Summer Week Four

Week four of summer was slightly less busy than last week. I think we were worn out! 

On Monday we played catch up and rested at home. The kids rescued a tiny turtle from our street. He was so cute! Michael has a few friends in the neighborhood he has been playing with and I am glad they can play outside and ride bikes together. It helps everyone's sanity a little. 

Playing by the pond- what a beautiful day! 

Also this week poor Anna was feeling under the weather. She took naps every day and was complaining of a tummy ache. It was a good cue for us to take it easy. Brynn loved the quiet time with no one bothering her while she played and she kept herself busy all day. It was so cute. I just love when I see the kids playing nicely...and playing nicely together is a bonus. 

On Tuesday we ran our errands and had piano lessons. The girls got a haircut! 

On Thursday Trail Day, we took our bikes to Terra Park and rode the trail there. We got a little turned around and had to improvise to get back to our car but we made it work. I still get very nervous about the girls on their bikes and usually, it comes out with me yelling. However, sometimes my children have a bad habit of not listening to me and it can be dangerous in situations when it matters. This is something we work on daily. 

However, we recovered with a takeout lunch picnic from Panera Bread and playing on the playground and in the water. It was a nice day! 

On Friday we headed to the zoo for our field trip. It was supposed to be rainy in the afternoon so I figured we would go early and beat it. We only got rained on once and then it quit! We just did a quick spin around the zoo because Michael was complaining of his stomach hurting. It was still nice to get out of the house for a bit. 

Friday night, Scott invited some of his fraternity brothers out for an evening get together. One friend was passing through on his way from Chicago to South Dakota and the other had brought his daughter to try and wakeboard with Scott. Scott took the opportunity to invite some other local friends and they had a really good time. It was more people (and kids) than I had prepared for (bad hostess alert) but I think the social time did Scott good. They fished outside and hung out on the patio after dark so I think it was probably okay for social distancing. 

The girls were happy that their friend Allie came to visit again. They are just the same age and are so similar. The girls played nicely and I kept them entertained since I think the big boys' conversation was not wife friendly and I didn't want to cramp their style. :) 

On Saturday, Michael had his long-postponed piano recital and he did so well. We had worked hard on him feeling the beat to his songs so it flowed well and it was really paid off. He was also the only one who had his songs memorized! I was really proud of him and I am glad piano is something we can do together. His teacher is such a gem and reminds me what a blessing good teachers are in the lives of our students. I am glad we could keep going with lessons through quarantine, a little bit of normalcy helps everyone. 

We celebrated afterwards with ice cream at our favorite spot- the creamery in Polk City. YUM! They only had one scoop left of my favorite flavor, so we were lucky. We'll have to make sure and take Scott one of these days. Afterwards we joined everyone on the boat and enjoyed some fun in the sun. It was also one of the fastest we got the boat of the lake, especially for a Saturday. I even drove the boat up on the trailer for Scott! Woo hoo! 

Also, I showered, did my hair, put on makeup, jewelry, and nice clothes. If that doesn't deserve a selfie, I am not sure what does. I don't think I've blown dry my hair in months! It was great to feel more like myself for a day. 

That's a wrap on June! On to July! :) 

Father's Day

Father's Day was a big milestone for me in grieving my dad's death. Last year on Father's Day is when we got the call from my sister that we should come and see him in the hospital, and it was the last day he was well enough to talk with all of us and see the kids. Also this year Father's Day was the same day as my dad's birthday and also right after the one year anniversary of his death. 

That is three big days right in a row and I was dreading them for weeks. There is just something powerful about seeing special dates looming on the calendar that remind you of the passing of time. After the days passed, it was a relief to know that we made it through them and it was another mountain we had climbed and come over on the other side. 

My dad's estate was also settled this week due to the hard work put in by my mom and brother. It was another milestone that I think everyone was happy to check off the list and now we can move forward. It is a true passing of legacies and I am praying that my brother is a good steward of the land and animals to provide for his family. I know it is not an easy life but one that takes a lot of faith and bravery. 

