Look Who Lost Another Tooth...

Yep, you guessed it Kaylee did. This is the 3rd tooth she has lost. She has been working hard at getting it loose for some time now and she finally achieved her goal. Daddy finished it off today. She was very brave!

Little T

Here are some cute pictures of Trace at a soccer game.

Chicago With Our Girls

My Grandma Carie ended up leaving a few days earlier than planned. Unfortunately, she does not seem to be recovering from her asthmatic bronchitis very quickly. So in order to get her closer to her own doctor, her own recliner, her own oxygen machine, and her own hospital (if needed) the decision was made that it was time for Grandma to return home. The original plan was to meet my mom outside of Chicago, have lunch in Chicago with Mom and Grandma, and then make the Grandma swap. However, Grandma did not feel up to going into Chicago, so we decided just to meet and do the Grandma swap instead. In order to make the trip a little more fun than just another eight hour drive I decided to invite the girls to come with me and drive them into Chicago.

I love Chicago! It holds so many wonderful memories for me individually and for Trevor and I together. It is the place where my college friends and I used to spend an occasional weekend, the place where I lived for eight weeks during physical therapy school, the place where Trevor and I first began "falling in love", and the place where he ultimately proposed. With all those positive memories, you can imagine my excitement in sharing some of those experiences and sights with the girls, while letting them make a few of their own fun memories.

We ate dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and then the real fun began, for the girls that is. Kaylee and Kianna are big into American Girl Dolls and have been for awhile. Kianna just got Kit Kittredge for her birthday a month ago and Kaylee has her eye on Molly for her birthday in November. On previous trips to Chicago, Trevor and I have seen little girls carrying their American Girl dolls down Michigan Avenue on their way to the American Girl Place store. They are usually all dressed up on an outing with their mothers. So that's what we decided to do. We got dressed up, Kianna brought Kit, and carried her all over Chicago with her. We stopped at the American Girl Place store, where we let Kaylee pick out a few early birthday presents. She got Molly as an early birthday present from us. She also picked out a couple outfits for Molly and even got Molly's ears pierced. The latter gifts she won't get to play with until her actual birthday, but she had such a great day that doesn't seem to bother her. I told her now she just has to try to forget what she picked out, so she can be surprised on her birthday. Kianna was able to pick out something as an early Christmas present. She chose matching nightgowns for her and Kit. They look adorable together!

In addition, to our trip to the American Girl Place store the girls enjoyed just being in Chicago. They loved walking beside the skyscrapers, seeing Lake Michigan, seeing the John Hancock Building where Daddy and Mommy got all dressed up and ate dinner on the night Daddy proposed, seeing the horse and carriages that Daddy took Mommy on that same night, and ultimately walking beside the Buckingham Fountain where Daddy got down on one knee and proposed to Mommy eight and a half years ago. Kaylee even tried to reenact the moment by pretending to get down on one knee and propose to Kianna. It was so cute! The girls and I only spent about five hours in Chicago, but we had a blast together. In Kaylee's words, "It was super great Mom", although she did wish it was only a three minute drive. I love these girls!

Shipshewana

After dropping the girls off at school Grandma, Trace and I headed to Shipshewana, IN to enjoy the amish culture. The past few years Grandma and I have taken a day trip to Kalona, IA to visit the amish there and do some shopping. This year we changed it up a bit and went to Shipshewana instead. It was  a fun day, although a bit bittersweet for me. The last time I was in Shipshewana was with my dear friend, Heather and her little boy, Charlie. She will be gone for two years in November and I still miss her very much.

On a happier note, the three of us made some new memories by taking a horse and buggy ride through the countryside. The buggy driver was super nice and even let Trace hold the reigns to drive the buggy. Trace was all smiles and thought he was pretty hot stuff. We had a delicious lunch at the Blue Gate Restaurant, which serves super tasty amish food.  Unfortunately, Grandma wasn't feeling too well, so after a quick stop at a local bakery we headed back to MI. In fact, we spent the following morning at an urgent care clinic where she was diagnosed with asthmatic bronchitis. Grandma has a nasty cough and was put on three different medications. She still isn't feeling the greatest, but seems to be improving slowly. Despite Grandma not feeling well, we still managed to have a fun time and eat some yummy food.

Labor Day Weekend in Iowa

Kids with Bryker

This may be one of the few times we see Bryker in Hawkeye attire. Way to go Uncle Trevor!

