Our Last Trip to Grandma's (for a while :) )

Last week Aidan and I made our way up to Iowa to visit my parents. This will be our last visit until the baby comes. Aidan loves going to Grandma Shari's house. He loves watching the birds eat out of the feeders, the deer cross the yard at dusk, and running around their 4 acres. It's nice to let him run and not really have to worry about it. He usually stops and comes back well short of the creek. We had to go visit Grandpa's tractors of course, taking time to sit in each one. While we were there Aidan, as always for some reason, ran a temp. I don't know what it is with this kid and traveling but, lately everytime we travel he gets sick. This time he played well, ate and drank well, but ran a temp that refused to break completely and was congested. Maybe it's allergies. Who knows? When we got home the fever disappeared. Maybe it's psychological. LOL! Either way, we weren't going to let it get in the way of our trip and have a good time in spite of it. We were able to visit with my old friend Elleni and her three kids. Aidan had a good time playing with the boys and little Miriam was cute as a button. They brought these huge cookies from Hy Vee with tons of frosting on them. Aidan loved his, well mostly the frosting. :) It was so nice to see her again and get a chance to talk. It always makes me think of how we used to spend countless hours at each other's houses playing. Now we watch our kids do the same. A friendship that spans over 20 years is truly priceless.

Since we were at Grandma's, that meant we had to see cousin Sophie. A trip to Grandma's wouldn't be complete without a visit from her. :) So, Jamie came over with the kids. Emma is becoming a teenager before our eyes. She's given all her toys to Sophie. And Sarah is becoming a toddler before our eyes and is walking everywhere! They all grow so fast. Sarah was so excited to be able to play with Aidan's toys and not have them taken away by anyone. Now, she toddles after Aidan and Sophie as they run around and play. Aidan is starting to be more interested in Sarah. I think soon she'll be fun to play with too and join their little group.

Grandpa took us to Happy Joe's for pizza while we were up. This is a must. Not only for Taco pizza which is awesome and should be available everywhere, but for the memories and the experience. The one in Monticello isn't fancy and it's changed since I was a kid but there are a few things that stay the same. For instance, the awesome Taco pizza (can you tell I love the stuff?), the balloon machine where you can pick the color and watch it inflate, and the window into the the kitchen for the kids to watch through. I used to love to climb up the little stairs and look in and see the pizzas made. It's always interesting to watch your kids have the same experiences you remember from childhood. After lunch, we went to the John Deere dealer down the road. Aidan was in heaven! They have toys as well and I almost got Aidan a John Deere bike. Looking back, I really should have. Oh well! We were hoping to get a new hat but, they were all out. :( Either way Aidan had a great time and was bushed by the time we got home. While he took a long nap that day, I was able to visit my friend Paul and his son Carter. I'm always amazed by how much Carter grows and how big he is. It doesn't seem possible that he's in school much less going into second grade next year. Time really flies. Paul is in the middle of selling his house in CR. So if you want a nice place that's had a lot of TLC and is reasonably priced, have I got the place for you! I hope they are able to sell quickly as they have had a lot of showings.

When we got back from Iowa, tragedy befell my house. My washer broke down. Ugh! I know, in the sceme of things, this is a small thing. But when the repair guy said it would be $600 to fix it I nearly died. If you have a new front loader, get the extended warranty!! My washer has four computer components, each costing $400 a piece plus labor. The repair guy took pity on me, giving me the part number I needed and telling me how to change the part myself. He said if I could get the part and get it working to get an extended warranty added. That way if it fails again or something else breaks, I won't be paying for it. He also said if it is going to storm, unplug both washer and dryer. Power surges from lightening or power outages will damage them. So, Julien called Whirlpool and complained, as our washer is less than two years old, and got the part for $300 less than the repair guy would have charged us. So we'll see. I miss my washer though. Thank goodness for awesome neighbors that let me use theirs. (Mike and Jen are once again the best!)

Well, this is incredibly long. I think I will end here and post Aidan's updates separately. He's had a lot going on too. But, when does life ever slow down?