So I spent much of the time around Father's Day remembering my dad and being thankful for all the time we had with him. The girls have been talking about him a lot and they seem to understand how fleeting their time together with him was. I am hopeful that he can stay alive to them with our stories and memories. Every fun thing we do I just know that Dad would have loved it as he was always up for an adventure and something new. Even during an argument with Scott (while cleaning the garage of course) I reminded Scott that my dad always said it was okay to be mad, you just can't take your anger out on someone you love. I think that is awesome advice. 

On Father's Day Sunday we surprised Scott with a scavenger hunt leading to his favorite goodies hidden in all his favorite spots. We also had an awesome breakfast and went mini-golfing! 

We had planned a canoe float but it was postponed because of isolated thunderstorms so we took the trip the following Sunday instead. It turned out to be a nice day and we had an awesome time on the water. We floated eight miles down the Racoon River. It took us about two and a half hours, and that was not even hardly paddling. We only had one incident where we tipped trying to get out at the boat ramp but other than that it was smooth sailing. 

Overall, it was a great time to celebrate and remember the dads in my life. We are thankful Scott is such a good provider for us and keeps us safe. He keeps everything in working condition and is the captain of Team Kundel! We couldn't do it without him! 

Summer Week 3

Summer week three! 

We are finding our new groove as summer is in full swing. It has been a balancing act for sure, trying to make sure everyone gets along and we still find meaningful things to do. It is nice to not have school hanging over our heads although we are still doing workbooks and reading. 

My mom came and visited last weekend and it was nice to see her. I'm glad we could be close as we are one year out of Dad's death.

We spent Saturday morning cleaning. The kids were such a good help that we headed to the park afterward with a Mcdonald's lunch. This is the second time they have requested KennyBrooke Park in Grimes- it is a hit!

Mom took the kids and Scott and I went out for Margaritas at Ritas Cantina downtown. It was busy but open-aired and we felt fairly safe. We got the queso flight as well as a margarita flight. We both said our beer-ritas tasted just like Mexico!

On Sunday, we took Mom to our two favorite secrets spots at Jester Park. There is a little creek off a trail that is so fun to play in. A bonus is that it is nice and shady! The second spot is in the woods by the pond- there are a ton of little houses people have made. Sometimes they are made up and other times there are lots of materials for you to create your own. 

We feel like we are finally rounding a corner on our yard work....haha, is it really ever done? Michael is a good helper with watering and sometimes other tasks. I will have to do a tour for you all! 

On Tuesdays when our cleaning lady comes, we try to be out of the house all day. This week we headed to Pammel Park in Winterset to play in the water and hike. It was an okay day- we did see three snakes which I think made the kids a little scared of the water. Plus they were having an attitude when I tried to help them with their reading after lunch so we left shortly after.  I am trying hard to get their eyeballs out of their ipads but it takes a lot of energy and I have a hard time not taking it personally when I get attitude in return. I know it is just because they are kids and well life is hard for them, too. I am trying to give us all some grace. 

Thursday is our Trail Day and so we took our bikes to Big Creek. The trail riding was a little harder as there were hills to manage with pedaling hard uphill and then watching speed on the downhill. We did a shorter ride, keeping it to about 45 minutes and it seems kids were in better spirits then. We also played on the playground, swam at the beach, and had our picnic lunch. It was busy! 

Since we were in Polk City, we finally stopped at the creamery for a delicious treat. SO GOOD! They were doing a good job of social distancing inside and the ice cream was awesome. It was a little on the expensive side, but we'll be back again. The little town square was so busy for a weekday, lots of people out for walks and bike rides. 

Gosh, this is starting to sound like a busy week! On Friday we headed up to Ames to visit Rieman Gardens. They have a Lego exhibit until July 5th and I didn't want to miss it. We explored the gardens, finding all 11 sculptures and learning a little along the way. Rieman Gardens is so beautiful. It was a treat for me to spend a morning there. 

