Iowa in the summer!  Nothing like it.  It all started over a week ago.  I drove to Peoria, IL on Wednesday, the 17th,  to pick up Drew and Kayley as their daycare was going to be closed that Thursday and Friday.  I spent the night in Peoria and we took off the next day for the farm.  Andy and Megan arrived very late Friday night and the next morning we took off for the lake.  Matt joined us at Okoboji and we had a wonderful time until they all left on Tuesday.

Drew and Kayley had SO much fun at Okoboji!!!  We did the lake, Arnolds Park, wave runner, big, BIG boat ride, Sugar Shack, etc.  I think they would be happy to come every summer to Lake Okoboji.  :-)  I know I would!

Mark and Matt took Jim's boat out for some fishing and had an excellent time and even caught some fish!  I went one afternoon with them and just lazed around while they were reeling in northerns and bass.  Such fun!


We were a bit lonesome on Tuesday when Megan's family and Matt left but we soon recovered.  Ha! Our very dear friends, Nancy and Jim, live right next door and we just love seeing them on a daily basis.  I even got to see an old school pal from the 70's and toured her and her husband's lovely home, too.  It has been an awesome 8 days.  Last night the owners of our "good fortune" returned from their Canadian fishing trip and we are staying an extra night to take everyone out for a steak dinner in Minnesota.  It has been a fantastic way to wind down the summer here in Iowa.  Thank you, Rick and Nadine!!!

Pics and videos from our week:

Matt with a small northern

Mark and his northern.  After hearing the tales from the Canadian fishing trip, these look a bit puny!

Kayley and Andy in Peoria

I bought these buckets for the beach but they found other uses!

Greeting grandpa when they arrived at the farm

Kayley pulling leaves from branches...why do I even buy toys?  :-)

The very first ride at Arnolds Park

We LOVE Okoboji

The first of about 20+ roller coaster rides!

First time on the log ride

Looking over Matt's catch from the dock