A Lazy Iowa Summer

The kids and I were very fortunate to spend the 12 days that Travis was gone, in Iowa with my parents.  It's not an easy thing to take in three people for almost 2 weeks, especially when 2 of the 3 are busy from sun-up to sun down :) However, I'm very thankful that my parents were willing and thrilled to have us.  I think we wore them out!  Ha ha!  Retired life to toddler life is VERY different!  But after we dropped off Daddy at the airport and Mommy cried a few tears, we took a roadtrip and pulled up to see this...

Mostly funny...

Mildly offensive :)

It didn't take but a few minutes for all of us to get a good dose of distraction at Grammy and Grampy's.

If ever there were a fitting shirt for this little one...

Carter enjoyed my parents house from a whole new perspective this visit, mostly from the floor.

He started to get up on his knees while were there and did a little bit of scooting, despite all of our efforts to get this kids crawling!

The entire time we were there it was HOT and HUMID.  Or raining.  But that's perfect weather for playing in the pool, which is what we did on a lot of afternoons.  Ava had her own pool and so did Carter, but of course they both crammed into the littlest one most of the time!

Carter was a wild man in the pool! Any fear this kid had of water, officially ended on this visit! 

Even in the bath, thankfully.

My Dad is all about going on walks with the kids, which I was thankful for and so were they. 

He said Carter looked all over the place, taking every little thing in.

And Miss Ava usually came home telling me all about the "skir-ruls" (squirrels) she saw or the occasional bunny.

Loaded up with their cups and hats (which Carter immediately took off) and they were off!

Thanks Dad!

My Mom and I did our share of cooking and baking, but every now and then we kicked back with some take-out too.  Ava was a crazy girl over these Japanese noodles!

Carter entertained us in his pool...

...and then decided he'd had enough??

He got pretty brave and just rolled himself out of the pool...

...and then realized that the grass isn't nearly as comfortable as the water!

Grammy to the rescue!

Ava watched a million movies while we were there.  "Cars" is her new fave, as well as "Barney Goes to the Zoo" and "Thomas the Train."  She loved curling up on the sectional and watching whatever she wanted!

When it wasn't blistering hot, these two wanted to be outside every minute!

They did pretty well playing together, as long as Carter was protected :)

He was a wild man in this walker!  Our favorite thing was watching him do 3 point turns in reverse but the boy had no regard for running over toes or slamming into shins!  Typical boy, right?

One of Ava's favorite things to do at my parents is to take a bath in their huge, farmhouse kitchen sink. 

We discovered it's even big enough for both kids to enjoy!

Probably not too much longer before this won't work, but the both loved it!

My Dad got hired as a high school golf coach again while we were visiting.  He coached for 10 years (or something) and my sisters and I even played for him.  He wasted no time getting Ava interested and it won't be long before Carter is in his sights too!

Working on that stance and backswing already!

She loved it!  It thrilled him to hear her say, "I go play golf Gwampa?" 

And we got to hang out with Ryley for most of the time too!!

I loved having him around and so did the kids.  He was his usual sweet self, letting Ava climb all over him and letting Carter reach out and grab his tail.  He's very happy with my sister and brother-in-law, but I love that we still get to see him a lot!

 

Really, we didn't leave the house much for the whole 12 days.  In this season of life, it's just easier to stick close to home so that naps can happen and meals and bedtimes. 

It wasn't a glamorous 12 days but we all had fun!

I truly loved watching these two play together.

Carter is dangerously close to holding his own with his big sister, which is going to change the dynamics a little but I'm really praying that they continue to love each other for life :) Is it too early to pray that??  I sincerely hope that they hang out when they're in college and when they meet their spouses :) I don't think it's EVER too early to ask the Lord for that!

The toys were abundant and all over my parents house for 12 days!  Thanks Mom and Dad for patiently listening to a thousand requests for juice and cheese, for putting up with tears and whining and for watching Cars no less than 20 times.  We had a blast relaxing with you and passing the time until Daddy got home.  Seriously, I am grateful that you would happily take us in and rearrange your schedules to make time for us.  We all had fun and missed you like crazy as soon as we left!

We packed up the car and headed straight from Iowa to the airport to pick up Trav!  Unfortunately there was a scary storm that delayed lots of flights, but we had fun with lots of church friends who were also there waiting.  Ava ran into her friend Julia, who was also waiting for her Daddy to come home.  We had to get creative to survive the delay...

But he made it home!! 

And we were 4 happy Armstrongs to be reunited again :)

Unfortunately, the next morning Trav was in bed sick and he spent most of the week that way.  He ended up at Urgent Care last night and with one IV drip and an antibiotic later, it was determined that he brought some kind of intestional bug home from Peru.  So, it's been a long week BUT we are so glad to be done with summer trips and ready to just be home for awhile.  Today has been a good day for Trav so I'm hoping that will continue tomorrow and on into next week! 

Happy Weekend Friends!