In the herb garden at Rieman Gardens, they had the cutest fairy houses made from just sticks and nature things. I have had building fairy gardens on my summer list for years and finally, I realized we didn't have to buy a single thing to make them. It was a fun activity for all of us as we made some sweet houses in my hosta garden. The girls even drew a map on our driveway for the fairies to follow when they visit. :) 

We still have Father's Day to celebrate this weekend and I will talk more about that next time...stay well!

Summer Weeks 1 & 2

It's finally summer!! While putting this post together, it was easy for me to see we have wasted no time in jumping right into our summer. Global pandemics and social uprisings aside, we have been waiting for a summer like this for two years. It feels awesome to finally have my summer grad school work done and all of us done with the 2019-20 school year. This June has been awesome weather with hot, sunny days and just a few rain storms. It feels good to have a jump on our major outdoor projects so we can just enjoy time together. 

Of course, we have had our struggles with kids fighting, arguing, and complaining. It goes in spurts and I try to remind myself they are not like that all the time. For the most part, the kids are getting along really well. It seems that the girls play together well, and the girls play with Michael when it is one girl and Michael. But all three of them together...wowzas. Michael has been having some fun with a few boys in our neighborhood so I'm glad that gives him a chance to have some boy time and usually the girls are glad for a break from him. :) 

We've also been thinking a lot about my dad this summer as we are nearing the first anniversary of his death. We have been talking about him and sharing photos and remembering all the fun times we had with him. He had fun every day and that is quite a legacy to pass on. 

We purchased this blow-up pool earlier this spring and have been having a ton of fun with it. Good things since our favorite pools are closed for the season. I think we will get our money's worth out of this! 

On June 1st, all the parks reopened to the public! We celebrated with visiting one of our favorites, Terra Park in Johnston. It was a hot day and playing in the water felt awesome. It was our first visit of the year with the fountain on. The kids were so excited to see other children to play with. We all did a good job of washing hands and sanitizing afterward. Also, the bathrooms were open-wahoo!

School work has continued with our summer workbooks. The girls are enjoying some reviewing to get ready for kindergarten in the fall. Michael gets paid for every page he does- so far so good. 

Boating is off to an epic start to the summer. Our freer schedules are playing to our advantage in getting the boat on the water and so far we have been more times than we ever have this early. It is so fun to share time with friends and family on the water. 

I bought a Tri- membership to Living History Farms, the Science Center, and the Zoo for the summer. It is expensive but I am hoping we will get our value after visiting each place twice. Its good for the whole year so sometimes we can squeeze in some late fall or early spring dates. We haven't had a pass for years at the zoo so I am looking forward to going more regularly. 

Our first visit was Living History Farms and I had only been once before. We only did the farms part and the kids had fun exploring. I liked talking to the historic interpreters and Michael liked sharing things he learned on his field trip there last spring. We'll be back to do more exploring!

We've also done our fair share of hiking and finding creeks to stomp in. Always fun!

We are doing weekly trail rides on Trail Day Thursday. The first week we rode halfway from Madrid to the bridge and this week we rode from Woodward to the bridge. I think 5 miles is about our max for distance- the girls especially are doing great on their little bikes. It is a good way to get ourselves out of the house and our eyeballs off screens for a morning. 

 

For this week's Field Trip Friday we headed to Howell's farm to cuddle some baby goats and play. It was a lovely morning and the kids had fun. We packed a picnic lunch and stayed for about three hours. I can't believe I paid $20 for our family to play with goats, corn, old pieces of farm equipment, and dirt after growing up on a farm but hey... it was fun. :) 

Last Friday Scott treated us to Indiana Jones in the Palms IMAX theater. They are running specials of older movies and are doing an awesome job of cleaning and social distancing. It was a treat on the super big screen with buckets of popcorn. :) It was one of our only Friday nights home in a while so I'm glad we took advantage of it as a family. 

Phew! On to week three! :) I hope you are enjoying summer as well!