Summer in Iowa

Our summer trip to Iowa looked a little bit different this year.

We decided to change it up and rent a house on Lake Rathbun with all of Matt's family,

which ended up being an absolutely wonderful long weekend of fun!

By house I actually mean hunting lodge turned vacation home.

Caroline was immediately drawn to the taxidermy wall art.

The home was huge, 

housing all 16 of us 

and giving our littles lots of room to spread out and run - inside!

On top of that, there was water, swimming, boats, and games.

Fishing, food, sun, and relaxation.

It was a vacation enjoyed by all, big and small, with memories made that will bring smiles for years to come.

Papa & Grandma's Visit

This one was a special treat for all of us.

The girls got some extra time with Papa & Grandma

and they treated Mom & Dad to a night out

dinner

cocktails

&

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit

Fun had by all.

Lots of it.

How to Babysit a Grandma

Night Two: Papa & Grandma's Anniversary Party

While the Tennessee rain loomed over our evening,
that's what the tent was for.

There was music and dancing,
food, drinks, and special signature cocktails.

Friends and family filled the space,
exchanging smiles,
and
sharing memories.

There's a lot to celebrate after 35 years,
but most of all,
the love.

Night One of Papa & Grandma's Party

One of the big reasons we were in Tennessee
was to celebrate my parent's 35th wedding anniversary.

They celebrated with a party
with family and friends,
tented the backyard,
put together a delicious menu
of food & drinks
and let the fun happen.

Friday night was a smaller occasion,
with just family.
We got to see grandparents,
aunts & uncles
and cousins.
Many of them were meeting Caroline for the first time.

We had a wine and bourbon tasting,
played a game of Tim & Ann trivia,
dined, drank, danced,
and laughed.



My girls love an horderve table...

they get that from their mama.


It was so fun
and slightly surreal to see my children
running around with my cousins children.
I clearly remember being the child running around...









Oh, was there dancing...

my girls have some moves...

might they get that from their mama?

no stroller, no problem

At about midnight on Friday {or Saturday}
it dawned on me that my previous strategy for successfully navigating the airport with two little girls may need to be upgraded.
Previously, I strapped Caroline in a carrier and pushed Lauren in a stroller.
But now that Caroline runs everywhere,
and sadly is bigger & longer,
I didn't know if this would work.
So I did some research and Matt i spent the weekend searching for an umbrella double stroller,
only to realize they were pretty much only available online.
Amazon guaranteed delivery on Monday by 8pm.
Sadly, USPS didn't make that happen.

Plan B consisted of an internal debate of whether to convince Lauren to walk,
despite her love for a stroller ride,
or carry Caroline in the carrier.
I decided to stay with what I know.

Except, *someone* forgot to load the single stroller.
To make a long story short, my anxiety was much worse than the actual experience was.

Both girls had a great flight
and in all our flights,
we've never been invited to the cockpit,
until today.


We've been looking forward to our time in Good Ole Rocky Top
and kicking it off with an afternoon in the pool was pretty perfect.
Especially in new swimwear.


And in case you're wondering, the double stroller arrived today.