Monkey

Random Pictures

Since it's been quite a while since we've been able to post substantial pictures for all of you to see, this is going to serve as more of a short story accompanied with the Best In Pictures over the past couple of weeks.

Kari and Grand-po sporting their new hardware!

We're gearing up for a visit from the Colorado Crew (Uncle Jason, Aunt Amy and cousins Keira and Audra). We're all VERY excited for their appearance in West Lafayette, as we have plenty of exciting Fall activities planned - most notably Halloween! Now we're just hoping this amazing Indian Summer weather continues.

Bryce rode up front with Kari and Megan this time. We were happy to see Megan again.

We've recently had our Homecoming Tailgate in which many friends showed up and the kids had a wonderful time. Also was a quick visit from Grand-mo and Grand-po, as well as repeat trips to Prophetstown. This past week there was a party at the Clawsons house where the kids made some crafts and got to play together.

Holly with Nicole and Lisa- former pharmacy students.

Kari and Nolan- best buds.

Bryce and Taylor- not too sure about their headgear.

There will be a big update to come after the gang leaves next weekend.
This week Kari will be delivering her Mummy crafts to her classmates and teachers. She signed her name on the back of the tags.

Ready for Halloween

Finally got their shirts finished.

All by ourselves...

As you can clearly see by the lack of activity on the blog of late, Holly has been out of town. First was the trip to Black River to help her Dad with the flood clean up.

Holly left that Wednesday evening and was gone until mid-afternoon on Sunday. This was not only the first time both kids were left under Dad's guidance, it was longer than he even goes away for his work trip(s).

Never fear, though, both children are still alive and well nourished, and the house was neither burnt down nor a mess upon Holly's return. Her return was short-lived, however, as she bolted town again this past Thursday for a little R&R in Phoenix. Actually, it's a trip to visit a former co-worker who just took a job at Arizona State.



Hopefully it has served as a refreshing getaway, as Holly has spent more than her ample amount of time watching the kids the past 3-plus years while I've been gone on work trips.

Actually, the departures of Mom have given me a great amount of one-on-two time with my kids and it's honestly been wonderful. Sure, there have been some moments of wanting to pull my hair out, but overall the kids have been awesome and I wouldn't have traded this time alone with them for anything.

Last week we took a trip to Fort Wayne to visit my grandparents, and the kids great-grandparents. We were welcomed to a nice meal at cousin Becky's house and Kari got to play with her cousins!! Bryce, meantime, showed off his new found walking skills and made quite an impression on Great Pappy and Great Grammy. Overall, minus Kari's tummy issues later in the day, it was a great trip and one I'm very glad we made.



This weekend we spent time at Prophetstown, which you've read about often. Kari wanted to see her good friend Megan and ride the horse trolley. Sure enough, it made for a wonderful Saturday as the temperatures were in the mid-80's.



We had a quick picnic lunch in the shade, then home for naps before taking the recycling to its home. Following that we hit Squirrel Park for some fun on the swings and slides. Tomorrow morning the kids are heading on a trip with Beep-Beep and Gran before being welcomed home for dinner with Mommy back in the saddle again.



I've included some photos I took on my phone today, but I've not had the camera while Holly's gone so not as many pictures to share as I'd like. Becky is going to be sending some of our short stay at her house, so stay tuned for those.

Black River Falls, Part II

Only a little more mud.

The water in the mop buckets would be as dark and as thick as chocolate milk when you were ready to dump it out. And then the bucket would have at least an inch of mud settling at the bottom.

We did have time to do a little exploring while the river is still in the drawdown stage as part of the process to replace the dam in town. Because the dam was 100 years old, this truly was a once in a lifetime experience.

This was one of the neatest things I've done in a long time. Because of the drawdown, I was able to stand anywhere from 5-20 feet in the river and we were able to walk up and down the river bank. Technically the river is shallow enough right now that you'd be able to walk across, although it would be super cold this time of year.

The dam taken out in town. Part of the new footings washed away in the flood.

The pier Dad used to dive off of when he was a kid just above the dam.

Black River Falls

One word: M-U-D.

German Fest

Last night I took Kari down to German Fest, sponsored by one of the Catholic churches in town. The event has become quite an annual event around here, yet one we had not experienced. Kevin stayed home with Bryce awaiting Jason's arrival from Colorado, so it was just us girls tagging along with the Clawsons. We also were able to meet up with Natalie and her crew, so it made for a nice little neighborhood outing. Kari was a hit in her dress and had a blast cutting a German rug out in the street. Polka Boy is a band we'd only heard about but finally got to experience them live. We (the adults) had such a good time last night that we're checking in to see where else Polka Boy is playing for local Oktoberfest parties.

Look Who's Walking

Bryce's first steps were actually Thursday morning in our closet as I was getting dressed. Day by day he's getting more confident and taking more consecutive steps. Yay!

What Hillbilly Kidnapped My Husband?

Who needs a home football game when we can just keep the tailgate at home?
Smokin' 30 pounds of meat and smokin' the Irish at 3:30 PM EST kickoff.

Summer is almost over

It's been a very fun summer with both of the kids. Despite not taking a major family vacation, we did spend many days by the pool and doing as much outdoors as the stifling summer heat would allow. This weekend has been no different.

While Holly ventured off to a state-wide farmer's market extravaganza with Pam and Natalie, Dad and the kiddos took off to the local farmer's market and a trip to Prophetstown State Park. Yes, not vastly innovative treks, but ones I knew Kari would enjoy (and let's be honest, she's the one I needed to keep happy all day!).

The farmer's market trip was short as we simply needed to pick up some Kettle Korn and see if there was anything else that caught our eye. After that, we wandered out to the park and got to see Kari's favorite animals - horses.

The horses pull a trolley that can hold up to 20 people and it's driven by Kari's favorite park employee - Megan. Kari talks about Megan often and had a great time on the trolley. In fact, Megan asked Kari to sit up on the driver's seat with her and help steer the horses back to the main entrance.

Kari and Megan

When we got home, there was a special visitor - Grandmo - waiting. After lunch and a quick nap, we all headed to Purdue to play in the fountains. We're hoping this will be the last weekend that includes 90-plus degree temperatures.

Today we went to the pool for perhaps our last time this year. Kari finished with a bang, being thrown around the pool by dad, swimming with mom and even one last dive off the diving board.