Kids with Bryton in his jeep. Beware of crazy drivers!!!

Bennett

When we weren't celebrating my Grandma Gaskill's 100th birthday, we were back in Cedar Rapids visiting with the rest of our family and a few friends. We stayed with Trevor's parents. The kids' cousin, Bryker, slept over Thursday night and spent most of Friday with us. Grandma Becki had Friday off work, so we had lots of fun times. We took the kids to see Cars 2, which was good. The boys both fell asleep, which was sweet. The kids love playing with their cousin, Bryker. On Sunday, we managed to sneak in a quick visit with our good friends, The Grimms. The kids had fun driving the jeep. Beware of crazy drivers! We also had dinner with my mom's side. We even brought back a house guest, my Grandma Carie. She plans on staying two to three weeks. It will be nice having her around. I'm hoping she will teach me how to use the sewing machine I purchased last November and teach me a few of her special recipes. We cherish our time with her.

Anthony and Thomas Issa

Trevor and Chad Richards getting soaked.

While we were back, Trevor managed to sneak in an Iowa football game with a few of his buddies. Unfortunately, he got soaked during the game. I asked for a picture, but apparently it was too wet. There was a rain delay part way through the 3rd quarter. Honestly, I think he was a bit relieved to get out of the rain at that point. The Hawks won though, so all was well in Iowa. Go Hawks!!!

Grandma Gaskill's 100th Birthday Bash

Grandma Gaskill and me.

Kianna and Libby: Kianna has started making silly faces for the camera lately.
Kaylee and Grandma Sue
Cousins: Kaylee, Libby, Alyssa, Kianna, and Jada.
More cousins...
Grandma Gaskill with her three kids, their kids and grandkids; plus a niece and nephew. 51 present in all.
Wayne's family with Grandma; minus by brother, Rick and his family.
My Aunt Joanne and her family with Grandma.
My Uncle Rod and his family with Grandma.
Grandma with her kids: Wayne, Joanne and Rodney.
Crazy Cousins: Libby and Katie with my kids.
Did I mention we had bells for a couple of the songs? Debi's family was really into it!
Trace napping on Mommy, a rare moment.
Singing "Happy Birthday" to Grandma.
Blowing out the candles.
Girls giving Grandma the gifts they had made her.

We traveled back to Iowa this weekend to celebrate my Grandma Gaskill's 100th birthday. Josephine Lucille Curtis Gaskill was born on September 13, 1911. Can you imagine all the change she has seen in her 100 years? She grew up in a time when many kids only went to school until 8th grade, yet she got her teacher's certificate and began teaching other children. She used to ride a horse and buggy to work each day. She saw the invention of penicillin in 1928. Unfortunately, it was discovered a few years too late for her sister who died at a young age from a foot infection. Not to mention the technological advances she has seen with televisions, computers, microwaves, cell phones, etc.

Rising above all of the amazing things my grandma has witnessed over the years is the life she has lived, a life worthy of praise. My grandma is a strong Christian woman who passed on a Christian heritage to her children, grandchildren, and great-grand children. For that I will forever be grateful. Her favorite bible verse is Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." I have observed my grandma living her life according to this verse for my entire 34 years. Part of the weekend's festivities included a family church service, which was planned by my brother, Dave, and nephew, Scott. Dave led worship and Scott preached. It was a priceless experience worshiping with my family. I hope if I live to be 100 years old, that my family will think it appropriate to plan a church service in my honor as well. What a privilege that would be!

We had a great weekend spent catching up with my extended family. We spent the night at a hotel in Cedar Falls, so the kids were able to swim and play with their cousins while we visited. It was especially nice to see my sister, Debi, my brother-in-law, Dan; and my nieces, Katie and Libby. They traveled from Colorado for the celebration. It had been two years since we had last seen each other, so it was wonderful visiting with them this weekend. One of the precious moments from this weekend that I will cherish was when my girls each presented Grandma with the gifts they had made her. I had told Kaylee how Grandma used to make beautiful handmade quilts when she was younger. The girls decided that Grandma would like a homemade gift from them as well. Kaylee gave Grandma one of the pot holders she had made and Kianna gave Grandma the dragonfly keychain she had made. It was a sweet moment when we presented the gifts to Grandma. She was pleased to receive them. Happy 100th Birthday Grandma! We love you!!!