TikTok

The TikTok craze has definitely taken over our house. Andrew spends a fair amount of time watching videos, Mari and Hope like learning the dances, and teaching Lucia and Rose, and Elliot watches videos, but has a self-imposed daily limit. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Susan and Erin made their own TikTok account and video.

4th of July Festivities

This year we hosted a 4th of July pool party! Gary, Kathie, and the Reagens (sans Nate) came over in the afternoon to hang out, eat dinner, and then enjoy a fireworks display presented by Ian. Having the pool available was fun because it reminded me of 4th of July in Cincinnati, where there was always a pool. Sadly, there was no Chex mix.

Mari’s Cake
pre-fireworks

The saddest fireworks show ever

After Fair Food Friday earlier in the day, we met the Reagens in Altoona for a fireworks show. Normally on this evening we would be on top of a parking garage in downtown, waiting for the Yankee Doodle Pops fireworks show to start, but that was canceled this year. The scene in Altoona was great and the fireworks show was good, but it was overcast by the bad news of N’s dad not doing well. He has been battling cancer for a little over a year and we got news during the fireworks show that he was in the hospital and they thought he might not survive the night. There were many tears shed during the evening and at one point someone did say, “This is the saddest fireworks show ever.” [note: I have the benefit of writing this post a few weeks after the event, and luckily N’s dad pulled through and continues to do well.]

Fair Food Friday

It was decided earlier in the summer to cancel the Iowa State Fair. This was sad news for us because attending the fair has been a tradition in our family for the past few years. Luckily, all is not list because some of the fair’s food vendors set up a drive-through on Friday nights. We stopped by this evening to enjoy some of our favorite treats from the fair before heading to see some fireworks.

The scene
The goods
Lucia trying the deep-fried Snickers.

Black Lives Matter March

This afternoon we attended a Black Lives Matter march and rally in downtown Des Moines. We met downtown and marched to the capitol, with a stop at city hall. When we stopped at city hall we had to lie face-down on the ground for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while they had speakers and others reading some of the things that George Floyd said while he was being held down. At the capitol there were a variety of speakers sharing their experiences and changes they would like to see.

Crowder State Park

This afternoon we joined the Liess clan at Crowder State Park, in Missouri. After a rough start, because Rose got car sick on the winding roads, we had a great time spending the afternoon hanging out. It was a beautiful day and everyone had fun socializing and exploring.

  • Fishing
  • Hanging Out
  • Hanging Out
  • Hanging Out
  • Kathie and Gary
  • Fishing
  • Ian caught his own hat, off his head
  • Lu fishing
  • Lu climbing a tree
  • Mari Fishing
  • Hope and Mari Fishing
  • Papa trying out the hammock.

Happy Mother’s Day

It may have been one of the colder Mother’s Days on record but today we celebrated in what has become the traditional ways. Susan joined Kathie and Erin for a walk in the early afternoon and then when she got home we did some planting and had salads.

House with a pool

When we moved back to Des M0ines after our trip, we were hoping to find a house with a pool. That didn’t work out. Now, with the prospect that pools won’t be open this summer, we decided to get a relatively cheap above ground pool to enjoy.

Leveling
Accidentally using the pool cover as a ground tarp.
Initial setup
Partially filled, with some eager swimmers camped out to be the first ones in. That’s not true. Our kids just like camping out with the Reagens.
Filling the pool. We did not stand and watch for all 10 hours.
Filled
Enjoying the pool life
Still enjoying the pool life