Summer Des Moines staycation 2025.

We were able to spend almost a week in Des Moines for Schut side staycation and we had a great time! We enjoyed lots of family time and it was fun to watch all the cousins together. My Uncle Jeff and Aunt Darla got to join as well from Chicago and that was special too!

We took family photos one day and I snapped a few on my camera too. (Ellory looks pained in this photo because it was so buggy and this was at the very end and she was sick of the bugs. I don't really blame her!)

My mom and dad- so thankful for wonderful grandparents, on both sides!

My sister Kayla and my parents.

Uncle Jeff and Aunt Darla- they are such fun with our girls!

My favorite four!

Fun at the science center on a rainy morning.

I think Kley had just as much fun, if not more, than all the kids! He should work there. We were all glad that Kley could make it for the last couple days, because he unfortunately missed the first few days due to work and storm clean up from the big derecho that sadly hit our town. 

Mini golf outing. (Ellory missed this because she had a fever one day, but thankfully it was quick!)

Swimming at our family friend's pool, so nice!

Zoo morning!

Carousel fun with cousins.

Giraffes- my favorite!

The whole crew! 

Feeding the koi fish is always so funny to watch them flop around for it!

Cousin crew! (Minus Margo.)

Tie-dye fun!

On the way to Des Moines, we were able to meet one of my college roommate's and her kids. They are living in TX but were visiting family in MN, so it was special to meet her halfway for a few hours because we hadn't seen each other in a couple years. 

Glad we could see you, Jackie, and glad we can stay in contact through the years!

Summer 2025 derecho.

Wow, what a storm! I have never seen anything like it. It came on suddenly and was quick but brutal. Our sweet house and yard took a beating, but thankful we are safe. Things can be repaired and are not the most important, but it was still a sad and difficult time. We had to get a new AC unit because ours was broken during the storm (and subsequently a new furnace too because that was ancient and it made more sense financially to do both at once with the casing they had to do around the units), and repair some roof damage and clean up water that leaked in upstairs because of that. There were a ton of branches and trees to clean up in the yard. We got water in our basement because our gutters were damaged and rain came in because it wasn't flowing properly away. What a sight! I'm thankful we were home (and not on vacation) when it happened so we could start clean up right away, and also super grateful for the 20 different people that showed up to help clean for periods of time throughout the week. Two of them had skid loaders that were incredibly helpful and faster at making piles. What a wonderful community we have! And a good God, always, and hope despite our circumstances because of His love. We ended up losing four entire trees and many others lost big parts, so our yard looks really different!

Summer activities 2025- Blue Bunny, Kley playing for Ragbrai, golf camp/tournament, and lake day.

Thankful for sweet summer days! The girls have mostly gotten along very well this summer and it's been fun times together! August will be a few special weeks before school starts with two trips and some slower days at home. In our town, all of the summer rec activities are the first six weeks of summer with a few stand alone day camps/activities in the rest of July, so August is the most free month of summer schedule wise, which is nice to have some schedule free time together before the routine of school begins again!

I like to be very organized, but I had a mega whoops moment and took the girls to a neighboring town (in our suits and towels) for a foam party that we realized happened in June and not July when we got there and I had written it down for the wrong month. It bothered me that I did that, but I am not perfect and we all had a good laugh at my embarrassing moment and we still had a fun time together getting ice cream at Blue Bunny.

Ragbrai (an annual huge bike ride across the state of Iowa) started in our town this year! It was a wild time of having 20,000+ people flood in and people were everywhere and our schools/college/golf course were filled with campers. There were lots of stands, food trucks, and music performances and it was a fun atmosphere. Kley loved getting to play some music at our park bandshell! We had a group of 19 camp in our backyard too!

The girls got to participate in a little golf camp at our local course. 

Following the golf camp, they had a parent/child golf tournament and Kley and Lucy played in it and won! Go Kley and Lucy! (Norah and Ellory could have played too but chose to pass.)

We had the greatest Saturday in Okoboji with the Groeneweg family, our friends from church who invited us to their family lake house for the day. We all had a blast swimming, riding on their boat, using their giant lily pad, jet ski rides, and getting a nutty bar after supper. It was such a perfect summer day! 

 

Summer activities 2025- triathlon, county youth fair, and swimming lessons.

Lucy and Ellory competed in the kids triathlon! They did such a great job! They had to complete one full lap (there and back) in the pool, bike a mile, and then run half a mile. It was a big event, but they both enjoyed it and really tried hard! Go girls!

We had a fun day at the county youth fair! We enjoyed the animals, corn pit, bounce houses, train ride, and ice cream cones!

It was swimming lessons week! They all did a fabulous job and it's so fun to go to the pool with great swimmers! Norah is in her last level and is doing things like swimming 10 laps, treading for 7 minutes, pulling bricks out of the bottom of the pool, and using the life saving floaty to jump in and save someone. Wow! Lucy and Ellory are diving and swimming strokes across the whole pool!