Friday – Jacksonville Beach

No college visits today, so after an early lunch we headed to the beach.

We made a sandcastle and menagerie.
Elliot and I watching the Xavier game on the beach.
Mari and Susan
Playing ball at the beach.
Family pic
Susan and Rob
For dinner we went to Mellow Mushroom, which had something everyone could eat.

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!

Colorado Getaway

After dropping Andrew off at college, Susan and I got to spend a couple of days in Colorado. We moved to Idaho Springs and hike to St. Mary’s Glacier on Thursday and then Mt. Flora on Friday.

At St. Mary’s Glacier
The view from Mt. Flora.

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.

Sun Valley Lake

This was our third trip to Sun Valley Lake with the Liesses, Connors, and Reagens. You might also see Jana in a few of these pictures.

The Liess/Connor House
Lake
Yoga by the lake
Mimi
Liesland/Reagen Basement
Lucia
Ian and Todd? I can’t remember his name, but he spent a lot of time in the water.
Jumping Pad
Girls on a paddleboard
Dinner

Colin reading to Rose
Celebrating Papa’s Birthday

Ice Skating

This afternoon Lucia, Rose and I went ice skating. Rose and I went for a walk yesterday and enjoyed playing on the ice, so we paid another visit today with Lucia. Lucia made a lot of progress on the skates and Rose enjoyed playing on the ice in her shoes.

August 2021

  • Working on the deck railing
  • Bike ride for Rob’s birthday
  • Patio planning
  • Andrew Senior Pictures
  • Andrew Senior Pictures
  • Senior Picture Moms
  • Ian and Andrew
  • Night Swimming
  • Coloring at Elsie’s
  • Mari and Hope
  • Ice Cream
  • Crushed rock for the patio
  • Mini Golf
  • Triathlon
  • Susan and Rob in the pool
  • State Fair
  • Working on the patio
  • Lemonade Stand
  • XC Campout
  • XC Camput
  • Elliot first day of school (9)
  • Mari first day of school (10)
  • Andrew first day of school (12)
  • Lucia and Rose first day of school (3,1)
  • At the bus stop
  • They got on the wrong bus the first day of school, and went to the wrong school
  • Andrew at first XC meet
  • Elliot at first XC meet

The rest of May

I have been woefully behind on the blog. I decided that to catch up I would just do a few posts that cover entire months. Here comes May. . .

Filling the pool with a sand foundation.
Spreading the sand
Susan, Mary, and Erin
Working on the liner
Working on the liner
Ian was the first one in the pool
Rose, Ian, and Lucia
Hope and Mari reffing
Going away party for our neighbor Vi
Generic pool shot
Lucia playing socer
Lucia’s Soccer Team
Rose’s Soccer Team
Elliot after band concert
Dew Tour
Rob Axe Throwing with Friends
Susan and Rob on anniversary date