All that matters

Sometimes, as a parent, you wonder if you're doing enough for your kids. I love these precious little people more than anything else in the world. Through all the busy-ness and chaos that is normal everyday life, are they hearing the important messages over all? Today I got confirmation, affirmation, of the only thing that really matters. During the children's message at church, Cassidy piped up loudly, joyfully and with confidence:

"I was broken! And JESUS fixed me!"

And there I sat in the back pew, just sobbing. If she really gets that at four years old, it almost feels like my job is done! :) What more does she need to know?! 

Thank you, Lord, that your message cuts through all the other noise in our lives. Thank you for making yourself known no matter what, for staking your claim in these little hearts. Cassidy and Travis are yours, and we're so very grateful to have been entrusted with their upbringing. Help us love them better every day.

GRANDPA!!!!

Grandpa Faust called last week and said he could come for a visit on Thursday! We were all SO excited to see him, it's a good thing we had a busy week to keep us distracted before his arrival. He drove to Chicago and picked up Uncle Joe and got here in the afternoon. Cassidy started watching out the window at about 8:00 a.m. :) 

We enjoyed beautiful weather all the days Dad and Uncle Joe were here - mid 70's or low 80's with low humidity, lots of sunshine and nice breezes. Thursday afternoon we relaxed on the patio, had dinner and generally unwinded after a long day of preparation (me) and driving (them). 

Friday morning we got up and headed to Ames for a fun trip to Reiman Gardens at ISU. What an awesome place to have so close to us! The kiddos love being there, walking through the pathways and seeing all the flowers, sculptures, gardens, and more.

Both touching The World's Largest Gnome.

Trav LOVES jumping off these boulders. He does it every time we're there.

After the Gardens, we went to Aunt Maude's in downtown Ames for lunch - a favorite place of ours. Then we went home and after a rest (Uncle Joe napped on the upstairs balcony in the sun and declared, "I could live up here!") the kids changed into their swimsuits and played in the kiddie pool in the backyard. We had a yard walk, funny conversation, and generally lazed around enjoying the gorgeous summer weather. That night Dad got his belated Father's Day present - a special dinner of Roasted Beef Tenderloin with "The Sauce". :)

Saturday morning we drove to downtown Des Moines for the fabulous Farmer's Market. What a decadent place to visit! Lots and lots of gorgeous fresh produce and bakery items and prepared ethnic foods - truly something for everyone! We had lunch at The Machine Shed and made a quick trip to Trader Joe's too. Everyone needed a little rest when we got home, and then we all headed down to our antique carousel. Everyone rode (except me - motion sickness) and had a great time being a kid again!

This picture, as blurry as it is, is one of my all-time favorite pictures of my Dad. Now that's a man having fun on vacation!! :)

Sunday morning we all went to church, a special celebration day for our church's 115th anniversary. A catered lunch from Hickory Park followed, and then it was time for Dad and Uncle Joe to say good-bye. Cassidy is still not happy about Grandpa leaving. "I feel so very sad. It's hard to say good-bye." Don't worry, Pumpkin - we'll see him again in a few short months when we visit Michigan in October. It was an awesome weekend! Thanks so much for visiting us, Grandpa and Uncle Joe!! We love you!

Just like FarMor!

A few days ago Cassidy said, out of the blue, "I want to be like FarMor but it's too hot for me!" I had no idea what she was talking about. She went on playing and didn't mention it again. Then a few hours later, again out of the blue she said, "Can I have some tea with cubes! I think three will be good!" So together we made a cup of tea, Cassidy carefully dropping three ice cubes of ice into her mug. She sat down at the dining room table to drink it (with a straw, of course!) and declared, "Now I'm just like FarMor!" I just laughed so hard. She was missing one of her favorite people and wanting to be just like her...and FarMor is always drinking hot tea, so there you have it. :) The people we love most are never far from our minds!

She said, "Mommy, take a picture of my funny face sideways smile!"

Always a ham for the camera. :)

JUNE 2013!!!

June 2013. Well, it was a big, big month for us. We had lots of company, lots of fun and lots of love! We had four sets of company and while we love having our family visit, there were few days in between to recoup and reorganize, which is why I didn't post to the blog the entire month. So this is a BIG catch up! Let's go back to the beginning of the month...

FarFar and FarMor came to visit first. We saw them a few months ago at their new home in Tennessee but they hadn't been up to visit us in Iowa since last October. We enjoyed some beautiful weather and Cassidy and Travis couldn't wait to show them their new outdoor playhouse! This playhouse was a gift from Grandpa and Grandma Faust as early birthday and Christmas presents for the kids and they LOVE it! There's so much to do in the playhouse - sand and water tables, a grill, basketball hoop, door and doorbell, front porch and more. Here, Travis is talking on the phone. :) 

We live in a great neighborhood with lots of other young families with kids. Here's Cassidy and her girlfriends pretending to shop up and down the sidewalk.

Travis got a hold of FarFar's hat and stuck it on backwards, which made for some pretty cute photos!

One of our favorite things to do is take a stroll down to  our town's antique carousel. The kids love it and never want to leave! So of course we had to show FarFar and FarMor.

 There's always fresh popcorn to buy at our carousel, Cassidy's favorite part.

 FarFar and FarMor were visiting during Story City's annual Scandinavian Days Festival! We enjoyed the outdoor rides and petting zoo and Cassidy got to ride a pony for the first time!

There were lots of inflatable toys to play on and the kids LOVED the big slide. Travis was a little scared at first but once he got the hang of it he kept running back to get in line for more!

FarFar bought balloon animals (a flower for Cassidy and a monkey for Trav).

The kids also had a blast at their first parade! It went right down our street so we just sat on our curb. Here they are sitting in a friend's fun off-road vehicle. 

Waiting for the parade, Trav wandered back to the sandbox and playhouse. FarFar was a good companion.

Waiting for candy to be thrown during the parade..

 Trav was an expert at picking up candy! Both kids got quite a haul - look at those FULL baskets!

Also this month, Cassidy attended her first live play, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" with Daddy, which was put on by our local theater group at our 100+ year-old playhouse. She loved it!

Someone had their first blue lollipop recently...

Uncle Peder and his friend Carrie visited too, but we were too busy chatting them up to get a photo! They were here, though! And we had so much fun getting to know Carrie. :)

At the end of the month, we enjoyed the visit we wait all year for! KAYLA! Okay, it's really Uncle Aaron, Aunt Sheri, Kayla and Khloe. And they're ALL fun and wonderful and we love them all equally and can't wait to see all of them. But for Cassidy, it's allllllllllll about KAYLA!!! 

We were so honored to celebrate Kayla's actual birthday while they were here! She turned six! Such fun. It was a hot, humid week so we spent a lot of time in the sun, the kiddie pool and the air conditioning! We relaxed and spent a lot of time eating, lounging and laughing, and also had an outing to Ames. Sheri and I took the older girls to a movie one afternoon, and we had a part at the carousel and park for Kayla's birthday. Lots and lots of fun and as usual, the time flew by! 

It's been a great summer for us so far!