Snowboarding at Mt. Clive

One of Andrew’s goals while he was home for winter break was to snowboard on Mt. Clive. Mt. Clive is a big pile of dirt the city uses for projects and is located at the back of a prairie near our house. The city recently took a huge chunk off the front, creating a drop that Andrew couldn’t resist. Andrew was out there for a while in temperatures that were so cold it was hurting our hands when we took the video. He was determined, but Mt. Clive came out on top today. Andrew thinks he could have done it if he had his regular snowboard that he uses in Colorado. His final attempt is below.

Andrew Goes Back to College

Today I drove Andrew back to college. It started with a red rainbow in the morning, included a stop at target, some tears, and a long drive home.

Red rainbow; saying goodbye to mimi and papa; buying a pillow because we forgot to pack his.

Summer Jobs

This summer all of the kids are working.

  • Andrew – Smash Park
  • Mari – Target
  • Elliot – Tropical Sno
Cam and Elliot working together at Tropical Sno.
Bonus – Hope and Ian working together at Snookies.

Colorado Visit

This past weekend we went to Colorado to spend the weekend with Andrew. He is on Fall Break at school, which lined up nicely with his birthday. We left Des Moines on Friday, picked up Andrew, and then went to Woodland Park, which is up the hill from Colorado Springs. We spent Saturday and Sunday exploring the area and then on Monday we drove Andrew back to school and headed home.

It was great to see Andrew again and get the gang back together. We all miss having him around.

Hanging out in Andrew’s dorm room.
Touring campus.
The girls and Reggie.
Dinner at In-N-Out
Garden of the Gods.
Climbing
Andrew worked hard to get to this spot.
Mari
Susan and Rob
Family, minus me.
Sunday – We drove up Pikes Peak
We didn’t take the cog railway, but it was cool.
Pikes Peak Visitor Center
Rose and Lucia on a hike.
Susan and Rob on a hike.
The kids, on a hike
Still on a hike
Family pic, with Pikes Peak in the background
Andrew’s birthday dinner at Casa Grande
Andrew’s birthday dessert at Casa Grande
Happy (almost) Birthday, Andrew!

Taking Andrew to College

Today we (just Susan and I!) took Andrew to college! He will be attending Regis University in Denver. We left Des Moines yesterday around lunch time. It was a rough, emotional departure because the Reagen kids and our kids were all present to say goodbye. There were many tears and rumor has it that after we left everyone just sat in the living room for a while. We have had a great run here in Des Moines, raising our kids with the Reagens, and with Andrew and Ian headed to college it feels like a seismic shift.

Yesterday we drove to Denver and today we were up early for a hike and then took Andrew to get moved in. We got him settled into his room, met his roommate, and then said our goodbyes. He was really excited to start getting settled in on his own. That is about right.

Before move-in we went for a hike at Red Rocks Amphitheater
On a hike
Getting moved in!
When Andrew was little if Susan and I were ever sitting next to each other Andrew would always come in between us.

Susan and Reggie
Andrew and his roommate

Late Summer Happenings

Lucia’s first time going off the diving board.
Susan and Shelly in Shelly’s classic car.
We went to a Des Moines Menace playoff game. They lost on PKs.
We went to a car show.
We decorated the sidewalk.
We went for a walk along the Des Moines river while Mari was at soccer tryouts.
Making bracelets was a popular activity this summer.
I was a referee at Keeper Wars, a goalie competition.
The kids made our foam float into a slide for the pool.
The girls played in the creek on a walk with Susan.
We got a cool volleyball net for the pool.
We went for a hike at Greenwood Park.
Rose, Lucia, and I went to the state fair.
Andrew and Susan went to Eatery A for a final meal. College departure is close.
Boy Cousins. They had a final weekend together, spending the night and doing some fun activities.
Mari’s soccer season started, with a new club. She is in the white.
We got a new couch.
8/16 – We had the Liesses and Reagens over for one last dinner before Andrew and Ian head off to college.

Andrew’s Grad Party

Today we celebrated Andrew’s graduation party. Jill, her girls, and Mar-Mar and Be-Bob came from Cincinnati and Mary and Casey came from Kansas City. The party was at Main Frame studios, an artist co-op near downtown. Andrew’s friend Oscar’s family had reserved the space and invited us to join.

Andrew’s table
Susan, Andrew, Rob
Lucia and Rose
The grads
The cousins
The Lieslands