InstaFriday

I am just a little late in getting this up this week...once again, it seemed like a real wing dinger of a week. I have been so exhausted I get home that it is purely survival at this point. Preparing and eating meals is totally out of the question- Monday we had take out from a BBQ Joint, Tuesday we ate out with Scott's mom who was in town, Wednesday and Thursday poor Scott had to fend for himself and last night we had pizza (with a big salad...about all I could muster up). I am failing. It is so terrible. 

Anyway, I have been trying to be intentional with  Michael when I get home from school. Really focusing on him and playing with him for a good chunk of time and making sure he feels special. Our time together is so fleeting and I don't want to spend it being grumpy about having to empty the dishwasher (although that does happen sometimes). I've been trying to snap a quick photo of it too because these are the times that matter the most, right?

 

Play Doh time!

 

"Mom, I have your seat right here!"...getting ready to watch dad mow the lawn. 

 

Spraying Michael while trying to water plants on a super hot day. He loved it!

My students have been 100% rockin it in 8th grade marching band. We are having tons of fun and it makes me so happy to see them love it as much as I do. I think we're going to have a great year together!

These are the moments I want to remember- my sweet, silly boy! 

Have a great weekend! 

Instafriday/phone dump

Last Friday we headed back to the State Fair (are you tired of me talking about fairs yet??) to go to the Train Concert at the Grandstand which Scott had gotten me tickets for on Mothers Day. Michael had been staying with my parents in the camper for a few days so we met up with them to say hi (and to see what type of crazy person our child had turned into- kidding!) and eat a little supper before the show. 

We got to the show nice and early and sat through the opening act, Matt Nathanson, who was pretty good. And I actually knew one of his songs so go me (I am not up on popular music!). After the break and right as Train was taking the stage this guy approached us (we were on the end of our row) and asked us if the concert was my idea or Scott's idea. Then he asked if we listened to Capital 106.3, a local radio station and we were like, "yeah, sometimes!" and then he asked us if we wanted tickets to sit in the front row of the concert! We were like, "heck yes!" and couldn't believe our good luck!!! 

Neither of us had ever been in the front row for a concert before and it was a fun experience. I love Train and it was a good show which made it all that much better. I honestly felt like Pat Monahan was just giving me a little private concert...and for all those people behind me which I totally forgot about. 

I really like Train's hits from the early 2000's like "Meet Virginia" and "Drops of Jupiter" and they are a few of the only songs I know all the words to...I think your brain is really only receptive to those types of things in your late teens/early twenties because I cannot for the life of remember lyrics now but even if I haven't heard a song for years I can sing every single word. Isn't that weird? I also really like their new hits and I'm always glad when a band I like can keep going in the crazy music industry these days. 

The concert was especially good because it helped me forget the week of stress from school and worries about not being a good enough teacher and feeling guilty for not spending enough time with Michael and just the sadness that the start of the school year is another tick on my timeline of life and another reminder that Trace ins't here with us. It was good just to be in the music and the moment for a few hours. :o) 

Anyway, we had just the most awesome time and were on cloud nine the rest of the night. We celebrated by getting our favorite ice cream sandwich from Bauders and then people watching. We made our way back to the park and ride shuttle around 11:30 and just beat the late night rush. It was such a fun night and I am smiling just remembering it now. 

In other news, this silly kid: 

We've been eating lots of tomatoes:

And we went to a wedding: 

Congrats, Q and Katherine! Weddings are so fun especially as you get older because you know how important having a partner in life is. It makes me so happy to see that my friends are happy and are starting new chapters in their life. 

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!

Our Mitchell Vacation (all 24 hours of it)

 

We had a friends weekend planned this summer in Mitchell, SD with Scott's high school friends. After planning it we realized we had a conflict with a wedding of a college friend and so we were only able to come for Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. We just went with it and we were so glad we did, even though we were only in town for a short bit. The trip was energizing and good for my soul, which is especially important right before starting school. Our friends Mark and Katie were awesome hosts and we loved spending time with their family. We also got to see all our Mitchell friends- meeting some for lunch and others just stopping by to say a quick hi. It was a busy weekend! 

Of course we had to stop at the World's Only Corn Palace!

Can you believe this is where Scott graduated high school and went to prom? It is so funny to me. Once my family went on a South Dakota vacation without me (I was at summer camp) and I was sooo upset when they came home and heard they went to the Corn Palace without me. I don't know why I was so upset- I think it was because I had read about it in a book about the world's most unusual places and the corn palace was the only one closest to Iowa. At any rate, it has always stuck with me so I feel a little personal bond with the corn palace every time we visit (although it is really just a big tourist trap).

 

Our friends moved into a beautiful lake home and we had so much fun enjoying their beach and the lake. It was gorgeous and so fun. 

 

Saturday was a little rainy (well...it stormed...and hailed) so we took the boat out early Sunday morning for a little ride. It was actually a great morning for good water and Scott and Mark had fun taking turns behind the boat. 

I also realized that wipeout photos were way more fun than normal ones...sorry honey! :o)

 

Scott's house he spent 5th-12th grade in. A friend of his from high school lives there now so we stopped by on our way out of town for a quick tour and to say hello. It was neat to see it! They recently redid the landscaping and it is beautiful. 

We also took the kids tubing (Michael's first time) and it was soooo adorable. They had a blast and were so brave. We were trying to talk it up to Michael the night before and then when he woke up on Sunday morning he goes, "I think it is morning time! Can we go tubin'?" so I took that as a sign he was ready to go. 

 

They look so big and yet so little! 

It was smiles and squeals all around and they had a blast. We had a few bumpy stretches but nothing they kids couldn't handle. They were so adorable out there that I hope we can have many more fun times throughout the summers. 

Mark and Katie, thank you for being awesome hosts! We had a blast and can't wait to do it again!

An Afternoon on the BSVRR

 

 A few weekends ago we took an afternoon to head up to Boone and take a ride on the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad with some friends. We had an awesome time and it was a great experience for everyone!

 

How cute are Michael and his new friend Maddox? All the kids are so, so cute!

The train took us on a 90 minute right from Boone to the mining town of Fraser. We went on this big, tall bridge that was pretty scary! I was very nervous during the ride but it turns out that it is all very safe. I would love to go back in the fall when the leaves are changing.

It was a great afternoon out and then we had an awesome BBQ dinner hosted by our friends in Ames. The kids played well together and all the adults had a fun time catching up and telling embarrassing stories from high school.

You can read more about our adventures on the desmoinesparent.com blog!